Gothamist Winter Guide: 20 Ways To Have A Fantastic February - Photo Gallery

<br/><br/>The calendar keeps shedding pages, but 2016 is still young, and the city is buzzing with events guaranteed to obliterate any mid-winter doldrums. Look alive out there, because February is here and it demands we have a damn good time.

<br/><br/>As the month begins, align your chakras and awaken your eardrums at <strong><a href="http://www.verbotennewyork.com/events/culture/">Verboten's Wilkommen Deep House Yoga</a></strong>. A group of yogis spanning in experience from novice to malleable unite in the dark for one hour of meditation while DJs <a href="https://soundcloud.com/georgefaya">George Faya</a> and <a href="https://soundcloud.com/tashablank">Tasha Blank</a> play hypnotic electronica, laser lights and disco balls included. You've probably embarrassed yourself beneath this very disco ball before, so consider the chance to do yoga with strangers below it a form of spiritual healing. Sometimes the instructor even interrupts your Vinyasa flow mid-class for a dance circle akin to the Hora.<br/><br/>This #YogaRave may be for folks 21 and over, but no alcohol is served. Instead, you can borrow a fancy Lululemon mat, and purchase water (or coconut water, if you're into that).This event occurs twice weekly on Monday and Tuesday evenings through the month of February. <em>(Kellylouise Delaney)</em><br/><br/><em>Monday, February 1st, 7 p.m.-8 p.m. or 8:30-9:30 p.m. // <a href="http://www.verbotennewyork.com/">Verboten</a>, 54 North 11th Street Brooklyn, NY // <a href="http://www.verbotennewyork.com/event/1065957-willkommen-deep-house-yoga-brooklyn/">Tickets $20</a><em></em></em>

<br/><br/>Garrison Keillor, the upper Midwest's favorite public radio troubadour, has made <em>A Prairie Home Companion</em> his life's work, and week after week delivers songs and mostly-made-up tales of what life must be like in a quiet Minnesota lake town. But that's all coming to an end soon, and <strong><a href="http://www.92y.org/Event/Garrison-Keillor">Keillor will visit 92Y</a></strong> to talk about his deep ties to New York City and how the towering concrete canyons of Manhattan mean as much to him as amber waves of grain. You can bet there'll be songs and long-winded stories about his first visit here as a boy, his first publication in <em>The New Yorker</em>, and more.<br/><br/><em>Monday, February 1st, 8 p.m. // <a href="http://www.92y.org/">92Y</a>, 1395 Lexington Avenue, Manhattan // <a href="http://www.92y.org/Event/Garrison-Keillor">Tickets $34</a><em></em></em>

<br/><br/>Known for her finely-detailed and mystifying land art, <strong><a href="http://www.bronxmuseum.org/exhibitions/michelle-stuart-theatre-of-memory-photographic-works">Michelle Stuart will unveil <em>Theatre of Memory</em>, a new exhibition of photographs at the Bronx Museum</a></strong> this month. Patterns, weathered detail, and the earth's natural grit have long been integral parts of Stuart's work, and in a new series of still lifes shot specifically for the museum show, her inner world will be put on display for the world to see. You'll also get the chance to see works from Stuart's 1980s <em>Codex</em> series, which include squares of earth accompanied by photographs of the land from whence they came.<br/><br/><em>Opens Wednesday, February 3rd, 11 a.m. // <a href="http://www.bronxmuseum.org/">The Bronx Museum</a>, 1040 Grand Concourse, the Bronx // <a href="http://www.bronxmuseum.org/exhibitions/michelle-stuart-theatre-of-memory-photographic-works">Free admission</a><em></em></em>

<br/><br/>Sound, space, and skyscrapers collide in <strong><a href="http://www.newmuseum.org/exhibitions/view/anri-sala">Anri Sala: Answer Me</a></strong>, the New Museum's latest exhibition. The Albanian-born Sala often works through the medium of video, capturing musicians in the midst of harrowing performances that connect deeply with cities' architecture, sprawl, and decay. See footage of organ grinders traipsing down empty streets and take in live saxophone improvisations. Get ready for abstract multi-channel video pieces that contort and rearrange classical music. Sala's art aims to trigger your memory, hopes, and fears. The idea here is to not just echo, but <em>resonate</em> with the world. <br/><br/><em>Opens Wednesday, February 3rd, 11 a.m. // <a href="http://www.newmuseum.org/">New Museum</a>, 235 Bowery, Manhattan // <a href="http://www.newmuseum.org/exhibitions/view/anri-sala">Admission $16</a><em></em></em>

<br/><br/>We all die one day, so when you get the chance to drink and dance to hip-hop in a massive glowing cube, <em>you do it</em>. Life is short, but <strong><a href="http://www.amnh.org/plan-your-visit/one-step-beyond/one-step-beyond-with-dj-spinna-and-rich-medina?utm_source=social-media&amp;utm_medium=facebook&amp;utm_term=20160115-fri&amp;utm_campaign=osb">The American Museum of Natural History is hosting DJ Spinna and Rich Medina</a></strong> for a party at the Rose Center, Cosmic Pathway, and Hayden Big Bang Theater that ought to feel like heaven itself, what with the otherworldly shapes, bright neon lights and shooting stars. Plus, there'll be beats. Spinna and Medina are two of the East Coast's hardest-working and most knowledgable DJs and have worked with the likes of Questlove, Q-Tip, J Dilla, and more. Be assured, they know exactly how to turn the party out. <br/><br/><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9kbRHUYg42U?rel=0" width="640"></iframe><br/><br/><em>Friday, February 5th, 9 p.m. // AMNH, Central Park West at 79th Street, Manhattan // <a href="http://www.amnh.org/plan-your-visit/one-step-beyond/one-step-beyond-with-dj-spinna-and-rich-medina?utm_source=social-media&amp;utm_medium=facebook&amp;utm_term=20160115-fri&amp;utm_campaign=osb">Tickets $25</a><em></em></em>

<br/><br/>Smart and devilishly cool, the films of Michael Mann are a testament to urban grit. From his lower-budget '80s work to high-profile thrillers like <em>Heat</em>, the modern noir specialist has always found a way to blend style with substance (and explosions). BAM Cinematek will host strong <a href="http://www.bam.org/film/2016/michael-mann">Heat and Vice</a>, a retrospective of Mann's works showing everything from 1986's <em>Band of the Hand</em> to <em>Thief</em>, <em>Heat</em>, and...yes...that <em>Miami Vice</em> remake. <a href="http://www.bam.org/talks/2016/michael-mann">Mann himself will stop by BAM</a> for a conversation on February 11th, so you'll get the chance to ask him what exactly compelled him to make that last one.<br/><br/><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="480" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9kh62x1bbnc?rel=0" width="640"></iframe><br/><br/><em>Runs February 5-16; showtimes vary // <a href="http://www.bam.org/visit#/Peter-Jay-Sharp-Building/BAM-Rose-Cinemas/Thief">BAM Peter Jay Sharp Building</a>, 30 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn // <a href="http://www.bam.org/film/2016/michael-mann">Tickets $7-14</a><em></em></em>

<br/><br/>One of the most popular MoMA exhibits in recent memory, <strong><a href="http://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/1505">Picasso Sculpture</a></strong> is coming to an end this month, and if you haven't <a href="http://gothamist.com/2015/09/09/moma_picasso_sculpture.php">already gotten a glimpse of it yourself</a>, now's the time. Dozens of works wrought from bronze, found objects, and scrap pieces of lumber were used by the legendary artist to create three-dimensional passion projects. Picasso was never formally trained as a sculptor and the works on display at MoMA have a highly experimental quality. There are as many imperfections and half-baked ideas here as there are strokes of genius, but it's all going back into storage soon, so you'd better get there fast.<br/><br/><em>Ends Sunday, February 7th // MoMA, 11 West 53rd Street, Manhattan // <a href="http://www.moma.org/calendar/exhibitions/1505">Admission$14-25</a><em></em></em>

<br/><br/>The only thing better than lighting a fuse is watching what comes next. At this year's <strong><a href="http://betterchinatown.com/upcoming-events/">Chinese New Year Firecracker Ceremony</a></strong>, your eyes and eardrums will be treated to a miscellany of colors and exploding firecrackers as Sarah D. Roosevelt Park welcomes in the year of the Red Monkey. There'll be lion dancing, drumming, games, and plenty of food. Then, on February 14th, come back for <a href="http://betterchinatown.com/upcoming-events/">a parade through Chinatown</a>.<br/><br/><em>Monday, February 8th, 11 a.m. // Sara D. Roosevelt Park by Grand Street between Chrystie and Forsyth Streets, Manhattan // <a href="http://betterchinatown.com/upcoming-events/">Free</a><em></em></em>

<br/><br/>Michael Frayn's ingenious farce-within-a-farce <em>Noises Off</em> is back on Broadway in all its door-slamming glory. If you're unfamiliar with the play's premise, stop reading and just get tickets; you don't need to know anything more than these two words: Andrea Martin, who <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/15/theater/review-michael-frayns-noises-off-returns-to-broadway.html">the Times aptly describes</a> as "glorious" in their rave review of the show. To be sure, the entire ensemble is excellent (Campbell Scott, for starters, is at his most delightfully exasperated) but Martin's performance as Dotty, the bumbling actress playing a confused maid, is arguably the most side-splitting. <br/><br/>Act one immerses us in the middle of a confused dress rehearsal for a creaky old farce performed in the English provinces; followed by a second act performance of that same first act, but seen from backstage; then, months later, that disastrous first act as seen from the audience's perspective, at the end of the run. By that point the slapstick and triple-layer farce have spiraled into utter delirium, which happens to be a very funny place to be. <em>(John Del Signore)</em><br/><br/><em>Through March 13th // American Airlines Theater // <a href="http://www.roundabouttheatre.org/Shows-Events/Noises-Off.aspx">Tickets</a><em></em></em>

<br/><br/>From <a href="http://gothamist.com/2015/01/15/1980s_nyc_subway_photos.php#photo-10">bombed-out subway cars</a> to <a href="http://gothamist.com/2013/11/01/banksy_retrospective_all_31_pieces.php#photo-1">Banksy residencies</a>, New York City and street art are one and the same; you can't have one without the other. The Museum of the City of New York will celebrate that connection with <strong><a href="http://www.mcny.org/event/urban-art-legends">Urban Art Legends</a></strong>, a conversation between renowned artists <a href="http://www.webgallerynyc.com/daze.html">DAZE</a>, <a href="http://cargocollective.com/Alanket">Alan KET</a> and <a href="http://www.theartofnickwalker.com/">Nick Walker</a>. The event also functions as a book launch of sorts for KET's <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Urban-Art-Legends-Alan-Ket/dp/1910552054">new print volume</a> of the same name. The plan is to discuss the legacy of graffiti, from its classical art inspirations to its current popularity across social media. It's bound to be educational in a subversive sort of way, so be sure to bring along a pen. It's hard to write down notes with a spray can.<br/><br/><em>Tuesday, February 9th, 6:30 p.m. // <a href="http://www.mcny.org/">MCNY</a>, 1220 5th Ave // <a href="http://www.mcny.org/event/urban-art-legends">Tickets $35 (includes signed book)</a><em></em></em>

<br/><br/>For 18 years now, a tiny theater collective named <a href="http://www.radiohole.com/">Radiohole</a> has been crafting messy, electrifying, unclassifiable performance pieces that prove how entertaining the avant-garde can be when it doesn't take itself seriously. We haven't heard from them since their last opus, a marvelous riff on Mary Shelley's <em>Frankenstein</em> <a href="http://gothamist.com/2013/01/15/radiohole_inflatable_frankenstein.php#photo-1">staged at The Kitchen in 2013</a>, so it is with great anticipation that we mark our calendars for February 11th, when the troupe takes over The Performing Garage in SoHo for a brief four-night run of <em>Tarzana</em>, a collaboration with award-winning playwright and screenwriter Jason Grote ('Mad Men'). It's described as "surreal mayhem" in "a hand-drawn landscape following the misadventures of a guilt-ridden Superman, Two Non Blondes and architect of the Terror, Robespierre." Just look at that photo and get tickets; it's only $15 for "splash zone" seating!<br/><br/><em>Thursday, February 11th through February 14th // The Performing Garage, 33 Wooster Street // <a href="http://theperforminggarage.org/events/radiohole-2/">Tickets</a></em>

<br/><br/>Hating on Valentine's Day is <em>so in</em> these days, and rightly so. It's a fabricated corporate holiday/sham perpetuated up by Hallmark, Russell Stover, and Reese Witherspoon's back catalog. And why get Witherspooned when you can get wither-<em>weird</em>? Spend your night at <strong><a href="http://www.eventbrite.com/e/lust-tickets-20826816569">House of Yes's LUST</a></strong>, an evening of dinner, interactive art, and aerial performances that encourages you to "lock away your decency and throw away the key." The Bushwick DIY masterminds will happily tantalize you with fire performances, Cuban jazz, hot wax play, and a little rope bondage. There's a strongly-encouraged Bacchanalian dress code in effect and it'll all end with a dance party. If this is how House of Yes <a href="http://gothamist.com/2015/12/12/photos_pasties_acrobatics_pizza_rat.php">handles Christmas</a>, imagine what they'll do come V-day.<br/><br/><em>Sunday, February 14th, 7 p.m. - 2 a.m. // <a href="http://houseofyes.org/">House of Yes</a>, 2 Wyckoff Avenue, Brooklyn // <a href="http://yeslust.eventbrite.com/">Tickets $81-201</a><em></em></em>

<br/><br/>Mystery beer! You know you want it, and the <strong><a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mystery-bottle-share-at-kelso-tap-room-tickets-19827781428?aff=ebrowse">Bottle Share at KelSo's tap room</a></strong> has it, a night of fermented surprises that encourages imbibers to test their tasting skills. If you guess the variety of the unlabeled mystery bottles, you'll enjoy discounted prices all evening. DJs will be spinning classic rock and soul on vinyl, and what's more, guests are invited to bring their own bottles of homemade brew, which KelSo's staff will gladly sample and (constructively) critique. This means the night could very easily turn into one big boozy conspiracy of X-Files proportions. The truth is out there, and so is the beer.<br/><br/><em>Thursday, February 18th, 5-7 p.m. // <a href="http://kelsobeer.com/">KelSo Tap Room</a>, 529 Waverly Avenue Brooklyn // <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mystery-bottle-share-at-kelso-tap-room-tickets-19827781428?aff=ebrowse">Free</a><em></em></em>

<br/><br/>Bushwick's new cinema/eatery/bar <strong><a href="http://syndicatedbk.com/february-calendar/">Syndicated will launch into full-on Oscar mode</a></strong> this month with programming designed to bring you up to speed before the big, dumb night. Feature-length shows are only $3 each, and on nights that screen all the nominees for best Animated and Live Action Shorts, you'll <em>still</em> be getting a bargain at $8. And while you might already be aching to slam rail whiskeys to <em>Mad Max: Fury Road</em>, be sure to catch <em><a href="http://www.stuttererfilm.com/">Stutterer</a></em>, Benjamin Cleary's heart-wrenching short film.<br/><br/><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" mozallowfullscreen="" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/118746312" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="640"></iframe><br/><br/><em>Oscar films run Friday-Saturday, February 19-27th; showtimes vary // <a href="http://syndicatedbk.com/">Syndicated</a>, 40 Bogart Street, Brooklyn // Feature screenings $3 at the bar; <a href="http://syndicatedbk.com/february-calendar/">Oscar Shorts screenings $8</a><em></em></em>

<br/><br/>Do you love yourself? Do you seek happiness in life? Well then stop torturing your body with second-rate hummus. Elevate your chickpea consciousness at <strong><a href="http://emanuelskirballnyc.org/events/all-about-hummus/">All About Hummus</a></strong>, a delicious education hour hosted by the Temple Emanu-El Skirball Center. The night promises to not shy away from the debate of who makes the best hummus (Jews? Gentiles?) and will feature three hummus pros discussing the massive explosion in popularity that the Middle Eastern mezze staple has seen in recent years. And of course there'll be tastings aplenty.<br/><br/><em>Sunday, February 21st, 10:30 a.m. // <a href="http://emanuelskirballnyc.org/">The Temple Emanu-El Skirball Center</a>, 1 East 65th Street, Manhattan // <a href="https://emanuelskirballnyc.ticketleap.com/all-about-hummus/dates/Feb-21-2016_at_1030AM">Tickets $45</a><em></em></em>

<br/><br/>Have you ever experienced cased meat nirvana? Well, true frankfurter euphoria comes at the bargain price of $15 during <strong><a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/copenhagen-street-dog-winter-hot-dog-championship-tickets-20674870093">Jimmy's No. 43's 2nd Annual Hot Dog Championship</a></strong> on Sunday, February 21st. Weiner-and-bun-lovers will be granted access to craft beers and gourmet dogs all afternoon thanks to <a href="http://revolvingdansk.com/">Copenhagen Street Dog</a>, a Danish company who claims to be elevating the hot dog to prosciutto-like levels of finery. <br/><br/>A ticket will get you three gourmet dog creations, unlimited classic <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%C3%B8d_p%C3%B8lse">rod polse</a>, some raffle tickets, and voting rights in the election of the true hot dog champion (you can even <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/100767740308657/">suggest your own recipe</a>). Winner takes home a pig trophy, naturally. <em>(Kellylouise Delaney)</em><br/><br/><em>Sunday, February 21st, 1-4 p.m. // <a href="http://jimmysno43.com/">Jimmy's No. 43</a>, 43 East 7th Street, Manhattan // <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/copenhagen-street-dog-winter-hot-dog-championship-tickets-20674870093">Tickets $15</a><em></em></em>

<br/><br/>The best daytime party in NYC, <strong><a href="http://www.residentadvisor.net/event.aspx?786726">Mister Sunday</a></strong>, is back at Brooklyn's DIY venue Shea Stadium. Come out for disco grooves and lighthearted house music spanning across a range of decades and body-moving tempos. DJ duo Misters <a href="https://soundcloud.com/eamonharkin">Eamon Harkin</a> and <a href="https://soundcloud.com/platform/justin-carter-mr-saturday">Justin Carter</a> share a very "particular musical vision" (translation: NO REQUESTS), and are on a self-described mission to curate a unique party experience. For a sense of the vibe, one may peruse <a href="http://mistersaturdaynight.com/2012/01/the-mister-rules/">The Mister Rules</a> on the event's official website... they pretty much boil down to "be cool and don't act a fool."<br/><br/>In warmer seasons, the Misters host an outdoor edition of this party with dogs and hula-hoopers, but for the time and temperature being, Mister Sunday indoors is where it's at. Plus, It's the perfect opportunity to dance off any lingering post V-Day woes and bid your Seasonal Affective Disorder goodbye. <em>(Kellylouise Delaney)</em><br/><br/><iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/149084930&amp;color=ff5500&amp;auto_play=false&amp;hide_related=false&amp;show_comments=true&amp;show_user=true&amp;show_reposts=false" width="100%"></iframe><br/><br/><em>Saturday, February 21st, 3-9 p.m. // <a href="http://liveatsheastadium.com/">Shea Stadium</a>, 20 Meadow Street, Brooklyn // <a href="http://www.residentadvisor.net/event.aspx?786726">Tickets $2</a>0<em></em></em>

<br/><br/>Built of dense orchestral layers, Julia Holter's music is some of the most exciting material that indie folk has to offer these days. The immediacy of Sharon Van Etten and multi-part filigrees of Sufjan Stevens meet and mix perfectly in her songs, and at the end of the month <strong><a href="http://www.boweryballroom.com/event/1010229-julia-holter-new-york">Holter will play Bowery Ballroom</a></strong> with support from harpist <a href="http://marylattimoreharpist.tumblr.com/">Mary Lattimore</a>. With her <em>Have You In My Wilderness</em> LP still hovering in the headphones of romantics everywhere, count on this show to bring back memories you thought you'd locked away (or lost) forever.<br/><br/><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Sr2GYsynCFg?rel=0" width="640"></iframe><br/><br/><em>Tuesday, February 23rd, 8 p.m. // Bowery Ballroom, 6 Delancey Street, Manhattan // <a href="http://www.boweryballroom.com/event/1010229-julia-holter-new-york">Tickets $15</a><em></em></em>

<br/><br/>Remind yourself of what's real and what's not at the <strong><a href="https://www.showclix.com/event/feb252016-MSG">Masters of Social Gastronomy's night of artificial foods</a></strong>, a conversation of imitation creation and its mastication. Self-proclaimed "historic gastronomist" <a href="http://www.fourpoundsflour.com/about/">Sarah Lohman</a> will trace the legacy of artificial foods all the way back to medieval times, when something called a "meat pitcher" was deemed fit for human consumption. Along the way there'll be talk of flavor chemistry, fake coloring, a "Poison Squad" and the deep, chewy secrets of Juicy Fruit gum, which start off strong but lose all flavor after just five minutes.<br/><br/><em>Thursday, February 25th, 6:30 p.m. // <a href="http://www.mofad.org/">MOFAD Lab</a>, 62 Bayard Street, Brooklyn // <a href="https://www.showclix.com/event/feb252016-MSG">Tickets $12</a><em></em></em>

<br/><br/>This year you've got a clear choice when it comes to the Oscars: you watch it at home, getting drunk and tweeting at strangers, <em>OR</em> you can <strong><a href="http://www.littlefieldnyc.com/event/1074755-skints-academy-awards-brooklyn/">watch the show at Littlefield</a></strong>, get drunk, and yell at strangers IRL. The choice is yours, but the Gowanus venue will be serving up free champagne and popcorn, themed drinks, and a photo booth, plus there'll be an actual red carpet if you feel the need to pose/selfie for the camera. Last, you'll be able to cast your own ballots for who should win; we hear some very good films (and a lot of white people) are nominated.<br/><br/><em>Sunday, February 28th, 7 p.m. // <a href="http://www.littlefieldnyc.com/">Littlefield</a>, 622 Degraw Street, Brooklyn // <a href="http://www.littlefieldnyc.com/event/1074755-skints-academy-awards-brooklyn/">Free</a><em></em></em>