holiday guide 2017

Misfits and Mistletoe: Off-the-Beaten-Path Holiday Events

Nutcracker Rouge. Photo: Mark Shelby Perry

For more picks of the season — from where to eat to what to give your favorite home cook — check out New York’s Holiday Guide.

Party Like It’s 1999: All I Want for Christmas Is Mariah Edition
The Bell House; 149 7th St., nr. Second Ave., Gowanus; 718-643-6510
Boy, do holiday-party-throwers love Mariah Carey. This dance party regularly features hits of the 1990s, but for one night it’s dedicated to one of the best albums in the holiday genre. Expect plenty of Mimi’s hits, along with R&B, pop, and rock party tunes. The best part? It’s free.
Date: December 2
Price: Free

The Skivvies: Sleigh My Name
Joe’s Pub; 425 Lafayette St., nr. Astor Pl.; 212-539-8777
The Skivvies are an award-winning duo that sing stripped-down covers and mashups … in their underwear. And very well. Often, they pull other award-winning people onstage to do it with them. This holiday season, prepare for creative riffs on classics, and perhaps some Rudolph-themed undies with a strategically-placed nose.
Dates: December 10–11
Price: $40

The Imbible: Christmas Carol Cocktails
New World Stages; 340 W. 50th St., nr Ninth Ave; 212-239-6200
Scrooge needs to decompress after his ghostly visits, and what better way to do that than with alcohol? Set on the morning after Christmas, the play includes three cocktails for attendees. Discover the history behind popular holiday drinks and have some life-altering (boozy) visits yourself.
Dates: Through December 30
Price: $80.50–$100.50

Taylor Mac’s 24-Decade History: Holiday Sauce
The Town Hall; 123 W. 43rd St., nr. Sixth Ave; 212-840-2824
Following up last year’s acclaimed A 24-Decade History of Popular Music project, the playwright, singer-songwriter, performance artist, and 2017 MacArthur Fellow sets his sights on the holidays, in all their dysfunctional glory. He’ll be joined by an eight-piece band.
Date: December 12
Price: $45–$80

Atlas Obscura Live! Holidays!
Union Hall; 702 Union St., at Fifth Ave.; Park Slope; 718-638-4400
A live variety show with a curious sensibility, in which musicians, scholars, comedians, and special guests gather to tell stories rooted in holiday traditions such as Austria’s Krampus, or the Finnish tradition of visiting dead and buried relatives on Christmas Eve. You’ll probably learn something.
Date: December 14
Price: $15–$20

Murray Hill. Photo: Steven Menendez

A Murray Little Christmas
Joe’s Pub; 425 Lafayette St., nr. Astor Pl.; 212-539-8777
Anything’s possible at Murray Hill (aka Mr. Showbiz)’s holiday show, with guests including burlesque stars Angie Pontani and the great Bridget Everett, whose signature move is shoving audience members’ faces in her cleavage.
Dates: December 15–17
Price: $25–$50

House of Yes Xmas Spectacular!
House of Yes; 2 Wyckoff Ave., at Jefferson St.; Bushwick; 646-838-4937
It isn’t Christmas without Mariah Carey and dancing presents, and — at Bushwick art venue House of Yes — space dolphins. And it wouldn’t be a House of Yes shindig without aerialists lifting your holiday spirits, plus other sky-high performances.
Dates: December 15–22
Price: $35–$50

Company XIV: Nutcracker Rouge
Théâtre XIV; 383 Troutman St., nr. Wyckoff Ave.; Bushwick; 866-811-4111
No need to ask who’s been naughty or nice — everyone’s mischievous in this burlesque take on Tchaikovsky’s fanciful ballet, with holiday-themed feats of acrobatics.
Dates: Thursdays to Sundays, through January 14
Price: $65–$300

A Gay Show for All People Holiday Spectacular
Littlefield; 635 Sackett St, nr. Fourth Ave.; Gowanus; 718-855-3388
Everyone is welcome to this end-of-year bash, with comics including Difficult People’s Cole Escola, Naomi Ekperigin, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang of the Las Culturistas podcast, and more. Laugh yourself into 2018.
Date: December 28
Price: $8–$10

9 Offbeat Holiday Events in New York