16 Fun Things To Do In NYC This December

16 photos

2016 is drawing to a close, but the last weeks of the year always culminate in a fever pitch of giddy activity in NYC. Under all the cold weather gear, New York is still bustling with great concerts, dinners, exhibitions, talks, and parties. So bust out your calendar, start making a list, grab a good pair of gloves, and let's close out this tough year on a high note.

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NYC's longest-running regular dance night is coming home. <a href="http://www.basementbhangra.com/">Basement Bhangra</a> returns to S.O.B.'s this month, with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/DJRekha/">DJ Rekha</a> leading the charge with her usual blend of hip-hop and Punjabi bhangra dance music. Now in its 20th year, the politically-engaged night is one of the most progressive parties across the five boroughs, with ticket proceeds frequently going towards activist causes. Arrive early for a chance to utilize free dance lessons, and plan to hear NYC hip-hop classics chopped and blended with genre-bending Indian and Pakistani hits. Thursday, December 1st, Doors at 7 p.m. // S.O.B.'s, 204 Varick Street, Manhattan // <a href="http://www.basementbhangra.com/">Tickets $10-15</a> (free before 9 with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/587551301455993/">RSVP</a>)

Bhangra Basement founder DJ Rehka (Scott Heins/Gothamist)

For over 30 years, Pedro Almodovar has created some of the most vibrant, diverse works in cinema, and it doesn't seem like he'll be stopping any time soon. For the next two weeks, MoMA will be hosting a career retrospective featuring all 20 of his films. Although it's too late to catch an early screening of his latest release, "Julieta," which premiered at Cannes, you still have the chance to check out his 19 other feature films. My personal favorite is "<a href="https://www.moma.org/calendar/events/2549?locale=en">Hable con ella (Talk to Her)</a>," a film about an unlikely friendship between two men who have been tasked with taking care of comatose women. "Todo sobre mi madre <a href="https://www.moma.org/calendar/events/2544?locale=en">(All About My Mother</a>)" is also incredible, but don't look it up, because not knowing what it's about until you're watching it is half the fun. Instead of a trailer, here's a video of Penelope Cruz and Antonio Banderas announcing Almodovar's 2000 Oscar win to get you excited. (Gaby Del Valle) <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8ItkLXTcFL4" width="640"></iframe> Screenings from November 29th - December 16th, various times // <a href="moma.org">MoMA</a>, 11 West 53rd Street, Manhattan; <a href="http://press.moma.org/wp-content/files_mf/almodovar_screeningschedule93.pdf">Showtimes vary</a> // <a href="https://www.moma.org/calendar/film/3611?locale=en">Tickets</a>

Still from Almadovar's 'Todo Sobre Mi Madre'

You know you've hit peak fame when Bob Dylan uses your work for his album cover. Yet for genius photographer <a href="https://pro.magnumphotos.com/C.aspx?VP3=CMS3&VF=MAGO31_10_VForm&ERID=24KL53ZTH6">Bruce Davidson</a>, this feat is a mere footnote in a hard-hitting 75-year (and still going!) career photographing the gritty realities and intimate moments of modern life. Davidson managed to gain entry to otherwise-insular communities, from the poverty-stricken slums of 1970s East Harlem in his work <a href="https://pro.magnumphotos.com/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult&ALID=2K7O3R1W4D2W">East 100th Street</a> and his documentation of the city's rolling stock at its height of vandalization in the 1980 <a href="https://pro.magnumphotos.com/Package/2K7O3RJSJ42A">Subway</a>, to his late 50s excursion <a href="https://pro.magnumphotos.com/Catalogue/bruce-davidson/1959/usa-nyc-brooklyn-gang-nn146957.html">Brooklyn Gang</a> (Dylan's cover art source). A prominent force in documenting the Civil Rights Movement around the country, Davidson has received both a Guggenheim Fellowship and the first ever photography grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. It's not everyday you get to witness the wisdom of a living legend, so pull up a chair at <a href="http://www.strandbooks.com/product/1205-event-bruce-davidson/_/searchString/9111854316">Strand</a> ASAP. (Erica Siudzinski) Monday, December 5th, 7 p.m. - 8:15 p.m. // <a href="http://www.strandbooks.com/index.cfm">The Strand</a>, 828 Broadway at 12th St. // <a href="http://www.strandbooks.com/product/1205-event-bruce-davidson/_/searchString/9111854316">$15 for entry and gift card</a>

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Folk-rock living legend <a href="http://thetownhall.org/event/steveearle">Steve Earle will play a special show for a noble cause at Town Hall</a> this month. Dubbed John Henry's Friends, the night is a benefit concert dedicated to Earle's 6-year-old son, who is living with autism. Songwriting legends Graham Nash and Shawn Colvin are lending their talents to the bill, and Earle will be joined by his band The Dukes as he performs his landmark debut album <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar_Town">Guitar Town</a> from start to finish. In addition to a top-tier night of folk, you'll be helping out the<a href="http://www.keswellschool.org/"> Keswell School,</a> which strives to improve the quality of life for children and young adults living with ASD while supporting their families. Monday, December 5th, 7:30 p.m. // <a href="http://thetownhall.org/#featured-shows">Town Hall</a>, 123 W 43rd Street, Manhattan // <a href="http://www1.ticketmaster.com/event/0300512B0CCCBFB2?f_tmol_checkout=true&f_sessioncam=1&ab=m_efeat4079Mainv3desktop">Tickets $47-112</a>

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Brent and Sam Green's resume of genre-bending visual work includes shows at MoMA, the Whitney, and film festivals across the world. The latter specializes in brief, flash-style stories while the former is an autodidact animator. Together, their work is unpredictably brilliant, and this month they'll take part in BAM's ongoing Next Wave Festival with <a href="http://www.bam.org/music/2016/brent-green-and-sam-green-live-cinema">a weekend of performances at the Fisher space.</a> So far as we can tell there will be cats, guitars, xylophones, stop motion drawings, Fugazi drummer <a href="http://gothamist.com/2008/02/11/brendan_canty_m.php">Brendan Canty</a>, and plenty of jokes involved. Get yourself a ticket and prepare to be amusingly confused. <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mN0mLQrWCdY" width="640"></iframe> Wednesday-Saturday, December 7th-10th, 7:30 p.m. // BAM Fisher, 321 Ashland Place, Brooklyn // <a href="http://www.bam.org/music/2016/brent-green-and-sam-green-live-cinema">Tickets $25</a>

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December is the month for listening to jazz crooners in warm dark clubs, drinking whiskey, wearing furs, and walking through frigid streets like it's not bitingly cold out. And what's a better cinematic soundtrack for these activities than <a href="http://www.jamila-woods.com/#jamilawoods">Jamila Woods's</a> velvety-chill vibe? Woods's background in poetry and activism lends personal truth and beauty to each soft-spoken verse. Her collaboration with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2q3gqHhrpE">Chance the Rapper</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asVhafDASjo">mesmerizing, unapologetic political songs</a> culminated in Jamila's first studio album <a href="https://soundcloud.com/jamilawoods/sets/heavn">Heavn</a>, a meditation on blackness, womanhood, and the ebbs and flows of city living. This up-and-coming star seamlessly forges hip-hop, soul, jazz, rap, gospel, and R&B into the chillest walking-the-cold-city-streets music you'll ever find. (Erica Siudzinski) Thursday, December 8th, doors: 8 p.m., show: 9 p.m. // <a href="http://www.roughtradenyc.com/event/1372049-jamila-woods-brooklyn">Rough Trade NYC</a>, 64 N. 9th St. Brooklyn // <a href="http://www.axs.com/events/327438/jamila-woods-tickets">Tickets $12</a> // 21+

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If you're looking for an alternative to your office holiday party, look no further than the Sixth Annual No Office Holiday Party. Instead of nursing a drink or two while making awkward small talk with your coworkers, head to Littlefield to dance and drink the night away. They'll have a live band, karaoke, a DJ playing holiday songs, and a photo booth. Sexy Santa and Lady Santa will be making appearances as well, and they promise to have plenty of surprises in store. (Gaby Del Valle) Friday, December 9th, 8 p.m. // <a href="http://www.littlefieldnyc.com/">Littlefield</a>, 622 Degraw Street, Brooklyn // <a href="http://www.littlefieldnyc.com/event/1381900-sixth-annual-no-office-holiday-brooklyn/">Tickets</a>

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Depending on who you ask, there are either five or six flavors humans can taste: salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and (sometimes) umami. And of those five or six, there's an obvious underdog: bitter. Chef Ankur Parikh's six-course Bitter, Bitter Meal is an introduction to what he calls the "other" side of the palate. The menu includes dandelion greens served two ways, an espresso and cardamom vodka martini, and tumeric-coconut mole armarillo with vegetable tempura and pumpkin seeds. Even the dessert, an assortment of dark chocolate truffles, is bitter. Parikh says that even though bitter foods don't always taste good, they're generally good for you, but his menu promises to be as delicious as it is healthy. Friday, December 9th, 7 p.m. - 10 p.m. // Archestraus Books, 160 Huron Street, Brooklyn // <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-bitter-bitter-meal-with-ankur-parikh-tickets-29560668756?aff=es2#tickets">Tickets: $60</a>

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Flamenco in the Boros's <a href="http://www.bronxmuseum.org/events/navidad-flamenca_1">ninth annual Navidad Flamenca</a> highlights the Flamenco dancing traditions throughout the Americas and reflects how Latin American cultures and countries, including Argentina, Mexico, Colombia, Cuba, and Puerto Rico, have adapted the dance. Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana II, a Spanish dance company based in New York, will demonstrate the various techniques from the Americas with an emphasis on holiday traditions and carols. (Gaby Del Valle) Saturday, December 3rd - Sunday, December 11th // <a href="https://www.facebook.com/flamencovivo/photos/pb.76165887029.-2207520000.1480532616./10153826553907030/?type=3&theater">Various showtimes and locations</a> // Free

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Not all holiday specials are created equal, but most of them will be aired incessantly on TV until this weird, confusing year comes to an end. In the latest installation of Nitehawk's variety show <a href="http://www.nitehawkcinema.com/movie/kgoholiday/">KEVIN GEEKS OUT</a>, comedian Kevin Maher will look at his favorite holiday specials with a few guests, including video editor Erin Farrell, filmmaker Paul Murphy, and TV editor Steve Flack. The two-hour-long video variety show includes selections from the best (and worst) holiday specials of the past few decades, from the obvious to the obscure. (Gaby del Valle) Wednesday, December 14th, 9:30 p.m. // <a href="www.nitehawkcinema.com">Nitehawk Cinema</a>, 136 Metropolitan Avenue // <a href="http://www.nitehawkcinema.com/movie/kgoholiday/">Tickets: $16</a>

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Steadicam is a commonly-used tool in contemporary film, but less than half a century ago it was a new, groundbreaking innovation. The Film Society at Lincoln Center's <a href="http://gothamist.com/2016/11/28/steadicam_lincoln_center.php">Going Steadi: 40 Years of Steadicam</a> celebrates the invention that made some of the most iconic shots in film possible. The 30 films in the series include Steadicam creator Garrett Brown's "Bound for Glory," which won the Oscar for Best Cinematography and which he'll be introducing himself on December 16th; Paul Thomas Anderson's "Boogie Nights," which includes one of the best opening shots of the past two decades; and, of course, Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining." Check out the full lineup <a href="http://gothamist.com/2016/11/28/steadicam_lincoln_center.php">here</a>. (Gaby del Valle) Friday, December 16th - Tuesday, January 3rd // Walter Reade Theatre, 165 West 65th Street, Manhattan // <a href="http://www.filmlinc.org/daily/going-steadi-40-years-steadicam/">Tickets (on sale December 1st)</a>

still from 'Boogie Nights'

Armed with an electric bass, a binder of lyric sheets, and some of the most talented musicians living in New York City, Dave Harrington will once again make the Christmas season merry, bright, and weird at his <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/1111120195653835/?notif_t=plan_user_invitedÂ¬if_id=1479407220124106">Holiday Spectacular show</a>, which has moved to Brooklyn Bowl. Harrington and his pals will gladly lead you in all the seasonal classics, but don't expect it to be a sugary sing-along. At least year's show, I watched in awe as a man shredded a four minute violin solo over "Silent Night," only to then have my heart broken by a folk rendition of "Jingle Bells." Creativity and surprise are the pillars of Harrington's work; if you liked Sufjan Stevens's holiday albums (especially <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH3og1CjC10">the weird shit</a>) then you're going to have a holly jolly ball. Sunday, December 18th, 6 p.m. // <a href="brooklynbowl.com">Brooklyn Bowl</a>, 61 Wythe Avenue, Brooklyn // <a href="https://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/1381838?utm_medium=bks">Tickets $15</a>

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For the eighth year in a row, the Latke Festival gives you a chance to sample potato pancakes in all their forms: the 20+ vendors will be frying up classic latkes as well as new interpretations of the classic dish. Last year's lineup included a Sweet Potato and Rutabaga Latke with Braised Short Rib and Persimmon Gastrique from Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola, an Eggplant Marinara Latke from The Vanderbilt, and a Latke Mushroom Julienne from Veselka, which was awarded the best latke of 2015. A ticket includes beer, wine, and all the latkes you can handle, and the festival benefits the Sylvia Center, a nonprofit that combats childhood obesity. (Gaby Del Valle) Saturday, December 19th, 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. // <a href="https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/">Brooklyn Museum</a>, 200 Eastern Parkway // <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-8th-annual-latke-festival-tickets-26465289393?aff=ehomecard">Tickets: $70 - $120</a>

Gothamist

Legend has it that 13-year-old <a href="http://www.kamasiwashington.com/">Kamasi Washington</a> just picked up a saxophone for the first time and miraculously blasted out the notes to <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fm_aXAk77S4">Sleeping Dancer Sleep On</a>, his favorite song. After years playing the piano, drums, and clarinet, Washington knew the moment his lips touched the sax that he'd found his calling. Classically trained at the prestigious Hamilton High School Music Academy and brought up through the UCLA's ethnomusicology department on a full scholarship, Washington has been recording music with various bands since high school. He toured with Snoop Dogg in his sophomore year at UCLA, performed with R&B legend Raphael Saadiq after graduation, and has worked with the likes of Lauryn Hill, Mos Def, and Quincy Jones. Washington will be ushering in 2017 at <a href="http://www.bowerypresents.com/event/1382062-kamasi-washington-special-brooklyn">Brooklyn Bowl</a>, counterposed by The Budos Band's Zeppelin-esque <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gOK9LjTtl8">psychedelic rock</a> sound, which is infused with just enough blues and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdTo6FGUvHA">big-band flair</a> to make the night flow.And if you already have New Year's plans, the same lineup will be <a href="https://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/1381208?_ga=1.67309655.733309196.1480537891&__utma=1.1158608901.1480537891.1480537891.1480537891.1&__utmb=1.2.10.1480537891&__utmc=1&__utmx=-&__utmz=1.1480537891.1.1.utmcsr=google|utmccn=(organic)|utmcmd=organic|utmctr=(not%20provided)&__utmv=-&__utmk=48904230">playing the night before for $40</a>. (Erica Siudzinski) Saturday, December 31st, doors: 6 p.m., show: 8:30 p.m. // <a href="http://www.brooklynbowl.com/brooklyn/">Brooklyn Bowl</a>, 61 Wythe Ave. // <a href="https://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/1381222?_ga=1.162871480.523726497.1464367994&__utma=1.130563407.1464367994.1478533099.1478540641.344&__utmb=1.14.10.1478540641&__utmc=1&__utmx=-&__utmz=1.1478540641.344.28.utmcsr=MEL|utmccn=buyTickets|utmcmd=203232&__utmv=-&__utmk=162609852">Tickets: $65-75</a> // 21+

Gothamist

The New York Botanical Garden's annual <a href="http://www.nybg.org/hts16/">Holiday Train Show</a> is <a href="http://gothamist.com/2016/11/25/enjoy_the_ny_transit_museums_free_h.php#photo-1">back with plenty of new exhibitions</a>, including a recreation of New York landmarks like Brooklyn Bridge, City Hall, the Guggenheim Museum, and the first roller coaster recreation: the Coney Island Cyclone. All the landmarks are made of twigs, bark, fruit, seeds, pinecones, and other organic materials and are designed by Applied Imagination. And if you're still awaiting the return of the Metro North's <a href="http://gothamist.com/2016/09/12/metro-north_bar_cars.php">Bar Cars</a>, be sure to check out the NYBG's adults-only, after-hours <a href="http://www.nybg.org/hts16/nights.html">Bar Car Nights</a>. There's not an actual train for you to board, but there's live music, pop-up acts by street performers, ice carving demonstrations, drink specials, and a few spiked hot beverages. <iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/42L_1RG_y-s" width="640"></iframe> Runs through January 16th, 2017 // New York Botanical Garden, // <a href="http://www.nybg.org/hts16/">Tickets: $30 on weekends, $20 on weekdays</a>

(Sai Mokhtari/Gothamist)

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