The best things to do in NYC this weekend

Return to the Gowanus of old at this true throwback bash, celebrating the Prohibition era. Don a flapper gown or a top hat, and try exotic teas and treats while getting down to big band numbers by Michael Arenella & His Dreamland Orchestra. Better start rehearsing your tango, foxtrot and Charleston now. 

The Sunnyside Shines Business Improvement District teams up with Queens International Night Market to host an alfresco shopping market including more than 30 ever-changing vendors on Saturdays and Sundays. Go for: The merch from local Queens businesses including 3D printed jewels, photography, ceramics, handmade candles, gifts for foodies and parents-to-be and more. Stay for: The Hearty food vendors selling Burmese palatas, Romanian-Hungarian chimney cakes and German bratwurst. Also, when you go, you'll receive a holiday shopping "passport" containing coupons to other neighborhood businesses in the area. It's also your ticket to ride a free trolley bus on December 8 to transport folks around Sunnyside. 

Drown your sorrows in dough at this amateur bakeoff, where you'll be partaking in confections with oddball flavors like blue cheese and bacon (past prizes have gone to a saltine covered in fudge and caramel). “People aren’t trying to be weird as much as they’re trying to be yummy,” says Takedown founder Matt Timms. If you've got your own cookie creation to show off, you can still register on the Takedowns site. 

Sure, you can catch Tchaikovsky's beloved ballet at the theater, or even at the multiplex with Disney's new adaptation. But for a distinctly NYC take on the Christmas classic, head to Bushwick's fabulously gothic Théâtre XIV. You may know Company XIV as the burlesque bastion behind shows like "Ferdinand: Boylesque Bullfight," and their ribald spin on Tchaikovsky promises the same level of high-drama choreography, tassel-twirling and magnificent costumes. Met Opera choreographer and company co-founder Austin McCormick assembles a lit team of opera singers, aerialists, circus performers and burlesque artists for this year's spectacle, running through January. Beyond the dazzling show, you're sure to be awed by the baroque theater space, which looks like a set from the Phantom of the Opera, along with the cheeky cocktail menu. Just be sure to keep an eye out for whoever (and whatever) comes crawling out from under Mother Ginger’s dress.

For over a decade, the hot cultural miasma of punk erupted right out of New York City. It was an era of explosive rock & roll, swirling gender boundaries, fierce women and game-changing fashion—rooted in the sex work industry, counter-culture and iconic performance venues of ’70s NYC. Explore how the movement was born out of—and forever changed—cultural understandings of gender and sex work at this new exhibition, curated by cultural critic Carlo McCormick, artist Lissa Rivera and "punk professor" Vivien Goldman. At areas like "Art and Film," "Deconstructing Gender," "Sex/Work," "Fetish and Fashion" and "Rebellion and Provocation," you can see rare costumes, photographs, flyers, letters and films from icons of the era like Johnny Thunder, Malcolm McLaren and Sable Starr. NYC has certainly changed since the heyday of Blondie and Suicide. But there's no touching the city's immortal legacy as the birthplace of cultural rebellion.

Housing Works welcomes musicians, writers and performers to invoke Ebenezer Scrooge and his ghosts. The event begins at noon with caroling from the New York City Master Chorale, followed by a three-and-a-half-hour reading (approximately) with writers giving their take on the infamous miser. Seasonal treats like hot chocolate and mulled wine are available at the cafe, plus store items are 10 percent off, so bring your holiday list. Bah, humbug! 

This weekly Upper West Side marketplace, one of NYC’s oldest, goes all out every holiday season. From Nov 25 through Dec 30, drop by any Sunday to shop photographs, jewelry, furniture, beauty products, antiques and tasty eats from more than 150 local merchants—and feel really good doing it: the market supports local businesses by donating 100 percent of its profits to four of the neighborhood's public schools.

The annual themed Yule Ball transforms the Bell House into Hogsmeade’s raviest tavern with live performances, loads of cosplay and plenty of flowing butterbeer. On top of the night’s hosts, Harry and the Potters, you can also catch wizard-rock bands like the Whomping Willows or Tonks and the Aurors over the course of the magic night.