News From The Queens Tourism Council
After a calm Christmas day, the Queens calendar heats up until New Year’s Eve with a national tennis tournament, Kwanzaa celebrations, arts-andcrafts workshops, and an open house at a farm.
There’s also a distinctly Queens version of The Nutcracker with salsa, hip hop, and belly dancing, plus great options to watch the ball drop. Here’s the rundown.
– Friday through Wednesday, Dec. 26-31, USTA National Open Indoor Championships, times vary. Top level competition with Men’s Singles and Doubles, Women’s Singles and Doubles and Mixed Doubles draws. Finals and Awards Brunch on Dec. 31 at 10 a.m. USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, www.tennislink.usta.com.
– Friday through Sunday, Dec. 26-28, Holiday Open House, noon to 4 p.m. Take tours of the decorated Adriance Farmhouse. Children can do craft activities and all visitors are invited to warm up with a cup of freshly mulled cider. Free. Queens County Farm Museum, 73-50 Little Neck Pkwy., Floral Park, www.queensfarm.org.
– Friday, Dec. 26, For Scentimental Reasons and Other Cartoons, 1 p.m. A matinee of cartoons by Chuck Jones of Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck fame. Here’s the lineup: Hair-Raising Hare (1946); For Scent-imental Reasons (1949); Duck Dodgers in the 24 1/2th Century (1953); From A to Z-Z-Z-Z (1954); Broom-Stick Bunny (1956); Ali Baba Bunny (1957); Robin Hood Daffy (1958); and Gee Whiz-z-z (1956). Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Ave., Kaufman Arts District, www.movingimage.us.
– Saturday, Dec. 27, “The Nutcracker” (Queens Version), 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Four local dance and performing art schools-Mestizo Art Center, Cali Salsa, EC Squared Studio, Urzua Queens Center of Performing Arts-unite to create a special version of this classic ballet. Expect salsa, belly dance, jazz, hula hoops, hip hop, and ballet. $20. Queens Theatre, 14 United Nations Ave. S., Flushing Meadows Corona Park, www.urzuaperformingarts.com.
– Saturday through Tuesday,, Dec. 27-30, Remake The Holidays, noon to 4 p.m. Bend, twist, light, sculpt, and animate a new version of the holiday season with workshops, demos, art installations, and more. Dec. 27: Plastic Projects. Dec. 28: Paper Projects. Dec. 29: Fabric and Sewing Projects. New York Hall of Science, 47-01 111th St., Corona, www.nysci.org.
– Saturday, Dec. 27, Kwanzaa 2014, 1 to 8 p.m. Free Zawadi (gifts), fruit, and African and Caribbean food. $5/adults; $1/children. Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning, 153-10 Jamaica Ave., Jamaica, 1-718-523-3312.
– Sunday, Dec. 28, Drop-In Family Workshop Tiffany Candle Lights, 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Children (ages 5-12) and their adult companions create Tiffany candle holders and design the outside with tissue collages inspired by the Tiffany Collections exhibit. Children with special needs are welcome. No fee or advance registration required. Queens Museum, New York City Building, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, www.queensmuseum.org.
– Sunday, Dec. 28, Hot Cocoa To Go Workshop, 10:30 a.m to 12:30 p.m. Explore a variety of spices and invent your own hot cocoa mix. Advance registration is recommended. $8 per family, plus admission. New York Hall of Science, 47-01 111th St., Corona, www.nysci.org.
– Tuesday, Dec. 30, Cocoa and Pomanders Get Together, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Make pomanders to take home. Decorate fruits with fragrant spices and beautiful ribbons. Enjoy hot cocoa afterward. $5 suggested donation. Voelker Orth Museum, 149-19 38th Ave., Flushing, www.vomuseum.org.
– Wednesday, Dec. 31, Bar 360 NYE, 8 p.m. until ? Countdown to 2015 with music by the party band 12X followed by DJ Fame Cohen. $25. Resorts World Casino NYC, 110-00 Rockaway Blvd., Jamaica, www.rwnewyork.com.
– Wednesday, Dec. 31, Harare 2015, 9 p.m. A celebration of the Kwanzaa tenets of Kuumba (creativity) and Imani (faith) featuring drinks, ancestral recognition, a lighting ceremony, drumming, and dancing. Free. Afrikan Poetry Theatre, 176-03 Jamaica Ave., Jamaica, www.afrikanpoetrytheatre.org.
– Wednesday, Dec. 31, New Year’s Eve Fashion Show & Dinner Party, 9 p.m. until ? Chinese models, live music, champagne, and a countdown. $75+. Sheraton LaGuardia East Hotel, 135-20 39th Ave., Flushing, www.sheratonlaguardiaeast.com/ new-years.
– Wednesday, Dec. 31, NYE at the Z, 5 p.m. until ? Eat, drink, and be merry at a brand new restaurant inside NYC’s best boutique hotel. $65 or $125 option. Villa Enrico at Z Hotel NYC, 11-01 43rd Ave., LIC, www.zhotelny.com.
– Bonus event: For the entire month of December, the Louis Armstrong House Museum features rare audio clips from Satchmo’s personal recordings. Listen to Louis’s magical voice reading Twas the Night Before Christmas and other seasonal favorites, such as Zat You Santa Claus, and Louis listening to Nat King Cole sing “All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth.” Free candy canes with admission. Museum is at 34-56 107th St., Corona, www.louisarmstronghouse.org.
The “It’s In Queens” column is produced by the Queens tourism Council with the hope that readers will enjoy the borough’s many attractions. More info available online at www.itsinqueens.com.
