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Dec 29
The Temptations & The Four Tops; Palace Theater, Midtown West, 7pm. $52–$142.
This hit parade, featuring two legendary Motown groups, includes "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)," "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" and "Papa Was a Rolling Stone."
Eddie Pepitone; Carolines on Broadway, Midtown West, 9:30pm. $28 plus two-drink minimum.
The self-loathing stand-up known as the Bitter Buddha—he has released a movie of the same name—masterfully navigates his dark comedy in a way that's both silly and brash.
Warby Parker Wheel of Good Omens event; Upper East Side.
Feeling lucky? Stop by one of Warby Parker’s four NYC locations, and spin the Wheel of Good Omens. Browse chic frames from the brand’s Concentric collection (from $145) and then take a spin of the wheel for a prize. Even if luck normally isn’t on your side, everyone walks away a winner. Locations around the city.
Dec 30
StoryTour: The Secret Architecture of Loss; High Line Hotel, Chelsea, 3:30pm. $20.
Meet at the bench in front of the High Line Hotel for an immersive tour of Manhattan created and led by storyteller and author Lucas Loredo.
New York Philharmonic; Avery Fisher Hall (at Lincoln Center), Upper West Side, 7:30pm. $33–$275.
Conducted by Bramwell Tovey and featuring guest vocalist Dianne Reeves, the Dec 31 set list will include arrangements of favorites like "Embraceable You" and "'S Wonderful."
John Zorn's End of the Year Improv Week; The Stone, East Village, 8pm. $25.
In the Loisaida equivalent of an uptown rent party, composer and saxophone provocateur extraordinaire Zorn gathers a gaggle of friends for spontaneous fireworks to benefit the Stone.
Erasure; Terminal 5, Midtown West, 8pm. $55, advance $50.
British electropop bastions Erasure take on Terminal 5 for a two-night stand, playing behind the recent The Violet Flame—and throwing in, we're willing to bet, a delicious dose of the old hits ("A Little Respect," "Chains of Love," "Always").
Michael Daves's All-Star Bluegrass Throw-Down; Rockwood Music Hall, Lower East Side, 8pm, $15, VIP $40.
Bluegrass picker Michael Daves, a frequent collaborator of fellow roots maverick Chris Thile, welcomes young banjo hotshot (and Thile's Punch Brothers bandmate) Noam Pikelny, Texas singer-songwriter Sarah Jarosz and more to this serious, string-heavy jam.
2nd Whimsical Winter Wonder...Exhibition; Poe Park, Fordham, 8am. Free.
Enjoy this park exhibit featuring 14 artists' interpretations of winter through paintings, sculptures, photography and other creative mediums.
Todrick Hall; Gramercy Theatre, Gramercy & Flatiron, 6:30pm. $33.
Here, Hall brings his Twerk the Halls tour to town.
Dec 31
New Year's Eve Fireworks; Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn, 11pm. Free.
Ring in the New Year under the stars at Grand Army Plaza in Park Slope. First you'll hear live music, then the thrilling fireworks begin at 11pm. Boom!
Sandra Bernhard is #blessed; Joe's Pub at the Public Theater, Greenwich Village, 7:30pm & 9:30pm. $60.
Actor-comedian-singer and alt-cabaret grand dame Sandra Bernhard settles into her annual year-end residency at Joe's Pub.
New Year's Masquerade; Cielo, Meatpacking District, 10pm. $TBA, advance $50-$65.
Grab your Eyes Wide Shut mask, but keep your peepers open to find your first new friend of the New Year for this special locals-only bill with Hot Creations duo Eskuche & Nu Sky, Basic NYC mainstays Sleepy & Boo, as well as Mikey G & Dan Fischer.
New Year's Eve Party Ride; Washington Square Park, 10pm. Free.
Grassroots environmental organization Time’s Up organizes this under-the-stars bike ride, which begins in Washington Square Park.
A Most Violent Year opens in theaters
J.C. Chandor's new drama, about competing gas companies sparring in a frigid, violent New York City of 1981, confirms the writer-director as an heir to the late, great Sidney Lumet.
Webster Hall New Year's Eve Ball; Webster Hall, East Village, $99, after 3:30am $50.
Webster Hall claims its New Year's bash features "the largest balloon drop in the free world," and who are we to argue with a club that's existed, in one form or another, for 129 years?
No Ordinary Monkey; Tandem, Bushwick, 10pm. $65, advance $50.
Golf Channel's Phil South and Ghost Note's Anton Esteban have been throwing their NOM parties for 10 years now and never disappoint.
Purple Rain New Year's Eve Dance Party; Videology, Williamsburg, 9:30pm. Free.
Relive the glory that is Prince’s Purple Rain with a screening of the film at 9:30pm, followed by a dance party all night with your favorite hits from the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s.
Jan 1
Coney Island Polar Bear Club New Year's Day Swim; Coney Island Beach
Would you believe us if we told you a dip in the Atlantic is great for a hangover? Even if you don't buy it, cheering those brave—or crazy—enough to take the plunge will stir you from your stupor.
41st Annual New Year’s Day Marathon Benefit Reading; The Poetry Project at St. Mark’s Church, East Village, 2pm. $20.
Star the New Year right at this legendary, daylong celebration of verse, featuring local poets and renowned creatives like Eileen Myles, Dorothea Lasky and Philip Glass.
Murray Hill's New Year's Eve Late Show; Joe's Pub at the Public Theater, Greenwich Village, 1am. $40, advance $20–$30 plus $15 minimum.
New York's nightlife king keeps the party going long after the ball drops at this late-late NYE party.