A busy time of year gets even busier this week with 25 must-see or must-do events in Queens. Famous musicians, historic houses, and local writers mix with gingerbread, holiday concerts, shopping, and workshops.
Dec. 6, The Legendary Wendell Brunious, 4 pm. An afternoon with a trumpeter and vocalist who’s known for his smooth interpretations of ballads and his distinctive “Brunious Sound.” Louis Armstrong House Museum Jazz Room, 34-56 107th St., Corona.
Dec. 6, See It Big: Let It Snow, Jan. 24, 2025. This annual program shows 14 classic films that capture the magic of winter on the big screen. Watch everything from cozy holiday settings to forbidding snowy landscapes. Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria’s Kaufman Arts Studios.
Dec. 6, Free First Friday, 11 am. On the first Friday of every month, admission is free. (Reservations are recommended.) The Noguchi Museum, 09-01 33rd Rd., Long Island City.
Dec. 7, Bria Skonberg: Jingle Bell Swing, 8 pm. Multiple award-winning trumpeter Bria Skonberg uses her brass and sass to do her versions of such classics as “Let It Snow” and “What Child Is This.” Queens College, LeFrak Concert Hall, 153-49 Reeves Ave., Flushing.
Dec. 7, Global Mashup: Futuristic Arabic Folk Meets Latin Boogaloo, 7 pm. Taktouka Band brings the Arabic Folk, blending traditional melodies with contemporary flair. Spanglish Fly serves up a lively mix of Latin Boogaloo, creating a party atmosphere that’s impossible to resist. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd.
Dec. 7, Álvaro Urbano: TABLEAU VIVANT, 2 pm. In this exhibition, Álvaro Urbano focuses on a potential ruin — or a ruin-in-progress — called: “Atrium Furnishment,” a public artwork from 1984–85 by American sculptor Scott Burton (1939–1989) that was rescued from destruction and now faces an uncertain future. SculptureCenter, 44–19 Purves St., Long Island City.
Dec. 7, Clara’s Dream, Three Shows. Dance Matters NYC presents a magical journey through young Clara’s eyes. Dive into her dreams, filled with dance, suspense, and beauty. Shows are 10 am, 1:30 pm, and 5:30 pm. Queens Theatre, 14 United Nations Ave. S., Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
Dec. 7, Native American Market + Social, noon. This five-hour event features artwork, dancing, drumming, singing, shared stories, and community building along with refreshments by Deana Smith’s Party Perfectionists. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd.
Dec. 7, Aromatherapy with Annie, noon. Explore ways to benefit body and mind with Certified Aromatherapist Annie Mascia. Participants learn what it takes to make an effective essential oil blend. Alley Pond Environmental Center, 229-10 Northern Blvd., Douglaston.
Dec. 7, Celebrate Culture, Heritage, and Joy, 5:30 pm (concert at 7 pm). Braata Productions presents six live performances, vendors, a Junkanoo Parade, a family portrait station, and a Christmas-themed Caribbean cultural exhibition. Merrick Academy Charter School, 136-25 218th St., Springfield Gardens.
Dec. 7, Annual Holiday Concert & Children’s Book Drive, 4 pm. Traditional, Tropical, and International musical selections including the Hawaiian Christmas Song, Sleigh Ride, Feliz Navidad, Hannukah in Santa Monica, Carol of the Bells, and a German Christmas. Maple Grove Cemetery, 127-15 Kew Gardens Rd.
Dec. 7, Wreath-Making Workshop, Dec. 8. Guests create and take home their own handmade wreaths. Two sessions per day at 10 am and 1 pm. Repeats on Dec. 14-15. Queens County Farm Museum, 73-50 Little Neck Parkway, Floral Park.
Dec. 7, A Taste of Home: Queens Memoirists on Food and Culture, 2 pm. An afternoon of storytelling, food, and music with Queens writers and artists along with a performance by Guachinangos, a Queens-based band that blends Son Jarocho, Cumbia, and other Latin American rhythms. Lewis Latimer House Museum, 34-41 137th St., Flushing.
Dec. 7, An 18th Century Kerchief, 1 pm. Make an 18th century kerchief with artist and historian Cheyney McKnight of Not Your Momma’s History. King Manor Museum, 150-03 Jamaica Ave.
Dec. 7, Hands-on-History: Pickles Then and Now, 1 pm. Make and sample pickles (vegetarian). Free, but please RSVP. King Manor Museum, 150-03 Jamaica Ave.
Dec. 8, Historic Holiday House Tour, noon. Hosted by the Queens Historical Society and ConEdison, this 37th annual event encourages guests to visit five appropriately decorated venues — Bowne House, Kingsland Homestead, Lewis Latimer House Museum, Quaker Meeting House, and Voelker Orth Museum — to partake in holiday activities and refreshments.
Dec. 8, Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! The Musical!, 1 pm + 4 pm. TheaterWorks USA presents this adaptation of a children’s book about a bus driver who has a crisis that threatens to make her passengers late. Maybe a wily bird can help. (The 4 pm show has sign language.) Queens Theatre, 14 United Nations Ave. S., Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
Dec. 8, Penny Local, Dec. 9. Stage readings of a play set in Sunnyside, where the playwright lives. The plot follows a diverse group of lifelong residents who face the neighborhood’s transformation. They grapple with memories of a vibrant past while confronting the uncertainties of an evolving future. Showtimes are Dec. 8 at 2 pm at All Saints Episcopal Church, 43-12 46th St.; and Dec. 8 at 7 pm and Dec. 9 at 7 pm at Maggie Mae’s Bar, 41-15 Queens Blvd.
Dec. 8, Open Sew at the BHS Castle, 1 pm. Do you quilt, sew or embroider? Join other sewing enthusiasts at the Bayside Historical Society Castle in an afternoon of creating and socializing. The Castle, 208 Totten Ave., Bayside.
Dec. 8, Lino Print Holiday Card Making Workshop, 10 am. Artist Chemin Hsiao leads this workshop on the basics of block printing and creating a linoleum cut to print a design onto paper. Queens Botanical Garden, 43-50 Main St., Flushing.
Dec. 9, Gingerbread House Decorating, Dec. 13. Decorate a gingerbread house in the festive and decorated barn, drink hot cocoa, listen to festive music, and do small holiday crafts. Daily from 3 pm to 5 pm. Queens County Farm Museum, 73-50 Little Neck Parkway, Glen Oaks.
Dec. 11, Community Singers of Queens Winter Concert, 7:30 pm. The Bayside Historical Society hosts a night of Classical, Spiritual, Jazz, and Pop music. Plus, the audience can participate in a sing-along. The Castle, 208 Totten Ave., Bayside.
Dec. 11, Enduring Creativity: Vitality Pop Up Exhibition, 10 am. Celebrate the creative achievements of participants from the Queens Museum’s Fall workshops, Exploring Our Origins (Rag Doll Making) and Introduction to Fiber Arts. Queens Museum, NYC Building, Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
Dec. 12, Thursday Night Jazz: Melissa Aldana, 8 pm. This Chilean saxophonist has one Grammy nomination and a strong reputation for her deeply meditative interpretation of language and vocabulary. $10. Jamaica Performing Arts Center, 153-10 Jamaica Ave.
Dec. 12, Presents JOY: Dances for Midwinter, Dec. 13. The Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble presents a program of soaring dances that manifest joy in deep and nuanced ways. The choreography comes from three traditions of modern dance. Shows at 7:30 pm. Stone Circle Theatre, 59-14 70th Ave., Ridgewood.
Dec. 12, Tess Dworman: Everything Must Go, Dec. 14. This dance theater work emerges from satirical questioning into the consumption of experimental performance. It examines ways in which capitalism provokes a savior complex in artists, urging them to demonstrate goodness amid crises. Nightly shows at 7 pm. The Chocolate Factory Theater, 38-33 24th St., Long Island City.
Top image: Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! The Musical! is at Queens Theatre;
bottom image: The Sokolow Theatre/Dance Ensemble Presents JOY: Dances for Midwinter at the Stone Circle Theatre