Hi everyone,
The mild weather has been so lovely and hope everyone had a great week and is ready for another busy weekend here in NYC!
This is the last weekend for Annie at King Theatre, The Hard Nut at BAM, Beauty & the Beast at PuppetWorks and Charlie Brown Christmas Live at Redwood Studios so take the kids and don’t miss the shows! Also happening this weekend is the 8th Annual East Meets West Christmas Parade, Film Forum Jr. Sunday Matinee Series: Elf at the Film Forum, Red Hook Story on the Quad Holiday Celebration at Red Hook Recreation Center, Free Demo Classes at Private Picassos, a New Parent Meet Up at Lark, the Winter Celebration Concert with Suzi Shelton at Brooklyn Public Library, `, Rock & Roll: 60’s for Kids at Brooklyn Bowl, Come Meet Santa at Jalopy! and Uzuri Dance Theater: Anansi the Spider an African Folktale at TADA! Youth Theater.
Don’t forget about the ongoing events too like Fancy Nancy Splendiferous Christmas at The Theater at St. Jean, Holiday Train Show at The New York Botanical Garden, Pedal Punk at The New Victory Theater, Gingerbread Lane at New York Hall of Science and the Big Apple Circus at Lincoln Center.
There are even more events on the calendar so check it out to see everything happening in Brooklyn & NYC! Also remember to like us on Facebook for last minute events and news!
Enjoy the weekend!
~ Deirdre (mom to O & C)
Friday December 18th
Toddler Art Adventure Free Demo Class at Private Picassos (Park Slope)
Friday December 18th 1015-11ap. Free but require pre-registration. Email info@privatepicassos.com to reserve your spot. For ages 18-48m. Budding toddler artists will explore paint, crayons, oil pastels, collage materials, air-dry clay and recycled sculpture in this process-oriented art class. Themes for projects include NYC, outer space, animals, opposites and much more. This curriculum is a great introduction to a structured class for young artists and will help strengthen their fine motor skills and ability to represent the world around them. Also happening Friday Contemporary Kids (5-7 yrs) 415-5p & Zip, Zap, Zoom: Comics for Kids (8-12 yrs) 515-6p. See website for more information.
New Parent Meet Up at Lark (Flatbush/Prospect Park South)
Fridays 1-2p (except 12/25 & 1/1/16). This meet up is free. There seems to be a lovely little baby boom in our neighborhood of late. We’d love to offer our separate space on FRIDAY between 1-2pm for a new parent gathering. Come meet other new moms and dads and make some lasting connections with your neighbors! The first few months can be so difficult and isolating and it’s such a victory when you can get out of the house if only for one hour, so we hope you’ll join us.
Annie at Kings Theatre
Friday December 18th 8p. Also Saturday December 19th 2p & 8p & Sunday December 20th 1p & 630p. Tickets: $35-$75. Leapin’ Lizards! The world’s best-loved musical returns in time-honored form. Directed by original lyricist and director Martin Charnin and choreographed by Liza Gennaro, this production of ANNIE will be a brand new incarnation of the iconic original. Featuring book and score by Tony Award®-winners Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin, ANNIE includes such unforgettable songs as “It’s the Hard Knock Life,” “Easy Street,” “I Don’t Need Anything But You,” plus the eternal anthem of optimism, “Tomorrow.”
Charlie Brown Christmas Live at Redwood Studios (Gowanus)
Friday December 18th 7p, Saturdays & Sunday December 19th-20th 1p, 4p, 7p. Tickets: $12 (+fee if buying online). Join the Peanuts gang again this year and help us celebrate our 8th anniversary in our brand new venue-Redwood Studios in Brooklyn!! We’ll be performing the classic Charlie Brown Christmas Special word for word and gesture for gesture set to a jazz trio performing the amazing Vince Guaraldi score. Tickets are also available at the door but we do recommend buying in advance. Purchase tickets here.
For more Friday events please click here!
Saturday December 19th
Winter Celebration Concert with Suzi Shelton at Brooklyn Public Library (Park Slope)
Saturday December 19th 11a-12n. Free. Suzi Shelton is an award-winning NYC singer/songwriter and performer who has been making catchy and meaningful music for families for more than a decade. She is happy to return to the Park Slope Library for “A Winter Celebration!”
Come Meet Santa at Jalopy! (Carroll Gardens/Red Hook)
Saturday December 19th 11a-4p. Free. Meet with Santa, Christmas Music and holiday cheer! About Santa Claus. . . a little round belly that shook when he laugh’d, like a bowl full of jelly!
Red Hook Story on the Quad Holiday Celebration at Red Hook Recreation Center
Saturday December 19th 11a-3p. Free. Celebrate Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas and Three Kings Day with us as we share stories about the origin of these holidays. Toy giveaway for children 0-13 years and light refreshments.
Free Family Day at Wyckoff Farmhouse
Saturday December 19th 1-4p. Free. Visit the Wyckoff Farmhouse this winter for a free family day! While our public tours on Fridays and Saturdays are normally geared for an adult audience, we’ve planned engaging, kid-friendly tours, hands-on activities, scavenger hunts, and more on select Saturdays. If the weather’s nice, bring a picnic and enjoy our grounds before or after your visit to the house. If you plan to visit with children under 10, we recommend visiting before 2 p.m. to take advantage of specially planned activities for younger children.
8th Annual East Meets West Christmas Parade (Chinatown/Little Italy)
Saturday December 19th 1p. Free. Since 2008, the business leaders in the Lower Manhattan communities of Chinatown and Little Italy – The Chinatown Partnership and the Little Italy Merchants Association (LIMA) – have joined forces during the Christmas season in the spirit of peace and good will to celebrate the holidays by co-producing and presenting a colorful parade, aptly called The East Meets West Christmas Parade, that proceeds through the main streets of both communities on the Saturday afternoon before Christmas Day. There will be two Parade floats – one with Santa Claus and children, and a second float with musical performers, including dancers and singers. At 1 PM, the parade will step off from the intersection of Canal and Mulberry Sts and head north on Mulberry, through Little Italy, to Houston, where it will turn right for one block, then right again on Mott and head South into Chinatown until it ends at The Bowery and Worth St about 2:45 PM. There will be Chinese musical performers on a stage to be erected in front of the Transfiguration Church school at 29 Mott Street Between Pell and Mosco Streets. The event will begin with a brief ceremony followed by the musical entertainment that will begin at 3 PM and end at 4 PM.
For more Saturday events please click here!
Sunday December 20th
Film Forum Jr. Sunday Matinee Series: Elf at the Film Forum (South Village)
Sunday December 20th 11a. All tickets: $7.50. Advance tickets on sale at the box office and online. Through the generosity of our founding sponsor, The Cordelia Corporation, we are able to make this series a bargain for children, their parents, and anybody else who would like to see these marvelous films. December 20th: Elf: (2003, Jon Favreau) “The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!” Learning why he never fit in with the other toy-makers in Santa’s workshop, Will Ferrell’s overgrown sprite travels from the North Pole through the seven levels of the Candy Cane forest and the Lincoln Tunnel in search of absentee dad James Caan. “One of those rare Christmas comedies that has a heart, a brain and a wicked sense of humor, and it charms the socks right off the mantelpiece.” – Roger Ebert. Approx. 97 mins. 35mm. See website for future movies.
Rock & Roll: 60’s for Kids at Brooklyn Bowl (Williamsburg)
Sunday December 20th doors 11a & show 1115a-1215p. Admission: $10 per person (child or adult). Children under one are free. Each workshop is 60 minutes long and is specifically designed for children 7 and under, but all members of the family are welcome to this family show. Brooklyn Bowl opens for No Cover, All Ages Family Bowl at 11AM as well.
Astrograss for Kids at Jalopy Theatre (Carroll Gardens/Red Hook)
Sunday, December 20th. Show starts at 11a. $5 kids, $10 Adults, $25 Family of four. Astrograss for Kids gets kids and their parents dancing together, with a unique blend of bluegrass music and down-home humor. Astrograss concerts feature sing-a-longs, dance contests, and high-energy fiddle hoedowns. Their original songs cover topics like spelling, whether Pluto is a planet, bedtime and the many neighborhoods of Brooklyn. Working on the success of a brand new CD, “Let Me Stay Up All Night”, Astrograss recently appeared at the world famous South By Southwest festival in Austin, TX in March 2009, performing in the Family Music showcase.
Uzuri Dance Theater: Anansi the Spider an African Folktale at TADA! Youth Theater (Chelsea/Midtown West)
Sunday December 20th 12n, 3p & 6p and ongoing until December 27th (no shows on December 25th). See website for additional showtime information. Tickets: Adults: $39.99, Children (4-17)*:$24.99, Family 4 (2 adults & 2 kids): $99, Kids 4 (4 kids tickets 4-17 years old): $80 *Children under 4 free if sitting on lap. The tale of Anansi the Spider is that of a trickster who often uses cleverness and harmless jokes to get what he wants. Anansi stories are originally from the Ashanti people of Ghana West Africa.During this lively family performance, Anansi’s story comes to life with live African percussion and Traditional West African dance on a dazzling, colorfully glowing, black light stage.
Joanie Leeds & The Nightlights at The Jewish Museum (UES)
Sunday December 20th 2-3p. For ages 3-8y. Tickets: $18 Adults; $13 Children (JM Family Members: $15 Adults; $11 Children). Joanie Leeds & The Nightlights bring kids to their feet with their interactive, high energy performances. From pop-rock to gospel to country stylings, enjoy Brooklyn-based kindie rocker Leeds’ unique and playful sound with hits from her latest releases Good Egg and Meshugana.
For more Sunday events please click here!
All Weekend
Annie at Kings Theatre
Friday December 18th 8p Saturday December 19th 2p & 8p & Sunday December 20th 1p & 630p. Tickets: $35-$75. Leapin’ Lizards! The world’s best-loved musical returns in time-honored form. Directed by original lyricist and director Martin Charnin and choreographed by Liza Gennaro, this production of ANNIE will be a brand new incarnation of the iconic original. Featuring book and score by Tony Award®-winners Thomas Meehan, Charles Strouse and Martin Charnin, ANNIE includes such unforgettable songs as “It’s the Hard Knock Life,” “Easy Street,” “I Don’t Need Anything But You,” plus the eternal anthem of optimism, “Tomorrow.”
Pedal Punk at The New Victory Theater
Friday December 18th 7p & Saturday December 19th 2p & 7p & Sunday December 20th 12n. Ongoing until January 3rd. See website for additional showtimes. For ages 5+. Tickets start at $19. Performance is 2 hours including one intermission. This holiday season, the spectacular Cirque Mechanics (Boom Town, New Vic 2011) rolls into town with moxie The New York Times calls “exceptional, evocative, eye-catching, ear-catching and, to keep the list short, engrossingly entertaining!” In the steampunk-styled PEDAL PUNK, featuring a 20-foot-high, pedal-powered mechanical masterpiece, the powerful performers amaze with a heart-pounding pole drop, awesome aerial acts and high-flying tricks (on a trampoline!). With every spin of a sprocket and rattle of a wrench, the quirky cast of characters transform a bevy of bikes into an astounding assortment of acrobatic apparatus in this adrenaline-fueled circus for the whole family.
Charlie Brown Christmas Live at Redwood Studios (Gowanus)
Friday December 18th 7p, Saturdays & Sunday December 19th-20th 1p, 4p, 7p. Tickets: $12 (+fee if buying online). Join the Peanuts gang again this year and help us celebrate our 8th anniversary in our brand new venue-Redwood Studios in Brooklyn!! We’ll be performing the classic Charlie Brown Christmas Special word for word and gesture for gesture set to a jazz trio performing the amazing Vince Guaraldi score. Tickets are also available at the door but we do recommend buying in advance. Purchase tickets here.
The Hard Nut at BAM Howard Gilman Opera House (Fort Greene)
Friday December 18th 730p, Saturday December 19th 2p & 730p, Sunday December 20th 1p. For ages 4+. Tickets start at $25. Run time approx 2 hours with intermission. Mark Morris Dance Group’s beloved retro-modern reimagining of The Nutcracker—based on E.T.A. Hoffmann’s original story and the comic book art of Charles Burns—comes home to BAM for the holidays. A cascade of wit and wintry beauty featuring Morris’ lyrical modern dance choreography, this lavish, gender-bent love letter to a classic transplants the story from the straight-laced 1890s to the swinging 70s, with raucous parties, dancing G.I. Joes, whimsical costumes, and a Waltz of the Snowflakes like no other. Tchaikovsky’s complete original score, performed live by the 53-piece MMDG Music Ensemble drives this colorful retelling, which playfully preserves the warm spirit of an essential holiday tradition.
Fancy Nancy Splendiferous Christmas at The Theater at St. Jean (UES)
Saturdays-Sundays at 1p until December 27th. For ages 2-7y. Tickets: $49.50-$59.50. What could be fancier than Christmas? Presents with elegant wrapping paper, festive decorations, Christmas cookies with sprinkles – and who could forget the tree? After all, there is no such thing as too much tinsel. Ooh la la! This year, Nancy is especially excited. After selling some of her old gowns and accessories, Nancy has enough money to buy a brand-new sparkly tree topper. She can’t wait to decorate the Christmas tree. But when things don’t turn out the way Nancy planned, will Christmas still be splendiferous?
Holiday Train Show at The New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Ongoing until Monday January 18th. Various times and prices. See website for information. Advance reservations are strongly recommended as tickets do sell out. Purchase tickets here. NYC’s Favorite Train Show Is Bigger Than Ever! 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—surprising at every turn—on nearly a half-mile of track. This year’s exhibition features 3,000 square feet of additional exhibition space, making room for dozens of new trains, bridges, and tracks; a captivating short film of the show’s behind-the-scenes magic; and a stunning multisensory finale of light and sound. Explore a winter wonderland across our 250 acres with special tours, musical performances, and activities for kids, plus take care of your gift list at NYBG Shop and stop for a bite at one of our exciting new dining venues. Don’t miss this one-of-a-kind holiday outing!
Gingerbread Lane at New York Hall of Science (Flushing Meadows)
Ongoing until Sunday January 9, 2016. Tuesday–Friday 930a–5p & Saturday & Sunday 10a–6p. Free with Museum admission. Museum closed on Thanksgiving Day & Christmas Day. Marvel at homemade gingerbread houses made entirely of edible gingerbread, royal icing and candy. The houses are drafted, designed, baked, planned, built and decorated by chef Jon Lovitch over the course of an entire year. GingerBread Lane has won the Guinness World Record for the largest gingerbread village for 2013 and 2014 and will compete for its third consecutive Guinness World Record this year. Lovitch’s creation will again contend for this year’s Guinness World Record. The all-new 2015 version of GingerBread Lane will cover 500 square feet and will have more than 1,050 houses and structures including a double-decker carousel reminiscent of one on the Coney Island boardwalk in days past and the S.C. Kringle & Co. Department Store which hearkens back to Gimbels department store in the early 1900s. GingerBread Lane 2015 will also have new twists like The Pumpkin Spice Latte Coffee Shoppe, The EveryDay’s Thanksgiving Café, a second train (for the first time), and a 10-square-foot candy factory you can see inside of as you climb the stairs to view GingerBread Lane. While the exhibition’s layout and composition change yearly, GingerBread Lane always includes Eggnog Bay, Gum Drop Row, Peppermint Central Park, Candy Cane Place and Toffee Boulevard. As a grand finale, Lovitch will give away all houses on January 10.
14th Annual Holiday Train Show at Grand Central Terminal (Midtown East)
Ongoing until February 21st. M–F: 8a–8p, Saturday and Sunday: 10a–6p. Free. Location: NY Transit Museum Gallery Annex and Store Shuttle Passage. Presented annually by the New York Transit Museum, this popular model railroad exhibition features Metro-North, New York Central, and subway trains departing from a miniature Grand Central Terminal on a 34’-long, two-level “O” gauge layout. The Museum’s store and booth at the Holiday Fair also offer great gifts for your holiday shopping. Transit gifts are available online at www.nytransitmuseumstore.com.
The 3 Bears Holiday Bash at Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre (Central Park)
Ongoing until Wednesday December 30th. Showtimes are Monday – Friday 1030a & 12n with additional shows Wednesdays at 230p and Saturday and Sunday at 1p. Tickets are $7/children and $10/adults. The Three Bears Holiday Bash is a variety show that celebrates the holiday season in song, dance and puppetry. This production quickly becomes a comedy of errors when Baby Bear invites Santa to star in Mama and Papa Bear’s annual holiday show. The audience also gets to join in on the fun with a “12 days of Christmas” sing-a-long during the performance! Purchase tickets here.
Big Apple Circus at Lincoln Center
Ongoing until January 10th at various times. Tickets start at $25. For more information please see the website. Big Apple Circus returns to the Big Top at Lincoln Center for the company’s 38th season with the World Premiere of its all-new show, The Grand Tour! The Grand Tour transports audiences to the Roaring 1920s, the advent of the modern travel era, when the most adventuresome began to tour the world in ships, planes, trains, and automobiles. With every seat less than 50 feet from the stage, audiences will be awed by the world-class entertainers as they perform breathtaking acts from the four corners of the globe. Clowns, jugglers, acrobats, and aerialists from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South America appear with ponies, puppies and more; the troupe sets off on their own whirlwind adventure, accompanied by the live, seven-piece Big Apple Circus Band at each of more than 100 performances.
Beauty & the Beast at PuppetWorks (Park Slope)
Saturday & Sundays ongoing until December 20th 1230p & 230p. For ages 4+. Admission for a Child is $9, an Adult $10. No credit cards accepted. Reservations are suggested: 718-965-3391 (current day or advance reservations) or e-mail us: puppetworks@twcmetrobiz.com (NO same day e-mail reservations). Madame Gabrielle de Villeneuve’s French Fantasy with a “live” Beast. Adapted for Marionettes by Nicolas Coppola.
For a full calendar of events please click here!