Christmas Village Preview Weekend, Philadelphia Marathon, Wild Lights, and other events around Philadelphia, Nov. 16-22

This weekend, two of Center City's biggest annual holiday markets make their seasonal debut. Christmas Village hosts its Preview Weekend, two days that give shoppers a sneak peak at the 80+ vendors that'll open for business daily in LOVE Park starting Nov. 22. Meanwhile, bringing all local goods from which to checkout, the Philadelphia Holiday Market kicks off Saturday for its full season, running through the New Year. — Grace Dickinson

Nov. 17-18, LOVE Park, 1599 John F. Kennedy Blvd (Christmas Village), and Dilworth Park (Made in Philadelphia), 1 S. 15th St, pay-as-you-go, philachristmas.com

As many as 30,000 people from all over the world will hit the streets running this weekend for the city's annual Philadelphia Marathon. The main event, the 26.2-mile race, takes place on Sunday and travels through an array of Philly neighborhoods, starting by the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Fairmount and moving along the Schuylkill to University City and Manayunk. The half-marathon, Rothman 8K, and a "Munchkin Run" for those ages 3 to 12 years old will all take place on Saturday. — G.D.

Start times kick off between 7 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. Saturday and Sunday, runs begin and end on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway between 21st and 25th Streets, free for spectators, philadelphiamarathon.com

A 2015 Guggenheim fellow, artist Kukuli Velarde brings her first body of work to Philadelphia in an exhibition of paintings and sculptures that deconstruct the ideals of female beauty. Debuting this Friday, the series is designed to question the construction and consumption of beauty in Western culture, incorporating self-portraits of Velarde as a woman and an immigrant with what she calls a "mature" body. — G.D.

5:30-8 p.m. Friday, Taller Puertorriqueño, 2600 N. 5th St, tallerpr.org

Tibetan master artist Losang Samten is currently in the midst of a five-day residency at WheatonArts and Cultural Center where he's creating a "Wheel of Life" mandala. The mandala, a meticulously handcrafted image constructed from sand, is meant to symbolically represent the cycle of life and the potential consequences of life choices. Throughout the week, visitors can watch the colorful creation come together and chat with Samten about the process. On Saturday, the project concludes with a Wheel of Life dismantling ceremony (5 p.m. to 6 p.m.), a ritual to remind the viewer of the impermanence of all things in life. — G.D.

Noon. to 6 p.m. Saturday, WheatonArts and Cultural Center, 1000 Village Dr., Millville, N.J., free, wheatonarts.org

Bachata music, and the dancing that accompanies it, sprang into being in the Dominican Republic. Now you can enjoy it in Philly, with a day of dancing, dance lessons, live DJs, and great food. Stop in through the afternoon to enjoy good company and music, or come at 7 p.m. when torches and a fire pit will warm the night up. — Thea Applebaum Licht

4-8:30 p.m. Saturday, Drexel Park, 300 N. 32nd St. $5 general admission, $20 VIP admission. www.bachatablockparty.com.

Daring you to sample all parts of an animal's body, chef Ari Miller and physician Jonathan Reisman will lead a culinary driven look at the digestive system, from tail to tongue, at the Free Library of Philadelphia's Culinary Literacy Center. Show up for your chance to taste liver, stomach, intestine, and tongue while learning about how these various components work together to keep our bodies healthy. — G.D.

6 p.m. Tuesday, Free Library of Philadelphia, 1901 Vine St., $25-$45, libwww.freelibrary.org

Starting Friday, millions of hanging lights will illuminate the sprawling 16-acre Elmwood Park Zoo for its annual holiday celebration. Santa Claus will be strolling through the festive grounds to partake in family photos, as will his reindeer, joining the other animals to view at the zoo. Older kids will love the special nighttime zip line experience, soaring over the zoo's resident bison herd and featuring a glowing harness that interacts with several Wild Lights' light installations. — G.D.

6-10 p.m. Friday, 1661 Harding Blvd., Norristown, $17.95, $13.95 for those 3 to 12 years old, free for kids under 3, elmwoodparkzoo.org

Going out to buy doughnuts is great, but why not cut out the middle man and make them at home? Learn how to cook and decorate doughnuts and have a great time with your children by attending a workshop from Federal Donuts' Matt Fein. Then take home a recipe for sweet treats any time you'd like them. — T.A.L.

2-4 p.m. Saturday, Free Library of Philadelphia CLC, 1901 Vine St. $12 per person, children ages 5-12 with adult caregiver. 215-686-5323, www.freelibrary.org/cook.

This group of University of Pennsylvania dancers brings an eclectic mix of modern and classical styles to every show. You can expect to see this all-female troupe perform jazz, ballet, tap, contemporary, and hip-hop styles at their Fall show. — T.A.L.

Friday, 8:30 p.m. and Saturday, 6 p.m., Iron Gate Theater, 3700 Chestnut St. $10 online, $8 for groups of eight and more. www.artshousedance.com.

Los Campesinos! arrived a decade ago with the indelible riffs and exuberant shouting of "You! Me! Dancing!" from their debut, Hold On Now, Youngster… The song found its way into the hearts of twee indie kids and, later, into a Bud commercial. In true Ramones fashion, the young septet all adopted the surname Campesino when they formed the band at university in Wales. While subsequent albums haven't reached the giddy heights of the two 2008 albums being celebrated Friday at Union Transfer (We are Beautiful, We are Doomed was the speedy second one), they have been full of wry, wordy tunes rich in joyful cynicism, and last year's Sick Scenes was excellent. — Steve Klinge

8:30 p.m. Friday at Union Transfer, 1026 Spring Garden St. $20. 215-232-2100, utphilly.com.

Caroline Rose is so over being earnest. Rose's 2014 album, America Religious positioned her as an up and coming Americana songwriter, a Ryan Adams acolyte who was clearly talented but not particularly distinguished. This year's Loner blows the roof of that approach in the most refreshing way. It's a set of synth-happy, genre blending, winningly sarcastic songs whose catchiness and cheeky sense of humor initially masks their seriousness about subjects such as misogyny, fake sincerity and star-making stupidity. And the red track suit-wearing Rose and her band the Kids have so much fun on stage they'll remind you of Devo. — Dan DeLuca

9 p.m. Friday at Underground Arts, 1200 Callowhill St. $15-$17. 215-627-1332, UndergroundArts.org.

Earlier this year, Ben Vaughn tried something different – a solo acoustic album called Imitation Wood Grain and Other Folk Songs. But now, for one of his periodic visits home, the California-based music maven from South Jersey is back in familiar, full-band mode. That means the singer-guitarist will again be displaying the hallmarks of his career of more than three decades: his affinity for vintage rock and pop and various roots styles, as well as his knack for often clever and droll songwriting. — Nick Cristiano

8 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Locks at Sona, 4417 Main St., Manayunk. $22-$28. 484-273-0481, sonapub.com.

There's a boomlet in all-female supergroups, taking down the patriarchy one song at a time, from the Pistol Annies in country to the indie trio boygenius. The folk-bluegrass manifestation is I'm With Her, the impressive talent-pooling of fiddler Sara Watkins, banjo and mandolin player Sarah Jarosz, and guitarist Aoife O'Donovan. No, they're not stumping for a Hillary Clinton 2020 presidential run: The songwriters and harmony singers have been performing under that name since before the candidate coined her campaign slogan. Their 2018 album See You Around is a quiet, under-the-radar gem. The Brother Brothers open. — D.D.

8:30 p.m. Saturday at Union Transfer, 1026 Spring Garden St. $35-38. 215-232-2100. utphilly.com.

Earning international praise, the all-female, Zimbabwean group Nobuntu brings their Afro-jazz and gospel a capella harmonies to the Annenberg Center this Saturday for a one-night only performance. In addition to the music, guests can look forward to a vibrant dance performance designed to embody the culture and identity of what it means to be an African woman. — G.D.

8 p.m. Saturday, 3680 Walnut St., $29-$49, annenbergcenter.org

Labor Day weekend found Canadian-Colombian folk-rap singer Jessie Reyez's name on everyone's lips with appearances at the VMAs, Philly's Made in America, and on Eminem's surprise album, Kamikaze. Since then, and with the release of her second EP, Being Human in Public, she's established herself as a deeply revealing, raspy, imaginatively conscious, and foulmouthed, funky songstress. — A.D. Amorosi

8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 20, at Union Transfer, 1026 Spring Garden St., $25-$100, utphily.com