Essentials Plus: Nov. 8

There's always so much more to do in the local arts, culture and entertainment scene than any print issue can hold. Here are just a few more ways you can spend your weekend.

Loveland Living Planet Aquarium Lantern Festival: A new event at the Loveland Living Planet Aquairum (12033 Lone Peak Parkway, Draper) for the 2024 holiday season, the Lantern Festival brings the aquarium's 9-acre plaza and surrounding grounds to life with massive illuminated animals and scenes of aquatic ecosystems, plus interactive games and activities appropriate for all ages. The event runs Nov. 8 - Jan. 6, 2025, beginning at 5:30 p.m., and includes aquarium access during regular operating hours on select nights. Tickets are $12.95 - $27.45 based on guest age and date of visit; go to livingplanetaquarium.org/lanternfestival for additional information.

Utah Arts Alliance ILLUMINATE Festival: The annual celebration of the intersection between art and technology returns to Library Square (210 E. 400 South) on Saturday, Nov. 9, 5 p.m. - 11 p.m., for an evening showcasing fascinating artistic creations employing light, plus projection mapping, STEAM Lab, live entertainment and drone show.  Tickets are $10 adult, $5 children 6-12, 5 and under free. Visit the website to purchase tickets and for additional event information.

SALT Contemporary Dance: Radio Silence: The local modern dance group brings back its 2023 production, which was in turn an expansion of its 2021 production The Invitation.  Director/co-choreographer Amy Gunter talked about the show to City Weekly  last year, desribing the non-narrative show as one inspired by 1930s radio, and the way radio connected people in times of difficulty. The revival runs for two performances at the Mid-Valley Performing Arts Center (2525 Taylorsville Blvd., Taylorsville), Nov. 8 - 9 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $12 - $35, at arttix.org.

Natalie D. Richards: 49 Miles Alone:  The New York Times bestselling author visits Day-Riverside Library (1575 W. 1000 North) in conjunction with King's English Bookshop to discuss her new YA novel, a Utah-set survival thriller about two young women on a hiking trip facing potential threats from both the landscape and a person they encounter. Join Richards in a conversation with author Erin Stewart on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 2 p.m. The event is free to the public, but Eventbrite registration is required.