Opportunities to engage with the arts this fall are as vibrant as the season’s autumn leaves.  

Theaters have scheduled comedies, dramas, mysteries and musicals. Other entertainment venues invite you to hear Chris Botti, Ann Hampton Callaway, Billy Joel, Graham Nash and Sting. Assorted symphonies, cabarets, operas and jazz concerts also are booked.  

Additional cultural options include dance performances, art fairs, fun seasonal outdoor events, museum exhibits, an annual balloon race and a beloved annual book festival. 

Looking for laughs? David Sedaris, Kathy Griffin, Tig Notaro, Patton Oswalt and Sarah Silverman all are coming to town. For the kids, options include shows featuring Mickey Mouse and friends, the gang from Sesame Street and a special concert for children.  

Here’s a wild idea: Go where you always go and do what you always do — and then experience something entirely new! 

NOVEMBER

The Arianna String Quartet brings their “Goodbye, Hello” concert” to the stage at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 1 at the Touhill Performing Arts Center. A pre-show talk begins at 6:45 p.m. Tickets cost $30. See tickets

The 46th annual St. Louis Jewish Book Festival is set for Nov. 2-17 at the Jewish Community Center’s Staenberg Family Complex. Mickey Bergman, Julia Quinn, Joan Nathan, and Daniel Handler are among the featured authors. For a schedule plus tickets and information about passes, call 314-442-3294 or visit here

The 33rd Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival will take place Nov. 7-17. Expect in-person and virtual events plus independent films, documentaries, international films, and short films, all screening at the Hi-Pointe Theatre. For details, ticket prices, and available packages, see here

Sail away on Winter Opera St. Louis’s production of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “H.M.S. Pinafore” at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 8 and at 2 p.m. Nov. 10 at the Kirkwood Performing Arts Center, 210 E. Monroe Ave. For single ticket prices and more info, call 314-865-0038 or see here

Dance St. Louis presents “Pilobolus re,” where the boundaries of gravity and creativity blur, at the Touhill Performing Arts Center on the campus of UMSL on Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $50-$89.

On Nov. 10, the St. Louis Chamber Chorus continues its season with “Classic Pop” at 3 p.m. at The Sun Theater in Grand Center, 3625 Grandel Square in Midtown. For tickets or more information, call 636-458-4343 or visit here

The main event of the 7th annual Flyover Comedy Festival will feature comedy legends Patton Oswalt and Tig Notaro on stage at 8 p.m. Nov. 15 at the Stifel Theatre. You must be 18 or older to attend. Tickets start at $39.50. See more details

The Missouri Botanical Garden’s annual Garden Glow will light up the night Nov. 16 through Jan. 4 with displays featuring more than two million lights. Plan to spend about 1.5 hours (closed Nov. 25, 28, and Dec. 24–25). Prices vary for special events and for members and nonmembers. Tickets here

Next up at the New Jewish Theatre is the musical comedy “First Date,” on stage Nov. 21 through Dec. 8 in the Wool Theatre at the Jewish Community Center’s Arts & Education Building. For performance times and tickets, see here

With his trio, renowned jazz piano phenom Emmet Cohen will perform Nov. 20-24 at the Harold and Dorothy Steward Center for Jazz, 3536 Washington Ave. For performance times, ticket prices, and parking passes, see here or call 314-571-6000.

Led by a gifted Jewish singer, songwriter, and bandleader, the Adam Ezra Group will perform at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 23 at the Blue Strawberry. Tickets cost $25-$30. See here

Gather the troops and have some fun with Peter Schikele’s PDQ Bach, hosted and narrated by Maestro Leonard Slatkin, at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 25 at the 560 Music Center in University City. Tickets, at $42, are available at chambermusicstl.org.

Start the car and time travel to the Windy City at “Chicago,” the award-winning musical that has thrilled Broadway audiences for 27 years. The show is on stage Nov. 29-Dec. 1 at the Fox Theatre. For tickets and show times, see here

Budding ballet dancers will thrill to St. Louis Ballet’s annual production of “The Nutcracker,” on stage Nov. 30 through Dec. 23 at the Touhill Performing Arts Center. For performance times and ticket prices, see here

DECEMBER

In conjunction with the Kaplan Feldman Holocaust Museum’s exhibit “The Artist Who Captured Eichmann,” the museum will host a program at 6 p.m. Dec. 4, marking the 1961 verdict against the war criminal. To register, see here

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and Stages St. Louis will collaborate on “Million Dollar Quartet Christmas,” Dec. 4-22 on the mainstage at The Rep. Tickets cost $55-$105. For performance dates, see here

“SLSO: Live at The Sheldon – Fanfares and Festivals,” a unique chamber music series, will be at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 5 at the Sheldon Concert Hall. Tickets cost $36-$46. See here

Stray Dog Theatre will present John Van Druten’s “Bell, Book and Candle” Dec. 5-21 at Tower Grove Abbey. For show times and ticket prices, see here

The English Beat comes to City Winery at the Foundry on Dec. 11 for a 7:30 show. Tickets, from $50-$70, are available at citywinery.com

See Justin Timberlake’s “Forget Tomorrow World Tour” at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 19 at the Enterprise Center. Tickets start at $55. See here

Ring in the new year with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 31 at the Stifel Theatre. Tickets cost $47-$127. Visit here