Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey’s “Built to Amaze.” Courtesy Feld Entertainment
AUG. 6 Manship Theatre screens the new documentary I Am Chris Farley, which features interviews with Adam Sandler, Mike Myers and David Spade. 7 p.m. Tickets are $8.50. manshiptheatre.org
AUG. 13-16 The circus is back in town. See superhuman stunts and amazing animals from around the globe at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s “Built to Amaze” show at the River Center. Ticket prices and show times vary.brrivercenter.com
AUG. 21-30 Playmakers of Baton Rouge presents its take on the Mark Twain classic The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Show times and ticket prices vary. playmakersbr.org
AUG. 22 Enjoy a buffet-style dinner and meet-and-greet with local and national chefs and designers participating in Dining by Design. The event is a fundraiser for the Cypress Springs Mercedarian Prayer Center, and it starts 5 p.m. at the White Oak Plantation. Table prices vary. cypressspringsprayercenter.org
AUG. 26 Cool constructions. View structures made entirely of nonperishable cans of food during the Louisiana Art & Science Museum’s “CANstruction.” Food will be donated to the Greater Baton Rouge Food Bank once the structures are deconstructed. lasm.org
AUG. 29 Row your boat. Paddle down the Mississippi at the Big River Regional paddle boarding and kayaking race. The race begins at 8 a.m. A safety meeting at L’Auberge Casino & Hotel Baton Rouge begins at 6:30 a.m. Pre-registration fee is $99. Registration at the time of the race is $120. bigriverregional.com
ON THE ROAD
NEW ORLEANS
AUG. 16: Hard rockers Incubus and Deftones perform at Champions Square. Death From Above 1979 and The Bots open. Tickets start at $65. 6 p.m. champions-square.com
AUG. 27:The Civic Theatre hosts virtuoso quintet Punch Brothers. Tickets are $25. The doors open at 8 p.m. The show starts at 9 p.m. civicnola.com
LAFAYETTE
AUG. 20-22:Head to the Cajundome for a day of family fun at the annual Games of Acadiana. Proceeds benefit Miles Perret Cancer Services. 10 a.m. cajundome.com
AUG. 21: Wyatt Cenac(The Daily Show) performs at the Feed N Seed. Tickets are $15. The show begins at 8 p.m. feednseedlafayette.com
ARTS BEST BETS
THROUGH AUG. 12: Mystic art. Head to LSU’s Glassell Gallery in the Shaw Center for the Arts for the 14th annual summer invitational exhibit, “Into the Mystic.” The gallery’s hours are Tuesday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, noon-5 p.m. glassellgallery.org
AUG. 1-30:Go back to the age of bootleggers at the LSU Museum of Art when viewing the exhibit, “Shaking up Prohibition in NOLA.” Admission is $5 or free for students and children younger than 12. lsumoa.org
AUG. 5: What’s Your Wall? The Walls Project presents #MyWall, an effort encouraging public art. Tune into your creative side by painting and displaying a “canvas” made from old yard signs at Whole Foods Market at 10 a.m. thewallsproject.org
AUG. 7-16:No normal theater. Theatre Baton Rouge’s City Series tackles mental illness in the City Series premiere of Next to Normal. Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey wrote the Tony Award winner. Show times vary. The show is rated R. Tickets are $29 or $20 for students. theatrebr.org
AUG. 28:Baton Rouge Gallery’s monthly “Music and Movies on the Lawn” series continues with a screening of the 2012 film Blancanieves, featuring a never-before-heard score from Lost Bayou Ramblers. The screening starts at 8 p.m. or sunset, whichever is later. Free for members. $7 for non-members. batonrougegallery.org
MUSIC BEST BETS
AUG. 1: Best day of your life. Catch the American Authors, the group behind the hit single “Best Day of My Life,” at Dixie Landin’ during the Summer Concert Series. Gates to the concert green open at 6:30 p.m. The show starts at 7 p.m. Admission is free to all Dixie Landin’ and Blue Bayou attendees. bluebayou.com
AUG. 5:Catch hard rock bands Trapt and Sons of Texas at The Varsity. Tickets are $15-$20. Doors open at 6 p.m. The show starts at 7 p.m. varsitytheatre.com
AUG. 7:Who has a career that spans three decades and has made more than 50 albums? Phil Keaggy, that’s who. Catch the renowned guitarist at the Manship Theatre. The show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets start at $35. manshiptheatre.org
AUG. 8:He’s got the blues. Gregg Wright brings his signature guitar sound to the Red Dragon Listening Room. Josh Garret opens. The show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 or $30 for VIP admission. reddragonlr.com
AUG. 15:Hear tunes from a Latin punk. Guitarist/singer Alejandro Escovedo performs at the Manship Theatre. Tickets are $45 or $69 for VIP seating. The Original Magnolia String Quartet opens. 7:30 p.m. manshiptheatre.org
AUG. 21: Irresistibly danceable. Groove to indie duo Hank & Cupcakes’ electro-pop sound at Chelsea’s Café. Doors open at 9 p.m. The show starts at 10 p.m. $8. chelseascafe.com
AUG. 22:Ten Louisiana bands perform at Phil Brady’s in Bradystock III. The show starts at 3 p.m. Bands include Glitchell, 99,000 A.D. and The Axes of Evil. Tickets are $8 in advance or $10 at the door. Jambalaya plates are available for $5. philbradys.org