Check out these events going down in Charlotte and the surrounding area this weekend— as selected by the folks at Creative Loafing.

Friday, Dec. 23
Julius the Mad Thinker
Dharma Lounge
“Some call it house. We call it home.” That’s the motto behind the promotional/DJ collective 3Degrees Global. As a co-founder and partner of the org, Chicago-based Julius the Mad Thinker is known for his dynamic ability to spin energetic electronic beats that are as soothing as they are thumping — and hopefully, even thought-provoking. Check your troubles at the door and surrender to a hypnotic mix of sounds that may or may not put you on the path to enlightenment. We’re betting the big ol’ Buddha guarding the bar would approve.

• Comedy Comedian James Sibley looks like an average dude, but the average dude probably isn’t quite as funny as he is. Sibley, who has starred on the goofy TV sitcom My Name is Earl, tells stories about his own life (including divorce, which resulted in four very expensive children), as well as his wacky observations of random things — women farting, midgets in dreams, the perils of skydiving and unsolved robberies. He’s probably also got some jokes about the holidays up his sleeve. Check him out during a three-day gig at The Comedy Zone Charlotte. More...

• Nightlife If you thought the rave scene had gone the way of Tamagotchis and Dolly the sheep, it’s time to think again. Charlotte’s music venues have given massive support to electronic dance artists and the passionate appetites of the audiences that hunger for them. Whether you break it down best to euro trance, trip hop, grime or dubstep, week after week our city presents acts concocted to satisfy your cravings. Jonesin’ for a heaping of drum & bass on your holiday party plate? Lucky for you, the world-renowned Dieselboy will be in town just in time for you to get on Santa’s naughty list. Dieselboy has received well-deserved acclaim for developing the drum & bass sound stateside at a time when the genre was primarily a British phenomenon. Whether you’re a fan or you’re just curious, don’t waste this opportunity to get some bass in your face. More...

• Theater Cowboys and Christmas go hand in hand over at Actor's Theatre of Charlotte, where Chaps! A Jingle, Jangle Christmas has taken the stage to lasso your spirits silly for the holidays. Set during a Christmas in 1944, the musical follows an evening of chaos and surprise, as a radio station gears up for its big holiday broadcast. In a nutshell: A popular cowboy named Tex Riley and his troupe of entertainers are scheduled to appear, but well ... don't. In an act of desperation, a frantic radio producer hands the scripts off to some offbeat folks who make an unpredicted ripple in the radio waves. More...

Saturday, Dec. 24
A Tuna Christmas
Carolina Actors Studio Theatre
CAST has staged performances of its seasonal A Tuna Christmas for the past four years and for good reason: The comedy paints the holiday picture in a wacky way. Two actors play more than 21 characters, all of whom are experiencing Christmas Eve chaos in the "third smallest town in Texas." Radio personalities Thurston Wheelis and Arles Struvie are reporting on the Yuletide happenings - including the vandalism of the town's annual lawn displays and a production of A Christmas Carol that's about to get scrooged (er, screwed) due to unpaid electric bills. All these plot twists, and there's still room for one more shocker: Aliens! Special Christmas Eve matinee performance today.

• Art Elder Gallery’s Retrospective of Paintings by Carl Plansky exhibit at Atherton Mill is well worth a stroll. An American artist from New York, Carl Plansky was a part of the abstract expressionist movement. The current showcase is a collection of his self-portraits, which are described as being both appealing and grotesque. More...

• Sports If betting enthusiasts picked their football favorites based solely on appearances, the Panthers would probably be the underdog for their upcoming match against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. After all, while their opponent’s mascot, Captain Fear, is a rag-tag rapscallion famous for a taste for sweet, juicy falcon meat and a penchant for sword tricks, the Panthers’ beloved Sir Purr is better known for his warm smile, belly-shaking cuddliness, and “an NLF-leading 451 hugs Purr appearance.” Mascots aside, our home team hasn’t had the luckiest streak this season (but we’re watching you, Cam Newton). The last game of the year coincides with Christmas Eve, so why not round up the extended family and go give Sir Purr a supportive crowd to smile about? More...