The best high- and pop-culture holiday events
Whether you’re looking for an upper-crust classical concert or a goofy Christmas-themed sing-along, we’ve got the holiday event for you.
Thu Dec 13 2012
The Xmas Pop Sing-Along Photograph: Jakob N. Layman
Indulge both your high- and low-brow sensibilities at these holiday events, which fall into one of two camps: Either upper-class and brain-stimulating, or pop-culture–centric parties. Go for high culture with concerts at St. Bartholomew's Church or the Cloisters, or have a nostalgia-fueled good time at the Xmas Pop Sing-Along.
RECOMMENDED: Christmas in New York guide
Pop-culture holiday events
Harry Potter Yule Ball
- Price band: 2/4
- Critics choice
Revisit the saga of the Boy Who Lived at this annual bash, thrown by wizard-rock band Harry and the Potters. Fancy-dress robes are the garb of choice and euphoria-inducing elixirs await you, along with performances from Potter Puppet Pals, the Whomping Willows and the Home Alones. A portion of proceeds will benefit the nonprofit Harry Potter Alliance (thehpalliance.org).
- The Bell House 149 7th St, between Second and Third Aves
- Until Sat Dec 15
SantaCon
- Critics choice
- Free
The holiday season is about one thing: spirits. And by that we mean the alcoholic kind. This daylong pub crawl is probably the best way to see what Kris Kringle on a bender might look like, with drunken participants dressed as Santa, elves, reindeer and anything you can stick a Claus cap on. The details of the event are kept quiet until the week before; visit nycsantacon.com or follow @santacon for updates.
- Location TBA
- Until Sat Dec 15
The Xmas Pop Sing-Along
- Price band: 1/4
- Critics choice
Belt out yuletide tunes from David Bowie, Run-D.M.C. and Wham! at this communal karaoke session, which
also features prizes for the best Santa costume and worst holiday sweater. If you need a little liquid courage, sip cheeky cocktails like Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer ($7).
- Union Hall 702 Union St, between Fifth and Sixth Aves
- Until Thu Dec 20
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
- Price band: 1/4
Let the sentimental folks sniffle through It’s a Wonderful Life. Instead, go for belly laughs at a screening of this 1989 flick, in which the Griswold gang’s plans for an old-fashioned family Christmas go awfully awry.
- Landmark's Sunshine Cinema 143 E Houston St, between First and Second Aves, 10002
- Until Sat Dec 22
High-culture holiday events
The Waverly Consort
- Price band: 2/4
This renowned early-music institution presents its perennial favorite, The Christmas Story, an artful assemblage of liturgical works from the tenth through 15th centuries.
- The Cloisters Fort Tryon Park, 99 Margaret Corbin Dr
- Until Sun Dec 16
New York Philharmonic: Messiah
- Price band: 3/4
- Critics choice
Versatile local conductor Gary Thor Wedow, making his New York Philharmonic debut, mounts the Avery Fisher Hall podium for this year's performances of Handel's Messiah, with Layla Claire, Tim Mead, Kenneth Tarver and Alastair Miles as the soloists and the New York Choral Artists raising the roof.
- Avery Fisher Hall (at Lincoln Center) 132 W 65th St, at Broadway
- Until Sat Dec 22
The Teares of the Muses
- Price band: 2/4
NYU’s viol ensemble brings 17th-century Bohemia to the Upper East Side with its annual concert. This year, the troupe celebrates the rarely heard works of 17th-century Czech composer Adam Michna, as interpreted by guest soprano Kathleen Cantrell and a quartet of singers from choral group Ghostlight.
- Bohemian National Hall 321 E 73rd St, between First and Second Aves
- Until Thu Dec 20
The Adoration of the Magi
- Price band: 2/4
- Critics choice
Art and music collide in this tribute to the mural adorning the South Chapel of St. Bart’s. This tuneful tour tells the story of the birth of Christ through a global program of African-American spirituals, Polish carols, German Weihnachten songs and Southern Appalachian ballads.
- St. Bartholomew's Church 325 Park Ave, at 51st St
- Until Fri Dec 21
You might also like
Get Exclusive Offers from Time Out!
Sign up for Time Out's free daily offers and receive exclusive offers for handpicked events and activities, including discounts and VIP benefits, at insider-only prices.
