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14 Things to Do in Your Manhattan Neighborhood This Weekend

By DNAinfo Staff | December 3, 2015 7:36pm | Updated on December 4, 2015 8:10pm

 The Crafts at the Cathedral fair is full of handmade gifts by artisans.
The Crafts at the Cathedral fair is full of handmade gifts by artisans.
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Cathedral of St. John the Divine Archives

All Weekend

Crafts at the Cathedral

Where: Cathedral of St. John the Divine, 1047 Amsterdam Ave.
When: Dec. 4 from 5 to 8 p.m., Dec. 5 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Dec. 6 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

More than 60 artisans are selling their wares at the 20th annual Crafts at the Cathedral fair. Look for high-quality pottery, jewelry, art and other unique gifts. Admission is $6 on Friday and $7 on the weekend. 

Union Square Holiday Market

Where: Union Square Park
When: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., all weekend

Get all your holiday shopping done in one fell swoop at the Union Square Holiday Market, where dozens of vendors hawk their goods.

Friday, Dec. 4

► Tree-Lighting Ceremony

Where: Roosevelt Island’s Blackwell Plaza, 500 Main Street
When: 7 p.m.

Watch the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation light its tree and enjoy live music, prizes, dance performances and a visit from Santa.

Saturday, Dec. 5

► The Festival of St. Nicholas at St. Luke’s School

Where: 487 Hudson St., West Village
When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The all-ages St. Luke’s Christmas fair includes magic shows at 10:30 and 11:30 a.m., a carnival, gingerbread cookie decorating, pony rides, bouncy houses, karaoke beginning at noon, carolers and choristers at 2 p.m., photos with Santa from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m., storytime, crafts, a raffle, an obstacle course, human hamster wheels and an "elf spa." Holiday shopping can be done at a boutique featuring local artisans, or the toy and book sale. Refreshments include lunch, baked goods and a bar. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for children and $3 for seniors, and proceeds go to the St. Luke’s School scholarship fund.

Forum on Education Equality

Where: Trinity Church, Broadway at Wall Street
When: 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Trinity Wall Street hosts this forum on education equity in the United States, with a focus on disparity in funding, discipline, teacher preparedness and social support. The forum will also discuss practical ways people can come together to make a positive impact. Freeman Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, will deliver the keynote address. The event is free and lunch will be provided, but RSVP is required. Email institute@trinitywallstreet.org.

Christmas Fair and Tree Sale

Where: 178 Bennett Ave. (one block west of Broadway at 189th Street)
When: 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Looking for some Uptown-crafted gifts? There will be Christmas trees, baked goods, chili, cider — and pottery from Cornerstone Pottery NYC for sale. Cornerstone STUDIOS is also hosting an open studio.

► Miracle on Madison Avenue

Where: Madison Avenue between 57th and 86th streets
When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Eighty retailers on Madison Avenue will donate 20 percent of their sales during the Miracle on Madison Avenue event to the Society of Memorial Sloan Kettering pediatric initiatives. As shoppers go from shop to shop they can pick up holiday refreshments and listen to carolers dressed in Victorian garb.

► Om Grown Holiday Market

Where: 5000 Broadway, Suite A, Inwood
When: 2:30 to 7 p.m.

Dubbed Uptown’s “one-stop holiday market experience,” Om Grown Market is back with more local vendors and artisans, homemade holiday gifts and treats for everyone. The market will also be open from 2:30 to 7 p.m. on Sat., Dec. 12 and Sat., Dec. 19.  

► Room 28 Holiday Sketchtacular 2015

Where: 304 W. 47th St., between Ninth and 10th avenues, Theater District
When: First Show at 7 p.m., second at 9:30 p.m.  

One night, two events brought to you by the Uptown’s comedy troupe featuring Juan Bago and Rachel La Loca. The event is sponsored by Twenty Grand Vodka and Splash Bakery. Yes, the $20 tickets will give you a taste of both at the show.

► New York’s Cartoon Roots: Winter Frolics

Where: City Lore, 56 E. First St., East Village
When:
7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

New York City was once a major cartoon movie center, producing hundreds of animated characters during the silent and early days of film. Check out a few movies from this era — shown in rare 16mm prints — in a screening curated by City Lore and film archivist Tommy Jose Stathes. The organizers will hold a discussion and Q&A after the movies are shown. Admission is $10.

Sunday, December 6

Park Avenue Tree Lighting at Brick Church

Where: Brick Church, 1140 Park Ave., Upper East Side
When: 6:30 p.m.

The congregation and neighbors meet on the church steps for words of remembrance and celebration from the Rev. Michael Lindvall, as well as to sing carols together before the trees along Park Avenue are lit for the season.

Hanukkah Family Day

Where: The Jewish Museum, 1109 Fifth Ave., Upper East Side
When: 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Design Hanukkah menorah sculptures, paint a colorful fabric background, decorate a dreidel and add to a large abstract light collage (like stained glass) during the Jewish Museum’s Hanukkah Family Day. Authors Amanda Peet and Andrea Troyer, who wrote “Dear Santa, Love Rachel Rosenstein,” will sign books. Storyteller Jeff Hopkins will also draw and perform Hanukkah stories, and “kid rocker” Shira Kline will perform a musical re-enactment of the Hanukkah story. Free with museum admission.

► Music on Madison: “From Salons and Courts: Music of the French Baroque”

Where: Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church, 921 Madison Ave., Upper East Side
When: 3 p.m.

An ensemble of students from Julliard415 will perform chamber works from Dornel, Couperin, Lully, Guignon, Leclair and Telemann on a variety of Baroque flutes, oboes, violins, cellos, bassoon, theorbo and harpsichord. Suggested donation of $20, or $15 for students and seniors. Kids 12 and under attend free.

Double Dutch Holiday Classic

Where: Apollo Theater, 253 W. 125th St., Harlem
When: 1 p.m.

An annual competition featuring the best double dutch teams in the world. These teams compete in the National Double Dutch League, which host events all over the world. Tickets are $20.

These listings were compiled by DNAinfo's Manhattan reporters: Lisha Arino, Emily Frost, Gustavo Solis, Noah Hurowitz, Danielle Tcholakian, Irene Plagianos and Shaye Weaver.