holiday markets (free admission, unless noted otherwise):
► thru 12/15 (weekends 11am-7pm):african restaurant week’s holiday pop-up market: bon bonbon (little haiti/east flatbush). >>
► thru 12/22 (sundays 10am-5pm): grand holiday bazaar at grand bazaar nyc: indoors and outdoors at 100 w 77th st at columbus ave (uws). >>
► thru 12/22 (weekends 11am-7pm): the holiday makers show at city point: city point’s 1st floor atrium (downtown brooklyn). >>
► thru 12/22 (weekends 11am-6pm): hester street fair holiday pop-up: essex market (les). >>
► thru 12/24 (closed thanksgiving + christmas eve): union square holiday market: urbanspace’s holiday market returns to union square park with 185 vendors selling treats, handcrafted gifts, and more. free admission. >>
► thru 12/24: grand central holiday fair: grand central terminal’s vanderbilt hall (midtown east). >>
► thru 12/29 (sundays 12-6pm): brooklyn holiday market pop-up: industry city (sunset park). >>
► thru 12/31: columbus circle outdoor holiday market: southwest corner of central park. >>
► thru 1/3/2025: urbanspace herald holiday market: herald square on broadway bet. 34th + 36th sts (midtown). >>
► thru 1/3/2025: macy’s holiday square: urbanspace holiday market: macy’s herald square – mezzanine level, and outdoors starting 12/6. >>
► thru 3/2/2025: bryant park’s winter village: 170 holiday shops curated by urbanspace markets, food and drinks at the lodge bar + food hall and curling café + bar, and a 17,000 square foot ice skating rink (free admission. skate rental starts at $20.32, bag-check rates are tba). >>
winter lights and pop-ups:
► thru the holiday season: dyker heights christmas lights >>
► thru 1/1/2025: second annual frost fest at coney island’s luna park: $24.99+. >>
► thru 1/5/2025: the annual lightscape at brooklyn botanic garden: $24-45 general, $12-23 kids. >>
► thru 1/5/2025: the annual shine bright at hudson yards: free admission. >>
► thru 1/5/2025: john lovitch’s gingerbread lane village: the shops at columbus circle – 2nd floor. >>
► thru 1/8/2025: island of warmth at manhattan west >>
► thru february 2025: moongarden light installation: fulton street + seaport square. >>
ice skating:
► thru the season: prospect park ice skating: skating season returns to prospect park’s lakeside’s rink. $10.60-15.25 admission, $10.35 skate rental (or byo), $5.45-14.15 locker rental/bag check. >>
► thru the season (early 2025): the rink at rockefeller center: rockefeller center’s renowned rink is open for another season of skating fun in an iconic setting. $21+ (skate rental extra, or byo). >>
► thru the season: the rooftop at pier 17 ice rink: $13-40. >>
► thru 3/1/2025: domino park’s waterfront ice rink (williamsburg): $16 for nyc residents, $22 otherwise, $12 skate rental (or byo). >>
► thru 3/2/2025: the rink at brookfield place: $15-20 admission, $5-7 skate rental (or byo). >>
► thru march 2025: wollman rink: act out serendipity scenes at central park’s iconic ice skating rink, now open for the season. $15-38 admission, $12 skate rental (or byo), $8 locker rental. >>
food events and markets:
► brooklyn flea (weekends 10am-5pm, thru december): under the dumbo archway. free admission. >>
film fests / series (various prices):
► thru 12/11: insomnia at metrograph (les): taxi driver, hour of the wolf, the machinist, fight club. >>
► thru 12/15: nicholas uncaged at metrograph (les): wild at heart, adaptation, national treasure, and more. >>
► thru 12/18 (wednesdays at 7pm): three weeks of chirstmas at village east by angelika: elf, it’s a wonderful life, and love actually. >>
thru 1/24/2025: see it big: let it snow edition: supersize your moviegoing experience at museum of the moving image’s 14-film series celebrating winter in cinema: doctor zhivago, little women, mccabe + mrs. miller, the empire strikes back, the gold rush, the shining, the thing, and more. museum of the moving image (astoria), $17.50 general, $12 seniors/students. >>
► thru 1/26/2025: skipped a beat: emilia pérez and musicals on the edge at the paris theater (midtown): hedwig and the angry inch, moulin rouge!, la la land, dancer in the dark, and more. >>
thru 12/14: the book show at sva: school of visual arts’s annual book show exhibition features original graphic novels, children’s books, and more created by 20 mfa illustration as visual essay students. opening reception 12/3 6-8pm. sva gramercy gallery, free admission. >>
thru 12/15: 32nd annual african diaspora international film festival: this year’s celebration of african cinema and culture highlights 62 comedies, dramas, romances, and documentaries from 32 countries. cinema village, teachers college columbia university, and sympohony space. $13+. >>
thru 12/21: tiny art! two small works art shows:
► thru 12/18: carter burden gallery (chelsea): 10×10-inch works by 70 artists priced at $200 each, plus 6×6-inch art cards for $20 each. opening reception 11/14 6-8pm. >>
► thru 12/21: fountain house gallery + studio (hell’s kitchen): hundreds of works, 6×6 inches or smaller for $100 and under each. opening reception 11/14 6-8pm. >>
thru 12/22 (various saturdays + sundays): $5 holiday movies at regal: regal’s seasonal promotion returns with screenings of elf, a christmas story, the polar express, and national lampoon’s christmas vacation for just $5: various locations. >>
thru 12/28 (11am-8pm): times square new year’s eve wishing wall: share your new year’s wish with the world at times square’s wishing wall! write your dream on a piece of confetti that will float down onto the midnight revelers during the annual nye celebration. submit in-person at times square plaza (broadway bet. 45th + 46th sts) or online. free. >>
thru 12/28 (weds-sun 1-6pm): westbeth winter show: westbeth resident visual artists present new works at their annual winter show. opening reception 11/23 6-8pm. westbeth gallery (west village), free admission. >>
sat thru 12/28 (saturdays at 10:15am): taproom yoga at talea beer co.: spirit meets spiritual at female-founded taproom and brewery talea beer co., where you can take a 60-minute yoga class and enjoy a post-class beverage as you wind down. williamsburg and cobble hill locations. $20 admission includes $5 off a drink (non-alcoholic options are also available).
thru december (thurs-sat 5-9pm): field of light at freedom plaza: walk through a path of 18,750 fiber optic lights along the east river as artist bruce monroe’s immersive public art installation takes over six acres at 38th-41st street on first avenue. free, timed tickets required (note: not all dates have been released yet, so check their website and social media for updates). >>
thru the season: new york transit museum’s grand central gallery + store holiday train show: celebrating its 20th year of operation, new york transit museum’s annual holiday model train exhibit returns to grand central terminal with miniature replicas of iconic nyc landmarks and a collection of model trains including metro-north, polar express, and vintage subway cars. free admission. >>
thru 1/5/2025 (closed mondays, thanksgiving, christmas, and new year’s day): charles dickens’s a christmas carol at the morgan: through the holiday season, charles dickens’s original manuscript of a christmas carol will be on display at the morgan library + museum (murray hill). included with regular admission ($25 general, $17 seniors, $13 students, free admission fridays 5-8pm with rsvp). >>
thru 1/5/2025: holiday under the stars @ the shops at columbus circle: the shops at columbus circle celebrates 20 years with a new holiday décor installation featuring 300,000 twinkling lights and illuminated, color-changing stars with a light show every 30 minutes from 5pm to midnight. free admission. >>
thru 1/5/2025: ice cold: an exhibition of hip-hop jewelry: a new exhibition at the museum of natural history highlights jewelry worn by slick rick, the notorious b.i.g., nicki minaj, erykah badu, and many others. displayed in the new allison and roberto mignone halls of jems and minerals (of course), admission is included with a regular museum ticket (pay-what-you-wish for ny, nj, and ct residents, $22-39 otherwise). >>
thru 1/6/2025 (closed tuesdays): we are here: scenes from the streets: international center of photography (les) hosts an exhibition of works by 30 street photographers from around the world, including devin allen, shoichi aoki, martha cooper, lam yik fei, jamel shabazz, and others. $18 general, $14 seniors, $12 students, pay-by-donation thursdays ($5 min). >>
thru 1/9/2025: star light star bright: make a wish at downtown alliance’s new participatory art installation, ‘star light star bright.’ add your own hopes and dreams to the piece by tying a colorful ‘wish ribbon’ to one of 75,000 links attached to a brightly-lit, star-shaped structure at the plaza at 140 broadway. pre-printed wishes are available at local partners, while blank ones can be picked up at lunchtime events happening from 12-2pm on 12/4, 12/11, and 12/18. free. >>
thru 1/12/2025 (tues-sun 11am-7pm): starscape: step into an immersive light installation celebrating korean winter solstice at genesis house (meatpacking district). created by ethan tobman, creative director of taylor swift’s eras tour, the installation recreates the constellations found throughout the skies of new york and seoul during the longest night of the year. free admission. >>
thru 1/12/2025: gingerbread nyc: the great borough bake-off at mcny: the museum of the city of new york (east harlem) invited bakers from across the five boroughs to create gingerbread displays on the theme of ‘iconic new york’—creating distinctive buildings, places, or things that represent their neighborhood, community, or borough. see the sugary results on display, and vote for your favorite. included with museum admission ($23 general, $18 seniors, $14 students, free wednesdays). >>
thru 1/19/2025: the way i see it: selections from the kaws collection: the drawing center (soho) presents an exhibition featuring more than 350 works on paper from artist kaws’s personal collection, including pieces by willem de kooning, henry darger, r. crumb, susan te kahurangi king, futura 2000, and many others. opening reception 10/9 6-8pm. >>
thru 1/19/2025: acky bright: studio/ infinity: conceived as acky bright’s design studio, a new exhibition at japan society (midtown east) showcases the japanese artist’s kawakakkoii (cute and cool) style of illustration and product design, with opportunities to meet the artist, watch freestyle live drawing sessions, and participate in making a series of manga-style murals. $12 general, $10 seniors/students, free first fridays 7-9pm >>
thru 1/19/2025: elizabeth catlett: a black revolutionary artist and all that it implies: the brooklyn museum, in partnership with the national gallery of art, presents an exhibition of over 200 works by black sculptor, printmaker, feminist, and social justice advocate elizabeth catlett (1915–2012). brooklyn museum (prospect heights), free with museum admission ($14-20 suggested). >>
thru 1/26/2025: the brooklyn artists exhibition: as part of brooklyn museum’s 200th anniversary celebration, a new major group show highlights local talent by bringing together works by more than 200 artists who’ve lived or maintained a studio in brooklyn during the last five years. participants represent a full range of disciplines, from drawing and painting to sculpture, video, installation, and beyond. free with regular admission (suggested: $20 general, $14 seniors/students; free first saturdays 5-11pm). >>
thru 1/26/2025: recording the ride: the rise of street-style skate videos: museum of the moving image (astoria) pays tribute to the late 1980s and ’90s-era of diy filmmaking and skater culture with a new exhibition featuring videos and artifacts, with a focus on releases by h-street, plan b, world industries, girl, zoo york, 411, birdhouse, and others. $20 general, $12 seniors/students, free thursdays 2-6pm. >>
thru 2/9/2025: flow states – la trienal 2024: el museo del barrio’s second large-scale survey of latinx contemporary art showcases work by 33 artists from the us, puerto rico, the americas, the caribbean, europe, and asia. el museo del barrio (east harlem), pay-what-you-wish (suggested: $9 general, $5 seniors/students). >>
thru 2/28/2025: kenny scharf exhibition: the brant foundation presents a major survey of artist kenny scharf, bringing together over 70 paintings, sculptures, and objects created from the late 1970s to the present. the brant foundation (east village), $20 general, $18 seniors, $15 students, $10 wednesdays 2-6pm. >>
thru 3/16/2025: barbie: a cultural icon exhibition: think pink! museum of arts and design hosts barbie: a cultural icon, a traveling exhibition that charts the 65-year history of barbie and the doll’s impact on fashion and popular culture through a display of more than 250 vintage dolls, life-size fashion designs, advertisements and other ephemera, video interviews with the doll’s designers, and more. museum of arts and design (midtown west). $20 general, $16 seniors, $14 students. >>
thru 3/30/2025: futura 2000: breaking out: the bronx museum presents a retrospecive of graffiti pioneer futura 2000 (leonard mcgurr), featuring five decades of sculptures, drawings, prints, collaborations, and archival paraphernalia. opening celebration with music, performances, and activities 9/8 12-3pm. free admission. >>
thru 4/10/2025 (closed mondays): pets and the city: a new exhibition at the new-york historical society museum + library (uws) explores the visual history of new yorkers and their animal companions over the last two and a half centuries. filled with works of art, objects, documents, memorabilia, and clips from film and television, the exhibition also investigates the reasons for the soaring pet population, especially after 9/11 and during the covid-19 crisis, as well as issues surrounding pet adoption, the trafficking of exotic animals, and service animals. $24 general, $19 seniors, $13 students, pay-what-you-wish fridays 5-8pm. >>
thru 4/23/2025: franz kafka: the morgan library + museum (murray hill) presents, for the first time in the united states, the bodleian library’s holdings of literary manuscripts, correspondence, diaries, and photographs related to writer franz kafka (1883-1924). highlights include the original manuscript of the metamorphosis, original drawings, and andy warhol’s portrait of kafka. $25 general, $17 seniors, $13 students, free admission fridays 5-8pm with rsvp. >>
thru 6/22/2025 (closed mondays): real clothes, real lives: 200 years of what women wore, the smith college historic clothing collection: tracing how women’s roles have changed and evolved dramatically over the decades across the spectrum of race and class, a new exhibition at the new-york historical society museum + library (uws) examines the everyday clothing of ordinary women, from hard-worn house dresses to psychedelic micro minis and modern suits to fast-food workers’ uniforms. $24 general, $19 seniors, $13 students, pay-what-you-wish fridays 5-8pm. >>
thru 8/10/2025: making home—smithsonian design triennial: featuring 25 site-specific, newly commissioned installations, the smithsonian design triennial explores design’s role in shaping the physical and emotional realities of home across the united states, us territories, and tribal nations. presented in collaboration with smithsonian’s national musuem of african american history and culture. cooper hewitt, smithsonian design museum (ues), $22 general, $16 seniors, $10 students, pay-what-you-wish 5-6pm daily. >>
thru spring 2026: new highline art: dinosaur: the highline unveils its latest plinth commission, iván argote’s dinosaur, a giant 21-foot-tall hyper-realistic sculpture of a pigeon. on the high line at the spur on 30th street and 10th avenue, free admission. >>
misc.
nine old-fashioned soda fountains in nyc: enjoy a taste of old new york at these spots rounded up by untapped citites. >>
10 old-fashioned candy stores in nyc: get your sweet treats at these shoppes, rounded up by untapped new york. >>
where to find manhattan’s passageways named after theatre stars: find yourself walking on a street dedicated to leonard bernstein, humphrey bogart, katherine hepburn, jerry orbach, paul robeson, cecily tyson, and others whose work has graced the new york stage. >>
eight places to see art by keith haring in nyc >>
24 exceptional subway artworks to see in nyc: the folks at hyperallergic highlight some of the most interesting subway art installations across the boroughs. >>
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