Sweater weather was fun while it lasted. And now: puffer time.
It may be chilly outside – temperatures are expected to dip into the 30s this weekend – but there are compelling reasons to leave your apartment. Check out some comedy shows around town, go ice skating on Governors Island, or listen to a cantata in the Lower East Side. Because you can! Below are some ideas to help you start planning your weekend.
Hit up Winter Village on Governors Island
You may think of Governors Island as a summer destination only, but last year it tried opening during the cold weather season, with “Winter Village.” And this year Winter Village is back, where you can go ice skating, play lawn games, see twinkling lights, enjoy toasty drinks, and soak in the “winter vibes.” Governors Island is open daily from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the rink has a separate schedule. Admission to the rink will be free on Thursdays. Don’t forget to check the ferry schedule before heading out.
Have some laughs at the New York Arab-American Comedy Festival
Now in its 19th year, the festival was founded in 2003 by comedians Dean Obeidallah and Maysoon Zayid to showcase the talents of Arab-American performers, writers and filmmakers. This year’s lineup includes folks who’ve been featured on HBO, Netflix, and more. The festival runs through Saturday, Nov. 19, at Gotham Comedy Club in Chelsea, and tickets are $25. Guests must be at least 18 years old, and there’s a two-beverage minimum.
Ow! Celebrate the 40th anniversary of Thriller
Michael Jackson fans will have the opportunity to enjoy an “immersive” experience at Center 415 in Midtown, where rooms will be transformed to resemble scenes from music videos of MJ’s greatest hits (including "Billie Jean" and "Thriller"). The event, dubbed “NYC Thriller 40 Immersive Experience,” will feature actors in full costume performing the iconic dance routines. Visitors are invited to dance their way through the space. It happens Friday, Nov. 18 from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday Nov. 19 from noon to 7 p.m., and Sunday Nov. 20 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. It’s hosted by Sony Music Entertainment, and it’s free if you sign up here.
Kick off the World Cup with – what else? – a literary talk
The World Cup kicks off this weekend in Qatar. To mark the occasion, the Brooklyn Public Library is hosting a virtual discussion with four writers – Emilio Fraia, Helon Habila, Andrés Neuman, and Patrice Nganang – about the World Cup. Anderson Tepper, co-chair of the international committee of the Brooklyn Book Festival, will moderate the discussion. It’s this Saturday, Nov. 19 from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. It’s free, and you can RSVP online.
A new art installation, “Justice Reflected,” is now on display at Battery Park City’s Esplanade Plaza.
Discover art in Battery Park City
A new art installation, “Justice Reflected,” is now on display at Battery Park City’s Esplanade Plaza. The artist, James Yaya Hough, uses three window-like panels to depict different topics related to incarceration that aim to "encourage empathy for all of humanity." Hough himself was incarcerated for 27 years and now uses art to inspire others to think about the American justice system, and those impacted by it.
Yale Strom composed a cantata about the horrific 1911 “Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire” in Greenwich Village.
Hear a cantata in the Lower East Side
In 1911, a fire ripped through a factory housed in a 10-story building in Greenwich Village. The blaze killed more than 100 workers, many of them young Italian or Jewish immigrants. One hundred years later, Yale Strom composed a cantata about it – “Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire.” The performance features four movements; afterward the quintet will play klezmer and Italian folk melodies from the era of the fire. You can catch the cantata Sunday, Nov. 20 at 3 p.m. at the Museum of Eldridge Street in the Lower East Side. Tickets start at around $22.
The Museum of the City of New York is hosting a new exhibit, “City of Faith,” on now.
Explore religious diversity in New York
The Museum of the City of New York is hosting a new exhibit, “City of Faith: Religion, Activism, and Urban Space,” featuring portraits, photographs, multimedia installations, and even a “scent installation.” It aims to shine a spotlight on South Asian American communities, with ties to several religious groups including Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs. The curator, Dr. Azra Dawood, said, “I am interested in thinking about the normalization of Protestantism – and to an extent, Catholicism and Judaism – in the city’s spaces, and how other communities must make space for themselves in this context, both for religious practice, but also, more crucially, against religious profiling.” The exhibit opens Friday, Nov. 18; you can learn more and buy tickets here. Admission is $20 for adults and free for those age 20 and younger.
Audience members at the variety show "Good God" are invited to anonymously share their craziest, cringiest moments, which the hosts will later read aloud.
Cringe, confess, and laugh at “Good God”
Audience members are invited to “anonymously share their craziest, cringiest, most scandalous secrets,” which the hosts – comedians Caitlin Cook, Shane Torres, and Brittany Carney – will read aloud. The variety show will feature performers from Comedy Central, the Tonight Show, and more. It’s Sunday, Nov. 20 at Union Hall in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Tickets start at $12 if you buy in advance; they’re around $19 at the door. The show is for folks 21 and older, and proof of vaccination is required.
Enjoy the Hearth & Harvest Festival in Staten Island
Visitors are invited to “celebrate Native American culture and traditional 19th century harvest celebrations.” The festival will feature demonstrations of hearth cooking, as well as Indigenous presentations of storytelling and crafts. Dance performances will take place at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. The event is Saturday, Nov. 19 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Historic Richmond Town in Staten Island. Tickets are $15, and kids five and under are free.
See musical theater – in Prospect Park
Laramade Musical Theatre of New York, in partnership with Prospect Park Alliance, presents “La Facon Theater, the Musical.” Organizers say the musical explores the “history of dance, music and fashion of the Black experience.” The event is free, but registration is required. The show takes place Sunday, Nov. 20 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Prospect Park Boathouse + Audubon Center.
