Good morning, Providence

Holiday lights spectacular, breakfast with Santa, Handel’s messiah, and more.

📰 In the news

A heartfelt message to patrons: Chilangos, a popular Mexican restaurant on Manton Avenue in Providence, has closed indefinitely after Carlos’s sudden hospitalization. The restaurant’s final day of service was December 10 — read their full message.

Courage in a crisis: An 11-year-old Providence girl was honored as a Hero Among Us at a Celtics game after saving her mother with 911-guided CPR, keeping her alive until paramedics arrived — read the full story.

Providence cultural partnership strengthened: Mayor Brett Smiley signed a 20-year lease for the WaterFire Arts Center, keeping it in City ownership and securing WaterFire Providence’s programs with rent and upkeep handled by the organization — get all the details.

Compare rates for free: The national average for car insurance is around $175 per month. Paying more than that? Same, so I did some shopping around and ended up cutting my premium in half. If you haven’t checked in a while, you’re probably overpaying too — here’s the comparison tool I used.

Identity theft is up 25%: Last year, Americans lost $12.5 billion to ID theft & fraud, and the stories behind those numbers are brutal. My friend just told me his dad’s on his fourth replacement credit card. Other folks have woken up to empty bank accounts or their personal info dumped online after a breach. Aura catches these kinds of attacks early by monitoring for new accounts, weird money movements, leaked data, and other red flags so you’re alerted before things blow up — learn more about it here.

Highlights this week

• Enjoy Darlene Love’s holiday concert
• Stroll through 3.5 million holiday lights
• Play Drag Trivia benefiting Haus of Codec
• Tour renovated library and 1900 building
• Experience Octet’s a cappella digital odyssey
• This pet insurance plan reimburses up to 90%
• A tiny hearing aid is taking the US by storm

🫶 We got your back

Filling the gap in care: Providence’s Butler Hospital has opened Express Care, an urgent-care-style clinic for immediate mental health support. Serving teens through older adults, it offers same-day assessments, medication reviews, and referrals, no appointment needed and most insurance accepted. Open weekdays 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the Sawyer Building. Emergencies should still go to the ER. See what to expect and hours.

Bubble guns and glamour: Esther’s High Dive opens next week on the ground floor of the Aloft hotel on Dorrance Street, bringing a Palm Springs pool-party vibe to Providence’s cocktail renaissance. Beverage director Max Karlin pairs playful touches with serious technique, from milk-punch riffs to amaretto-spiked espresso martinis, plus late-night comfort bites for post-shift crowds. Read the full story.

Fresh cut, cleaner products: If your hair wants love without the chemical hangover, Flipp Salon pairs plant-based, vegan products with a collaborative crew of independent stylists. Come for quick clean-ups or big changes, stay for local art and calm, herbal vibes…and leave with a reset that actually lasts.

Thinning hair? Same: I’ve been shedding a lot, and recently noticed my ponytail feeling thinner. After way too much panic-Googling, I decided to take Hers’ online quiz. They recommended a Biotin + Minoxidil green-apple gummy for regrowth and overall hair health. The whole thing was surprisingly easy: just verify who you are and a licensed provider signs off. Here’s the quiz if you want to check it out.

Makeup that actually works: My sister and I were talking the other day about how the makeup we used in our 20s… just doesn’t work now that we’re in our 30s and 40s. Laura Geller’s entire makeup line addresses this shift, with formulas that smooth, brighten, and actually stay put. If you’re in the same boat, their curated kits are worth a look.

📆 Around town this weekend

All events are subject to change without notice. This is entirely outside our control. Please check official event pages and social media for the most up to date information.

Today

✨ Luminare Christmas @ Uptown Theater | Friday (12/12) at 7:30pm – If your holiday playlist needs more kick than a peppermint latte, this rock show brings big visuals, reimagined carols, and originals. Led by John Blasucci, a vet with Dennis DeYoung of STYX and Mannheim Steamroller, plus a VIP Mistletoe Madness upgrade.

🕯️ The Rock Orchestra by Candlelight @ Providence Performing Arts Center | Friday (12/12) at 8:00pm – This candlelit rock orchestra turns PPAC into WaterFire for your ears, blending strings with distortion on Metallica, AC/DC, and more. It is 90 minutes of goosebumps, nostalgia, and hair-raising crescendos. Dress for date night, prepare for guitar faces from violins.

This weekend

🎵 Morning Acapella with East End Theatre and Performing Arts @ Roger Williams Park Botanical Center | Saturday (12/13) at 11:00am – Whether you can carry a tune or just carry coffee, East End Theatre and Performing Arts’ a cappella folks are filling a greenhouse with holiday harmonies for All Aboard for the Holidays. Saturday morning vibes, local voices, and cheer that actually lands on key.

🌓 Songs of Darkness and Light: A Family Musical Event @ The CMW Center | Saturday (12/13) at 1:30pm – This cozy solstice celebration turns the CMW Center into a drop-in winter wonderland, with MusicWorks Collective, storyteller Valerie Tutson, and hands-on crafts. Bring the kids—or come solo.

❄️ 27th Annual Pawtucket Winter Wonderland Festival @ Slater Memorial Park | Saturday (12/13) at 4:00pm – Bundle up and stroll Slater Park for Rhode Island’s biggest holiday glow fest, 40 acres of twinkle with 650 trees, a miniature train, the Looff Carousel, and a chatty 18-foot snowman. Free admission and parking, traffic-free strolling, and yes, it is cash only.

🎅 Breakfast With Santa @ Coachmen’s Lodge | Sunday (12/14) at 10:00am – Santa’s trading sleigh bells for silverware at this all-day holiday brunch, and he’s ready for photo ops between bites. Expect a spread of breakfast favorites, steamy hot cocoa, festive crafts, and music to keep spirits bright. Kids eat cheap, little ones under three feast for free, and adults get their annual reminder that Build your perfect cocoa the way you like it.

🎺 Handel’s Messiah with Providence Singers @ The Vets | Sunday (12/14) at 3:00pm – Settling in for a Sunday matinee, the Rhode Island Philharmonic and Providence Singers deliver Handel’s Messiah with chorus, fine soloists, and goosebump moments. Bring the kids, or your inner choir nerd, and practice your Hallelujahs silently. You’ll be out before supper, spiritually full, locally loved.

🎻 Kirsten Lamb & Ezekiel’s Wheels Klezmer Band @ Temple Beth El Providence | Sunday (12/14) at 4:00pm – Think you know klezmer? Ezekiel’s Wheels, the award-winning Boston ensemble featuring Kirsten Lamb on upright bass, brings chamber-tight improvisation and high-energy traditional melodies. It’s joyful, virtuosic, and warmly inviting—like a celebration you’re glad you didn’t miss.

Next week

💡 Holiday Lights Spectacular presented by Rhode Island Energy @ Roger Williams Park Zoo | Monday (12/15) at 5:00pm – Holiday season calls for strolling the zoo after dark, cocoa in hand, under 3.5 million lights across 40 acres. It’s kid-pleasing without being kid-only, with penguins, s’mores, and photo ops with Frozen folks, the Grinch, Santa, and Roger the Red Panda. Discount Tuesdays help.

🧀 Holiday Charcuterie Wreath Workshop @ Artisan Bites Charcuterie + Café | Tuesday (12/16) at 6:00pm – Whether you’re team brie or loyal to sharp cheddar, this hands-on workshop teaches you to turn snacks into a festive charcuterie wreath. Learn salami-rose magic, smart grazing-board tricks, and leave with something pretty, edible, and photo-worthy. Finally, a wreath you can eat when company lingers.

❤️ Darlene Love – Love for the Holidays @ Uptown Theater | Tuesday (12/16) at 7:30pm – Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and Queen of Christmas Darlene Love brings her Love for the Holidays tour to Providence. Expect goosebump vocals, the classics, Christmas (Baby Please Come Home), White Christmas, and Winter Wonderland, and none of that mall soundtrack energy.

Wanna see more? Browse our full events calendar →

🎶 Live music & entertainment

• 12/12 Cold Flame and more @ Machines with Magnets – 8 pm
• 12/12 Nunu Ford @ Bae Restaurant – 9 pm
• 12/12 Goosemas Night One Afterparty @ Fete Music Hall – 11:30 pm
• 12/13 Adam Soucy and more @ Providence Place – 3 pm
• 12/13 Alex Cohen @ Moonshine Alley – 5 pm
• 12/17 John Faraone @ Myrtle – 7 pm
• 12/17 Clay Pigeons @ Nick-a-Nees – 8:30 pm
• 12/18 Cheat Death and more @ The Parlour – 7 pm
• 12/18 Hemlok and more @ Myrtle – 7 pm
• 12/19 Jim Robitaille @ Red Ink Community Library – 9 pm

🏠️ Price is right – Providence edition

How it works: We’re going to give you some facts about a home for sale, including a picture of the outside, the kitchen, and one additional room. Your job? Guess how much it’s listed for (preferably before you click to find out).

Listed by: Ramiro Encizo (Residential Properties Ltd.)

High ceilings, abundant light, and rich hardwoods shape a reimagined plan. A firelit living room opens to a sunroom. The showpiece kitchen flaunts Arabescato marble, black shaker cabinetry, and pro appliances, plus a bonus room for library vibes or candlelit suppers. A first-floor suite opens to a zen garden, plus a chic powder room.

Upstairs brings four bedrooms, one with a sunrise balcony, and luxe primary with fireplace, sitting room, and a tucked away sleeping nook. New roof, wiring, plumbing, heat, and central A/C. Steps to Wayland Square, Brown, RISD, Wheeler, Lincoln School, plus Amtrak, I-95, and Downtown nearby.

Make your guess, then (and only then)… see how much it costs →