Gothamist

A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.

Gothamist

WNYC Listen Live

Donate

 

 

Arts & Entertainment

Missed Santacon? Get Ready for Unsilent Night!


By

Jacob Dobkin

Published Dec 18, 2005

Modified Mar 7, 2008


Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail


Never miss a story

 Email address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .


By

Jacob Dobkin

Published Dec 18, 2005

Modified Mar 7, 2008


Share

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail


We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

2005_12_unsilentnight1.jpgReminder!!! Unsilent Night, the amazing participatory performance piece by Phil Kline, is tonight-- starting at 6:45pm at Washington Square Arch, and ending around 8pm at Tompkins Square Park:

Every year since 1992 I've presented Unsilent Night, an outdoor ambient music piece for an INFINITE number of boom box tape players. It's like a Christmas carolling party except that we don't sing, but rather carry boom boxes, each playing a separate tape which is part of the piece. In effect, we become a city block long stereo system!

In 2005 the New York event will happen on Sunday December 18th. We will meet at the Arch in Washington Square at 6:45 pm, begin at 7 pm and proceed eastward to Tompkins Square Park, where the piece will end around 8 o'clock.

It would be really cool if you could join us and bring a boom box. The more tapes we run, the bigger and more amazing the sound will be. This past Christmas we had 100 boomboxes and over 500 people total, it was really spectacular... If you'd like to do it, please email me at [email protected] so I will know how many tapes to make. If you'd like to do it but don't have a boombox, I have several dozen and you can grab one...and if you want to come and just listen, that's cool, too. Help us make a BIG (and joyful) noise.

If you've never heard Unsilent Night, it's great fun and really, really, really loud. See you there!

Tagged

Arts and Events

christmas

fun

Music

new york

night

people

phil kline

Sunday December

tompkins square

tompkins square park

unsilent night

washington

washington square

washington square arch


Jacob Dobkin

Jake Dobkin co-founded Gothamist with Jen Chung. In 2019, Jake released Ask a Native New Yorker, a book based on his Gothamist advice column.

Read more

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations


MORE arts-entertainment

Inside the hidden chamber that controls Lincoln Center's magnificent fountain

Gothamist went behind the scenes to learn how the NYC landmark keeps its majestic waters flowing.

By

Sonia Rao

Published Oct 23, 2026


In the algorithm age, NYC college radio DJs are still broadcasting the funky stuff

We dropped by WNYU to see what the next generation of radio DJs is up to. The answer is "Br00tal Beats To Study/Relax To."

By

James Ramsay

Arts & Entertainment

In the algorithm age, NYC college radio DJs are still broadcasting the funky stuff

We dropped by WNYU to see what the next generation of radio DJs is up to. The answer is "Br00tal Beats To Study/Relax To."

By

James Ramsay


A Queens prop shop shutters, bunnies find a home uptown, and more openings and closings

By

Hannah Frishberg

A new film invites you to eavesdrop on one of the greatest conversations in NYC history

By

Sonia Rao

The Knicks are NBA champions. Now they have to start dressing the part.

By

Sonia Rao


Never miss a story

Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.

Sign upEmail address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .