(11/22-11/24) 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 weekend, the Grand Central Holiday Fair, PopSugar's Sugar Chalet at Bryant Park, and other holiday markets are open, plus there's The New York Botanical Garden's Holiday Train Show (and Bar Car Nights), LuminoCity on Randalls Island, and so much more!
THE BIG EVENT
Colin Miller
(Now-1/5/20) Bryant Park's Winter Village returns. Ice skating, shopping, hot chocolate and other tasty treats, and more! On Saturday, November 23rd, check out PopSugar's Sugar Chalet, at Bryant Park, with a gifting suite, yoga, makeovers, shopping, and more. 11am-6pm.
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(11/21-1/5) Bronx Zoo Holiday Lights. Highlights will include nightly ice carving demonstrations, carolers, characters, train rides, and a lantern safari.
(11/23) Friendsgiving Disco Party. Beloved West Village beer spot Houston Hall is hooking up the Friendsgiving action on Saturday night. Stop by for turkey-cranberry sliders, spiked mulled cider, pumpkin ale, and a live DJ. There will be prizes for the best costume. $20 entry special includes two mugs of beer and two sliders.
(Now-12/24) No need to brave the elements for holiday shopping. Visit the Grand Central Holiday Fair from Monday, November 18 through Christmas Eve and browse in warmth. 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 (the terminal has plenty of great shopping even beyond the Holiday Fair.) The Holiday Fair is open Monday through Friday, 10am-8pm, until 7pm Saturdays, and 11am-6pm Sundays. Closed Thanksgiving and open 10am-6pm on Christmas Eve.
Read here for more on Holiday Markets NYC.
(Now-11/24) Final weekend! White Light Festival at Lincoln Center. Now in its tenth year, the Lincoln Center White Light Festival brings together extraordinary global performers for a five-week celebration. This annual event presents dance, theater, and musical performances in a wide range of genres and features exemplary work from exemplary creators and performers.
(11/24) Every Sunday on the Upper West Side you can check out Grand Bazaar NYC, the city’s largest curated market—and most distinctive! This Sunday you’ll also find the opening day of the market’s annual Grand Holiday Bazaar. Find unique gifts indoors and out from 150+ hand-picked independent local artisans and dealers. Come hungry! There are great artisanal food options as well. 10am-5:30pm.
EXHIBITION OF THE WEEK
JR (French, born 1983). The Chronicles of New York City, 2018–19 (detail). © JR-ART.NET.
(Ongoing) JR is a consummate 21st-century artist. As a young man, he began taking pictures of his fellow street-artist friends and posting them around his native France. Later, his photography projects expanded in scope and deepened in tone without losing their populist flair. Now, this celebrated artist will receive the first major North American retrospective of his work, JR: Chronicles at the Brooklyn Museum. The exhibition, named after the artist’s new mural of New York City, debuted October 4. The mural itself, The Chronicles of New York City, portrays over one thousand New Yorkers that the artist interviewed and photographed in summer of 2018.
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(Ongoing) For a brief few years, fine art, folk art, Hollywood, and Pentecostal fervor all came together in hand-painted advertisements for VHS screenings in Ghana. Now open at Poster House in Chelsea, Baptized By Beefcake: The Golden Age of Hand-Painted Movie Posters from Ghana features colorful takes on vintage horror and action flicks, seen through a localized religious lens. It's amazing any of this even survived—painted on recycled rice sacks and meant for short-term use, the show reflects a remarkable effort of preservation, holding up an uncanny mirror to '80s and '90s America. posterhouse.org
Dinner and cake in Intrepid’s wardroom in October 1944. Photo from National Archives and Records Administration.
(New!) Making a beautiful cake is pretty challenging, but what if you had to make it on a Navy ship, for a crew of thousands? The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum’s new exhibition, Navy Cakes: A Slice of History, explores the history of naval personnel and their incredible cakes.
Installation View: Artistic License: Six Takes on the Guggenheim Collection, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Photo: David Heald. © Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation.
(Ongoing) For the first time in its history, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum has invited artists to serve as curators, creating Artistic License: Six Takes on the Guggenheim Collection. Drawing on the institution’s vast collection of fine art, the show is a fitting complement to the 60th anniversary of the Guggenheim’s iconic Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home. The six artists are Cai Guo-Qiang, Paul Chan, Jenny Holzer, Julie Mehretu, Richard Prince, and Carrie Mae Weems, all major figures in the contemporary art world.
(Now-8/30/20) The most significant site of the Holocaust, Auschwitz was not a single entity, but a complex of 48 concentration, forced labor, and extermination camps, at which 1 million Jews—and tens of thousands of others—were murdered. Auschwitz. Not long ago. Not far away., a new exhibition at the Museum of Jewish Heritage—A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, explores the legacy of history’s deadliest mass murder site. More than 700 original objects and 400 photographs are on display, many for the first time in North America. Among the artifacts: personal possessions, fragments of a barrack, a gas mask used by the SS, and an original German-made Model 2 freight wagon used for the deportation of Jews to the ghettos and extermination camps in occupied Poland. mjhnyc.org
Anna Walinska, 1960, Figures in Landscape. Shan paper collage with oil on paper.
(Ongoing) Artist Anna Walinksa (1906-1997) had a strong connection to Manhattan's Upper West Side. She worked as a teaching artist-in-residence at the Riverside Museum (then located at the Masters Apartment, a landmark 27-story Art Deco skyscraper at 310 Riverside Drive) and exhibited frequently there from 1954 to 1971, joining other prominent artists like Louise Nevelson, Jasper Johns, and Barnett Newman. Work from Walinska's studio residence at The Masters has now circled back to the neighborhood in the exhibit Anna Walinska: Return to the Riverside, on view through January 25, 2020.
(Ongoing) You can experience the world of history’s most famous spy at Driven: 007 x SPYSCAPE, a new exhibition inside New York’s spy museum, SPYSCAPE. This immersive exhibition brings you into the Bond universe with sets, props, and insights about the creation of the ageless secret agent. Among the highlights: an Aston Martin DB5, the lab of Quartermaster (or Q), M16’s gadget master, concept art from Oscar-winning production designer Sir Ken Adams, and an exploration of 2012 Bond film Skyfall’s unforgettable final scene.
COMEDY
(11/22-11/23) Francis Ellis at Gotham Comedy Club.
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(11/21-11/22) Jerry Seinfeld at the Beacon Theatre.
(11/21-11/23) Ron Funches at Carolines.
(11/22) Thanks But No Thanksgiving with Brian Bahe, Tai Leclaire, Dash Turner at Union Hall.
Click here for more "Comedy Shows in NYC This Weekend."
KIDS
( 11/23-1/26) The New York Botanical Garden's Holiday Train Show is back! Marvel at model trains zipping through an enchanting display of more than 175 famous New York landmarks—imagine the Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, Rockefeller Center, Central Park, and other favorites—each delightfully recreated from natural materials such as birch bark, acorns, and cinnamon sticks. Make your best holiday memories with crafts and carolers, seasonal treats, a visit from Thomas the Tank Engine, and so much more!
(Now-2/2/20) Big Apple Circus at Lincoln Center's Damrosch Park is back, and while it's still appealing for kids, it's gotten a makeover, making a concerted effort to appeal to young and old alike, with a selection of high end cocktails now on sale, a VIP tent, new performers, and more. bigapplecircus.com
(Now-1/31/20) Just extended! Color Factory, a massive interactive art space, began in August 2017 in San Francisco. Wildly popular, the project has set up shop in SoHo and is sure to inspire lines as long as the cronut did at nearby Dominique Ansel Bakery. Designed by a wide spectrum of artists, Color Factory walks visitors through 16 rooms devoted to the wonder of color. You’re invited to compliment someone using color words, discover your signature color, and read wishes for the world written by NYC school children on varicolored balloons. Each room is equipped with a camera that can take a picture of you and send it to your phone: the better to post with! 251 Spring St.,
support@colorfactory.co,colorfactory.co, @colorfactoryco
(Ongoing) “Here Be Dragons,” a new interactive scavenger hunt in the American Museum of Natural History offered by Fable & Lark: Storied Adventures, draws from the menageries of creatures in both Fantastic Beasts and Fantastic Beasts: Crimes of Grindelwald. Participants will explore galleries throughout the museum as they answer questions, solve clues, engage in creative activities, and track down the origins of some of the creatures from both the Fantastic Beasts stories as well as other classic myths and tales. Grab your nifflers and join! Advance registration required. fableandlark.com
Updated! Read about more Instagrammable pop-up exhibits in NYC here.
(Ongoing) Exhilarating Family Fun at Stomp NYC. Special discount packages available!
Click here for more "Things to Do with Kids in NYC This Weekend."
For more kids activities, check out our sister site nymetroparents.com!
SIGHTSEEING
(11/23-1/5) LuminoCity Festival at Randall's Island is a Iight festival/immersive art experience spanning 16 acres with three theme parks: Winter Fantasy, Wild Adventure, and Sweet Dream, highlighted by over 23 sets of larger-than-life light art displays and a holiday night market.
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Bring a loved one to take in the breathtaking view at Top of the Rock.
The iconic Rockefeller Center Ice Skating Rink is open for the winter season. For information on reservations, skate lessons, or season passes, call 212-332-7654 or visit therinkatrockcenter.com. VIP packages are available. For more information on Rockefeller Center, visit rockefellercenter.com. (Please note, tree won't be up 'til Dec. 4.)
(Ongoing) A Slice of Brooklyn's Brooklyn Chocolate Tour visits artisanal chocolate sites Jacques Torres Chocolate in DUMBO, The Chocolate Room in Cobble Hill, Raaka in Red Hook, and Li-Lac Chocolates in Industry City, Sunset Park. Offered every Monday, Wednesday, Friday. All tours depart and return to Union Square.
(New!) Madame Tussauds New York Presents Broadway. Take a magical journey starting with a cocktail at the Broadway Bar, and then traveling through a kaleidoscope of your favorite musicals. Enter the world of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, Evita, Sunset Boulevard, and Cats. You can sing “Memory” with Grizabella the “Glamour Cat” and wear the Dreamcoat yourself as you become a Broadway star. The Phantom of the Opera will also guide you through this dazzling backstage experience, and perhaps do a little singing himself along the way. Live actors will be on hand to enhance the rush both on- and offstage.
(Ongoing) Get the full stadium experience with Yankee Stadium Tours, which offers exclusive access to New York Yankee historic spots like Monument Park, The Great Hall, and even down to the dugout. The daily tours also bring you close to baseball artifacts like Babe Ruth’s bat, Lou Gehrig’s jersey, and rings and trophies representing the Yankees’ 27 world championships. Here is a $5 off coupon!
(Ongoing) Part show. Part tour. All entertainment. THE RIDE is a one-of-a-kind experience that turns the streets of New York into a stage. Journey through Times Square and midtown Manhattan as the city’s landmarks unfold before your very eyes. THE RIDE’s theatres-on-wheels also tour lower Manhattan, with THE DOWNTOWN EXPERIENCE Powered by THE RIDE, which lets visitors re-live iconic moments in New York history through the magic of TimeLooper Virtual Reality Headsets. Use our coupon and save $10 off!
FOOD, MUSIC, AND NIGHTLIFE
(Now-1/5/20) The Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes® returns to dazzle for another holiday season! The 90-minute show features more than 140 performers and an original musical score and combines singing, dancing, and humor with traditional scenes.
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(Now-11/27) Judy Collins: Winter Stories with Chatham County Line and Jonas Fjeld at Joe's Pub.
(11/22) Nat Adderly Trio at The Sugar Bar NYC.
(11/22, 11/25) Madama Butterfly at Metropolitan Opera. One of the world’s great cultural attractions is the Metropolitan Opera, which hosts an array of incredible performances. Among the highlights this season is Giacomo Puccini’s ever popular Madama Butterfly. Leading soprano Hui He takes the heartbreaking title role of the doomed geisha this week, with tenor Andrea Carè as the American naval officer who abandons her. Pier Giorgio Morandi is on the podium for Anthony Minghella’s sweeping production.
(11/23, 11/30) Philip Glass's Akhnaten at the Metropolitan Opera. Star countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo is the title pharaoh, the revolutionary ruler who transformed ancient Egypt, with the striking mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges in her Met debut as his wife, Nefertiti.
(11/23) Gladys Knight with special guest Will Downing at Kings Theatre.
(11/23) Jonas Brothers: Happiness Begins at Barclays Center.
(11/23-12/6) Bob Dylan and His Band at the Beacon Theatre.
(11/23, 11/29, 11/30; 12/7, 12/14, 12/20, 12/21, 12/27, 12/28; 1/3, 1/4, 1/11, 1/18) Bar Car Nights at New York Botanical Garden. 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 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.
(11/23-11/24) The Billie Holiday Project plays Caveat on the Lower East Side on Saturday. On Sunday, you can find The Billie Holiday Project at The Duplex in the Village.
(Ongoing) Rosé Mansion, everyone's favorite excuse to sample rosé, continues its fabulous run through 2019. You get tastings of 8 different pink wines as you travel through a champagne ball pit, a mini-theme park called Roséland, and a tree house. There are also two rosé wine bars where you can hang out, plus grub from Taco Dumbo. rosewinemansion.com, @rosewinemansion
Throughout November, Ripley's Believe It or Not! Times Square is having a Food Drive for the Food Bank for New York City. Donate at least ONE non-perishable and receive $10 off admission. (Not valid for Ripley's Relic.)
Photo: Russ Rowland.
(Ongoing) Sit back and enjoy music and three cocktails, while the cast of The Imbible gives insight into the history and science behind alcoholic beverages. Shows include A Spirited History of Drinking; Day Drinking: The Brunch Musical; and Christmas Carol Cocktails, which opens on November 22nd for its fifth smash/smashed season. Cheers to that! Save $15 with City Guide's coupon.
Click here for more "Nightlife in NYC This Weekend."
For more LGBTQ-friendly events, visit our brother site at metrosource.com!
Click here for more information on The Best Things to do in NYC in November. We've got December covered, too!
EVERYTHING TO DO NYC
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