BEST BETS Saturday 12/23

8am Hike

Docents will lead a family-oriented nature hike through Burbank’s Wildwood Park. Hikers should bring water and wear appropriate shoes with good tread. Children under 10 must be accompanied by an adult. Participants are warned against using strollers on the approximately 90-minute trek. Rain cancels.

* Nature’s Gifts Hike, meets at the kiosk entrance to Wildwood Park, off of Harvard Road above Sunset Canyon Drive, Burbank. 8 a.m. Free. (818) 238-5378.

11am

Family

For a short Bard break from all those holiday preparations, Parson’s Nose Productions’ “A Family Twelfth Night,” a deftly acted abbreviated version of Shakespeare’s gender-bending, romantic comedy, is just the ticket for kids ages 8 and up, and adults. Stay after this Saturday’s show for some carols and Christmas punch.

* “A Family Twelfth Night,” Interact Theatre, 5215 Bakman Ave., North Hollywood, Saturdays, 11 a.m. Ends Jan. 13. $10. (818) 773-7862.

2:30pm

Puppets

Watching a show at the cozy Bob Baker Marionette Theatre, a Los Angeles landmark since 1962, is a step back in time, as Baker and his puppeteers enchant wide-eyed children and appreciative adults with old-fashioned musical puppet revues. Playing now: the company’s annual, nostalgic “Holiday Spectacular,” a celebration of the winter holidays, performed by more than 100 of the beautifully crafted Bob Baker marionettes.

* “Holiday Spectacular,” Bob Baker Marionette Theatre, 1345 W. 1st St., L.A., Saturday at 2:30 p.m.; dark Sunday and Monday. Regular schedule: Mondays-Fridays, 10:30 a.m.; Saturdays-Sundays, 2:30 p.m. Dark Dec. 31-Jan. 1. Runs indefinitely. $8 for seniors; $10 for adults and children; under age 2, free. (213) 250-9995.

2&8pm

Music

Noting the holiday season, L.A. Baroque Orchestra and Vocal Ensemble presents Bach’s Overture No. 2 and Cantata 122, “Das Neugeborn’ne Kinderlein” on a program with Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s Nativity Pastorale. Gregory Maldonado leads the ensembles; soloists are soprano Kristin Gould and flutist Kim Pineda.

* L.A. Baroque Orchestra, Miles Memorial Playhouse, 1130 Lincoln Blvd., Santa Monica, 2 and 8 p.m. $12 to $25. (310) 458-0425.

7pm

Pop Music

Epic Mazur and Shifty Shellshock worked for years in Los Angeles’ hip-hop underground, then decided to form a band that would incorporate rock with the rap. The result is Crazy Town, and the payoff is the success of the single “Butterfly” on the alternative radio charts. The group celebrates a Hollywood homecoming with its biggest L.A. show to date.

* Crazy Town, with Slaves on Dope and Shuvel, the Palace, 1735 N. Vine St., L.A., 7 p.m. $13.50. (323) 462-3000.

8:15pm

Pop Music

For a dose of classic funk, you won’t do better than the “Mega 92.3 FM Old Skool Christmas Concert.” The bill is topped by Charlie Wilson with the Gap Band, whose signature songs “Burn Rubber” and “You Dropped a Bomb on Me” live up to their titles.

* Charlie Wilson with the Gap Band, Morris Day & the Time, Lakeside, at the Universal Amphitheatre, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, 8:15 p.m. $29.50 to $59.50. (818) 622-4440.

8pm

Music

Donald Neuen conducts a Christmas program by the Angeles Chorale and Symphony, with soloist Cristina Borgioli, soprano, in Royce Hall. The program includes music by Poulenc and Rutter, and a Christmas carol medley.

* Angeles Chorale and Symphony, Royce Hall, UCLA, 8 p.m. $12 to $35. (310) 825-2101.

FREEBIE

Gypsy Soul brings its Celtic-inspired folk, pop and rock music to One Colorado courtyard on Colorado Boulevard between Fair Oaks and Delacey in Pasadena, 5-7 p.m. and 8-10 p.m. (626) 564-1066.