Latke Festival @ Brooklyn Museum
Pound a plethora of potatoes at the 11th-annual Latke Festival. Indulge in latkes from the traditional to the bizarre, with wild inventions like a blackened cajun treif nightshade latke, and a VerOkonomiyaki Latke featuring octopus, sweet soy sauce, mayonnaise, and bonito flakes. There will be offerings from nearly 30 restaurants, each competing in six different categories of deliciousness. Event proceeds go to the Sylvia Center, which teaches cooking and healthy eating in underserved communities.
Monday, December 16th, 6 p.m. // Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Pkwy., Brooklyn // Tickets: $75
A Murray Little Christmas @ The Public Theater
Ham it up at A Murray Little Christmas, starring everyone’s favorite larger-than-life drag king, Murray Hill. The show unfolds as a boozy, bawdy holiday cocktail party with Murray and friends; expect cheesy holiday songs, wacky skits, seasonal burlesque, and more. He’ll be joined by carnal chanteuse Bridget Everett, burlesque stallionette Angie Pontani, the Jingle Balls Band, Santa Clause, Rudolph, and more.
Wednesday, December 18th, through Saturday, December 21st // The Public Theater, 425 Lafayette St., Manhattan // Tickets: $22–$50
The Mister Santa Pageant @ Bell House
Get extremely weird at The Mister Santa Pageant. The story seems to be that Santa Clause has gotten his throat slit, and the only way to find his replacement in time for Christmas is with a last-minute pageant. It’s not clear what the prospective Santas will be asked to do to prove themselves, but given the shenanigans at Jo Firestone’s Inner Beauty Pageants, things are bound to get strange. The show will be co-hosted by Patti Harrison, and proceeds benefit the Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights.
Thursday, December 19th, 7 p.m. // Bell House, 149 7th St., Brooklyn // Tickets: $15
Smile for vintage Santa at the Grand Victorian Christmas
Grand Victorian Christmas @ Mount Vernon Hotel Museum
Take a spin back in time at Gemini & Scorpio’s Grand Victorian Christmas. Held in an 18th-century carriage house that once belonged to the daughter of John Adams, the vintage fête will be a historically accurate celebration, with traditional holiday delectables from plum pudding to wassail, turn-of-the-century carols performed by Lacy Rose and her Starling Quartet, authentic Victorian card and parlor games, and vintage photoshoots with Santa. Period attire (or as close as you can get) required.
Friday, December 20th, 8 p.m. // Mount Vernon Hotel Museum, 417 East 61st St., Manhattan // Tickets: $25 and up
The Star Wars Holiday Special @ QED Astoria
Join the Movies R Dumb crew to honor the holidays and gear up for the latest Star Wars release. They’ll be roasting one of the worst holiday films ever: The Star Wars Holiday Special, which originally aired in 1978 and was even hated by George Lucas (who later explained, "We let them use the characters and stuff and that probably wasn't the smartest thing to do..."). This late-night screening will be accompanied by live-riffing from comedians including Mystery Science Theater 3000’s Frank Conniff, plus Rory Scholl, Kat Burdick, and Derek Humphrey.
Friday, December 20th, 11 p.m. // QED Astoria, 27-16 23rd Ave., Queens // Tickets: $10
Liven up the shortest day of the year with a profusion of beautiful music
Make Music Winter @ Everywhere
It’s time once again for the most tuneful solstice celebration: Make Music Winter. The 12-hour festival presents around 13 free participatory concerts in every corner of the city. Some of this year’s highlights include a jingle train in East Harlem, a synchronized mobile hallelujah in four locations at once, a harmonica parade led by America’s Got Talent’s Jia-Yi He, a parranda in the Bronx, ukulele caroling through Washington Square Park, Piano City in the Occulus, and on and on.
Saturday, December 21st, 10 a.m. // Everywhere // Free
Renegade Craft Fair @ Brooklyn Expo Center
’Tis the season to embrace your most consumerist impulses, so why not support local artisans while you’re at it? The winter edition of the Renegade Craft Fair features more than 200 vendors selling everything imaginable, like feminist embroidery from queer-owned Sicko Stitching, irreverent accessories from A Shop of Things, handmade ceramics from Kong Mountain Tea, handpainted clothing from Nellie Rose Textiles, recycled glassware from Trocadero 1903, and lots more. There will also be DJs, food trucks, and seasonal cocktails aplenty.
Saturday, December 21st, and Sunday, December 22nd // Brooklyn Expo Center, 79 Franklin St., Brooklyn // Free
Carnival of the Animals @ Miller Theater
Attend a whimsical merging of puppets, poetry, and music at Carnival of the Animals, now a Miller Theater tradition. The production combines Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns’s beloved score with poetry by Ogden Nash, then brings it all to life with puppets made from everyday objects and inspired by Victorian toy theater, like an elephant made of buckets and an umbrella, kangaroos made of boomerangs, and little cuckoos made of feather dusters. It’s directed by puppet master/designer Lake Simons, with music direction from pianist Laura Barger.
Saturday, December 21st, 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. // Miller Theater, 2960 Broadway, Manhattan // Tickets: adults $15–$30; children $9–$18
The Menorah Horah @ (Le) Poisson Rouge
For 13 years running, burlesque duo extraordinaire The Schlep Sisters (Minnie Tonka and Darlinda Just Darlinda, pictured) have presented The Menorah Horah. Cramming eight nights of holiday hotness into just one night, the pair will be joined by a bevy of other burlesquers and cabaret performers: Varla Valour, Bastard Keith, Lydia Vengeance, The Evil Hate Monkey, and more. It’s all hosted by Fancy Feast, with tunes from DJ Momotaro.
Sunday, December 22nd, 7 p.m. // (Le) Poisson Rouge, 158 Bleeker St., Manhattan // Tickets: $20
