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6 Things for You to Do in New York City This Weekend

By Margaret Kelly | December 5, 2014 7:49am | Updated on December 5, 2014 4:47pm
 Get Out and Do This: December 5 - 7, 2014
GODT - DEC 5-7
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Friday, December 5
For the only time this month, Neue Galerie will offer free access to its two floors of German and Austrian fine art and design. December's First Friday will feature the museum's two current exhibits highlighting portraiture by Egon Schiele and Gustav Klimt. 1048 5th Avenue on the Upper East Side, Manhattan. Admission will be free from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday night.

Where can you find a single event featuring Hindu chant leaders, a Flamenco dancer, a Japanese choir and a group jam session featuring all of the above? Maybe only in Queens — specifically, at this Flushing Town Hall concert in honor of Human Rights Week and global religious freedom. "Deeper Harmonies" will feature six performance groups in a musical exploration of the diversity and continuity of the world's faith traditions. One evening only, 8 p.m. Tickets cost $15 for general admission, $12 for members and $10 for students. All proceeds will benefit the Peace and Justice Committee of Flushing Interfaith Council and Burma Task Force USA. Flushing Town Hall is located at 137-35 Northern Boulevard, Flushing, Queens. Tickets are available here

Saturday, December 6
Self-taught cooks will vie for the sweetest title at this year's annual Brooklyn Cookie Takedown, expanded to two days of endless trays of treats. From sugar to sriracha, anything goes: the rules only stipulate that the cookies must have been baked in an oven. Guests will scarf down unlimited cookies and quaff an hour's worth of bottomless Maker's Mark hot toddies. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at The Bell House, 149 7th Street in Brooklyn. Tickets cost $20 per day; guests must be 21 or older. Aspiring bakers should email chilitakedown@gmail.com for information on entering the contest.

December is holiday market season in the city, and creative gift-seekers can start at Midtown's outdoor Hester Holiday Market, open December 1 through December 23 at One Penn Plaza. Hester Street Fair has selected its favorite gift vendors to offer handmade gifts not available in stores. Food vendors will be on hand to nourish shoppers with artisanal meals. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., One Penn Plaza near Herald Square.

Other indoor and outdoor holiday markets open this weekend include the Brooklyn Night Bazaar; "market of makers" Schwick in Bushwick; the Clinton Hill Flea, the Degenerate Craft Fair, uptown's East Harlem Holiday Market, the Queens Local Artisans Holiday Market and the LIC Flea & Food.

Sunday, December 7
The holiday lights in Midtown come but once a year. Survey their seasonal splendor on a walking tour with stops scheduled at Lincoln Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral, FAO Schwartz and other iconic Manhattan locations. The tour is free, but reservations are required and tips are recommended. Meet at the fountain just outside Lincoln Center at 10 Lincoln Center Plaza, Upper West Side. 7 p.m. For more information, check out Free Tours by Foot

Whether you're a Staten Island local or just looking for a festive island getaway, Christmas at Historic Richmond Town offers a wonderland of village tours, horse and carriage rides, baked goods, storytelling and more. Guests can greet Santa at noon and witness the traditional tree lighting at 5 p.m. Events will be held from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., rain or shine; a full schedule is available here. 441 Clarke Avenue, Staten Island.