Five Great Upcoming Events in New York City

New York City is an exciting place to live and work. Whether you recently moved to the city, you’ve lived here your whole life, or you fall somewhere in the middle, it’s important to take advantage of some of the great one-time or short-term opportunities our city has to offer. Here’s a look at five events that you may want to enjoy in the next few weeks.

The Zlatne Uste Golden Festival

When: Friday, January 18, 2019, and Saturday, January 19, 2019 (evening through early morning)Where: Grand Prospect Hall, Brooklyn The Zlatne Uste Golden Festival is celebrating its 34th year. The event includes two nights of music and dancing. There will also be great food and drink featuring Mediterranean and Balkan dishes. If you don’t know much about the music and culture of the Balkan Peninsula, which includes Roma (or Gypsy) music, this is your opportunity to experience it for yourself. If you are familiar with it, this is your chance to really immerse yourself in the culture for a night or two.  The festival, which is sponsored by the Zlatne Uste Balkan Brass Band, includes an assortment of bands performing on five stages throughout the venue. Your biggest problem might be choosing which performances to enjoy. While at the festival, be sure to take a break from the music, dancing, and great food to check out the Balkan Market. You can buy clothes, jewelry, and body art. You can also get CDs of your favorite festival performers as well as some of the Balkan musical greats. These little souvenirs will provide great reminders of the fun you had at the festival.

NYRR Fred Lebow Half-Marathon

When: Sunday, January 20, 2019, 8 amWhere: Central ParkThe NYRR Fred Lebow Half-Marathon was created to honor previous NYRR (New York Road Runners) president, Fred Lebow, who died of brain cancer in 1994. Lebow co-founded the New York City Marathon, ran in the first New York City Marathon, and helped to make it into the big event that it is today. He was also the NYRR president for 22 years and helped to create several other local running events. Lebow has been inducted into both the National Distance Running Hall of Fame and the New York Road Runners Hall of Fame.If you are a runner, the NYRR Fred Lebow Half-Marathon is a race that you will not want to miss. It involves over two loops around Central Park. While it will likely be cold outside, the classical music at the starting line, the assortment of inspiring Fred Lebow quotes along the way, and the supportive atmosphere of the other runners will likely help to warm your spirits. There will also be several pace teams available to keep you on track to meet your race goal.Race packets, including your number and a souvenir hat, can be picked up starting on January 10 at the NYRR RUNCENTER located at 320 West 57th Street. There will be awards given to the top three female and male finishers as well as the top three finishers in each age group. If you can’t make it to the NYRR Fred Lebow Half-Marathon or if you prefer a shorter race, there are several other running events this month, including the NYRR Joe Kleinerman 10K on January 5 and NYRR Night at the Races events on January 10 and 24.

Winter Jam

When: Saturday, January 26, 2019, 11 am to 3 pmWhere: Central Park, Manhattan Bandshell AreaIf you’re a fan of winter sports and free fun, Winter Jam is for you. Snow will be blown in by Gore Mountain for the event. It will include a snow field, where you and your family can just have a great time playing in the snow, making throw a few snowballs or build a snowman. You can also go sledding or learn to ski, both of which require a signed waiver with photo identification. Those under 18 years old will need to have a parent or guardian sign the waiver. You may also be able to enjoy live ice sculpting as well as other fun snow activities, such as snowshoeing. Because the whole event is free, it’s a great activity to enjoy with all of your family and friends. If the event is rained out, Winter Jam will happen instead on the next Saturday, February 2.

Justin Timberlake’s “Man of the Woods” Tour

When: Thursday, January 31, 2019, 8 pmWhere: Madison Square GardensOriginally scheduled for October 2018, Justin Timberlake will instead be making a stop in New York City for his “Man of the Woods” Tour on January 31, 2019. Whether you’ve been a Justin Timberlake fan since his days in ‘NSYNC or you only started enjoying his music since his solo career started, you are sure to have a great time at this concert. You’ll likely get to hear some of your favorite Timberlake songs, including “Man of the Woods,” “Cry Me a River,” and “SexyBack.” As an added bonus, you can feel like you’ve been invited to Justin Timberlake’s birthday party since the concert is on Timberlake’s 38th birthday.

Soul on Ice: Winter Skating Party

When: Saturday, February 2, 2019, 1:30 to 3:30 pmWhere: Lasker Rink in Central ParkThe Winter Skating Party is a mix of music, food, ice skating, raffle prizes, and great skating demonstrations. The event is organized by the Figure Skating in Harlem Parent’s Association. For $15 admission, which includes skate rental, this is a great way to support these girls who have worked so hard to prepare to share their ice skating talents with others. Plus, since there are raffle prizes, you may walk away with a great reminder of this fun event.  Of course, these are just a few of the great things happening in our area in the next few weeks. At Dan Marc Appliance, we know that New York City is a wonderful place. That’s why we’ve chosen to call the area home for close to 35 years now. If you have an appliance that’s not working properly, be sure to give us a call or send us a message to get it repaired.