101 things to do in New York this winter: the full list

Dave Eggers’s literary journal has survived and even thrived in an era generally considered hostile to the printed word. Although it has featured such notable authors as Michael Chabon and Joyce Carol Oates, McSweeney’s still sticks to its original premise of publishing only works that have been rejected elsewhere, and has never lost the sense of playful outsiderdom that has defined it since its inception. At this 15th-anniversary event, contributors including Jonathan Ames and Sheila Heti will participate in readings and discussions.

Since 1954, the New York City Ballet has transported audiences to a world of frost fairies, toy soldiers and towering mice. Tchaikovsky’s score may be hummably familiar, but the choreography still feels magically fresh. Schedule varies; visit nycballet.com for details.

American Ballet Theatre returns to BAM with Alexei Ratmansky's inventive version of The Nutcracker, in which Clara and the Nutcracker Prince grow up before our eyes—braving an ominous snowstorm—and a little mouse nearly steals the show. It's tender, witty and wise, just like Ratmansky.

New York in the 1970s was a dismal place with high crime and abandoned real estate. Yet it was there that performance art was born with artists claiming space in lofts and outside major institutions. The Whitney Museum tries to recapture that period for this fascinating exhibit; the title, “Rituals of Rented Island,” comes from performance artist Jack Smith's nickname for Manhattan, which he used in his 1976 play, The Secret of Rented Island.

What better way to banish that New Year’s Eve hangover than with verse and good food? On the first afternoon of the year, 140 of the city’s best poets, artists and performers gather at St. Mark’s Church in-the-Bowery and, one after another, recite their work to a hall full of listeners. Among the many podium-takers this year are composer Philip Glass, storyteller Edgar Oliver, Bowery Poetry founder Bob Holman, and poets Eileen Myles and Anne Waldman. Local joints catering the 11-hour event include Grandaisy Bakery, Porto Rico Importing Co. and more.

The troupe explores a diversified repertory for its City Center season. Highlights include a new work by Aszure Barton, the Ailey premiere of Wayne McGregor's Chroma, Bill T. Jones's D-Man in the Waters (Part I) and Ronald K. Brown's Four Corners. The run—which celebrates Matthew Rushing tenure with the company—also includes restagings of Alvin Ailey's Duke Ellington–inspired pieces The River and Pas de Duke.

The Selected Shorts reading event pays homage to the winner of this year’s Nobel Prize in Literature, a supremely talented Canadian scribe whom the committee described as “a master of the short story.” Fellow fiction-writing giant Margaret Atwood will be on hand to discuss her longtime friend, and a to-be-announced roster of performers and actors will read selections from Munro’s staggering body of work, drawing from her upbringing in rural Ontario.

The NYPL kicks off its latest series of talks with none other than 2013 National Book Award for fiction winner, James McBride. The Good Lord Bird author is also an accomplished musician (some people!) and will have his jazz-gospel quintet, the Good Lord Bird Band, in tow for a special performance.

If you’ve been keeping up with the Sundance Channel’s series, you know that Isabella Rossellini acting out the strange sexual behaviors of insects, arachnids and sea creatures is possibly the greatest thing that ever happened in the history of time. Now, she (along with director Muriel Mayette and cowriter Jean-Claude Carrière) is bringing her intricate spandex-and-paper wildlife costumes to BAM, to school us on the birds and the bees live onstage in her soothing Italian purr. (And seriously, those bees have some fucked-up sex lives.)

The former Office writer-director B.J. Novak—and portrayer of Dunder Mifflin’s resident cad, Ryan Howard—has hung up his fake hipster glasses for good. But much like Ryan, he's already onto the next thing: short fiction. To toast the debut of his first book, One More Thing: Stories and Other Stories, the comedian will read from the tome at this Selected Shorts event. His tales take on subjects as diverse as a kid who wins a fortune from a cereal box, an angry rabbit plotting revenge and John Grisham’s inner monologue.

Dance fans know Ethan Stiefel as the celebrated former American Ballet Theatre principal; dance-movie fans know him as the jerky choreographer who broke Jody’s heart in Center Stage. These days, he’s the artistic director of the world-renowned Royal New Zealand Ballet, which is making its long-awaited NYC debut at the Joyce. The company will perform Benjamin Millepied’s elegant 28 Variations on a Theme by Paganini, Javier De Frutos’s flamenco-inflected Banderillero and Andrew Simmons’s minimalist Of Days.

Contemporary queer identity is explored in an unusual (and oh-so-crafty) manner in this exhibit: The “thread” that ties the various artworks together is, literally, a thread. Each of the pieces incorporates crochet, yarn, tapestry or embroidery. Be sure to check out Nathan Vincent’s installation of a crocheted men’s locker room, complete with life-size urinals made of yarn, and L.J. Roberts’s quilt-based work, which trails from the wall to the floor.

This three-week festival brings a bevy of Austrian culture to NYC, centered around Carnegie Hall. The Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and Vienna State Opera headline the musical offerings, bolstered by film screenings, panel discussions, art exhibits and other special events.

Frequent New York Times photographer Annie Ling’s pictures of the neighborhood are an entry point into the often insular world of Chinatown, documenting the lives and struggles of the people who live there. This exhibition includes four collections, including “81 Bowery,” a series of images Ling took inside a modern-day flophouse where residents pay between $100 and $200 a month for cubicles not much larger than their mattresses.

For "Report on the Construction of a Spaceship Module," the entire fifth floor of the New Museum has morphed into a retro-futuristic spaceship interior thanks to the constructive nostalgia of Eastern European artist collective Tranzit. Artwork by its various members is installed throughout the space, which has been modelled after the fictional spacecraft from 1963 Czech science-fiction film Ikarie XB-1.

Considering the sudden and bleak demise of graffiti hub 5 Pointz, and with all of October’s Banksy hysteria put behind us, this winter seems like an ideal time to look back at the beginnings of street art in NYC. See a host of never-before-exhibited paintings and sketches by the legends who drove the ’70s and ’80s scene, including Keith Haring, Lady Pink, Lee Quinones and more, culled from the holdings of downtown artist and collector Martin Wong.

Bookworms are in for a treat with the lineup at BAMcafe’s annual series, which pairs dinner and wine with a reading and presentation by a leading author. The season kicks off with Salman Rushdie, famed scribe of The Satanic Verses and Midnight’s Children. After that, check out Alice McDermott (After This, Charming Billy) February 12 and Jeffrey Eugenides (The Marriage Plot, Middlesex) February 26. The series extends into the spring, concluding on May 28 with an appearance by novelist Meg Wolitzer (The Interestings).

Located on the grounds of two World’s Fairs, the QM holds one of Gotham’s most amazing sights: The Panorama of the City of New York, a 9,335-square-foot scale model of the five boroughs, created for the 1964 exposition and featuring Lilliputian models of landmarks. The museum underwent an expansion to double the size of its galleries in 2013, as well as add public-event spaces, two new entryways and a glass facade facing Grand Central Parkway. A new branch of the Queens Public Library will open in the new space in 2015.

The iconic French dish of beans and meat, slow-cooked in its eponymous earthenware crock, is perhaps the ultimate winter comfort dish. Warm your soul with tastes of multiple versions at East Village gastropub Jimmy’s No. 43, where for the sixth year running, amateur and professional cooks will compete to make the best cassoulet. Proceeds benefit Greenmarket’s Local Grains Project which promotes regional agriculture, so rest assured your eating—and judging—is for a good cause.

New York may very well be the greatest city in the world, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we are the greatest at everything. There’s some stuff you just can’t get in this Yankeefied town—like actual down-home Southern barbecue. For the fifth year, our Dixie brethren are bringing us some of their finest cultural exports in the form of not just beer, bourbon and whole-roasted pigs, but also bluegrass music and instructional seminars.

The swinecentric cook-off invites chefs to turn a whole heritage-breed hog into a snout-to-tail smorgasbord for 20 judges and a horde of hungry guests. Wash down the gut-busting feast with wine, beer, cider, rum and bourbon. Butcher demonstrations, sustainable oysters and pork-infused desserts round out the festivities.

Locavore magazine Edible Manhattan hosts this evening of alcohol and food pairings. The guests of honor—by which we mean the booze, obviously—include Hudson Whiskey, Dutch’s Spirits and Greenhook Ginsmiths. Grub is provided by Northern Spy Food Co., L&W Oyster Co. and Prospect, among others, with each restaurant whipping up a unique dish to pair with one of the specialty cocktails.

Regress to childhood with skillfully concocted mugs of hot chocolate courtesy of this downtown canteen. Owner-mastermind Maury Rubin will serve a different flavor of his intoxicating cocoa every day during February. The lineup hasn't been announced yet, but previous years' highlights included Earl Grey Tea hot chocolate, a delicate blend with notes of bergamot, and Sunken Treasure, an indulgent cup with submerged caramel coins and chocolate truffles.

With all the billion-dollar high-rise condos springing up, this city can sometimes feel like a playground for the super rich. Thankfully, New York’s twice-annual discount-dining opportunity is just around the corner. Over the course of the event (which tends to last longer than seven days, actually—last year’s edition ran for more than three weeks) you can sample a three-course prix-fixe lunch or dinner at one of more than 300 eateries. Sign up online to be notified when this year’s restaurants are announced. Locations, dates and prices TBA; visit nycgo.com/restaurantweek.

For nearly two weeks, independently made suds will reign supreme as the city’s craft breweries stage events in hundreds of venues. The Bronx Brewery, Brooklyn Brewery, Coney Island Brewing Co., Sixpoint and many others will do their best to make sure everything is IPA-okay. Details for the celebration, organized by the New York City Brewers Guild, are still in the offing, but be sure to check out the opening-night party at Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall on February 21. Various locations, times and prices; visit newyorkcitybrewersguild.com.

We like drinking in any season, but nothing braces against those dark winter nights like a stiff cocktail. Satisfy your sweet tooth with Maharlika's Sharon Cuneta, an aromatic rum-and-coconut-milk concoction, or raise your core body temperature with Distilled's Mulled Mystic, a snifter of hot honey wine imbued with wildflower, orange blossom and crushed chamomile buds. Sip your way through all ten of our favorite winter cocktails.

New Yorkers are a tough breed, but when the winter chill really sets in, they tend to flock to a few specific bars—namely, those with fireplaces. We like to curl up in the plush couch near Union Hall's flickering stone hearth sipping a a hot Irish Nut (Bailey’s, amaretto coffee; $10). Find a cosy grate near you with our full list of fireplace bars.

Winter signals the return of one of the city's most iconic street foods: roasted chestnuts, made immortal by Nat King Cole's "The Christmas Song." Pick up a bag (around $5 usually) of the chewy nuts with the trademark X sliced into each shell on Fifth Avenue between 53rd and 55th Streets or Sixth Avenue between 34th and 35th Streets, two blocks that are especially thick with vendors. Whether it's a vestige of the snack's more popular days or because sellers know the area will be teeming with tourists looking to check off their winter-in--New York to-do list is anyone's guess.

Legendary director Robert Wilson’s music-theater hybrid, which follows the life and work of avant-garde performance artist Marina Abramovic, will have its U.S. premiere in the Armory’s impressive 55,000-square-foot Drill Hall. The artist herself—who famously stared down gallerygoers at MoMA in 2010—stars in the production alongside actor Willem Dafoe. The piece covers Abramovic’s life from her Yugoslavian childhood through her rise to prominence in the American art world.

This contemporary-circus troupe from Montreal brings its latest show to NYC, performing classic acrobatics and tightly choreographed dance numbers against a backdrop of original video projections. Expect jugglers, contortionists and Cyr-wheel artists in pieces inspired by the struggle to escape a soul-crushing industrialized city. If that hits a little too close to home, rest assured: At least onstage, humanity wins in the end.

This annual performance fest pushes the envelope of dance and contemporary performance. The fifth year’s adventurous lineup includes 13 Love Songs: dot dot dot, a criticism of cheesy pop music; Commentary=Not Thing, a dance play exploring the complexity of relationships through nude performers and repeated text; and myendlesslove, an examination of gay sex and queer grief. Wind down from the performances at the Lounge, a pop-up nightlife hub that American Realness will share with other festivals, housed in the Public Theater.

P.S. 122, in temporary exile from its home base on First Avenue, schools us all in this sampler of avant-garde subjects, including theater works by Mac Wellman, Tina Satter, Reid Farrington, Okwui Okpokwasili, Phil Soltanoff and Brokentalkers. The shows are spread out at various venues (the Kitchen, the New Ohio, etc.), so check out ps122.org for details and to buy tickets.

The Public and downtown impresario Mark Russell present edgy new works from all over the globe, including 600 Highwaymen's The Record, John Hodgman's I Stole Your Dad, Edgar Oliver's Helen & Edgar, Roger Guenveur Smith's Rodney King, SKaGeN's BigMouth and Daniel Fish's Eternal. Visit the festival's website for details.

Prototype: Opera/Theatre/Now, an opera and musical-theater jubilee created in response to the sudden explosion of great new chamber works, stems from a collaboration between HERE Arts Center and Beth Morrison Projects. The second annual iteration features seven innovative events, including Paul’s Case, an opera based on a 1906 short story by Willa Cather; Have a Good Day!, a chamber piece about retail cashiers; and Thumbprint, about a Pakistani woman fighting back in the wake of a brutal rape. The untimely demise of New York City Opera was a blow to Gotham’s classical scene, but clearly it ain’t licked yet.

Meth kingpin Walter White’s TV reign on Breaking Bad may be over, but his legacy continues beyond the annals of Netflix: One World Symphony maestro Sung Jin Hong has reimagined the dearly departed AMC series in his new mini opera, Breaking Bad–Ozymandias, combining it with poet Percy Bysshe Shelley’s ode to impermanence, “Ozymandias.” And get ready for the opera’s pièce de résistance: the “Bitch Aria,” performed by—you guessed it—Jesse Pinkman. The two-night program also includes selections from Wagner’s Flying Dutchman and Berlioz’s “La Captive.”

Kung fu movies always seem to be just as much about ballet as they are about all-out melees, so it’s perhaps fitting that the story of Bruce Lee’s life is getting adapted into a multidisciplinary stage piece. Directed by Leigh Silverman and penned by noted Chinese-American playwright David Henry Hwang (The Dance and the Railroad), Kung Fu promises a mix of dance, martial arts and opera—and, presumably, lots of jump kicks. Onetime So You Think You Can Dance contestant Cole Horibe stars as the man himself.

Brían F. O’Byrne and Debra Messing (Smash) headline this new dramedy by John Patrick Shanley (Doubt). They play lovelorn, fortyish singletons in rural Ireland, living next door to each other but separated by family feuds and romantic fears. Seasoned Shanley collaborator Doug Hughes directs.

One of the latest films to get the Broadway treatment is this iconic portrait of a Philadelphia thug chasing his boxing dreams. The jury’s still out as to how well the story of a raw-egg-swilling palooka will translate to the stage, but the champ’s got a strong team behind him: golden-boy director Alex Timbers (Peter and the Starcatcher), Tony-winning songwriting team Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Ragtime), book writer Thomas Meehan (The Producers), and, cowriting and producing, original movie star and screenwriter Sylvester Stallone.

Brooklyn might not have the Globe, but the borough now has an impressive stage dedicated to works by the Bard and other classic playwrights. After 34 years of vagabonding, heavyweight company Theatre for a New Audience cut the ribbon on what will be its first permanent home in October. And the opening is a doozy: Legendary director Julie Taymor is mounting a new production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, featuring Homeland’s David Harewood as Oberon (through Jan 12, $20 and up). 866-811-4111, tfana.org

The psych-rock outfit returns home to Brooklyn after crisscrossing the country in support of its self-titled third album. The band’s music has gotten grungier and weirder since the platinum-certified days of “Kids,” but the spectacle in its live shows has held strong, promising the kind of strangeness you don’t often see in an arena setting. If that’s not enough to sell you, we’ll point out that the openers—Dinosaur Jr., godfathers of lo-fi rock—are worth the price of admission in their own right.

Tonight's start-to-finish set comes from Metro Area's Darshan Jesrani and Morgan Geist, who'll be playing their usual top-flight mix of glittering house, boogie, Italo and disco. The pair has been active on the party front lately—we don't know of any new recorded material on the horizon, but if everybody closes their eyes and makes a wish, who knows?

Relive the tawdriest pop-cultural spectacle of the year as Disney star turned risqué wrecking ball Miley Cyrus cobills with Mr. "Blurred Lines" himself, Robin Thicke, at Z100's glitzy holiday bacchanal. (Something tells us the former Hannah Montana will go easy on the twerking and foam-finger fondling this time around, but who can say?) A host of other heavy-duty hit makers round out this inevitable teen screamfest.

This trippy musical performance piece, dreamed up by composer Phil Kline, is downtown’s decidedly arty, secular answer to Christmas caroling. Boom-box-toting participants gather under the Washington Square Arch, where they are given a cassette or CD of one of four different atmospheric tracks; you can also download the Unsilent Night app and sync up via smartphone. Everyone then presses play at the same time and marches through the streets of New York together, blending their music and filling the air with a beautiful, echoing 45-minute piece. Those without speakers are invited to join in, too.

As with many no-longer-young comics, this member of the Wayans clan now focuses his material on the vagaries of family and parenting, but he’s still essentially the same guy we fell in love with on In Living Color. And if you look closely, you can still make out the fluffy wig, bulbous red nose and loaded sock of Homey D. Clown.

Currently without a December home base in the wake of Maxwell's closing last summer, the Hoboken indie-rock heroes reboot their hallowed holiday series in Brooklyn. These shows—each of which features a pair of YLT sets—aren't being explicitly billed as a continuation of the band's long-running Hanukkah series, but it's still safe to expect the usual seasonal themes and array of awesome guest stars.

Make Music New York, which inundates public spaces with live music every June 21, now brings its magic to the winter solstice, as well. Look out for participatory musical parades on Sat 21 everywhere from G train stations and the High Line to the Brooklyn Botanical Garden and Columbus Circle. Boombox flashmob pioneer Phil Kline has a new piece going down at BAM for the occasion, in case you have to miss his celebrated Unsilent Night in the Village on Sat 14. Check out makemusicny.org/winter-2013 to find out how you can play along.

Having trouble deciding which one of your friends’ apartments will be used to host this year’s solstice bonfire and ritual sacrifice? Avoid all that messy virgin blood and try a more modern tradition: Paul Winter’s annual concert, returning for its 34th year. You can see African-inspired dancing and drumming from the Forces of Nature Dance Theatre as well as the WSC standbys: Brazilian guitarist Renato Braz, and the Paul Winter Consort with Winter himself on sax.

The hilariously grumpy Jackie Hoffman is a throwback to the golden age of nightclub acts, when performers overflowed with larger-than-life personality. Her holiday rants at Joe's Pub are particularly invigorating; this time she addresses—among other things—working a gay cruise during Rosh Hashanah.

Hang out with the Piano Man while you're waiting for 2013 to ring the last-call bell. It's Billy Joel's first proper NYC concert since 2008, and while he hasn't released a new record in over 20 years, he's still the beloved, gazillion-album seller you remember. Expect him to bust out the oldies and the goodies for this big gig: "Uptown Girl," "River of Dreams" and, of course, "New York State of Mind."

Each year in early January, John F. O'Donnell invites 50 of his favorite comics to present their first new joke of the year. It's a meet-and-greet for some of the city's best young comics, and though more than a few jokes come off as a bit too polished, those that play by the rules allow the crowd a peek behind the curtain during the writing process.

Every Neil Young fan knows that attempting to predict the iconic Canadian singer-songwriter-activist-raconteur-entrepreneur-visionary's next move is a futile exercise. He spent last year playing epic, mind-melting gigs with Crazy Horse, and in 2014, he's set to unveil his new high-end audio format, Pono. So it's only fitting that Young is reserving some time in between for a whole other type of gig: a series of should-be-rapturous solo shows at one of the swankiest rooms in town. Don't wait to snap up tix, folks—these could be life-changers.

This übercosmopolitan music event will likely be your only chance to hear “subversive Ukrainian punk-folk,” “North African gnawa trance” and a host of other genre-spanning international acts in one night (at least until next year). The bash features a dozen musicians across three stages in Webster Hall. Represented locales range from Mauritania to Arizona; acts include Australia’s the Bombay Royale, Jamaica’s Brushy One String and Appalachian-Chinese folkies the Wu-Force.

Here’s wishing a very happy tenth birthday to this celebration of polyrhythmic syncopation. Highlights include a kickoff concert with Bobby Previte’s Terminals, featuring John Medeski, Nels Cline and So Percussion (Jan 7 at 8pm), plus an anniversary fete for 75-year-old label Blue Note Records headlined by piano titans Robert Glasper and Jason Moran (Jan 8 at 8pm). Catch more than 90 groups and 400-plus performers, including the Dirty Projectors’ Nat Baldwin, Darcy James Argue and the Revive Big Band, on Friday and Saturday at venues downtown.

Capitalizing on the ongoing podcast boom, Jeremy Wein brings together some of the city's popular shows and hosts for a weekend marathon of recordings. Among those participating in this year's New York City Podfest: Keith and the Girl, Proudly Resents, New York City Crime Report with Pat Dixon, Tell Your Friends! and many, many more to be announced.

In between designing a holiday collection for Barneys, cutting his teeth as a sports agent, performing for six hours at a Chelsea art gallery and, well, just being Mr. Beyoncé, Hova found time to schedule a few shows in support of his latest album, Magna Carta…Holy Grail. Of course, the ubiquitous hip-hop star will play his home borough of Brooklyn before moving on to more far-flung arenas. Expect to hear new tunes like the artist-name-dropping “Picasso Baby” interspersed with killer classics like “Big Pimpin’.”

If you’ve been wondering why that music-obsessive friend of yours has been marking off the days until the new year, here’s why: After 15 years of near–radio silence, indie-rock Legends Neutral Milk Hotel are on an international tour, original lineup intact, that will bring them to NYC for six nights in January. Expect to hear hits off their 1998 magnum opus, In the Aeroplane Over the Sea, sung in frontman Jeff Mangum’s trademark wail.

Valentine’s Day sucks, but you can make it suck less by laughing in the face of love. If you happen to find yourself crushingly alone this year, snatch up a therapeutic (single) ticket to this event, hosted by former Late Night with Jimmy Fallon blogger and Girl Code writer-producer Jon Friedman. Daily Show cocreator Lizz Winstead and xoJane.com deputy editor Mandy Stadtmiller, along with other performers, will share hilarious tales of breakup, heartache and rejection, in between live music and variety acts. Who needs that fancy ol’ prix-fixe dinner, anyway?

You already know this comic as the quintessentially obnoxious Todd Packer on The Office and brash sportscaster Champ Kind from the Anchorman movies. His stand-up is just as bold and hilarious as his onscreen personas, but tends to feature a good deal more self-reflection. Koechner’s routines mine his past for material (he grew up in Missouri and worked for his dad making turkey coops before cutting his comedy teeth in Chicago) and touch upon his current life as a father of five.

The best in jazz, folk, rock, Broadway, gospel and pop will resonate in the intimate Allen Room during Lincoln Center's celebration of all-American music. With solo gigs by Broadway hotshots such as James Naughton (Jan 28) and Ann Harada (Feb 22), the scuzzy country-rock of Deer Tick (Mar 6) and folk songs of Beth Orton (Feb 14), this roster has roots firmly planted in the land of the free. 212-721-6500, americansongbook.org. Dates and times vary; $75–$140.

Curated by celebrated composer Philip Glass for the nonprofit dedicated to preserving Tibetan culture, this 24th annual show should feature an eclectic, star-studded cast (last year's included Jim James, Ariel Pink, Rahzel, Patti Smith and Tune-Yards—look for the 2014 lineup in January). It’s one party for peace you won’t want to miss.

This annual happening showcases music that spans a variety of genres, presenting a series of one-night collaborations between various composers, percussionists, indie-rock bands and instrumentalists. Check out electronic experimentalist Lesley Flanigan alongside Brooklyn’s People Get Ready (Feb 19); Wilco drummer Glenn Kotche with new-music act Victoire (Feb 22); brainy hip-hop artist Saul Williams and string ensemble the Mivos Quartet (Feb 26); and So Percussion alongside hybrid-instrument duo Buke and Gase (Mar 26). 212-501-3330, ecstaticmusicfestival.com. Schedule varies; $25, festival pass $150.

Iconic London indie-music emporium Rough Trade has opened a Williamsburg outpost, destined to become a community staple thanks to its impeccable selection and snazzy series of in-store gigs.

The renowned Austrian puppet troupe celebrates its 100th anniversary this year with a visit to the Met Museum, where expert puppeteers will breathe life into a host of beautifully carved wooden marionettes. Check out their imaginative takes on the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter and the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland (Dec 14, 15), or gawk at miniature versions of operatic giants and flying horses in an abbreviated rendition of Wagner’s sprawling Ring cycle (Dec 13, 14).

If David Lynch and Douglas Adams built a town together and then left it to its own devices, it would probably look something like Night Vale, the fictional community that’s the subject of this faux public-radio show. Two-headed quarterbacks, haunted dog parks… You’ll find everything but the demon-possessed kitchen sink in this eccentric, chart-topping podcast. This live session will feature Night Vale’s velvet-voiced announcer, Cecil Baldwin; its resident band, Disparition; and a special appearance from former child actor Mara Wilson as the Faceless Old Woman.

Since 2010, the Kate Wollman Rink has been closed to the public as the southeastern corner of Prospect Park undergoes a transformation—the first major upgrade to the rink in more than 50 years. On December 20 (nearly a year behind schedule), the renamed Lakeside complex debuts a 32,000-square-foot skating surface comprising two rinks: One is covered and will transform into a roller rink come summer, the other is open-air and will have a water playground in warmer weather. The LeFrak Center (named for the family that donated $10 million to the $74 million Lakeside project) also includes event space, public restrooms, a café and landscaped terraces with views of the rinks. Entry to the complex is free, whereas skating will cost you $6 during the week and $8 on weekends and holidays (skate rentals $5).

This solstice event from Make Music New York’s Make Music Winter series is a smartphone-powered parade that transforms the High Line into a personalized auditory experience. After downloading the free Gaits app, which comes with a prerecorded composition, participants can plug their phones into portable speakers and move north together through the park. (Fifty speakers will be provided to early arrivers.) As you stroll, your phone’s GPS and accelerometer (the thing that senses motion) will play the music in accordance with your pace and location, creating melodious harmony among the crowd.

Radio personality, poet and songwriter Imhotep Gary Byrd hosts this annual Kwanzaa showcase of music and dance. This year’s roster includes multi-instrumentalist Michael C. Wimberly, rapper F the Elemental and kora player Yacouba Sissoko, along with Abdel Salaam’s Forces of Nature Dance Theatre.

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. The Coney Island Polar Bear Club's annual New Year's Day Swim welcomes hundreds of swimmers, without the benefit of blubber, underfur or guard hairs, to venture out into the ocean. Membership is not required for this dip, but if you're planning on taking the plunge, donate $20 to help the organization raise funds for Camp Sunshine, a charity that supports children with life-threatening illnesses and their families. Meet at the Boardwalk at Stillwell Ave, Coney Island, Brooklyn

McCarren Park Pool gets a 300-plus-person ice-skating rink thanks to the Open Space Alliance for North Brooklyn. When you're not carving it up, sip hot chocolate from the Hanson Bros. concession tent, named after the fictional siblings from 1977 hockey comedy Slap Shot.

Escape the chilly weather with some Southern-style, yee-haw-worthy fun at the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Monster Energy Buck Off at The Garden. Don a cowboy hat and cheer on 35 ace studs as they attempt to stay atop bucking bovines—which can weigh as much as 2,000 pounds—for more than eight seconds.

Everyone knows that Wall Street is a place for grown-ups—a place where serious adult matters like watching computers exploit barely detectable price discrepancies in strangers’ mortgages milliseconds before the other guy’s computer can do the same thing. Buck the trend at this ninth annual return to childhood, when a group of New Yorkers occupies Wall Street to play games like Red Rover and Wolf Sheep Rock. No sociopolitical agenda here, though—just playground-style fun. Meet at Broad and Wall Sts.

If you’re looking to show off those sweet undies you got from Santa to someone besides your significant other or your cat, you’ll get your chance when Improv Everywhere’s annual prank invades the NYC rails. Each borough has its own meeting spot (check improveverywhere.com closer to event for details); from there, the horde takes to the subway in their skivvies. Postride, warm your numb extremities with a bit of booze at an after-party near Union Square. All are welcome, but there will be drink specials for the brave, pantless few (we happy few, we band of untrousered).