tuesday
sponsored: thru 1/11: swap your usual plans for a one-of-a-kind experience with new york adventure club!: spend the afternoon on ice with hands-on curling instruction, activities, and games at ardsley curling club in dobbs ferry; explore the murals and mosaics of spanish harlem; get a rare look inside m+s schmalberg, nyc’s last custom fabric flower factory and fave of a-list celebs; visit the landmarked loew’s valencia theatre, nyc’s first ‘wonder theatre’; and more! >>
tues 8pm: live band karaoke at arlene’s grocery: two-year anniversary edition: pick your song, grab the mic, and be a star with your very own live band (nakatomi5) backing you up at arlene’s grocery (les). $10 adv, $15 day-of. >>
wednesday (new year’s eve)
weds (various times): new year’s eve events: you can view our roundup of 20 new year’s eve events in nyc for $40 and under here >>
thursday (new year’s day)
thurs (various times): new year’s day hikes: walk off last night and start the year outside with a hike through one of our public parks. morning strolls are led by park rangers, and are taking place in every borough. free admission. >>
thurs 11am-1pm: 123rd coney island new year’s day polar bear plunge: ring in the new year with a dip in the atlantic at coney island’s famously frigid new year’s tradition. free to watch or participate ($25+ suggested donation for participants will benefit coney island community organizations). >>
thurs 12pm, 1:15pm, 2:30pm, 3:45pm: coney island sideshow and museum: thaw out from the polar bear plunge with coney island usa’s annual new year’s day circus sideshow ($15), free pinball at the freak bar, and a visit to the coney island museum ($5 general, $3 seniors). >>
thurs 1pm (suggested arrival time is 11am-12pm): inauguration for a new era block party: broadway closes from liberty street to murray street for a car-free block party and outdoor viewing celebrating zohran mamdani’s public swearing-in as the city’s 111th 112th mayor. free admission. >>
thurs 1pm-midnight: the poetry project’s 52nd annual new year’s day marathon: settle in for 10 hours of poetry and performance at the poetry project’s biggest fundraiser of the year. over 130 artists—including penny arcade, anthony roth costanzo, terrance hayes, patricia spears jones, wayne koestenbaum, fred moten, cuthwulf eileen myles, jordan tannahill, and anne waldman—take the stage from 1pm until midnight in two epic segments. st. mark’s church (east village), $30 adv, $35 door, $20 for 9pm entry, pay-what-you-can livestream. >>
thurs 7:30pm: 22nd annual new year’s hank-o-rama: the lonesome prairie dogs lead a night of twangy tributes to hank williams, with tammy faye starlite, jack grace, sean kershaw, the lonesome horns, and more joining in on the 73rd anniversary of the country singer’s passing. the bowery electric (east village), $20. >>
friday
fri thru 1/18: four new screening series at metrograph:
► amos poe and no wave cinema: downtown 81, smithereens, the blank generation, and more. >>
► the year begins in silence: solaris, mouchette, paris, texas, and more. >>
► tokyo 199x: cure, tokyo fist, audition, and more. >>
► touch me with your eyes: blow-up, blue velvet, rear window, and more. >>
fri (starts today): free moma ps1 admission for all: your lic art crawl just got cheaper. moma ps1 (lic), once free for only new york state residents (with a $5-10 suggested donation for everyone else), is now free for all visitors. the change comes courtesy of a new gift to the museum and is slated to last for the next three years. >>
fri + sat (10pm-4am): house of yes 10 year anniversary: bushwick nightclub house of yes celebrates 10 years of debauchery with two special nights of over-the-top performance and dancing. various prices. >>
fri 6:30pm (monthly): lower east stories: p+t knitwear bookstore + café (les) presents a storytelling salon where each month brings a fresh theme and fresh tales. tonight’s theme: ‘new beginning.’ hosted by matt storrs. $10 admission ($5 of the ticket price can be applied towards any item in the bookstore or café). >>
fri 6:30pm: good brain: science + comedy show: dr. marianne reddan explores how society shapes the way our brains feel pain, while a panel of comedians volunteers to be tested with her ‘pain device’ on stage. $16.70 with promo code ‘skint’ (reg. $24-25). >>
sponsored
Don’t miss this bold, new, multimedia work and musical memoir by Sunny Jain (trailblazing percussionist, composer, and bandleader of the electrifying band Red Baraat). Joined by an ensemble of dynamic musicians, this evening weaves together powerful music, ancestral stories, and intimate monologues to explore Jain’s family history across Pakistan and India, and his journey toward music as a tool for healing and change. Satyagraha—Gandhi’s philosophy of nonviolent resistance—echoes throughout the piece as a call for love, unity, and justice in a fractured world.
Presented in partnership with Under the Radar Festival®
Sunny Jain’s Love Force
Friday, January 9 at 8pm
Symphony Space
2537 Broadway & 95th Street, NY, NY 10025
Use code SKINT10 for $10 off full price tickets HERE
saturday
sat thru 1/31: greetings from twin peaks: get lost in the woods at alamo drafthouse’s curated journey through key episodes of david lynch and mark frost’s classic tv series. alamo drafthouse (lower manhattan, downtown brooklyn, and staten island), various prices. >>
sat thru 1/25: janartsnyc: discover new works in theater, dance, opera, music, and performance during janartsnyc, an annual collection of festivals scheduled around the association of performing arts presenters (apap) conference: out-front! festival (1/3-11), jazz at lincoln center’s jazz congress + unity festival (1/7-9), new york live arts’ live artery festival (1/7-17), prototype festival (1/7-18), under the radar festival (1/7-25), nyc winter jazzfest (1/8-13), physfestnyc (1/8-18), works + process underground uptown dance festival (1/9-13), and globalfest (1/11). various locations and prices. >>
sat 2pm: school, but just the fun parts: it’s screens off, creativity on at this guided workshop aimed at sparking the joy of learning for its own sake. all supplies provided. drinks will be available for purchase, or byob. Empire Stage (Prospect Lefferts Garden), $15. >>
sat 7pm (monthly): tom d’s big new york show: comedian and licensed nyc tour guide tom delgado takes you through different aspects of nyc each month, with history, comedy, trivia with prizes, and special guests. tonight’s show features mason williams (author of city of ambition: fdr, la guardia, and the making of modern new york) and aminah imani (comedian, don’t tell comedy). save $5 with promo code ‘tomdnyc’ >>
sat 7pm: ucblk: a variety show spotlighting black performers: join hosts justin catchens, dominique kaplowitz, and shem pennant for a night of improv, sketch, stand-up, and more—featuring a dynamic lineup of black performers. ucb (east village), $15. >>
sat 7-11pm: dry january kickoff party: kick off your dry january at bright nights social’s mixer, featuring non-alcoholic drinks (less than 0.5% abv), a bedazzle station, and icebreakers to help get the conversation started. hekate café + elixir lounge (alphabet city/east village), free admission. >>
sat 8pm: 19th annual 50 first jokes: start the year laughing as 50 established and up-and-coming comedians try out their first brand-new joke of 2025 at this annual rapid-fire comedy show. hosted by john f. o’donnell. the bell house (gowanus), $25.65. >>
sat 7:30pm (monthly): feel the news with marcela onyango: in this monthly variety comedy show, ‘radical lefty’ comedian marcela onyango breaks down the latest headlines—helping you decide whether to be mad, glad, or just deeply confused. each show supports direct action efforts, raising funds for mutual aid projects. tonight’s guests include may durand, alexandria love, alex kim, chloé cunha, cansu karabiyik, and winter. friends and lovers (crown heights), $10. >>
sunday
sun 2pm: a ‘confessional’ of a recovering catholic: the musical – holiday edition: julie mcnamara presents a holiday edition of her catholic-guilt-themed solo musical comedy show at caveat (les). $13.61 with promo code ‘skint’ (reg. $18.76-20) >>
monday
mon 7pm (monthly): living radio: contemporary radio drama, with a revisionist twist: living radio stages live performances of five short radio plays inspired by the news, with results ranging from wacky to reflective. under st. marks (greenwich village), sliding scale admission. >>
mon 7:30pm: frankenstein’s baby: from the folks who brought you butterboy comedy comes a stand-up show featuring rotating hosts josh gondelman, joyelle nicole johnson, alison leiby, and tyrone thornhill with music from donwill. tonight’s guest performers: jeff hiller (somebody somewhere), maddy kelly (@itsmaddykelly), nat towsen (fallon), and more tba. union hall (park slope), $10 adv, $15 door. >>
mon 7:30pm: not a boy, not a girl comedy show: will morrison hosts an lgbtq+ comedy/variety show at crystal lake (williamsburg). tonight’s lineup features comedians ely kreimendahl, jay michel, terrence lambert, jo wild, cristen, and a drag performance by pan de lune. $10. >>
mon 7:30pm (monthly thru may): 23rd annual music mondays concert series: the music mondays concert series returns with a new season of classical and contemporary chamber music at advent lutheran church (uws). tonight, soprano kathryn lewek and musicians from the met orchestra perform works by mozart and verdi. a casual reception will follow the performance. free admission (note: if online reservations are sold out, there will be a standby line). >>
ongoing
our roundup of 30+ ongoing events: ice skating, art shows, and more. >>
stay safe and healthy
– the skint
