holiday tree lightings (free admission):
► tues 3-7pm: the seaport: performances, a pop-up market, photo opps, activities for kids, and more. >>
► tues 4:30-5:45pm: madison square park: live music, photo ops, baked-goods, and more. >>
► tues 6-7pm (entry begins at 4pm): bryant park: performances from tony-award winner lea salonga and world-class ice skaters, fireworks, and more. >>
► weds 8pm: rockefeller center: performances by the radio city rockettes, kelly clarkson, backstreet boys, jennifer hudson, dan + shay, megan hilty, thalia, and more. >>
► thurs 5:30pm: central park: a flotilla of trees on the harlem meer, caroling, seasonal activities, and hot cocoa. >>
► thurs 6-7:30pm: nelson a. rockefeller park: performances, carols, beverages and treats, and more. >>
► thurs 6-8pm: red hook lobster pound: a lobster trap christmas tree, complimentary drinks and bites. thurs 6pm. >>
winter lights and pop-ups:
► tues 4:30pm: lincoln square’s magical lights >>
► weds thru 1/8/2025: island of warmth at manhattan west >>
markets / pop-ups / shopping events (free admission, unless noted otherwise): >>
► tues thru 12/31: columbus circle outdoor holiday market: southwest corner of central park. >>
► weds 6-8pm: rizzoli bookstore holiday fair (flatiron) >>
film fests / series (various prices):
► tues thru 1/26/2025: skipped a beat: emilia pérez i 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. >>
► weds thru fri: new york no limits film summit: the wild project (east village). >>
► weds thru 12/18 (wednesdays at 7pm): three weeks of chirstmas at village east by angelika: elf, it’s a wonderful life, and love actually. >>
► thurs thru sun: new york city horror film festival: look dine-in cinemas (hell’s kitchen) and online. >>
sponsored
Photo Credit: Valerie Terranova Photography
“IT’S A THRILLING ROLLER-COASTER RIDE.” New York Magazine
“A BRAZEN, CACKLE-WORTHY MUSICAL.” Washington Post
“THE AUDIENCE GASPS AT THE AUDACITY AND THEN CHEERS. LOUDLY.” IndieWire
Come for the comedy, stay for the biting exploration of faith, purity and sex! TEETH is the new musical that looks like a campy laugh-fest on the outside, but it’s what’s on the inside that counts. Trust us.
Dawn O’Keefe is an evangelical Christian teen with a powerful secret not even she understands – when men violate her, her body bites back. That’s not a metaphor. From Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award® winner Michael R. Jackson (A Strange Loop) and Anna K. Jacobs (POP!), Teeth, based on the cult classic film of the same name, is a fierce, rapturous, and savagely entertaining new musical crackling with irrepressible desire and ancient rage.
Come see a story where women actually win… for once. Tickets start at $38!
tuesday
thru the season: wildlife conservation society’s annual toy drive: purchase a toy for donation at gift shops at the bronx zoo, central park zoo, queens zoo, prospect park zoo, or new york aquarium, and you’ll receive a voucher for a free return ticket. >>
tues 10am-9pm: giving tuesday pay-what-you-wish at artechouse’s tingle bells: chelsea market’s immersive digital art space artechouse invites you to unwind at their new, asmr-inspired holiday special installation. pay as little as $10 for admission any time today (reg. $19.08+). >>
tues 5:30pm: 13 driver’s licenses: city tech’s dept. of entertainment technology and cuny’s anti-hate initiative present a screening and discussion of roya terao’s award-winning short documentary, 13 driver’s licenses. the film follows a group of high-school students and their teacher as they research the stories behind 13 confiscated jewish driver’s licenses from the 1930s, discovered in a small german town. nyc college of technology, new academic complex theatre (downtown brooklyn), free admission. >>
tues 7pm: falling in love at the movies: rom-coms from the screwball era to today with esther zuckerman: author and entertainment journalist esther zuckerman presents falling in love at the movies, a journey through romantic comedies spanning from 1930s classics like it happened one night to the rom-com craze of the ’80s and ’90s including when harry met sally, to contemporary hits like crazy rich asians, and everything in between. the atlantic writer and blank check podcast co-host david sims joins. the rare book room at strand book store. $5 admission, $24 ticket includes a copy of the book. >>
tues 7pm: score: ‘interpreting epic cinema through comedy and dance’: a swarm of cinephile stand-ups discuss classic cinema and popcorn pleasers as host emmy harrington (the marvelous mrs. maisel) brings each film’s score to life through dance. tonight’s edition targets american beauty, the river wild, working girl, and gladiator. caveat (les), $18.76 with promo code ‘river’ (reg. $20-25). >>
tues 7pm + 9:30pm: comedy for a lonely night: lizzie martinez album recording: in her debut album recording, comedian lizzie martinez (the onion) explores the universal themes of romance, heartbreak, dry humping, dogs wearing bandanas, and more. with guests kenice mobley (netflix is a joke) and connor creagan (comedy central) at 7pm, and natasha vaynblat (fallon) and melissa rocha (vulture) at 9:30pm. c’mon everybody (bed-stuy), $8 adv, $12 door. >>
tues 8pm, 10pm: brittany cardwell comedy special taping: ambush comedy presents brittany cardwell’s special taping at the gutter (williamsburg), featuring support from josh johnson (the daily show), lucas connolly (comedy central), and others. $10 adv, $15 door. >>
wednesday
weds thru sun: mono xviiii festival of cinema arts: non-profit cinema-arts organization mono no aware celebrates 18 years with five nights of free projection performance, installation, and sculpture that incorporate the moving image on film made by over 60 collaborating artists and filmmakers. various brooklyn locations (some events require rsvp). >>
weds thru sun: jeff simmermon: ‘caregiver’: award-winning storyteller jeff simmermon (this american life, the moth) debuts his one-hour solo show about caring for and losing his father while also going through the difficult process of becoming a dad himself and dealing with the healtcare system, ivf treatments, and covid. soho playhouse, $15. >>
weds thru sat: 10th annual roots n’ ruckus fest: 20+ roots and folk music acts take over jalopy theatre and tavern’s two stages over four days. jalopy theatre and tavern (carroll gardens/columbia street waterfront), free admission (tips for the bands are welcome). >>
weds + thurs (8:30pm): ‘happy place’: a one-man show by adam cayton-holland: kumail nanjiani and emily v. gordon present comedian adam cayton-holland’s new one-man show, an exploration of depression, mental illness, suicide, and nancy kerrigan, loosely based off of his memoir, tragedy plus time. ucb (east village), $15. >>
weds 2pm: carnegie hall citywide: prague philharmonic choir: carnegie hall presents a series of free concerts across nyc. this afternoon, in anticipation of their concerts at carnegie hall, prague philharmonic choir comes to the red tkts steps at times square to perform a program that includes seasonal selections and traditional holiday favorites. >>
weds 6pm: the artistic crime of the century: a conversation with philippe petit: in a conversation with 9/11 memorial + museum director clifford chanin, philippe petit, who famously made an unuauthorized high-wire walk between the twin towers without a net in 1974, reflects on the world trade center, his iconic performance, and its legacy half a century later. 9/11 memorial + museum (fidi), free admission (rsvp). >>
sponsored: weds 7pm: selected shorts at symphony space: anything but politics with host tony hale: beloved actor tony hale hosts an evening of hilarious stories about anything that isn’t related to electoral colleges. featuring the debut of an original story by david sedaris, commissioned for selected shorts, very funny actors come together to remind us that if you laugh loud enough, you can’t hear the breaking news updates on your phone. with performances by negin farsad (wait wait…don’t tell me!), jeff hiller (somebody somewhere), jessica keenan wynn (heathers: the musical), and miriam shor (younger). skint readers can get a $19 ticket* with promo code ‘hale’ (*service charge applies). >>
weds 7pm (monthly): backroom reading series: backroom books, a used book pop-up located in red hook’s strong rope brewery, presents the second edition of a new reading series featuring local authors at the brewery’s gowanus location. free admission (rsvp for $1 off beer all night). >>
weds 7pm (monthly): scicafe: digital divides: at tonight’s edition of ‘scicafe,’ the american museum of natural history’s evening conversation series, homa hosseinmardi, assistant professor in the ucla college of social sciences, and john jost, professor and co-director of the center for social and political behavior at nyu, look at ‘how’ and ‘why’ digital platforms are a powerful force for amplifying and fueling division, and explore some strategies for bridging divides. cullman hall of the universe at the american museum of natural history (uws), free (rsvp). >>
weds 7:30pm: we have fun: a stand-up show: hosts zach sims and dan wilbur bring the fun-ny to young ethel’s (park slope), with stand-up by carmen lynch (colbert), jay nog (mtv), jim search, and donny roy. free admission. >>
weds 8pm (monthly): mortified: you’re not the only one who had an awkward phase. from journals to angsty poetry to home movies, adults share their most embarrassing childhood artifacts at the mortified storytelling show. littlefield (gowanus), $12 adv, $15 day of. >>
weds 8pm: ‘pick me’: a solo show about dying to be chosen: comedain glennis laroe takes the stage to overshare about being a dissociated kid, having lost her mother as a child and how that abandonment wound lead to her complicated relationships with men as an adult. c’mon everybody (bed-stuy), $10 adv, $15 door. >>
thursday
thurs thru sat: serials short play series: five teams of actors perform five original, 10-minute episodic plays with only six hours of rehearsal time. then you, the audience, vote for your favorites to return for a new installment at the next cycle. the tank (garment district), $20+. >>
thurs 5pm (+ 12/12, 12/19): broadway under the stars: bask in the glow of the holiday lights at the shops at columbus circle while taking in live performances from broadway shows. tonight’s program features excerpts from the lion king, aladdin, and wicked. the second floor stage at the shops at columbus circle (uws), free admission. >>
thurs 6-8pm (monthly): dumbo first thursday gallery walk : 13 dumbo art galleries stay open late for opening receptions, special events, and talks. an optional hour-long ‘insiders’ tour at 6pm (rsvp required) will feature talks from experts at select exhibitions. free admission. >>
thurs 6:30pm: new school studio orchestra: the nutcracker suite and peter + the wolf: celebrate the holiday season with special performances of duke ellington and billy strayhorn’s the nutcracker suite and oliver nelson’s arrangement of sergei prokofiev’s peter + the wolf, performed by the new school studio orchestra with live narration by actor ramsey faragallah. the new school’s john l. tishman auditorium (greenwich village/union square), free admission (rsvp). >>
thurs 7pm: limousine reading series: hear new readings from writers at the limousine reading series, hosted by heather akumiah and leah abrams at berry park (williamsburg). featuring akosua adasi, izzy ampil, delia cai, charlie markbreiter, eliza mclamb, and stephanie wambugu. free admission. >>
thurs 7pm: the rally reading series: ‘the heart of a march in the body of a reading series’: the rally reading series returns with readings from jean hannah edelstein (breasts: a relatively brief relationship), eugene lim (fog + car), and sasha vasilyuk (your presence is mandatory). hosted by ryan d. matthews. pete’s candy store (williamsburg), free admission. >>
thurs 7pm: sh*t arcade: at the sh*t arcade show, comedians and the audience play and make fun of some of the worst video games of all time, while hopefully scoring points and laughs along the way. hosted by mike drucker. caveat (les), $15 adv, $20 door. >>
thurs 8pm (monthly): tip top tits comedy show: it’s comedy or bust at janet hyde and mary cella’s stand-up show, featuring myka fox (comedy central), tom delgago (comedy central), cherryann trinidad, and michael timlin. bonus: $3 pbrs. tip-top bar + grill (bed-stuy), free admission. >>
thurs 9:15pm: spoons toons + booze ‘xmas after dark’ edition: gorge on sugary cereals, sip on cereal-infused cocktails, test your knowledge at trivia, and binge watch prime time and late night christmas-themed cartoons from the 1940s through the early 2000s on the big screen at secretformula’s holiday screening party. hosted by michael austin and nell casey. bonus: dress in your ugliest holiday sweater or coziest pjs to compete in the costume contest. nitehawk cinema (prospect park), $20 admission includes an all-you-can-eat cereal bar. >>
ongoing
our roundup of 50+ ongoing events and attractions: ice skating, holiday markets, art exhibits, and more. >>
stay safe and healthy
– the skint
