Saturday-Sunday and Thursday. The Denver Zoo’s Zoo Lights will be extra-special in the coming week, with two parties planned. This weekend the Zoo salutes the first two days of Kwanzaa with two nights of African storytelling and music among the sparkling light displays. Thursday is Zoo Year’s Eve, a family-friendly New Year’s celebration: Along with the lights, enjoy live entertainment and activities leading up to a 9 p.m. countdown to 2010. 5-9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Zoo Year’s Eve, 5-9 p.m. Thursday. The Denver Zoo, 2300 Steele St.; 303-376-4800. Kwanzaa and New Year’s activities are included with Zoo Lights admission: $8 for adults, $4 for children and $6 for seniors. Zoo members save $2 on admission. Children age 2 and younger are free.

Saturday-Sunday. It’s the last weekend to see the Winter WonderLights at the Wildlife Experience before they’re packed up until next year. The holiday display takes visitors down a lighted, sculpture-lined path around the museum, complete with hot cocoa stations. The path leads to Winter WonderVille, a Christmas hamlet with elves, music, live reindeer and Santa and Mrs. Claus. In the theater, the original, animated “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” will be showing, too. 5:30-9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The Wildlife Experience, 10035 S. Peoria St., Parker; 720-488-3300. Admission is $7.95 for adults, $6.95 for seniors and $4.95 for children ages 2 to 12. Children younger than 2 are free.

Saturday-Sunday. Act fast: The Town Hall Arts Center’s production of “Oliver!” ends its run this weekend. Based on Charles Dickens’s “Oliver Twist,” the musical tells the tale of a young orphan boy and his adventures in Victorian London. The show also features famous characters like Fagin and the Artful Dodger, plus some familiar songs: “Consider Yourself” and “Food Glorious Food,” to name a couple. 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Town Hall Arts Center, 2450 W. Main St., Littleton; 303-794-2787. Tickets are $24-$36 for matinees and the Saturday evening performance, $21-$33 for Sunday night’s show. Student and senior discounts are available. Call to purchase advance tickets.

Thursday, December 31. Little ones get a New Year’s party of their own at Noon Year’s Eve at the Children’s Museum of Denver. The daytime celebration features a countdown and ball drop every hour from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., transforming the museum’s plaza into a miniature Times Square. Each time the ball drops, kids create their own fireworks sounds by jumping on huge sheets of bubble wrap and dancing in a shower of confetti. Inside the museum, live performances, art projects and more keep the fun rolling. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday. Children’s Museum of Denver, 2121 Children’s Museum Drive, 303-433-7444. Admission to outdoor activities is free, general admission applies for indoor events: $7.50 for guests ages 2 to 59, $5.50 for seniors and one-year-olds. Parking is free for museum members and $5 for non-members.

-Kathleen St. John