free things to do in New York City
Free events for Saturday, 12/17/11
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Free Events, Free Things to Do in New York City!    Read More
51 free events take place in New York City on Saturday, December 17, 2011.
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The quality and quantity of
free events,
free things to do
that happen in New York City
every day of the year
is truly amazing.

So don't miss the opportunities
that only New York provides:
stop wondering what to do;
start taking advantage of
free events to go to,
free things to do in NYC
today!

51 free things to do in New York City (NYC) on Saturday, December 17, 2011

All events are free unless otherwise noted.
        

Workshop | Fitness Walking Program


Hour-long classes with a 10-minute warm up, 30 minute fitness walk, and 20 minutes of strengthening, stretching, and cool-down.
   
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8:30 am
Free...

Workshop | Health and Race Walking Clinic


Moderate to brisk walks led by the NY Walkers Club for people 18 years and older of all abilities. This low-impact fitness program is perfect for those who want to get in shape, build muscle tone and strength, and increase cardiovascular health while enjoying the Park’s beautiful landscapes.
   
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9:30 am
free, no reservation required

Concert | Precollege Concert Orchestra


   
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9:30 am
free, no reservation required

City Walk | East Side Walk


Approximately 6+ miles at a moderate pace. Time to complete walk: 4-5 hours. Walk along East River to Chinatown. Optional late lunch in Chinatown. Raining or snowing cancels. You must call to confirm.
   
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10:00 am
$3

Workshop | Harlem Knitting Circle


Please bring your own materials and a food item to donate to the Snack Table. Njoya Angrum is the Creator and Director of the Harlem Knitting Circle. Her Supervisor is Ms. Zina Malik and Ms. Marie. If Njoya is not in attendance on the day you are there ask for one of these ladies and they will guide you through.
   
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10:00 am
free, no reservation required

Park Walk | Holiday Walk Across 57th Street


Relaxed walking, about four to five hours. Bring lunch, water, binoculars or a camera with optical zoom lens. Rain or shine.
   
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10:00 am
$3

Concert | Precollege Senior Select Choir


   
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10:30 am
free, no reservation required

Tour | Cathedral Tour


Explore the Cathedral's newly cleaned and restored Nave. Learn about the art, architecture and history of this great sacred space from 1892 to the present.
   
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11:00 am
$6

Workshop | Harlem Stitches and Yarn Knitting and Crochet Group


Learn to Crochet and Knit. Come for a morning filled with Knitting and Crocheting! Beginners and Experienced Knitters and Crotcheteers welcomed! Please bring your own supplies/project (light colored worsted yarn) and size 7 or 8 needles for knitters and g or h hook for crotcheteers. Children are welcomed with parental supervision.
   
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11:00 am
free, no reservation required

Concert | Pre-College Student Recitals


11am - Emerson Millar, violin 5pm - Mackenzie Lee, cello 5:30pm - Julia Pak, viola 6pm - Benjamin Tisherman, clarinet
   
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11:00 am
free, no reservation required

Workshop | Free Intro to Improv Class


Never taken an improv class before? Well here is your chance to try it out for free. You'll get up on your feet and explore the fundamental principles of improvisation through exercises in agreement, commitment, spontaneity and listening. Open to all. With Megan Gray.
   
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12:00 pm
Free

Tour | “A Road Once Traveled” Tour


Holding the Park's northern highlands was key in the American Revolution and the War of 1812 because armies could see their enemies approach as they sailed down the East River. History buffs will love this tour.
   
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12:30 pm
free, no reservation required

Other | A Harlem Holiday Celebration


Featuring a community holiday sing-a-long, a screening of The Black Candle, an art workshop, an art marketplace, and exhibits.
   
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1:00 pm
$5 suggested donation...

Tour | Cathedral Tour


Explore the Cathedral's newly cleaned and restored Nave. Learn about the art, architecture and history of this great sacred space from 1892 to the present.
   
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1:00 pm
$6

Screening | Native American Films


Featuring films by and about Native Americans. At 1pm and 3pm.
   
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1:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Concert | Prep Division - Winter Ensembles Concert


Saturday, December 17, 2011 1:00 p.m. Junior and Intermediate Choruses, String Orchestra, Concert Orchestra and Symphony perform
   
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1:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Film | Gil Kenan's This Christmas (2007): The Holidays with the Ones You Love - to Avoid


With Delroy Lindo, Idris Elba and Chris Brown. A Christmastime drama centered around the Whitfield family's first holiday together in four years. 91 min.
   
2:00 pm
Free

Workshop | Hand-Made Crafternoon


Join crafty librarian Jessica Pigza of the Rare Book Division and Crafternoon author Maura Madden for a free DIY day at the Library. They'll be joined by Bust Magazine founders Debbie Stoller and Laurie Henzel, whose newly published Bust DIY Guide to Life offers dozens of DIY projects to keep you busy. Over the years Bust has become a true leader of the DIY pack, hosting Craftaculars, running regular features on craft in each issue, and generally encouraging readers to do-it-outselves when it comes to creating our lives, expressing ourselves, and making or remaking our world.
   
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2:00 pm
Free

Concert | Pre-College Student Recitals


2pm - Yibiao Wang, flute 3pm - Chamber Music 4pm - Chamber Music 5pm - Chamber Music 6pm - Chamber Music
   
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2:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Jazz | Studio Recital - Rotem Sivan, guitar


A senior recital.
   
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2:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Workshop | Tae Kwon Do Workshop


Teaches the fundamentals of disipline, balance, health and wellness.
   
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2:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Tour | Union Square: Crossroads of New York


The tour explores the social and political history of the Union Square neighborhood through discussions of the people, history, architecture, and forces that have shaped this community. You’ll hear how Union Square got its name, see where the legendary Tiffany & Co. once stood, and learn how to read the clock (yes, it’s a clock!) on “The Metronome” sculpture and so much more!
   
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2:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Concert | A Concert of Seasonal Airs


Featuring: Andrew Bolotowsky, flute; Paula Rand, baroque bassoon; Greg Bynum, recorder; David Bakamjian, cello; Rebecca Pechefsky, baroque harpsichord; and Mary Hurlbut, soprano.
   
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2:30 pm
free, no reservation required

Discussion | An Artists' Dialogue


With Katherine Jackson and Katherine Bardford. Katherine Jackson discusses her glasswork and drawings with painter and FIT instructor Katherine Bradford. The two artists talk about the relation of etched glass to painting, the role of text–based imagery, and the process of abstraction.
   
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2:30 pm
free, no reservation required

Workshop | Cell Phone Buying Guide 2: Smartphones


This will be a Lecture/Demonstration. Phones aren’t just phones anymore. Learn about the latest cutting-edge smartphones, their various operating systems, the required data plans, and the many available applications (apps!) that can turn a good smartphone into a great one.
   
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2:30 pm
Free...

Concert | Precollege Manhattan Chorale


   
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2:30 pm
free, no reservation required

Park Walk | “Cross Park Promenade” Tour


You'll be amazed at what you'll see.... a hidden bench that tells time, miniature boats powered by the wind, a magnificent sculpture celebrating fresh water, and a glorious drinking fountain for the city's equine population. These are just some of the the sites along the way on this east to west walk through the park. Tour is approximately one hour long.
   
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2:30 pm
free, no reservation required

Concert | Chorus Tree Performance


The Chorus Tree Lighting Spectacular lights up the cobblestone streets with a musical performance by Cantori New York.
   
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3:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Concert | Concert on Water


The concert is at the coolest classical music concerts location in New York City. Program and musicians TBA.
   
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3:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Concert | Saturday Afternoon Organ Meditation


The program features the great repertoire of the Organ on the 101 rank Pipe Organ built by Herman Schlicker and the 5 stop chamber organ built by Taylor & Boody Organ Builders.
   
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4:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Jazz | Studio Recital - Yvonnick Prene, harmonica


A senior recital.
   
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4:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Concert | Prep Division - Philharmonic & Senior Chorus Winter Concert


Vocal Chamber, Senior Chorus and Philharmonic perform.
   
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5:30 pm
free, no reservation required

Concert | String Works by Britten and Bach


Program: JENKINS Palladio JS BACH Violin Concerto No. 2 in E Major, BWV 1042 BRITTEN Simple Symphony, Op. 4 With the Pre-College String Ensemble. Rosemary and Meredith Willson Theater. Shih-Hung Young, conductor. Elizabeth Aoki, violin.
   
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6:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Concert | 10th Annual Coquito Masters Award Ceremony and Concert


The night kicks off with the big announcement of the Coquito Masters 2011 winner followed by a performance by the Celso Duarte Ensemble, bringing us traditional songs from baroque to African roots of Latin America with the acclaimed harpist's fusions of jarocho rhythms and jazz.
   
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6:30 pm
free, no reservation required

Concert | Clarinet Works by Mozart and Ralph Shapey


Program Ralph Shapey, Clarinet Quintet Ralph Shapey, music for solo violin Mozart, Clarinet Quintet With: Called an “an extraordinary clarinetist” by The New York Times and a "clarinet genius" by TimeOut New York, Dublin-born Carol McGonnell has performed with ensembles including the Ulster Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, the Zankel Band, Ensemble Modern and has taught at the Juilliard School's MAP program and the Fontainebleau French American Academy.
   
7:00 pm
$10 suggested donation

Theater | Georg Büchner's Woyzeck, the Search for a Killer's Reasons


Nearly 200 years ago, a man killed a woman. Johann Christian Woyzeck’s guilt was never in doubt, but it is the question why that has rippled through the ages. Büchner’s classic, based on the case of the first murder suspect to plead insanity before a German criminal court, is newly adapted and re-imagined as the story of a criminal who is locked away to be studied after his crime. As the barriers between Woyzeck’s fantasy world and reality blur and disintegrate, we are left to wonder if he was driven to violence by the unsympathetic world around him—or if his brutal crime was the inevitable end for a disturbed man.
   
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7:00 pm
Free

Screening | Documentary: Agnès Varda's Daguerreotypes (1975)


An essential film in Agnès Varda's oeuvre, this classic documentary makes its US theatrical premiere. A highlight of the 1975 New York Film Festival that has rarely been seen in the States since then, Daguerreotypes is a portrait of the small shops and shopkeepers on the Rue Daguerre, a picturesque street in the 14th Arrondissement that has been the filmmaker's home for more than 50 years. 75 min.
   
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7:30 pm
$10 suggested admission

Concert | Precollege Repertory Orchestra


Nathan Hetherington, Conductor.
   
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7:30 pm
free, no reservation required

Opening Reception | The Rickford Institute All-Star Classic Group Photography Exhibition


An epic night of photography from some of the world's foremost as well as up and coming urban photographers. Curated by the legendary Ricky Powell on the occasion of his 50th birthday.
   
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8:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Concert | A Pennyworth of Christmas


Join the Good Pennyworths for their annual Christmas concert, A Pennyworth of Christmas. The quartet just returned from a four-concert Christmas tour in Ohio and Michigan and look forward to singing for their following in NYC. The Good Pennyworths Quartet is a Renaissance Vocal Quartet with Lute.
   
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8:00 pm
$20 suggested donation...

Performance | Comedy: InvAsian


Watch what happens when the funniest local Asian talents from The PIT, UCB, and Magnet get together for a one-night-only bash of improvised craziness. These guys are taking everything they know about math, dry cleaning, nursing, academically demanding parents, Tony Jaa, online roleplaying games, fish, outsourced call centers, Gojira, & cab driving, and tossing it all in.
   
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8:00 pm
$5

Performance | Comedy: The Ben Masten Farewell Roast


Tonight, they lovingly tear Ben Masten a new one. Yes, one of the most beloved leaves New York in 2012 for the green hills of Austin, Texas. But not without sitting through an evening of jokes, bits, and good old-fashioned roasting at his expense. Watch as a cast of longtime performers, college friends, and family member get buzzed and tell Ben what they really think of him. Students, performers, and ex-girlfriends are encouraged to show up.
   
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8:00 pm
$5

Concert | Hegemony Brass Duo


With Trombone Professor Sean Reed and Trumpeter Michael Gurfield.
   
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8:00 pm
free, no reservation required

Dance Performance | New Dances: Edition 2011


Four world premiere commissions choreographed by Monica Bill Barnes, Alexander Ekman, Alex Ketley, and Pam Tanowitz.
   
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8:00 pm
Free...

Concert | The Art Mob, A Cappella Singers


Quirky a cappella singers once again dust off songs of days gone by while feeling totally secure that they will mostly be on pitch and usually remember the lyrics. They couldn’t do this without you! Well actually, they could, but it wouldn’t be nearly as much fun. Trust them. The Art Mob is: Brent Frederick (music director), Connie Beckley, Aldo Ceresa (on leave), Hannah Campbell, Gaynor Coté, Martin Donach, Frank Donno, Cheryl Morrison, Dean Rainey, Dan Rosenbaum, Ruby McNeil, Nancy Moore Simpson, Confidence Stimpson, Jared Stamm, Kirsten Skrinde, and Vicki Watson. Each performance concludes with a sing-along of favorite holiday carols.
   
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8:00 pm
Free

Concert | Student Recital - Ashley Jackson, Harp


   
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8:30 pm
free, no reservation required

Concert | Student Recital - Yvonne Chen, Piano


   
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8:30 pm
free, no reservation required

Concert | Sam Kininger Band, Funk Outfit


Sam Kininger is a titan of the saxophone, having honed his chops as a member of funk collective and Blue Note recording group Soulive. His own band specializes in precise, rapid-fire funk rooted in telepathic ensemble playing and tasteful virtuosity, both of which can be heard on the group’s sophomore release Anthem.
   
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9:00 pm
No cover

Theater | Jason Grote's 1001, the Story of a Modern-Day Scheherazade


The cuckolded king Shahriyar marries a new bride every night and beheads her the next morning. As unrest spreads in the sultanate, the vizier’s daughter, Scheherazade, hatches a plan: She will offer herself as a bride and seduce the king with stories that leave him hanging on every word. Scheherazade weaves such tales as “Sinbad the Sailor” and “Aladdin and His Magic Lamp” with references to Borges and Flaubert and the story of Alan and Dahna, a Jewish man and an Arab woman who have fallen in love in modern-day New York City. Shahriyar becomes Alan and Scheherazade becomes Dahna as the worlds mingle and inform each other. Modern speech invades the fantasy tales, and swords and genii appear in the 21st century, in a dance of cultures and people who are forever intertwined.
   
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9:30 pm
Free

Performance | Comedy: Overload the Machine


Overload The Machine is an onslaught of rapid-fire character comedy aimed directly at your face. Featuring NYC’s top comedians and hosted by Rob Stern.
   
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10:00 pm
$5

Concert | Precollege Youth Chorus


   
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11:30 pm
free, no reservation required
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Complimentary Tickets

to shows, concerts ... (CFT Deals!)

Classical Music | Holiday Concert at a Landmark Venue

Regular Price: $40
CFT Member Price: $0.00

Dance Performance | "Astonishing" Choreographer

Regular Price: $54
CFT Member Price: $0.00

Performance | Mysticism and Music from Broadway Creators

Regular Price: $55
CFT Member Price: $0.00

Performance | Comedy by 13-time Emmy Winner with Broadway Actors

Regular Price: $69
CFT Member Price: $0.00