You'd think that in New York City, every holiday weekend must be jam-packed with things to do. Weirdly enough, this Thanksgiving weekend was not the case.
Maybe enough people are out of town or in a bunker, attempting to avoid the parade but seriously, not a lot going on ATM.
However, we still rounded up some things to fill your weekend, especially if you're taking Thanksgiving on this year New Yorker style– meaning alone.
Let's just all agree that it's not a good idea to sit at home and spend three months of rent on a bunch of Best Buy door busters, yeah? Get outside.
We'll see you next week, when the annual Christmas-apocalypse officially begins.
Thursday, November 24th
1. Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
It's a New Yorker rite of passage to watch the Thanksgiving parade and while many of us would rather watch it on TV, there's something about seeing it all in person.
This year is the 90th annual parade; it's as good of a time as any to go see the enormous balloons, floats, marching bands, and clowns.
[anad]
Okay, the clowns aren't a fantastic selling point but Fitz and the Tantrums is one of the performing groups!
Would you rather be as far away as possible? We got you covered, too.
2. 4th Annual Orphans' Thanksgiving
Nowhere to go this Thanksgiving? Greenpoint Beer and Ale's got you covered.
For $60, you'll get all the dinner you can eat and all the beer and wine you can drink– they also serve desert potluck style, so bring your favorite! Children under 12 eat for free. Also, $10 from every ticket will be donated to The Greenpoint Soup Kitchen.
After dinner, they'll be screening Scorsese's The Last Waltz at 8 pm so that you can bask in your food coma in peace.
The doors open at 5 p.m. and you can purchase a ticket here.
Here's another orphan option for Manhattanites.
The Hope Hill Church community is made up of NY natives, transplants, and everyone in between– they don't want anyone to have nowhere to go on the holiday. They'll be hosting Thanksgiving dinner at the Lynn Redgrave Theater on Bleecker.
They'll be serving dinner potluck style from 1:30 p.m. until 5 p.m. so you can bring a side-dish, dessert, salad, or something like that to share with everyone. They will be providing turkey, gravy, and stuffing. This community event is free but you can register here.
Friday, November 25th
4. Black Friday Blackout Festival/Food Drive
Stick it to the man (the man being Walmart) and join this Brooklyn celebration filled with local vendors, food, drinks, music, and dancing. They'll be at Arrogant Swine on Morgan Avenue starting Friday at 1 p.m. until Saturday at 4 a.m.
On both days, there will also be an open mic hosted from 1 p.m. until 5 p.m. and headliners will be performing from 6 p.m. until 4 a.m.
There's no cover charge but they are hosting a canned food drive, so each guest should bring at least one (non-expired, don't be a d*ck) canned food item to donate. This party's also 21+ so bring ID.
5. Black Friday Midnight Brunch
After a day of fighting out of town suburban moms at Macy's, if that's your thing, burn off the adrenaline at this dope midnight brunch.
They doors open at 8 p.m. and they'll be serving up eggs, bacon, chicken & waffles, french toast, turkey links, and more. They're also offering $40 bottomless brunch and 2 hours of unlimited bellinis and mimosas.
There will also be DJ sets playing music. They'll be at Suite 36 in Midtown. Get your tickets here.
Head to Videology Bar & Cinema for a screening of Sofia Coppola's 2003 film Lost in Translation starring Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson with a glass of Suntory Whisky on the rocks.
There are two showings, one at 7 p.m. and one at 9:30 p.m. You can purchase a ticket here.
Saturday, November 26th
7. Wafel Tour
If you've never tasted Wafels & Dinges waffles, we don't really know what you're doing with your life. Get your priorities in order, dude.
Anyway, if you're as obsessed with these street carts as we are, you should be interested in this tour of the Dinges Factory in Brooklyn. You'll get an inside look of their headquarters and how the dough is made from scratch. Of course, there will also be samples.
Get your tickets here.
8. We Survived Thanksgiving Party
Assuming you actually did survive Thanksgiving, give yourself a pat on the back. We don't know if Thanksgiving was easy for anyone this year.
HandCraft Kitchen & Cocktails is hosting a party to celebrate– everyone's first drink is free, it's a craft bar, and in case you've already woken up from your food coma, HandCraft is offering their full food menu. There will also be DJs and dancing so you can work off some of those calories.
Advance tickets are required and you can get them here.
Sunday, November 27th
We get if you had to rest through the first half of the weekend, but don't let the holiday go by without partying it up at least once, particularly this Sunday at Le Reve.
For $40, you'll get unlimited mimosas, bellinis, or sangria with a salad and entree. They'll be serving Jerk Fried Chicken, Shrimp & Parmesan Grits, Chipotle Steak Frites with Truffle Sweet Potato Fries, and Salmon Croquettes. Say no to two weeks of turkey leftovers.
They'll also have flavored hookah with free refills and music by NYC's top rotating DJ's spinning Top 40, hip hop, R&B, caribbean, alternative, and EDM tracks.
No cover (w00t w00t) but register here.
Okay, it's officially, officially time to stop putting off holiday gifts. Lucky for you, this is the first Sunday that the Grand Bazaar will be open (if you don't make it this weekend, you can go on December 4th, 11th, or 18th as well).
Expore NYC's largest curated weekly market featuring 100 amazing merchants selling everything from antiques, vintage, art, handmade jewelry and furniture, and some yummy artisanal foods.
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The Grand Bazaar is at 100 West 77th Street and will be open from 10 a.m. until 5:30 p.m.
11. Mashfest Astoria Game Night
This will be Mashfest's debut game night in Astoria, they'll be setting up Mario Kart 8, Super Mario Maker, Tetris, Dr. Mario, Duper Bomberman, Super Puzzle Fighter, Mortal Kombat X, and more.
They're specific about a few rules– don't be a creep because this isn't supposed to be a gamer hookup spot, they want all attendees to be comfortable and will be kicking out d*cks on the spot. Also, if you get 5 wins in a row, you have to let someone else play anyway because we're not 12.
Admission is 21+ only and your $5 ticket includes one $5 drink ticket. They'll be at Sek'end Sun from 8 p.m. until 11 p.m.
[Feature Image Courtesy Time Out]