Things to do in New York this weekend, Nov. 12 to 15
Subway Swing at the New York Transit Museum
By Lou P. and the New York Loop editors. Thursday, November 12, 2026
Friday night the New York Transit Museum in Brooklyn hosts Subway Swing: A Boogie for the Ages. Saturday starts early with the Louis Armstrong Center's youth trumpet parade. On Sunday there are sea shanties at the Noble Maritime Collection on Staten Island and birding in Prospect Park.
IF YOU ONLY DO ONE THING
Subway Swing: A Boogie for the Ages
Subway Swing: A Boogie for the Ages puts a Friday evening of swing inside the New York Transit Museum in Brooklyn, starting at 6.
The Transit Museum's annual swing night fills its 1936 decommissioned subway station with live jazz bands and dancing. Three acts play, and a lesson for beginners kicks things off. Admission includes one drink ticket.
Friday at 6 pm · New York Transit Museum, Brooklyn, Corner of Boerum Place & Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn
FREE THIS WEEKENDcosts nothing
Sea Shanty Sessions
Sunday at 2 pm
Noble Maritime Collection, 1000 Richmond Terrace, Building D, Staten Island, NY, 10301, United States
The Folk Music Society of New York leads an afternoon of traditional maritime songs in a historic setting. It's free and family friendly, and you're welcome to sing along. Sessions repeat on the third Sunday of each month.
Camonghne Felix Craft Talk: Let The Poets Govern
Thursday at 7 pm
Elizabeth Kray Hall, Poets House, 10 River Terrace, New York, NY, 10282
National Book Award Finalist Camonghne Felix draws on her book Let the Poets Govern and her years in politics as a speechwriter and strategist. She talks about the poetic principles behind radical political moments. In person or on Zoom, pay what you can.
WITH KIDSbring them
Lampblack Lit Magazine Launch: Issue VI
Saturday at 7 pm
MoCADA Culture Lab II Cafe, Gallery + Performance Space, 10 Lafayette Avenue, 2nd floor, Brooklyn, NY, 11217
Lampblack Lit celebrates its sixth issue with readings by K. Desireé Milwood, Trinity Battle and Ola Osaze. Drinks, free zines and copies of the new magazine will be on hand. Newcomers are welcome.
Crazy Science: Dry Ice Discovery
Saturday at 4 pm; also Sun 4 pm
Staten Island Children's Museum, 1000 Richmond Terrace, Building M, Staten Island, NY, 10301
Kids watch dry ice turn straight from solid to gas in a 45-minute show of experiments. Expect a soap volcano, artificial snow, a storm in a flask, soda making and a foggy finale. Included with admission.
THE WEIRD ONE with Lou P.
Stargazing: The Evergreens Cemetery
Friday's stargazing session is at the Evergreens Cemetery.
Friday at 6 pm · The Evergreens Cemetery, 1629 Bushwick Ave, Brooklyn, NY, 11207
OUTSIDEfresh air
Pre-Thanksgiving Birding in Prospect Park
Sunday at 8 am
The Prospect Park Alliance and Brooklyn Bird Club lead a morning walk through the shift from fall to winter. Look for finches, chickadees, woodpeckers, nuthatches, wintering waterfowl and passing raptors. Free, no registration needed.
Stargazing: Pioneer Works
Sunday at 7 pm
Pioneer Works, 159 Pioneer St, Brooklyn, NY, 11231
The Amateur Astronomers Association hosts stargazing in the Pioneer Works garden, weather permitting. Doors open at 7, and viewing runs from 9:15 to 11.
DATE NIGHTfor two
CRAFT YOUR OWN GLÖGG: A NORDIC EXPERIENCE
Saturday at 3 pm
Scandinavia House, 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10016
Chef Ulrika Bengtsson demonstrates her traditional Swedish wine glögg while you taste and learn the history, spices and techniques behind it. Björk Cafe & Bistro adds winter menu items and a few Scandinavian classics.
Django Reinhardt NY Festival
Through Sunday
Dizzy's Club - Jazz at Lincoln Center, Broadway at 60th Street, New York, NY, 10019
A tribute to NEA Jazz Master Lou Donaldson on the centennial of his birth. Longtime collaborators and friends celebrate the blues-drenched alto saxophonist who bridged bebop, hardbop and soul jazz. Late night sessions follow Thursday through Saturday.
BIG SHOWSyou've heard of these
- SATYo-Yo Ma, Isaac Stern Auditorium
- FRI 6:45 PMNY Comedy Festival Presents Ilana Glazer Live!, Beacon Theatre
PLAN AHEAD
WHAT DID WE MISS?
We do our best to read every calendar in New York, and we still miss good stuff. The church supper, the band at the corner bar, the block party your neighbor is throwing. If you know about something, tell us. Just write hello@loopcities.com. We read every note.
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