
By Tracy Zwick
It’s hard to get motivated to go out in this cold, and with the NFL conference championship games on Sunday, the Australian Open Men’s and Women’s Final tennis matches and a new SNL featuring the UWS’s Timothée Chalamet as host and musical guest, you barely need to leave the house. Here’s some music, a few movies, and a museum to tempt you out your front door.
Let’s Weekend!
January 24th to 26th, 2025
New York Jewish Film Festival, at Film at Lincoln Center through January 29th; films, screening times, and tickets here
A collaboration between Film at Lincoln Center and The Jewish Museum, New York Jewish Film Festival is in its 34th edition this year, spotlighting the finest documentary, narrative, and short films from around the world that explore the Jewish experience. Among the oldest and most influential Jewish film festivals worldwide, this year’s iteration features nearly two dozen offerings, including the latest works by dynamic voices in international cinema and two historic films in special anniversary screenings: the 1975 period drama, “Hester Street,” and 1922’s “Breaking Home Ties.”

Lunar New York Festival: The Year of the Snake, at the Metropolitan Museum on 5th Avenue at 82nd Street, Saturday, January 25th from 12 to 5 p.m.; admission is pay-as-you-wish for all New Yorkers
Celebrate the Year of the Snake, one of the twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac, with performances, interactive activities, and artist-led workshops for all ages at the Met this Saturday. (All activities are free with museum admission.) Lunar New Year is celebrated by millions of people around the world, and it starts this year on January 29th. The Met’s festival will include a traditional Lunar New Year lion dance by the Wan Chi Ming Hung Gar Institute, a performance on Lunar New Year traditions by the Sesame Street Muppeteers, a community hub showcasing community organizations around New York City and beyond, and storytime with children’s book author Hanh Bui.

Carnegie Hall Citywide Concert on the UWS, at St. Paul & St. Andrew Methodist Church, 263 West 86th Street, Sunday, January 26th at 5 p.m. (doors open at 4:30 p.m.)
If the clash of helmets and the crunch of tackles isn’t music to your ears, you can spend a more civilized Sunday evening at Carnegie Hall’s Citywide Concert series, which brings mezzo-soprano Shannon Keegan and pianist Aaron Wanjberg to St. Paul & St. Andrew United Methodist Church on West 86th Street and West End Avenue at 5 p.m. On the program is Franz Schubert’s Romantic Schwanengesang (“Swan Song”) – a posthumous collection of 14 songs written by the Austrian composer in 1828, the year of his death.
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The cold wins! I love your stay at home ideas. Maybe venture out for a hot latte’. I’ll take in the movies when the icicles melt! Love your column as it is very inspirational.
Love your suggestions… thank you! Also, I think the title should be updated to “January 24th – 26th, 2025”