New York Botanical Garden
Holiday Train Show
Nov. 18-Jan. 15
The Holiday Train Show makes its grand return to The New York Botanical Garden on Saturday, Nov. 18, and is on view through Monday, Jan. 15, 2024. For its 32nd year, the beloved holiday tradition, which features model trains zipping through a miniature wonderland of nearly 200 New York landmark replicas, each delightfully re-created from natural materials such as leaves, seeds, twigs, bark, acorns and cinnamon sticks, is bigger than ever, with more trains and the addition of an all-new and enchanting outdoor train display, complementing the indoor show in the historic Enid A. Haupt Conservatory.
NYBG GLOW
5 p.m.-10 p.m., select nights
On 17 select nights, visitors of all ages can enjoy both the Holiday Train Show and NYBG GLOW, The New York Botanical Garden’s outdoor holiday light experience, back for its fourth year. During these special evenings, families and friends can marvel at NYBG’s festively illuminated landscape and historic buildings, along with evening viewing of the Holiday Train Show. Beverages and light fare will be available at one of NYBG’s outdoor bars or the Bronx
Night Market Holiday Pop-Up.
Bar Car Nights
Dec. 7, 14 and Jan. 5
Fan-favorite Bar Car Nights, for adults age 21 and over, will also make a comeback this season on three select dates, Thursdays, Dec. 7 and Dec. 14, and Friday, Jan. 5, 2024. Bar Car Nights feature adults-only nighttime viewing of the Holiday Train Show and NYBG GLOW, with light bites and curated cocktails available for purchase and enjoyment as visitors journey through the exhibition with friends and loved ones.
Tickets for the Holiday Train Show, NYBG GLOW, and Bar Car Nights are on sale now at nybg.org.
Bronx Children’s Museum
Open Exhibit: 725 Exterior Street
10 a.m.-5 p.m
Although being known as a children’s museum, this facility is open to all of the public. Neighboring the historic Yankee Stadium and Terminal Market, the Bronx Children’s Museum is a purely Bronx-inspired children’s experience. The exhibition operates “with and without walls,” nurturing the creativity and curiosity of children in the STEAM fields. Come celebrate the brilliance of childhood and the rich Bronx culture this weekend.
Tickets are pay-as-you-wish for a limited time. Regular admissions are priced at $8, and free for infants.
Huntington Free Library
Lecture: Mount Vernon and The Bronx: A Tale of Two Cities
Nov. 16, 7-8:30 p.m.
Amelia Zaino, local historian and cartographer, walks us through a history of two cities, Mount Vernon and the Bronx, and how their stories managed to intertwine for centuries. Zaino will discuss ancient paths and streams that once flowed between both localities, while pointing out the many fascinating remnants still visible today.
This free public lecture will be given at the historic Huntington Free Library and Reading Room, located at 9 Westchester Square. Opened in 1891, the library is the Bronx’s first established to serve the general public, and through various programs, lectures and research collections, it remains an important cultural anchor.
BronxArtSpace
When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost: A Hip-Hop Feminist Breaks It Down by Joan Morgan
Nov. 18, 12-1:30 p.m.
In honor of the 50th anniversary of contemporary genre of hip-hop, One Book One Bronx will explore books that stretched the music beyond the original art form to reach the societal impact of misogyny and racism in America.
Joan Morgan, an award-winning journalist, offers and will offer a provocative look into the life of the modern Black woman: where they are forced to make sense of a world where truth is no longer black and white but subtle, intriguing shades of gray.
Admissions are free, but it is recommended to register for the event.
One Book One Bronx hosts weekly restorative conversations on themes such as gentrification, social justice, women’s empowerment, criminal justice, and racial inequality; discussions reflective of the borough’s racial, economic, and gender demographics.
Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture
“Born In The Bronx,” the beginning of global hip-hop culture exhibit
opens Nov. 15
On the heels of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop celebration, the Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture, in partnership with the Bronx Council on the Arts, invites you to explore the roots and evolution of hip-hop, the global phenomenon that originated in the South Bronx in the 1970s. From vinyl records, flyers and artwork, to graffiti, break dancing and MCing, this exhibition showcases the diverse and innovative elements of hip-hop that shaped the Bronx and the entire world.
Through a stunning collection of photos and memorabilia, curated by Johan Kugelberg and Joe Conzo, Jr., witness how African American and Latino youths in the South Bronx transformed poetry, music, and fashion into a powerful expression of life and struggle.
“Born In The Bronx” opens on Wednesday, Nov. 15 at 6 p.m. and will feature Grand Wizzard Theodore, the legendary Bronx-born hip-hop DJ, widely credited as the inventor of the “scratching” technique.
Danza Fiesta
Nov. 18, 3-6 p.m.
Danza Fiesta celebrates the 14th annual South Bronx Folk Festival at the Hostos Center for the Arts & Culture. Danza Fiesta performs Puerto Rican folklore and popular dances to educate and preserve the Puerto Rican essence in New York City. Danza Fiesta collaborates with other art and cultural organizations, public schools and higher education institutions to achieve this goal.
Taco Tuesday Open Mic
Every Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.
Hosted by A.D. Skolar and Tarik Cummings, come enjoy a gleeful night of music and poetry at the International 9 Bistro, the No. 1 weekly mixed format open mic in the Bronx. The open mic will feature a wide range of performances from comics, poets, singers and rappers from all over New York City. This open mic offers a unique opportunity to demonstrate your talents, whether you’re a seasoned, up-and-coming or new performer, not to mention that the venue will be offering delicious tacos, ice-cold drinks and a chance to mingle within a community of artists.
And if performing on stage is not your thing, enjoy iNine Bistro’s Happy Hour from 4-7 p.m.
Tickets are available at the door.
Harvest Fields
Thanksgiving Grab and Go Feast
Nov. 23, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Share Thanksgiving with others at the Harvest Fields Community Church where free food, bibles and clothes will be given out to local members.
Share a prayer of thanks and give thanks.
If you want to give back to your community, sign up as a volunteer cook.
The Pharoah of Salsa
Oscar D’Leon to perform at Lehman Center
Nov. 25, 8 p.m.
Oscar D’Leon, 80 and still performing, will make his next highly-anticipated appearance at Lehman Center. Often referred to as the ‘Pharaoh of Salsa’, ‘The Lion of Salsa’, and the ‘World’s Sonero’. The Venezuelan singer has an unparalleled and storied career: 40 years of touring countries around the world such as the United States and Spain, evening signing a contract with the BBC.
Tickets range anywhere from $123-$286, depending on seating in the venue.
National Novel Writing Month
Bronx Library Center Writing Club/NaNoWriMo
Nov. 15, 22 and 29, 4 p.m.
November is national novel writing month? Yes! The Bronx Library Center challenges you to reach at least 50,000 words in their writing events. Practice, learn, most importantly, write the month away.
The ‘real Little Italy’
Guided tours along Arthur Avenue
Through Dec. 16, 11 a.m.
Join Bronx local Susan Birnbaum, a New York City tour guide with a bachelors in history and 20 years of hosting tours around the storied city. Let yourself be guided through the various bakeries and markets. Some of these market stops include Arthur Avenue Market with its cheesemakers, cigar rollers and the Bronx Beer Hall. Explore first-hand and listen to the history of New York’s “real Little Italy” in the Bronx.
Tickets for a guided tour are priced at $49.87 for minors and $75.47.
The guide is available on Nov. 4 and Nov. 18, and Dec. 2 and Dec. 16.
Riverdale YMCA
Gallery18 hosts Black and White Photography exhibition
Nov. 2-Jan. 28
Gallery18 at The Riverdale YMCA is hosting its very first Black & White Photography exhibition featuring eight photojournalists: Ángel Franco, Philip Greenberg, George M Gutiérrez, David Handschuh, Harry Mandel, Coco McPherson, Adam Scher and Devon Valentin-Dixon. The theme of this exhibition is photojournalism and photography as an art form. Organized and curated by George Gutierrez, more than 30 black and white photographs will be arranged in the gallery to immerse visitors in key moments captured by each of the respective photographers’ lenses.
The opening reception is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 19, from 2 p.m.-4 p.m.
Bronx Zoo
Holiday Lights at the Bronx Zoo
Nov. 17-Jan. 7
Spend your festive evenings this upcoming holiday, where the Bronx Zoo is illuminated to life with immersive light displays, custom-designed animal lanterns and animated light shows sparkle all across the park. Experience all-new lantern displays placing a spotlight on the wildlife of New York’s ocean waters and wetlands, and a new interactive experience showcasing bioluminescent creatures: The Enchanted Sea.
Enjoy returning lantern trails: the giraffes, ostriches, hippos and tortoises of Africa; the elephants, rhinos, cassowaries and tapirs of Asia; the jaguars, scarlet macaws, giant anteaters and peccaries of Latin America; the polar bears, walrus, wolverines and prairie dogs of North America; the other-worldly vampire squids, black sea-devils, nudibranchs and anglerfish of the deep seas; and a microscope on the colorful world of the tiniest creatures.
For more things to do in the Bronx, visit our Bronx Times Events page.
