Free Ice Skating this weekend at Bryant Park

Old Navy Winter Wonderland
Saturday, December 12th & Sunday, December 12th
The Pond at Bryant Park, 42nd Street & Ave of the Americas
Pond opens at 8am for skating

Old Navy is offering the first 3000 skaters free skate rental and hot cocoa on both days.

There will also be an Old Navy PopUp Shop where you can purchase performance fleece winter accessories for under $10. All proceeds from the shop benefit New York Cares, a non profit that collects nearly 70,000 gently used winter coats each December and distributes them to thousands of men, women, and children who would otherwise be cold.

Oatmeal for a buck all this week!

Click on the picture above to get the coupon which is good through December 11th.

K2 Lounge & Cabaret Cinema at Rubin Museum

The Rubin Museum of Art in Chelsea transitions their cafe area into K2 Lounge on Friday nights. Happy Hour runs from 6 pm to 7 pm (I think the special is 2 for 1 beers and a discount on yummy martinis). Spend $7, show your receipt and get a free ticket to that evening's cabaret Cinema, which begins at 9pm. Starting at 7 pm you can also roam the museum's very cool galleries.

This Friday's film is Rouben Mamoulian's 1931 classic Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. For more info: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=191806346402

The museum is located at 150 West 17th Street (between 6th & 7th Avenues).

Elf Gathering at Bryant Park 12/7

Monday, December 7, 2009
12 to 2 pm
The Pond at Bryant Park

ABC Family will be hosting a gathering of Santa's Elves that they hope will be large enough to break the current Guinness World Record. They suggest you get there early to receive your free elf costume and benefit from other giveaways.


join abc family's world record elf party!

New York Harbor Lighted Boat Parade

New York Harbor tour boats and charter vessels gather to participate in this ever-so-popular, holiday spirited, harbor-town tradition. Each vessel will be decorated with twinkling lights and holiday décor. The route begins on the West Side of Manhattan at approximately West 23rd street at 6:30 p.m. and guarantees a pass by the Financial District, Ellis Island & Statue of Liberty, South Street Seaport and a pass under the Brooklyn Bridge!

New Route for the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade

The parade begins at 77th Street & Central Park West at 9 a.m. on Thursday November 26th. After turning east on Central park South, the fun will not take it's usual coarse down Broadway. For the first time in 82 years the parade will move down 7th Avenue making it's way to Herald Square.

Die hard attendees camp out in the Herald Square area for the official viewing are (where the performances take place) and onlookers start filling in everywhere else at the crack of dawn.

Want a peek at the balloons before parade time? Head to 77th and 81st streets between Central Park West and Columbus Avenue from 3 pm to 10 pm on Wednesday November 25th. I for one can't wait to see the new Pillsbury Dough Boy balloon!!

For more parade info check out the official Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade web site. You can also catch the parade on NBC.

Manhattan Tree Lightings

Here's the scope on some of the tree-lighting ceremonies in Manhattan. Sadly, my personal favorite, the Lincoln Center tree lighting has been canceled due to ongoing construction in the plaza. Hopefully it will be back next year. Thankfully some of the accompanying activities can still be enjoyed at Winter's Eve:

Winter's Eve at Lincoln Square
Monday, November 30, 2009 at 5:30 pm

The evening will begin with a tree lighting ceremony at Dante Park (Broadway& 63rd Street) and afterward the celebration continues along Broadway from the Time Warner Center to 68th Street.

Joy Behar from CNN and The View will host. Performers include Antibalas, God's Generation Choir, and Harlem Samba. For a detailed performance list visit the event site: http://winterseve.org

From 6-8pm local eateries (e.g. Bar Masa,Picholine, Magnolia Bakery, and Rosa Mexicano) will offer free or inexpensive ($1-$5) morsels under canopies in front of the Time Warner Center and along Broadway bet. 63rd & 64th Streets.


Columbia University - College Walk
116th Street & Broadway
Tuesday, December 1, 2009 at 6:00 pm

Performances by the Columbia University Glee Club, et al.


World Financial Center
220 Vesey Street
Tuesday, December 1, 2009 at 6:00 pm

The annual Winter Garden lighting celebration where we illuminate the beautiful glass atrium with 100,000 lights, will be followed by New York Theatre Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker. If you're free in the afternoon, there is another performance at 1 pm.


Rockefeller Center
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
7 pm to 9 pm

The crowds for this the BIG TREE, are outrageous. If you want a view of performers prepare to devote your day to that aim. Otherwise, get an awesome view from the comfort of your sofa and make plans to visit the tree another day. The tree will be lit daily from 5:30 A.M.-11:30 P.M.; all day on Christmas (24 hours); and from 5:30 A.M.-9 P.M. on New Year's Eve. The world's most famous Tree will be on display until January 7th, 2010.

Madison Square Park
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
4:30 pm, Northern Plaza

Jubilant seasonal music by the New York Life Singers and AudraRox.


For more tree lighting info visit Time Out New York's Holiday info page.