Looking for what to do in New York? We've got the latest on all the goings-on in NYC, from concerts to museum exhibitions to comedy to the best in city sightseeing. This week, the NYC holiday season enters full swing with the lighting of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree! Enjoy more festive decorations aboard Slice of Brooklyn's Holiday Lights in Dyker Heights Tour, plus myriad holiday markets, concerts, new exhibits, and more!
THE BIG EVENT
(11/29-1/7/18) The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting for 2017 takes place on Nov. 29th, but you can appreciate its majestic beauty throughout December. Special guest performers include Pentatonix, Leslie Odom Jr., and Gwen Stefani! The towering tree in Rockefeller Center is a global symbol of the holiday spirit. rockefellercenter.com
PLUS
(11/29) Rachel Bloom (co-creator / star of My Crazy Ex Girlfriend) in Conversation with Amy Bloom at the 92nd Street Y.
(11/29-12/31) Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: Ailey in New York at New York City Center.
(12/2) See the art of Chelsea with an insider expert on New York Gallery Tours. Among the exceptional shows on view are assemblages of thousands of objects, light-filled painints, and new psychedelic artworks, priced at $800,000 each, by one of the world’s greatest living female artists.
(Ongoing) RE:FINE Holiday 2017 at the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD). The Store at MAD premieres its new collection of contemporary fine jewelry for sale. "Redefining Fine Jewelry Holiday 2017" marks the third season of the store's foray into the world of fine jewelry, bringing together a highly curated group of 30 international artists and designers, including eight jewelers selected for their alternative bridal collections.
(Now-12/24) Grand Central's Holiday Fair has returned! The terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall is home to 40 artisans that sell art and home goods; holiday-themed items; bath and body products; toys; and clothing and accessories for men, women, and children. Commuters take note: you can check off all the items on your list without missing your train!
(Now-3/5/18) Bryant Park's Winter Village is now open for the holiday season. Come check out New York City’s only free-admission ice skating rink, the Holiday Shops food and gift boutiques, and Danny Meyer’s rinkside eatery Public Fare.
(Now-1/1/18) The NYC perennial holiday favorite Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes® is back. Fan favorites include "New York at Christmas," where the Rockettes® board a real double-decker bus, and the high-energy tap number "Twelve Days of Christmas." Of course, beloved classics like "The Parade of the Wooden Soldiers" and "The Living Nativity" will also be back. rockettes.com/christmas
Photo credit: © Paul Kolnik
(Now-12/31) Dreams come to life when Tschaikovsky’s iconic melodies begin to play. As the clock chimes midnight, a brave young girl turns the tide in a battle between toy soldiers and mischievous mice, and a blizzard of ballerinas reveal a wonderful world of confection. This holiday season, be swept away by the magic of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker®, performed by the world-renowned New York City Ballet. The New York Times says, “Balanchine’s classic production felt like coming home.” nycballet.com
EXHIBITION OF THE WEEK
John Leech (1817–1864), Scrooge’s Third Visitor, 1843, drawing for an illustration used in the first edition of A Christmas Carol, watercolor over pencil, The Morgan Library & Museum, 2006.21, purchased in 1941.
(Now-1/14/18) Considered one of the city’s greatest treasures, the Morgan Library & Museum showcases manuscripts, art, history, and architecture. On display now is a great seasonal show, Charles Dickens and the Spirit of Christmas, which delves into the world sparked by A Christmas Carol (1843). All five of Dickens’s Christmas books are here, in addition to original manuscripts, illustrations, photos, letters, and even Dickens’s own writing desk. You’ll come away with a new understanding of the man who is arguably most responsible for Christmas as we know it.
PLUS
(Now-2/4/18) Edvard Munch: Between the Clock and the Bed at the Met Breuer. Norwegian artist Edvard Munch (1863–1944) attained fame early in his career for his depictions of human anxiety. This exhibition features 43 of the artist's landmark compositions created over a span of six decades, including 16 self-portraits and works that have never before been seen in the United States.
(Now open!) Downton Abbey: The Exhibition opens at 218 W. 57th St. Based on the beloved television show Downton Abbey, be transported to post-Edwardian England, where the characters and the iconic house come to life. You’ll be immersed in the fascinating social history, culture, and some of the most memorable moments and sets from the show’s six-season run, including Mrs. Patmore’s kitchen and the servants’ quarters.
(Now-2/18) Artist Josef Albers was best known for his vivid abstract paintings. A new show at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum provides fresh context on that work with a focus on Albers’ black and white photographs, as well as his photo collages, in the newly opened Josef Albers in Mexico. Albers and his wife Anni traveled to Mexico many times over a period of more than 30 years, from 1935 through the 1960s. While there, they spent time at numerous archeological sites, from Uxmal to Chichen Itza. Albers took photos of everything from the landscape to shrines and monuments he encountered throughout the country; the resulting photo collages demonstrate his interest in geometric experimentation as seen through the influence of pre-Columbian art. The museum’s airy, somewhat stark interior is a perfect foil for both the photos and the rich, colorful geometric shapes. Wander through, and then wander through again. This one’s a treat.
(New! Now through 2/12/18) Michelangelo: Divine Draftsman & Designer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475–1564) is the subject of this once-in-a-lifetime exhibition. During his long life, Michelangelo was celebrated for the excellence of his disegno, the power of drawing and invention. This exhibition will present approximately 150 of his drawings, three of his marble sculptures, his earliest painting, his wood architectural model for a chapel vault, and complementary works by other artists for comparison and context. Among the extraordinary international loans are the complete series of masterpiece drawings he created for his friend Tommaso de' Cavalieri and a monumental cartoon for his last fresco in the Vatican Palace.
(Now-1/28/18) Items: Is Fashion Modern? at MoMA explores the present, past—and sometimes the future—of 111 items of clothing and accessories that have had a strong impact on the world in the 20th and 21st centuries and continue to hold currency today. Among them are pieces as well-known and transformative as the Levi’s 501s, the Breton shirt, and the Little Black Dress, and as ancient and culturally charged as the sari, the pearl necklace, the kippah, and the keffiyeh. Items will also invite designers, engineers, and manufacturers to respond to some of these indispensable items with pioneering materials, approaches, and techniques—extending this conversation into the near and distant futures, and connecting the history of these garments with their present recombination and use.
(Now-1/21/18) In the ancient burial ground at Saqqara, Egypt, one animal cemetery alone has yielded over four million ibis mummies. The dog cemetery nearby has over seven million, and similar sites are found throughout Egypt. Despite its prominence, this unusual practice of ancient Egyptian culture has remained largely a mystery. The new Brooklyn Museum exhibition Soulful Creatures: Animal Mummies in Ancient Egypt sheds light on the religious purpose of these mummies, how they were made, and why there are so many. Animals were central to the ancient Egyptian worldview. Most animals had connections to a particular deity. After death, mummified animals’ souls could carry a message to a god. Drawn from the museum’s extensive collection, the exhibition features choice examples of mummies of birds, cats, dogs, snakes, and other animals. The show also reveals corruption beneath the surface: CT scans displayed in the exhibition uncover empty wrappings, double mummies, and misleading packaging among some of the mummies that the priests sold to worshippers.
(Now-1/7/18) The photographs in the new exhibit American Visionary: John F. Kennedy's Life and Times at the New-York Historical Society convey the sensation you’ve seen them before: JFK in the White House, his kids joyfully playing nearby; JFK with wife Jackie at an event, both of them elegant and assured (in truth, many images here have only rarely been shown). It’s part of the famous Kennedy allure, conveying a world that’s simultaneously approachable, glittering, and rarefied. This well-curated exhibition charts JFK’s trajectory as a politician, as well as the cultural and historical pulse of the times, when photojournalism was at an apex. It’s s a wonderful opportunity to observe a world both familiar and lost, and to reflect on where the country was—and is.
(Permanent) The New-York Historical Society's Fourth Floor Renovation, now complete, includes a brand new Tiffany Lamps Gallery, in addition to the opening of its Women's History Center.
(New!) At the Museum of the Moving Image, The Jim Henson Exhibition. This permanent exhibition celebrates the life and legacy of the famed Muppet creator, exploring both his prolific career and the enduring effect his work has on pop culture. Visitors will learn more about the creation of such beloved works as The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, The Dark Crystal, and Labryinth, as well as discovering the cutting-edge experimental works Henson made throughout his career.
(Now-12/3) Final week! Drones: Is the Sky the Limit? at The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. It's the first major museum exhibition on pilotless aircraft to open in the U.S. The large-scale exhibition, which will be located in a 6,000-square-foot, custom-designed pavilion on the Museum's Pier 86, will reveal the history of drone technology, from its modern-day origins in World War I and its military development to its current applications in solving complex humanitarian challenges. Take $5 off admission with this coupon now!
(Ongoing) The Museum of the City of New York presents NY at Its Core. Ten years in the making, New York at Its Core tells the compelling story of New York’s rise from a striving Dutch village to today’s “Capital of the World.” The exhibition captures the human energy that drove New York to become a city like no other and a subject of fascination the world over. Entertaining, inspiring, important, and at times bemusing, New York City “big personalities,” including Alexander Hamilton, Walt Whitman, Boss Tweed, Emma Goldman, JP Morgan, Fiorello La Guardia, Jane Jacobs, Jay-Z, and dozens more, parade through the exhibition. Visitors will also learn the stories of lesser-known New York personalities, like Lenape chieftain Penhawitz and Italian immigrant Susie Rocco. Even animals like the horse, the pig, the beaver, and the oyster, which played pivotal roles in the economy and daily life of New York, get their moment in the historical spotlight. Occupying the entire first floor in three interactive galleries (Port City, 1609-1898, World City, 1898-2012, and Future City Lab) New York at Its Core is shaped by four themes: money, density, diversity, and creativity. Together, they provide a lens for examining the character of the city, and underlie the modern global metropolis we know today. mcny.org
COMEDY
(12/1-12/3) MadTV's Adam Ray at Gotham Comedy Club.
PLUS
(11/30) The Rigorous Podcast Live Fundraiser for Puerto Rico at Gotham Comedy Club. 100 percent of profits go to whereever Ricky Martin wants us to send that s---, starring Maurica with Angelo Lozada and Shannon Lee Heyer, featuring special guests!
(11/30-12/2) SNL alum Kevin Nealon at Carolines.
(Ongoing) Catch the funniest peformers on the comedy circuit at LOL Comedy Club. Use this coupon to save 50% off admission!
KIDS
(12/2, 12/9, 12/16) For more than 70 years, Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises has been showing visitors the best sights of NYC. On Saturday, you can enjoy the ride with an extra dose of seasonal cheer. In addition to stunning views of the skyline and bridges, this year’s Holiday Cruise features hot chocolate, goodies, a DJ spinning holiday favorites, and a photo op with none other than Jolly Old Saint Nick.
(Now-11/30) Final days! Throughout November, kids sail FREE with Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises (with accompanying adult ticket). Four ticket max. Use code KIDSFREE17.
(12/3) The Museum of Arts and Design hosts a day of family-friendly dance and design.
(Now-1/7/18) The Big Apple Circus is back under the tent at Damrosch Park!
(Ongoing) Bronx Zoo Treetop Adventures. A new tree-high obstacle course features a variety of ways to test your agility and strength, from the 400-foot-long zip line to an aerial adventure park that features seven different courses, from beginner to expert. Swing, navigate and even skateboard; it’ll make a great story. 7+, 50 lbs. and up. Bronx Zoo, 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, Bronxzootreetop.com
(Ongoing) Blue Man Group at Astor Place Theatre. Best known for their wildly popular theatrical shows, Blue Man Group combines music, comedy, and multimedia theatrics to produce a unique form of entertainment. The hour and forty five minute show is fun for the whole family. The show recently celebrated its 25th anniversary.
(Ongoing) Explore the beautiful interactive exhibit Connected Worlds at the New York Hall of Science in Queens.
For more kids activities, check out our sister site nymetroparents.com!
SIGHTSEEING
(11/22-1/15) New York Botanical Garden's Holiday Train Show returns! Enchanting model trains zip through a display of 150 landmarks, each re-created with bark, leaves, and other natural materials—all under the twinkling glow of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. Marvel at G-scale locomotives humming along among familiar sights such as the Brooklyn Bridge, Statue of Liberty, and Rockefeller Center on nearly a half-mile of track. This year’s exhibition showcases Midtown Manhattan’s iconic skyscrapers and other architectural wonders, featuring new replicas of the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, General Electric Building, and St. Bartholomew’s Church.
(Now-12/24) Union Square’s Holiday Market is now open. urbanspacenyc.com
Click here for more NYC holiday markets!
PLUS
(12/1) Giving a shout out to A Slice of Brooklyn Tours, as they celebrate their 12th anniversary. They continue to bring locals and tourists alike the best Brooklyn Pizza, Christmas Lights in Dyker Heights (starting 12/1), Chocolate Tours, and more. Founded by Brooklyn native and travel lover Tony Muia, the company has received Certificates of Excellence from TripAdvisor for the past six years! All tours conveniently depart and return to Union Square! Congratulations! Book asap, this one sells out quickly! Use this coupon and take $5 off!
(Now open!) Take a deep dive into an underwater world with New York City’s newest attraction, National Geographic Encounter: Ocean Odyssey, in Times Square. This experience lets visitors explore the ocean like never before thanks to state-of-the-art technology and a brilliant team of designers. This is not a museum, exhibit, movie, aquarium, or virtual reality; instead, the producers consulted with dozens of scientists to create a new kind of immersive experience that guests can walk through as they share ocean encounters. Blockbuster new science—some of it not even published yet—was used in its creation. Short of a submarine, you’ll be hard pressed to find a better way to experience life as it’s lived under the sea.
(New!) The largest VR entertainment center in the Western Hemisphere is New York’s latest attraction: VR World. Get inspired by virtual reality in a diverse space with three floors that bring culture, gaming, and entertainment together. With over 50 experiences to choose from, VR World offers an unforgettable experience that’s yours to create! Fight off droids, climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, race Formula One cars against your friends, and create a 3D masterpiece. The adventures are limitless.
(Ongoing) The iconic Rockefeller Center Ice Skating Rink opens for the winter season. For information on reservations, skate lessons or season passes, call 212-332-7654 or visit therinkatrockcenter.com. VIP packages are also available. For more information on Rockefeller Center, visit rockefellercenter.com.
(Ongoing) Wollman Rink in Central Park is also open. For schedules and rates call 212-439-6900 or visit wollmanskatingrink.com.
(Ongoing) Day or night, the Manhattan skyline is a sight to behold. Circle Line Sightseeing sails year-round and has cruises of varying interests and lengths, including a 3-hour Best of NYC Cruise, a 2-hour Landmark Cruise, and a Harbor Lights Cruise for a romantic spring evening. Last year, Circle Line added its popular Landmark + Brooklyn Cruise. Guests can purchase food and drink from Brooklyn’s famed artisanal vendors, including Brooklyn Brewery, Brooklyn Gin, Brooklyn Cupcake, Blue Marble Ice Cream, and cheesecakes from Junior’s. circleline42.com
(Ongoing) At a time when the planet seems ever more divided, it’s amazing to be reminded that we all share one world. Gulliver's Gate is one of the most ambitious attractions to ever land in New York, a $40 million extravaganza that allows visitors to travel the earth without leaving Times Square. Latin America, Asia, the Middle East, Russia, and Europe are all here in incredibly detailed miniature, reflecting craftspeople’s work from around the globe. Through the wonder of 3D printing, visitors can also enjoy the thrill of having themselves (and their families) immortalized in 1:87 scale.
(Now-1/7) THE RIDE: HOLIDAY EDITION. The 6th Annual Holiday Edition returns to turn the streets of New York into a stage. You’ll cruise in comfort in a patented $1.5 million travelling theater. Technology galore and floor-to-ceiling glass with side-facing VIP seating provide perfect views to dazzling holiday performances you’ll find along a 4.2-mile journey through Manhattan. Original seasonal music, videos, and hilarious hosts complete the experience, definitely one to remember. Use this coupon and save $30 off!
(Ongoing) Take a ride through time and learn about Downtown New York City's rich heritage with THE DOWNTOWN EXPERIENCE Powered by THE RIDE. Enhanced with virtual reality technology (thanks to Timelooper), experience highlight moments in NYC's history like never before! Here's a coupon!
(Ongoing) Read here for more about the Best NYC Hop On Hop Off Bus Tours!
(Ongoing) King Kong has made his way back to New York, the city he once terrorized (at least in the movies!), but this time, it's in wax form. The famed Madame Tussauds New York in Times Square welcomes a wax replica of King Kong’s head to its collection, providing visitors not only with a perfect photo op with the notorious gorilla, but an entire KONG: Skull Island experience.
(New) Every year, at 11:59pm on December 31st, people from all over the world are focused on the Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball. Millions of voices unite to count down the final seconds of the old year and celebrate the beginning of the new. Now you can get up close and personal with the Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball at Ripley’s Believe It or Not—Times Square! Press the button yourself and ring in the New Year every day of the year. A home to rare artifacts and thrilling interactive exhibits, Ripley’s is for anyone who wants to immerse themselves in the unexpected and the unbelievable. Here's a coupon.
(Ongoing) Grab a date or friend and enjoy the most incredible views of NYC at Top of the Rock.
MUSIC & NIGHTLIFE
(12/1-12/2, 12/4-12/5) Mariah Carey takes residency at the Beacon Theatre for her holiday show, All I Want for Christmas Is You.
PLUS
(12/3) Vienna Boys Choir: Christmas in Vienna at Carnegie Hall.
(12/1-12/2, 12/8-12/9, 12/22-12/23, 12/29, 12/30, 1/6, 1/13) In tandem with the New York Botanical Garden's Holiday Train Show, grab a friend or date for Bar Car Nights, On these nights exclusively for adults 21 and over, the wintry landscape of NYBG sets the scene for festive outdoor adventures, with an after-dark viewing of the expanded Holiday Train Show as the centerpiece. Sip a cocktail as you journey through a series of station stops, including pop-up acts featuring some of NYC’s favorite street performers. 7pm-10:30pm.
(12/1) Go 90s with the Fresh Kids of Bel Air at (Le) Poisson Rouge.
(12/1, 12/5, 12/7, 12/8) Norma at the Metropolitan Opera.
(12/1-12/3) Paula West Quintet at Dizzy's Club Coca Cola.
(12/1-12/2) Steve Miller, Jimmie Vaughan & Charlie Musselwhite: The Blues Triangle at the Rose Theater. Renowned blues-rock guitarist, singer/songwriter, and 2016 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Steve Miller returns to Rose Theater for a journey through the Blues Triangle. Having learned his first chords at age five from his godfather Les Paul, how to play lead guitar from T-Bone Walker at age nine, and then working with the best bluesmen in Chicago — Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Buddy Guy, James Cotton, and Paul Butterfield — Miller has a serious affinity for the blues. In this program, he will explore music from three essential blues hubs: Memphis, Texas, and Chicago.
(12/1) Bite into a hot slice of NYC life at 44 Charlton: A Variety Show—the world’s first and only variety show smashing together the gutsiest comedy, music, dance, theater, spoken word, and genre-bending performances on a single stage, hosted by the sometimes salty, always sexy Julian Fleisher. Come for the cheap drinks. Stay to become a part of spontaneous genius. On this month's show: comedian Chloé Hilliard, pop rock band BETTY, and more special, surprise guests!
(12/2-12/3) St. Vincent at Kings Theatre.
(12/2) Deer Tick at Brooklyn Steel.
(12/2) Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill.
(New!) Explore the Magic Hour Rooftop bar atop the brand new Moxy Times Square Hotel. It's NYC's largest rooftop bar!
(Ongoing) Puffs, Or: Seven Increasingly Eventful Years at a Certain School of Magic & Magic at New World Stages. For seven years a certain boy wizard went to Magic School. This, however, is not his story. This is the story of the Puffs…who happened to be there too. Wayne is an average boy from New Mexico who discovers he’s a wizard. In this Potter-inspired comedy, he and his new friends try to keep their heads down and get a basic wizarding education while a certain famous boy wizard sets out to make life at school increasingly...eventful.
SNEAK PEEK, NEXT WEEK
(12/4) Broadway Under the Stars at Columbus Circle presents Chicago, Waitress, and Anastasia.
(Now12/29) The Empire State Building is getting into the holiday spirit with musical performances in ESB’s iconic Fifth Avenue lobby Monday through Friday from November 27th until December 29th. Guests are invited to listen during the hours of 8-11am, noon-3pm, and 4-7pm.
(12/6-8) Chris Rock: The Total Blackout Tour 2017 at The Theater at Madison Square Garden. Also 12/9 at Brooklyn's Barclays Center.
(12/6-12/7) Disney's Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas at Barclays Center. Pumpkin King Danny Elfman is coming to Brooklyn on December 6 and 7 to perform his legendary role of Jack Skellington in a very special screening, with the music performed live by a full orchestra and choir, of Disney's timeless holiday classic, "TIM BURTON'S THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS." Elfman will be joined by other original cast members, including Catherine O'Hara (Sally) and Ken Page (Oogie Boogie), who will all sing live during the movie.
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