Best bets: UF Carillon Recital, Jazz on The Green, 'Elf' on the big screen, 'Elf" on stage

CHOMP THE BLOCK: It’s your last chance to celebrate the Gators during Celebration Pointe’s Chomp the Block! The official block party of the Florida Gators is held every Friday before home football games. The events feature food and drinks from onsite restaurants and food trucks, live music, giveaways and games along with special appearances by the Gators’ Spirit Team. Celebration Pointe is located just off of Interstate 75 and Archer Road. A Chomp the Block party is held each home-game Friday from 6 to 10 p.m. with a kids’ zone with child-friendly games such as a bounce house, face painting and balloon animals. This year’s Chomp the Block schedule concludes with a live performance by the Gainesville Retro Society tonight. The exclusive block parties are part of a comprehensive, ongoing partnership program with the Florida Gators. For more information, visit celebrationpointe.com.

“ELF: THE MUSICAL”: Buchholz Drama is putting on a musical version of a modern holiday classic. Based on the beloved holiday film, the hilarious comedy “Elf: The Musical” follows Buddy the Elf in his quest to spread Christmas cheer. As a young orphan, Buddy mistakenly crawls into Santa’s bag of gifts and is transported to the North Pole, where he is raised alongside Santa’s elves. Unaware that he is human, Buddy has many comical challenges but never loses his Christmas spirit. Buddy embarks on a journey to New York City to discover his true identity and help everyone remember the true meaning of Christmas. With a talented cast of more than 20 students, this musical will fill your family with holiday cheer — after all, the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear. Buchholz Drama has won numerous performing arts awards under the leadership of Ted Lewis. They collected toys for this production earlier this year, and all donations will be given to children in need after the musical’s stage run. The musical ran on Broadway and tours annually in the U.S. The local production of “Elf the Musical” runs at 7 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through Dec. 11 at Buchholz High School, 5510 NW 27th Ave. Tickets are $15 for general admission, $12 for students, $10 for groups and free for BHS faculty. For more information, or to purchase tickets, visit buchholzdrama.com.

TIOGA OUTDOOR MOVIE NIGHT: Start feeling festive with the holiday classic “Elf” on the big screen — outdoors on the Tioga lawn. The movie will begin at 7:30 p.m. today at Tioga Town Center, 133 SW 130th Way, Newberry. Bring your lawn chairs and blankets, and enjoy the movie under the stars. This is a free outdoor screening. Tioga’s restaurants and coffee shop will be open before and during the film so attendees can purchase dinner or snacks to round out the evening. According to IMDB.com, “Elf” follows Buddy, who was raised as an oversized elf, as he travels from the North Pole to New York City to meet his biological father, Walter Hobbs, who doesn't know he exists and is in desperate need of some Christmas spirit. This film is rated PG and has a runtime of 1 hour and 37 minutes.

JAZZ ON THE GREEN: Join Celebration Pointe for live music, food and drinks, lawn games and more as the Marty Liquori Jazztet plays live music on the stage in the promenade from 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday. Spread a blanket under the setting sun and catch some live music while the kids play games on the lawn. Celebration Pointe is located off of Interstate 75 and Archer Road at Celebration Pointe Avenue. For more information, call 333-9333 or visit celebrationpointe.com. A future Jazz on the Green event is planned for Dec. 10.

UF CARILLON RECITAL: The UF Carillon Studio Concert Series offers a chance to hear the UF carillon performed in a 50-minute recital. Listen to a free performance at 1:55 p.m. Sunday at the Century Tower Carillon, 375 Newell Drive. The University of Florida Carillon Studio is made up of students who can read music and have auditioned and committed to upholding the tradition of performing in Century Tower. The studio meets as a class once a week alongside private lessons with the professor. There also are daily performances in Century Tower. UF carillonneurs perform Monday through Friday while classes are in session from 12:35 to 12:50 p.m. and 4:55 to 5:10 p.m. A future recital is planned for 1:55 p.m. Dec. 4. For more information, visit arts.ufl.edu.

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Best Bets: Chomp the Block, 'Elf: The Musical,' Tioga movie, more