free things to do in New York City
Free events for Thursday, 12/20/12
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Free Events, Free Things to Do in New York City!  Read More

Are you looking for free things to do in New York City (NYC) on December 20, 2012?

34 free events take place on Thursday, December 20 in New York City. Don't miss the opportunities that only New York provides! Exciting, high quality, unique and off the beaten path free events and free things to do take place in New York today, tonight, tomorrow and each day of the year, any time of the day: whether it's a weekday or a weekend, day or night, morning or evening or afternoon, December or July, April or November! These events will take your breath away!

New York City (NYC) never ceases to amaze you with quantity and quality of its free culture and free entertainment. Check out December 20 and see for yourself. Summer or Winter, Spring or Fall! Just click on any day of the calendar above and you'll find most inspiring and entertaining free events to go to and free things to do on each day of December . Don't miss the opportunities that only New York provides!

Some events take place all year long: same day of the week, same time there are there for you to take advantage of. One of the oldest free weekly events in Manhattan is Dixieland Jazz with the Gotham Jazzmen, which happen at noon every Tuesday. Another example of an event that you can attend all year round on weekdays is Federal Reserve Bank Tour, which takes place every week day at 1 pm (but advanced reservations are required). You can take at least 13 free tours every day of the year, except the New Year Day, July 4th, and the Christmas Day. If you are classical music afficionado, you can spend whole day in New York going from one free classical concert to another. If you love theater, then New York gives you an option to attend plays and musicals free of charge, or at deep discount. You just need to have information about it. And we are here to make that information available to you.
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The quality and quantity of
free events,
free things to do
that happen in New York City
every day of the year
is truly amazing.

So don't miss the opportunities
that only New York provides:
stop wondering what to do;
start taking advantage of
free events to go to,
free things to do in NYC
today!

34 free things to do in New York City (NYC) on Thursday, December 20, 2012

All events are free unless otherwise noted.
        

Tour | Cathedral Tour


Explore the Cathedral's newly cleaned and restored Nave. Learn about the art, architecture and history of this great sacred space from 1892 to the present. Tour times: 11am & 1pm.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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11:00 am
$6

Film | Frank Capra's Oscar Nominee It's a Wonderful Life (1946): Holiday Classic


Starring James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore. An angel helps a compassionate but despairingly frustrated businessman by showing what life would have been like if he never existed. 129 min.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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11:00 am
Free

Tour | Federal Reserve Bank Tour


Learn about central banking functions that Federal Reserve System performs and see Bank's vault of international monetary gold on bedrock of Manhattan Island, five stories below street level. Learn why Federal Reserve has "Federal" in its name, while it's a private bank, not Federal at all. Congressman Ron Paul considers the Federal Reserve "both corrupt and unconstitutional" Tour times: 11:15 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 12:45 p.m., 1:30 p.m., 2:15 p.m., and 3:00 p.m.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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11:15 am
Free

Workshop | Ipad Basics for the 50+


This course will cover some basic features of the iPad2/iPad3. Learn the hardware, settings, navigation and app basics.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:00 pm
Free

Workshop | Learn Juggling in the Park


Test your coordination and dexterity with free juggling lessons in the park. All skill levels are welcome to join in the fun. Equipment is provided.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:00 pm
Free

Performance | New York Classical Theatre: A {15-Minute!} Christmas Carol


New York Classical Theatre returns with A {15-min!} Christmas Carol, a rollicking holiday chestnut that will brighten the lunch break. This fifteen-minute holiday tale of love and redemption will serve up Scrooge, Marley, Cratchit, Fezziwig, Tiny Tim, and all of Dickens's best-loved characters, performed in record time with just two actors. Two performances: 12:30 & 1:15pm
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:30 pm
Free

Park Walk | West Side Stories Tour


Walk through a scenic area on the western edge of the Park, much of which is off the beaten track for most visitors. See rolling meadows, lake views, bridges of different styles, and a garden with flowers and plants mentioned by Shakespeare.
   New York City, NY; NYC
12:30 pm
Free

Gallery Talk | Curator's Tour of 2 Shows


Free tour of Foiled: Tinsel Painting in America and Ooh, Shiny! with curator emerita Lee Kogan.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
Free

Other | Scrabble Mania


All levels of play welcome. Please bring with you...your Scrabble set (be sure it has all 100 tiles!), a Scrabble dictionary and, of course, a love of the game!
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
Free

Concert | West Point Concert Band Brass and Percussion


Program: Holiday Presence Carols -- Alfred Burt Praise the Lord with Drums and Cymbals -- Sigfrid Karg-Elert Op. 101, No. 5 Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas For Unto Us a Child is Born -- Handel Fugue in G minor “The Great”-- Bach Greensleeves (Percussion only) / O Holy Night A Festival of Hymns Angels We Have Heard on High The First Noel Joy to the World Silent Night O Come O Come Immanuel
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
Free

Concert | Early Music Ensembles from Around the World


A series 35 FREE Concerts by Competitively Selected Ensembles.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:15 pm
Free

Lecture | Why Our Society Likes Vampires: Their Moral Struggle – and Ours


Starting as a meditation on mortality after the illness and death of her late husband, Margot Adler, correspondent at NPR and author, began to obsessively read vampire novels. She has now read more than 230 vampire novels - from teen to adult, from detective, to romance, from gothic to modern. Although it started as a look at issues of mortality, none of that explained the seven billion dollars Hollywood spent on vampire movies in the last two years.
   New York City, NY; NYC
1:15 pm
Free

Book Discussion | Book Club: Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton


Monthly book discussions to explore titles you've been meaning to read, or reread, and discuss with other lovers of literature. Participants should read each title before the discussion.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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2:00 pm
Free

Film | Harry Koster's Oscar Winner The Bishop's Wife (1947): Help from Heaven


Starring Cary Grant, Loretta Young, David Niven. An angel materializes in answer to prayers to raise money for a new cathedral by a stressed young bishop. 99 min.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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2:00 pm
Free

City Walk | SoHo, Little Italy & Chinatown Tour


You've seen the iconic skyscrapers, attended a Broadway show, visited Lady Liberty and relaxed in Central Park. Looking for a little more of the Big Apple? Maybe it's time to visit some of Manhattan's oldest and most enchanting historic districts. Take a relaxing stroll through SoHo, Little Italy and Chinatown.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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2:00 pm
Free

Workshop | Planning for Retirement and College (IRAs, 401(k)s,529s & More)


Where will the money come from! This class describes a variety of tax advantaged accounts that individuals can set up to help them acquire the nest egg necessary for retirement and/or college bound children.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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3:15 pm
Free

Film | Brian Levant's A Christmas Story 2 (2012): Straight-to-Video Sequel


With Daniel Stern, Braeden Lemasters, Stacey Travis. Years after realizing his childhood dream of getting a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas, 16-year-old Ralphie sets his bespectacled sights on a gift of the four-wheeled variety in this sequel to the Bob Clark’s beloved 1983 classic A Christmas Story. 85 min.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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4:00 pm
Free

Concert | Student Double Bass Recital


Patrick Duff, Double Bass
   New York City, NY; NYC
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4:00 pm
Free

Concert | Student Violin Recital


Ji Eun Lisa Kim, Violin
   New York City, NY; NYC
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4:00 pm
Free

Concert | Piano Lecture


With Hyo Kyoung Beth Nam.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Talk | Claudia Joskowicz: Sympathy for the Devil


As part of Claudia Joskowicz's video installation Sympathy for the Devil, on view through December 23 at 141 Division Street in Chinatown, Forever & Today presents an off-site talk. The event includes a screening of the artist's recent films and a conversation with her and curator Sara Reisman about the her film installation at Forever & Today in reference to her other work.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
Free

Author Reading | Rich Cohen discusses his book The Fish That Ate The Whale: The Life and Times Of America’s Banana King


The author unveils the biography of Samuel Zemurray, who rose from poverty to become head of the United Fruit Company and played controversial roles in the history of several Latin American countries. The little know antihero, the son of a Jewish Russian farmer, started with nothing but a pile of rotten bananas, overthrew two governments in Central America, created the basic CIA template, bested and took over United Fruit, and went to war with Huey Long. It is a fascinating story about a capitalist revolutionary, driven by an indomitable will to succeed.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
Free

Other | Social Hour: Kwaanza Celebration


Join Abdel Salaam, the founder and Artistic Director of Forces of Nature Dance Theater Company, as you learn about and celebrate the tradition of Kwanzaa. Forces of Nature will share the meaning and inspiration behind each of the seven principles (the Nguzo Saba) of Kwanzaa as they are used throughout the year by African descendants worldwide. Co-presented by the Museum for African Art. Ages 18+.
   New York City, NY; NYC
6:30 pm
Free

Workshop | Tae Kwon Do & Fitness Kung Fu for Adults


Is your child or are you being bullied? Are you afraid to walk home late at night? Learn to defend yourself while getting fit. Sixth degree Black Belt Master Wentworth Small leads fitness through Wu Shu Movements and Fitness Kung Fu.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
Free

Concert | 33rd Annual A City Singing at Christmas


Featuring St. Patrick's Cathedral Choir Dr. Jennifer Pascual, Conductor The Young People's Chorus of New York City Francisco Núñez, Conductor New York City Master Chorale Dr. Thea Kano, Artistic Director New York Symphonic Brass Celebrate this joyful time of the year with traditional and contemporary Christmas hymns and carols.
   New York City, NY; NYC
7:00 pm
Free

Performance | Comedy: Punchbowl and THEM


Punchbowl is Kathleen Armenti, Katlyn Carlson, Josh Davis, Julie Feltman, Jordan Hirsch, Julia Morales, Jason Specland and Doug Widick. and THEM is Geoff Grimwood, Jessica Morgan, Zoe Farmingdale, Jen Sanders, Bradford Jordan, Roman Pietrs and Michael Lutton.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
$5

Concert | Christmas Concert: Lana Is


Croatian-Austrian singer-songwriter Lana Cenčić and her band Lana Is celebrate Austrian Christmas with an innovative set of original music woven into favorite traditional songs of the season. Lana Is: Lana Is, vocals and piano; Brandon Seabrook, electric guitar; Eivind Opsvik, bass; Dan Weiss, drums.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:30 pm
Free

Concert | yMusic + Greg Saunier play the music of Jherek Bischoff


The world debut of a new work by Jherek Bischoff featuring 30 minutes of new music, will be performed by Bischoff himself, accompanied by yMusic and the percussionist Greg Saunier, best known for his work with the band Deerhoof. Bischoff is a songwriter, producer, performer and composer from the Pacific Northwest who has been called a "pop polymath" (The New York Times) and a "Seattle phenom" (The New Yorker), drawing early comparisons to similarly uncategorizable multi-hyphanate musicians like Van Dyke Parks and John Cale. In early June 2012, Bischoff released Composed, a meticulously arranged, multi-tracked orchestral pop album featuring a host of famous guests including: David Byrne, Caetano Veloso, Greg Saunier, Zac Pennington, and Nels Cline. Two shows: 7:30pm & 9:30pm.
   New York City, NY; NYC
7:30 pm
Free

Performance | A Very Yoga Christmas


The East Village's greatest annual Holiday party/show extravaganza returns to for it's 5th glorious year. Hosted by Joe Yoga and featuring a set by the world's greatest Rock and Roll band, Coach, this year's promises to be the greatest one yet! Featuring a Steely Dan dance party from 8-9pm, a double-blind Secret Santa: bring a gift/get a gift, surprise guests, raffle prizes, and free cupcakes!
   New York City, NY; NYC
8:00 pm
Free

Performance | Comedy: Team BLACK and Dagger


Team BLACK is Taylor Burris, Melissa Gordon, Evan Kaufman, Rachel Korowitz, Tom Lisi, Megan Maes, Jeff Scherer and Andy Weiss. and Dagger Jon Bander, Ryan Dunkin, Abby Holland, Rich Hollman, Michael Murnane, Shaina Stigler and Ross Taylor.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:00 pm
$5

Concert | Student Baroque Violin Recital


Sei-Jin Park, Baroque Violin
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:00 pm
Free

Theater | The Fifth Dentist


What do you do when your father owns a strip club, and your mother works there? BECOME A DENTIST! Mike King's One-Man-Show "The Fifth Dentist" is a hilarious true story by America's funniest dentist, cutting-edge comedy from one of New York's brightest comics...has been seen on Comedy Central and has opened for Ray Romano! See this work-in-progress before it's off-Broadway production. "Exceptional story!" - Eric Hansen, Producer of the Montel Williams and Whoopi Goldberg show.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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9:00 pm
Free

Performance | Comedy: The Scene


The Scene is a weekly showcase of improvised one act plays. Each week the show features New York’s top improvisers from The PIT, Saturday Night Live, The Colbert Report, The Daily Show, Baby Wants Candy, Second City and more. The Scene is produced and hosted by Dan Hodapp and Micah Sherman.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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9:30 pm
$5

Performance | Comedy: The Boombox Kids


The Boombox Kids blend rock, folk, musical theatre, and freestyle rap – creating scenes and musicals on the fly based on audience suggestion. Known for their “GLEE-ful” sound, Boombox Kids brings their musical theatre background to the improv world — creating hilarious improv with kick-ass vocals!
   New York City, NY; NYC
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11:00 pm
$5
Complimentary Tickets

to shows, concerts ... (CFT Deals!)

Theater | Family Theater Showcase

Regular Price: $49.50
CFT Member Price: $0.00

Classical Music | Works by Faure, Dvorak, and More

Regular Price: $29
CFT Member Price: $0.00
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