Blog

Top 10 things to do Uptown this Holiday Season

Posted November 23, 2016

Harlem and Upper Manhattan are two of New York's increasingly diverse neighborhoods known for their culturally enriched history offering one-of-a-kind experiences that cater to all tastes whether music, food or the arts. This holiday season, uptown has a variety of events from a hip-hop transformation of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker to an acoustic sound of saxophonist Paul Winter’s Solstice celebration. Visit these 10 spots to intrigue your soul.

December 3

The Hip Hop Nutcracker The United Palace; 2 pm & 7 pm
The United Palace welcomes back for the third time, The Hip Hop Nutcracker featuring special guest MC Kurtis Blow. “The Hip Hop Nutcracker” remakes Tchaikovsky’s classical tone to an exhilarating choreographed hip hop version. The cast includes all-star dancers, DJ, violinist and a digital scenery keeping the traditional Nutcracker story alive with a modern urban twist.

December 4

Double Dutch Holiday Classic Apollo Theater; 1 pm; $20
The Apollo hosts the National Double Dutch Competition. Every year kids representing schools and community centers around the globe gather together to flip, dance and spin to compete for team positions at the national and international events.

December 9-23

Soul Nativity Harlem School of the Arts; Fri: 7 pm, Sat: 3 pm & 7 pm, Sun: 3 pm;
Inject your soul with Gospel, R&B, Pop and Rock all together in this musical number. Harlem School of the Arts Theatre Alliance Presents “Soul Nativity” a musical theatre extravaganza featuring song, dance, comedy exploring the story of the Nativity through a modern interpretation. Appropriate for all ages.[$20 in advance* / $25 at the door / $15 students/seniors]

December 10

Batoto Yetu Aaron Davis Hall@City College of New York; 5 pm; $15 adult/ $10 Children
Batoto Yetu means “our children” in Swahill. Experience the rich heritage of Africa through the arts of dance, music and folklore. Presented by Batoto Yetu’s extraordinary young dancers from Harlem.

December 9

Movie Night: Nightmare Before Christmas Morris-Jumel Mansion; 7 pm; FREE
Morris Jumel invites you to begin your holidays with a FREE movie night. Morris Jumel will be screening a classic holiday favorite, Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas.

December 10

Family Day: Make Colonial Pomander Morris-Jumel Mansion; 11 am; FREE with museum admission
Morris Jumel will be hosting their annual Colonial Holiday Pomanders event. A tradition that dates back to the colonial period. Pomanders are dried oranges studded with cloves.

Holiday Concert with Brooklyn Baroque Morris-Jumel Mansion; 3 pm; $25
Don’t leave just yet… Enjoy the tunes at Morris Jumel’s holiday concert with Brooklyn Baroque. Featuring works by Telemann, Gluck, Cesti, Boismortier, others. Michael Maliakel, baritone; Margaret Ziemnicka, violin; David Bakamjian, cello; Rebecca Pechefsky, harpsichord.

December 10-18, 2016

The First Noel Apollo Theater;
The Classical Theatre of Harlem returns to The Apollo with The First Noel.  This Harlem-based musical has music varying from jazz to gospel illustrating a universal story of love and belonging.

December 10-11

The Christmas Story Met Cloisters; 1 pm & 3 pm; $40 (includes museum admission)
The Waverly Consort, under its director Michael Jaffee, returns to The Met Cloisters with the perennial favorite celebrating the holidays. Hymns, processionals, antiphons and Mass compositions from the Middle Ages weave together a compelling narrative of the familiar biblical story.

December 15-17, 2016

Paul Winter’s Winter Solstice Celebration The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine; General Admission: $35 - $55
Paul Winter’s Winter Solstice celebrates the spirit of the holidays within the extraordinary acoustics of New York’s greatest Cathedral. An array of performances featuring a modernized version of ancient solstice rituals.

ALL SEASON LONG

Big Apple Jazz Juke Joint Tour Harlem, New York
Take a night out on the town with a fully escorted tour around various jazz venues. Big Apple Jazz Tours provides an authentic experience following Harlem’s treasures of Jazz. Follow the sound of soulful jazz holiday tunes throughout Harlem with an expert personal tour guide.

For more information, email to: gordon@bigapplejazz.com