DECEMBER

01

Thursday

OYSTER SHUCKING CLASS

Oyster lovers, get your wrists ready for this shucking class and beerfest hosted by Greenpoint Fish & Lobster Co.’s Long Island City location and Bluepoint Brewing. Take home some oysters to try out your new skills. Tickets are $45- $70 and the event starts at 8 PM.

06

Tuesday

KIPS BAY BOYS & GIRLS CLUB: HOLIDAY LIVE

Love design? Love helping kids? Combine the two at the Kips Bay Boys & Girls Club annual New York Design Center fundraiser. There is a silent auction of designer wreaths, and a special holiday performance by members of the organization. Tickets start at $75.

17

Saturday

BEHIND-THE-SCENES@THE NATIONAL ARTS CLUB & 1844 GILDED AGE TILDEN MANSION

The National Arts Club is one of New York’s architectural gems and today you can get an exclusive behind-the-scenes look with New York Adventure Club. The group limits the bi-annual, hour-long event to 15, so grab tickets, $35-$39, now. The tour starts at 1 PM.

21-23

Wednesday-Friday

BROOKLYN FLEA HOLIDAY MARKET

Need last minute gifts this season? Swing by Brooklyn Flea’s holiday market right before Christmas. With more than 100 vendors you’ll find just something for everyone. Be sure to sip on some mulled wine as you shop.

28

Wednesday

AMY WINEHOUSE TRIBUTE

American Idol finalist Elise Testone is a huge fan of the British jazz, R&B and soul singer Amy and pays tribute in two shows, one at 8 PM, and a second at 11:59 PM, along with Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles and other bands. Tickets are $15 ahead of time; $20 at the door.

31

Saturday

NEW YEAR’S EVE DINNER

Ring in 2017 with a date, elegance and an awesome dinner. We’re partial to the Mediterranean feast at Pera, Michael White’s Italian fare at Ai Fiori and yes, tempura, at Tempura Matsui.

NOVEMBER

01-25

Tuesday-Friday

ACCESSIBLE ART FAIR

The latest art fair to land in the U.S. by way of Europe: Brussels’ Accessible Art Fair. Reps from Sotheby’s, Gagosian Gallery and Artnet helped screen the more than 60 artists showcased at the National Arts Club. Tickets range from $10 to $125.

03

Thursday

TOLD IT FIRST HAND: HIP-HOP AND THE NEW GENERATION OF PODCASTERS

The Brooklyn Hip-Hop Festival, famous, yes, for its hip-hop extravaganzas, also sponsors talks about trends in the business. Tonight the group heads to the Brooklyn Historical Society for a conversation about podcasters. $10 general admission.

08

Tuesday

ELECTION NIGHT

It’s a cliffhanger that has dragged on for two years and the end is finally here. After you’ve cast your vote for president (and down ballot candidates), head to 230 Fifth’s election party to find out how the story ends.

09-27

Wednesday-Sunday

MOUSE: THE PERSISTENCE OF AN UNLIKELY THOUGHT

A writer in a London warehouse, someone a lot like author/performer Daniel Kitson, is working on a story about a woman and a mouse, when a stranger calls, looking for his cell phone. What follows is a strange and magnificent night of theater. Tickets are $25.

14

Monday

THE MORGAN EVENING BENEFIT

Financier Pierpont Morgan loved rare books, ancient manuscripts and art, and the fortune he amassed allowed him to collect all three. His collection eventually became the The Morgan Library & Museum, one of Murray Hill’s cultural gems, and tonight is its annual benefit gala.

17

Thursday

VALRHONA PASTRY CLASS – FOR A FABULOUS THANKSGIVING

Forget your mom’s pumpkin pie! French luxury chocolate brand Valrhona now has a pastry school in DUMBO, where it offers classes for the pros, but this Thanksgiving-themed pastry workshop is designed for the general public. Tickets are $99.

OCTOBER

01

Saturday

NYC CRAFT COFFEE FESTIVAL

Unlimited coffee right off the ferry? Sign us up! This festival, in a Williamsburg warehouse, features 20 vendors, a dream for any java enthusiast. Need a bite as you sip? Biscuits and doughnuts will be on hand for dunking.

07-31

Friday, Saturday, Sunday

PEDRO REYES DOOMOCRACY

Experimental artist Pedro Reyes combines Halloween and the presidential election in his latest installation, a politically themed haunted house at the Brooklyn Army Terminal. It’s scary, but tickets are free. 

14-31

Friday-Sunday

SIMON STARLING: AT TWILIGHT

The Japan Society rarely hosts non-Japanese solo artists, but they’re making an exception for multimedia darling Simon Starling, whose newest work incorporates Japanese masks and the poetry of W.B. Yeates. Admission is $12, but free on Friday nights.

14

Friday

W. KAMAU BELL

Funnyman W. Kamu Bell (check out his podcast, Denzel Washington is the Greatest Actor of All Time Period) comes to the Gramercy Theater to share some of his socio-political comedy. Grab a drink at the bar, and have a laugh. The doors open at 8 P.M.

16

Sunday

QUIET CLUBBING SUNDAY FUNDAY

No band, just headphones at this quiet clubbing fest just steps from the Long Island City ferry landing, where partygoers don headphones and jam to the music of their choice. If dancing makes you hungry burgers and drinks will be for sale. The party starts at 6 P.M.

25

Friday-Saturday

Craft Beer Festival

Missed the brews at Oktoberfest? The Armory has you covered. Come to any of the three sessions and sample 150 craft beers. Advanced sale general admission tickets are $55; advanced sale VIP tickets are $75 and get you in the door an hour early.

SEPTEMBER

02-04

Friday-Sunday

BARGEMUSIC NOW LABOR DAY FESTIVAL

If Mozart in the Jungle conductor Rodrigo De Souza wanted to hear some chamber music this weekend, where would he go? Our bet: Bargemusic, the East River’s famous floating performance space. Friday and Saturday at 8 pm; Sunday at 4 pm.

09

Friday

WHAT’S NEW, WHAT’S NEXT

Interior design lovers, take note. The annual New York Design Center event is a great way to find out what’s coming for furniture, fabrics and more. Mingle with showroom reps and designers and attend presentations by top industry editors and manufacturers.

13

Tuesday

24 DECADE HISTORY OF POPULAR MUSIC

In 2012, Taylor Mac began creating this staggeringly-original performance-art concert to document the intersection of music and activism in America. Finally, he’s done. See the world premiere at St. Ann’s Warehouse. There are tickets for individual concerts, or for $400, book the 24-hour experience.

17

Saturday

MODERN SKY FESTIVAL

First first produced in Beijing in 2007, this festival is a day-long mash-up of Chinese music, edibles and, yes, bubble tea. Take a ferry to Governor’s Island to catch a scratch wizard and bands on the rise. From 3:30 pm to 11:30 pm.

20

Tuesday

VINTAGE BASEBALL

The Gotham Base Ball Club, works to bring baseball history to today’s fans, and plays the game the old fashioned way—no home plate, no gloves. They’ll stage a double-header on the Parade Grounds next to Fort Jay, starting at noon.

25

Sunday

KAYAK POLO AT THE BROOKLYN BRIDGE

And now, for a little kayak polo. What’s that? A combination of basketball, water polo and kayaking, and you can play it in the East River, thanks to the Brooklyn Bridge Park Boathouse and the Brooklyn Kayak Guides. Check park schedule for times.

AUGUST

05

Friday

NATIONAL OYSTER DAY

NYC was once the world’s oyster capital, but by the 1900s, we had “eaten them all,” says Murray Fisher, co-founder of the Billion Oyster Project (BOP), a non-profit trying to bring back our bi-valves. Celebrate National Oyster Day at a BOP partner restaurant. READ MORE

06

Saturday

COOK OUT NYC CIDERFEST

Quick: What’s better, beer or hard cider? If you’re in the cider camp (and 21 or over!), today’s your day. Regional makers will pour more than 30 of their best at this annual CookOut NYC party on the East River, from noon to 9 pm.

15-31

Monday-Wednesday

MoMA ON THE BEACH

German artist Katharina Grosse has turned a dilapidated aquatics building at Fort Tilden into a psychedelic celebration of a Rockaways sunset. The outdoor work, on exhibit until Thanksgiving, is sponsored by MoMA’s PS1 in collaboration with the Rockaway Artists Alliance.  READ MORE

18

Thursday

SPICE WURLD COMEDY TOUR

Laugh it up with funny folks. Included in the show at the Gramercy Theater: SNL cast member Sasheer Zamata; MTV’s Nicole Byer; oil painter and opera singer turned comic, Matteo Lane; and Comedy Central Stand-Up vet, Liza Treyger. Show starts at 7 pm.

19-21

Friday-Sunday

UP ON THE ROOF

Weather predictions for the weekend are for sun, with highs in the 80s and lows in the 60s. In other words, time for late night, al fresco rooftop cocktail, brew, prosecco, or just some great star-gazing with a friend. READ MORE

27

Saturday

BROOKLYN BIKE RAVE

It’s the first NYC night-time bike rave. At 6:30 pm, hundreds of cyclists will bling-up their wheels, blast party tunes and cycle en masse for seven miles, starting in Greenpoint and ending in DUMBO. Funds go to the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative.