Best Bets: Gaskell Ball, Exploratorium’s ‘Glow,’ Princemas, Kung Pao Kosher Comedy, Jiaoying Summers

Party like it’s 1899: High-spirited dancers whirl around the room, women’s voluminous skirts sweep the floor to a fine polish, and the men’s natty dark tailcoats and spotless cravats are a severe contrast to the burst of off-the-shoulder color sported by their female partners. This giddy affair on Saturday night at the Scottish Rite Ballroom in Oakland is another iteration of the annual Gaskell Ball, a dance party inspired by the reign of Queen Victoria that has become the largest such event (600 attendees-plus last year) in California since it started at Mills College in 1990. Waltzes, polkas, mazurkas and the like are all the rage. Franklin Beau Davis and his San Francisco-based Brassworks Band supply the music, as they have for a couple of decades. Formal attire is required; take a look at gaskellball.com  for some creative ideas. The party starts at 7:30 p.m. at 1547 Lakeside Drive in Oakland and continues ‘til lights out at 11, and there is a catered snack buffet and the famous Gaskell punch available for refreshments. Tickets are $55.20 through Eventbrite. Find the link here.

Let it glow, let it glow, let it glow: Festive holiday lights are ablaze everywhere in the Bay Area this time of year, but for the sheer scientific magic of it all, much of it participatory, it’s hard to beat the Glow Festival at the Exploratorium in San Francisco. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, the hands-on museum at the Embarcadero and Green Street will welcome visitors to multiple exhibits that invite them to “play in the light,” including a “Pop-Up Light Lilies” display in Gallery 2 in which patrons create illuminated flowers by connecting geometric shapes; an “Incredible Art of Neon” show in Gallery 4 that introduces artists who will demonstrate their skills; and a “Luminous Plankton” demo in Gallery 4 with the opportunity to peer through a microscope at the tiny bioluminescent critters. It’ll be hard to miss the Doloresaurus, because the 15-foot illuminated Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton takes up a whole lot of space. Donors and members are free to enter; museum admission for the public is $29.95-$39.95, with tickets available at exploratorium.edu. 

Freebie of the week: There are many ways to celebrate this most wondrous time of year – engaging in fun and heartwarming traditions with friends and family, contemplating the spiritual meaning of it all, embracing the joyous and sparkling grandeur that envelopes the Bay Area … or grooving out to awesome Prince tunes. For that last option, check out Princemas, a robust celebration than the Fireside Lounge in Alameda with a night full of Prince music from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Friday, led by Bay Area’s own DJ Sir Ellis. Rest assured, Ellis will be spinning a wide variety of Prince-adjacent music as well – Morris Day and the Time, Sheila E., Apollonia, Vanity, and more. Admission is free; more information is at thefiresidelounge.com. 

Kosher cackling: All kinds of people who attend the annual Kung Pao Kosher Comedy show in San Francisco Dec. 24-26. There are those who don’t celebrate Christmas and need a night out to laugh with other non-celebrators. There are those who do celebrate Christmas and simply need a night of robust laughter after being cooped up in a house full of hyper-anxious kids and confused pets. And, of course, there are those who just want to enjoy one of the Bay Area’s most fun holiday traditions. Kung Pao Kosher Comedy, now in its 33rd year, is a deliciously low-fi affair that features three nights of comedy at a Chinese restaurant in San Francisco (and, in keeping with the times, the show is now offered online as well). Headliner for this year’s lineup is Elayne Boosler, the groundbreaking comedian who came up during the 1960s and ‘70s – a male-dominated era in comedy – and struck a chord with her frank and confessional brand of humor. Comedian Richard Lewis called her “the Jackie Robinson of my generation” and Rolling Stone billed her as one of the “50 best comedians of all time.” Others in the lineup include Orion Levine, Amanda Marks and Lisa Geduldig, Kung Pao founder and a fixture in the Bay Area comedy scene. Performances are at the Imperial House, 818 Washington St., San Francisco. Early (dinner) shows run 5 to 7:30 p.m. ($95) and include a six-course dinner; the later (cocktail) shows run 8:30 to 10 p.m. ($70) and include light snacks. Or stream the event for $30-$75. More information is at www.koshercomedy.com. 

Summers in San Jose: Jiaoying Summers has a wealth of experiences to talk about when she takes the stage at San Jose Improv this week. Born in Henan province in China, in the “One Child” era when it was considered an embarrassment for parents to bring a girl into the world, Summers developed an early interest in acting and entertainment by watching the movies her mother sold and rented in a family-run video store. She worked at a construction company, interned at IMAX Corp. and won a Miss China pageant before settling in Los Angeles. She auditioned for a John Singleton-produced TV series, and the director recognized her talent for comedy and advised her to give stand-up a try. That turned out to be good advice. Summers began working at SoCal comedy clubs; and her career really took off when she began posting comedy videos on TikTok. Known for commenting intelligently and hilariously about issues related to immigration and identity, she was recently named by Variety as “100 comics to watch,” and her Hulu comedy special, “What Specie Are You,” debuted to critical acclaim. She also runs a production company, owns two L.A.-area comedy clubs and is extensively involved with the charity Operation USA. She performs four shows Friday and Saturday at San Jose Improv. Tickets are $31.14-$132.05; go to improv.com/sanjose.