BKLYNER Holiday Week Events Spotlight: December 19-26

The 8th Annual Latke Festival takes place Monday night at the Brooklyn Museum. (Photo via edible brooklyn / instagram)

The events surrounding the holiday week are full of Christmas joy and latkes. But don’t forget the Leonard Cohen tribute concert or the Dr. Who marathon. And a lot more.

8th Annual Latke Festival
When: Monday, December 19, 6pm-9pm
Where: Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway
What: The 8th Annual Latke Festival is a celebrated holiday food event featuring the best latkes and creative interpretations of a potato pancake in New York City. Now in its eighth year, we’re bringing the Latke Festival to the beautiful pavilion at the Brooklyn Museum. Join us and our panel of celebrity judges on December 19th to ring in the holidays, enjoy amazing food and drink, live DJ and music, and vote for the Best Latke in all of NYC!
How much: Ticket prices vary; available online.

A Night of Illusions: featuring Alfredo Colon’s Quartet and Daryl’s Trifecta
When: Tuesday, December 20, 7pm
Where: ShapeShifter Lab, 18 Whitwell Place (between 1st and Carroll Streets)
What: A Night of Illusions is set to entice and capture, with a set of modern and fresh sounds starting with the Colon-Mroz Quartet. Followed by a set to bring you to another dimension with a mixed of modern jazz/fusion with Daryl’s Trifecta.
How much: $10, at the door

Christmas Tree Lighting at Grand Army Plaza
When: Tuesday, December 20, 5:30pm
Where: Grand Army Plaza
What: A 25-foot Christmas tree and life-size Nativity scene will rest below the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Arc. Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio will bless the crèche during an interfaith ceremony.

21st Annual Solstice Celebration
When: Wednesday, December 21, 2pm-6pm
Where: Sunny’s Bar, 253 Conover Street (between Beard and Reed Streets), Red Hook
What: No cover, tipping appreciated.
How much: Delicious food and live music

Flatfoot Flatbush Festival
When: Wednesday, December 21, 4pm-9pm
Where: All along Flatbush Avenue and other venues. View details here.
What: A festive evening of fun and flatfooting as we parade Flatbush Avenue and stop by local business and share music and cheer!

Beauty at the Surface, Inc. Christmas Charity Concert
When: Wednesday, December 21, 1pm-4:30pm
Where: Freddy’s Bar and Backroom, 627 5th Avenue (between 17th and 18th Streets)
What: Beauty At The Surface In Honor Of Carol Lee Cephas, Inc. is a registered charitable organization. Through our Beauty Queen Program we help hundreds of women and girls each year who have been affected by domestic violence, bullying, social media abuse, illness, and trauma. The art and culture people in the community are coming together to help Beauty At The Surface, Inc. bring some holiday cheer to these amazing women who have had major difficulties in life. Jay from Lets Go web series, the conscious poet Kendra Konnekt, It’s Not A Joke comedian Joe Jenkins, YouTube sensation Handsome Balla and others came together to put on a Christmas Concert.

Soup Kitchen at Open Source Gallery
When: Thursday, December 22, 7pm
Where: Open Source Gallery, (306 17th Street at 6th Avenue)
What: Each year the Open Source Soup Kitchen brings together artists, cooks, friends, and neighbors for a month of cooking, eating, sharing and celebrating! For as many nights of the month as we have volunteers, we will provide the cookware and utensils–and our volunteer chef of the evening will be responsible for a “one-pot meal” (usually a soup or stew) that can feed approximately 15-20 people–we welcome all kinds of unique dishes from any ethnic tradition! The cook of the night is also responsible for incorporating an artistic element into the evening–it can be a one-night exhibit, musical performance, short play, or decoration of the gallery! This is a free event. If you would like to be a guest, stop by Open Source any night in December between 7:00pm and 9:00pm!
Sign up here.

An Even More Special Haunting Renditions Holiday Show
When: Thursday, December 22, 8:00pm, doors; 8:30pm, show
Where: The Bell House, 149 7th Street at 2nd Avenue
What: Based on his web series of the same name, HAUNTING RENDITIONS LIVE is what happens when Eliot Glazer, a classically trained vocalist-turned-comedian, takes some of pop music’s most infamous songs and turns them into highbrow, sweeping ballads. Like a twisted version of MTV Unplugged, Austin City Limits, or VH1 Storytellers, HAUNTING RENDITIONS LIVE is an intimate night of bad music made good.
How much: $15, tickets available online.

Hallelujah: The Songs of Leonard Cohen – A Tribute at Jalopy
When: Friday, December 23, 9pm
Where: Jalopy, 315 Columbia Street (Between Hamilton and Woodhull), Carroll Gardens
What: A celebration of the music of a giant, who sadly left us this year. All proceeds will go to charity. Confirmed talent includes… Robin Aigner, Jerie Choi, Naomi Frank, Willy Gantrim, The Berger Sisters, Joanna Sternberg, Chris Q Murphy, Feral Foster, Tamar Korn & more to be announced!
How much: $10, tickets available online.

Nightly Menorah Lighting at Grand Army Plaza
When: Nightly from Dec. 24-31 (check site for times)
Where: Grand Army Plaza
What: The premiere Largest Menorah lighting of Brooklyn has been happening every Chanukah for over 25 years. Each night of Chanukah enjoy live music, hot latkes, and gifts for the children.

Chanukah Extravaganza
When: Sunday, December 25, 10:30am-12:30pm
Where: Congregation B’nai Jacob, 401 9th Street (between 6th and 7th Avenues)
What: There’ll be fun for kids of all ages at this hands-on extravaganza featuring an DIY Olive Press Workshop, Donut Decorating, Chanukah Crafts, Story Reading, Face Painting and more.

Dr. Who Christmas Special Marathon
When: Sunday, December 25, 6:00pm
Where: The Way Station, 683 Washington Avenue (Between Prospect Place and St. Marks Avenue)
What: On top of a massive shot of Dr. Who, check out Nerdeoke at 9pm
How much: Free

All Day and All Night Screening of “It’s a Wonderful Life” by Donald O’Finn.
When: Sunday, December 25, all day.
Where: Freddy’s Bar and Backroom, 627 5th Avenue (between 17th and 18th Streets)

Elizabeth O’Reilly — Capturing A Moment, On The Canal And In The Night Sky
When: Through December 24. Thursday and Fridays, 3pm-7pm, Saturdays and Sundays, 11am-7pm
Where: Gowanus Souvenir Shop, 567 Union Street between Nevins Street and 3rd Avenue (note new location)
What: For this exhibition Elizabeth O’Reilly presents recent small paintings on aluminum featuring scenes along the Gowanus Canal. Having a studio on the Gowanus for twenty-four years O’Reilly continues to paint along the industrial ruins of the canal, re-visiting sites she previously painted but which have changed in the intervening years. At home in the abandoned precincts of the canal with its solidly geometric shapes, the artist welcomes the immediacy of the smooth surface of aluminum which lends itself to capturing a moment in time. The work captures those moments where we look at the sky or the murky water of the canal and stop for an instance, in awe of the light and the wonder of nature. Sites along the canal have been O’Reilly’s muse for more than two decades, from the sun-lit green hut on the Union St Bridge to the latticed overpass at the Smith & 9th St subway. These paintings, small in size, provide an intimate look at the area, combining the dominance of the man-made with the energy of the natural world, surging forth in wild bunches of weeds softening the vivid color of industry.
How much: Free, art available for purchase.

Deck the Walls: Gifts by Artists
When: Opening on Thursday, December 8, 6pm-9pm and on view through January 1, 2017
Where: Ground Floor Gallery, 343 5th Street near 5th Avenue
What: A holiday show of gifts, made by local artists.
How much: Handmade gifts, mostly under $100.

Downtown Brooklyn Legends Art Gallery
When: Through December 31, regular hours listed here.
Where: Brooklyn Historical Society, 128 Pierrepont Street at Clinton Street
What: They say you can’t know where you’re going unless you know where you’ve been. No matter the era, Downtown Brooklyn has always been at the center of Brooklyn’s renaissance, as it evolved from a turn-of-the-century shopping destination to a mecca for hip hop culture, and now, the most famous borough in the world. This Downtown Brooklyn Legends Popup Gallery helps to tell the rich history of the area in a way that speaks to people’s hearts as much as their minds. The hardworking Brooklynites of the past made this borough what it is today, and through the work of these 21 artists, we are telling key stories as Brooklyn speeds into the future. Brought to you by the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership in collaboration with Grumpy Bert Gallery and the Brooklyn Historical Society.
How much: Admission rates are listed here.

Wonderland, an exhibition
When: Through Friday, December 30. Special Gallery Hours: Mondays-Saturdays, 12pm-7pm; Sundays, 12pm-5pm
Where: The Invisible Dog, 51 Bergen Street, between Boerum Place and Smith Street
What: Wonderland brings together more than 20 of our favorite artists that you know and love, artists we’ve recently discovered.Much like the rabbit hole, there is no telling what you will discover—paintings, photographs, sculptures, and illustrations—but we are sure you’ll find something to take home with you.
How much: Free.

12th Annual Small Works Festival
When: Through Saturday, December 24. Thursdays and Fridays, 4:00-7:00pm; Saturdays and Sundays, 11:00am-7:00pm.
Where: 440 Gallery, 440 6th Avenue, between 9th and 10th Streets
What: 440 Gallery’s 12th annual Small Works Show, a national juried exhibition of 74 works, opens Thursday, December 1. This unthemed show–limited to works that measure 12 inches or less–generates a grand finale to a tumultuous year. Juror JoAnne McFarland has selected pieces that were submitted from Brooklyn artists as well as all over the country. A variety of media and styles is represented, including painting, photography, sculpture, collage and mixed media.
How much: Free.

Surrogate Skin: The Biology of Objects
When: Through February 26, 2017
Where: Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts, 80 Hanson Place, Fort Greene
What: Through the works of Doreen Garner and Keisha Scarville, Surrogate Skin: The Biology of Objects is an exposition on the consciousness of materials and how they bear the memory of lived experience. Recalling the medical exploitation of black women’s bodies through grotesque arrangements of silicone, pearls, hair weave, and surgical instruments, Doreen Garner simultaneously refuses and seduces the viewer’s curiosity, effectively returning their encroaching gaze. As a siren for perspectives of black women that have been historically excluded from a more celebratory narrative on scientific achievement, such as Henrietta Lacks, and Anarcha, Betsy, and Lucy, three of the only known slave women subject to unanesthetized surgeries performed by Dr. J. Marion Sims, Garner makes explicit the relationship between medical abuse and the socialization of black women.
How much: Adults – $8, Seniors (65+) – $4, Students (with valid ID) – $4, Children (under 12 ) – Free