January 2020 begins with New Year’s Day which is one of the quietest days of the year in New York City.
The PBR Professional Bull Riders rodeo is one of the new year’s first big events. There are always some great Brazilian bull riders.
Three Kings Day brings the holiday season to an end with the Latin gift-giving day, the El Museo del Barrio Three Kings Day Parade, and a visit by the Three Kings to Teatro SEA.
Winter JazzFest and globalFEST put on many shows for the APAP conference of booking agents at the beginning of the year.
Things really get going again after the Black Comic Book Festival on Martin Luther King Weekend.
The first round of art fairs and auctions include the Outsider Art Fair, Winter Antiques Show (Winter Show), Master Drawings New York, and Old Masters auctions.
The NYC Restaurant Week and NYC Broadway Week promotions enable you to save money dining on your way to a Broadway show.
The New York Jewish Film Festival is the year’s first film festival. The Golden Globe awards and Oscar nominations bring the previous season to a close.
January 2020 Week 1
December 30, 2019 – January 5, 2020
Wednesday, January 1
Celebrate the last day of Kwanzaa and the principle of faith.
Celebrate the Solemnity of Mary as Mother of God.
Celebrate Haitian Independence Day (from France) in 1804.
Italian-American jazz trumpeter Chris Botti plays The Blue Note in Greenwich Village at 8pm and 10:30pm. From $55
Thursday, January 2
A special shorter, English, family version of Mozart’s The Magic Flute is at the Metropolitan Opera House in Lincoln Center at 1pm. From $30
The New York City Ballet Nutcracker is at the David H. Koch Theater in Lincoln Center at 7pm. From $60
Italian-American jazz trumpeter Chris Botti plays The Blue Note in Greenwich Village at 8pm and 10:30pm. From $55
Dance traditional Argentine Tango at Tango La Nacional in Chelsea, Manhattan from 9:30pm – 2am. (Classes: Beginners 7pm, Intermediate 8pm). $15
Friday, January 3
The PBR Professional Bull Riders season opens at Madison Square Garden in Chelsea, NYC and runs through Sunday.
A special shorter, English, family version of Mozart’s The Magic Flute is at the Metropolitan Opera House in Lincoln Center at 7:30pm. From $30
The New York City Ballet Nutcracker is at the David H. Koch Theater in Lincoln Center at 8pm. From $60
Italian-American jazz trumpeter Chris Botti plays The Blue Note in Greenwich Village at 8pm and 10:30pm. From $55
Saturday, January 4
CLOSING
A special shorter, English, family version of Mozart’s The Magic Flute is at the Metropolitan Opera House in Lincoln Center at 1pm. From $30
The New York City Ballet Nutcracker is at the David H. Koch Theater in Lincoln Center at 2pm & 8pm. From $60
Colombian comic Saulo Garcia’s Quinceañera is at Repertorio Español in Kips Bay, NYC at 8pm. From $15
Italian-American jazz trumpeter Chris Botti plays The Blue Note in Greenwich Village at 8pm and 10:30pm. From $55
Sunday, January 5
CLOSING
Winter Village holiday shopping, ice skating and dining at Bryant Park in Midtown, Manhattan closes today.
CLOSING
The New York City Ballet Nutcracker closes at the David H. Koch Theater in Lincoln Center at 1pm. From $60
Colombian comic Saulo Garcia’s Quinceañera is at Repertorio Español in Kips Bay, NYC at 3pm. From $15
Dance Argentine tango at the El Destino milonga at Solas in Manhattan’s East Village from 6-11pm. $12
CLOSING
Freestyle Love Supreme brings Puerto Rican and Italian hip-hop improv comedy theatre to Broadway at the Booth Theatre in the Times Square Theater District. From $59
Italian-American jazz trumpeter Chris Botti ends his 15th annual holiday residency at The Blue Note in Greenwich Village at 8pm and 10:30pm. From $55
NBC (4) broadcasts the Golden Globes at 8pm ET.
January 2020 Week 2
January 6-12, 2020
Monday, January 6
Celebrate Three Kings Day (Twelfth Night, Epiphany) the Latin gift-giving day that ends the Christmas season.
The 43rd El Museo del Barrio Three Kings Day Parade marches through El Barrio East Harlem to La Marqueta from 11am to 12:30pm. The celebration continues with live music at El Museo from 1pm to 2pm. FREE
Children can meet the Three Kings and receive a free gift at El Día de los Reyes Magos/Three Kings Day Festival at Teatro SEA in NYC’s Lower East Side from 3-5pm. FREE
Tuesday, January 7
Wednesday, January 8
NYC Restaurant Week reservations open today for prix fix lunches and dinners January 21 to February 9.
NYC Broadway Week 2-for-1 tickets go on sale today for Broadway shows from January 21 to February 9.
Porgy and Bess, Gershwin’s American opera about Black life in the old South, is at the Metropolitan Opera in Lincoln Center at 7:30pm. From $30
Thursday, January 9
La Canción, the Puerto Rican hip-hop reggaeton musical, is in Spanish with English supertitles at Repertorio Español in Kips Bay, NYC at 11am. $30
CAST OPENING NIGHT
Puccini’s Italian opera La Bohème is at the Metropolitan Opera in Lincoln Center at 7:30pm. From $30
Dance traditional Argentine Tango at Tango La Nacional in Chelsea, Manhattan from 9:30pm – 2am. (Classes: Beginners 7pm, Intermediate 8pm). $15
Friday, January 10
January’s Wolf Moon is full at 2:21pm.
Clubs fill with performances for the APAP conference of performing arts booking agents through January 14.
WINTER JAZZFEST
The Winter JazzFest Marathon is at multiple Greenwich Village jazz clubs. From $50
OPENING NIGHT
Italian opera La Traviata is at the Metropolitan Opera in Lincoln Center at 7:30pm. From $30
Argentine-Venezuelan New Yorker Bárbara Martínez sings Brazilian bossa nova and Spanish flamenco at Club Bonafide in Midtown East, NYC at 8pm. $20
Jorge Alí Triana & Verónica Triana’s Colombian play El Coronel no tiene quien le escriba is at Repertorio Español in Kips Bay, NYC in Spanish with English subtitles at 8pm. From $15
Saturday, January 11
Winter sunrise aligns with Manhattan’s east-west street grid like a temple to the sun in the phenomena known as Manhattanhenge.
Mexican folkloric Ballet Nepantla performs ‘Valentina’ excerpts at the All Saints Church in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
CARNEGIE HALL CITYWIDE
Kayleigh Decker, backed by pianist Madeline Slettedahl, gives an opera recital at St. Michael’s Church in Chelsea, NYC at 3pm. FREE
WINTER JAZZFEST
The Winter JazzFest Marathon is at multiple Greenwich Village jazz clubs. From $50
Porgy and Bess, Gershwin’s American opera about Black life in the old South, is at the Metropolitan Opera in Lincoln Center at 7:30pm. From $30
Dance Argentine Tango at the NYC All Night Milonga at Stepping Out Studios in NoMad, Manhattan from 10pm – 4am. $18
Sunday, January 12
Modern dance pioneer José Limón was born in Culiacán, Mexico on January 12, 1908.
Winter sunrise aligns with Manhattan’s east-west street grid like a temple to the sun in the phenomena known as Manhattanhenge.
CLOSING
Futuro Modular, a group exhibition on the idea of the future, closes at Rachel Uffner in Manhattan’s Lower East Side from 10am to 6pm. FREE
Puccini’s Italian opera La Bohème is at the Metropolitan Opera in Lincoln Center at 3pm. From $30
Watch the Derby d’Italia (Italian Derby) Juventus vs Internazionale (Series A) with Juventus Official Fan Club Empire State at the Football Factory at Legends in Koreatown, NYC at 3:35pm ET.
Dance Argentine tango at the El Destino milonga at Solas in Manhattan’s East Village from 6-11pm. $12
Puerto Rican saxophonist Miguel Zenón & Gerald Clayton play jazz at Teatro LATEA in NYC’s Lower East Side at 7pm. From $10
The globalFEST world music festival is at the Copacabana in Times Square. Time TBD.
January 2020 Week 3
January 13-19, 2020
Monday, January 13
Oscars nominations are announced today. The Academy Awards are on February 9.
Italian-American hot jazz specialists Vince Giordano & the Nighthawks play Iguana in Times Square, Manhattan at 8 & 11pm. $20
Tuesday, January 14
Italian opera La Traviata is at the Metropolitan Opera in Lincoln Center at 7:30pm. From $30
Italian-American hot jazz specialists Vince Giordano & the Nighthawks play Iguana in Times Square, Manhattan at 8 & 11pm. $20
Wednesday, January 15
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, the great American civil rights leader, was born in Atlanta, Georgia on January 15, 1929.
Thursday, January 16
The Outsider Art Fair is at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Chelsea, NYC through Sunday.
WINTER JAZZFEST
NYC’s favorite Brazilian choro band Anat Cohen & Choro Aventuroso open for Brazilian samba star Seu Jorge with Rogê at The Town Hall in Midtown, NYC at 8pm. From $55
Latin Grammy winner Pedro Giraudo plays Argentine tango at Terraza 7 in Elmhurst, Queens at 9pm. $10
Dance traditional Argentine Tango at Tango La Nacional in Chelsea, Manhattan from 9:30pm – 2am. (Classes: Beginners 7pm, Intermediate 8pm). $15
PUERTO RICO
The San Sebastian Street Festival is in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico through Sunday.
[Editor’s note January 14, 2020: This is confirmed. It’s been moved one day later because of the earthquakes in the south. The earthquakes caused serious damage in just 5 of Puerto Rico’s 78 counties in the south between Ponce and Cabo Rojo. The rest of Puerto Rico is basically fine like it always is. Come celebrate life with us.]
Friday, January 17
It’s Martin Luther King Weekend!
The Black Comic Book Festival is at Schomburg Center in Harlem from 10am to 8pm. FREE with RSVP at eventbrite.com
The classic Spanish play La Celestina is at Repertorio Español in Kips Bay, Manhattan at 11am. From $30
Puccini’s Italian opera La Bohème is at the Metropolitan Opera in Lincoln Center at 7:30pm. From $30
WINTER JAZZFEST
The Winter JazzFest Brooklyn Marathon is at various Brooklyn jazz clubs tonight. From $50
PUERTO RICO
The San Sebastian Street Festival is in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
Saturday, January 18
CLOSING
An exhibition of sculpture by Cuban artist Zilia Sánchez: Eros closes at Galerie Lelong in Chelsea, NYC from 10am to 6pm. FREE
The Black Comic Book Festival is at Schomburg Center in Harlem from 10am to 8pm. FREE with RSVP at eventbrite.com
There are two Women’s Marches on NYC.
- Women’s March Alliance (the New York organization) lines up on 72nd St near Central Park West in Manhattan’s Upper West Side at 10:30am.
- Women’s March NYC (the national organization) rallies at Foley Square in Civic Center at 11am. FREE
CLOSING
An exhibition of new sculptures by Singapore-born, Argentine artist Florencia Escudero closes at Kristen Lorello in the Lower East Side from 12-6pm. FREE
Italian opera La Traviata is at the Metropolitan Opera in Lincoln Center at 1pm. From $30
Jorge Alí Triana & Verónica Triana’s Colombian play El Coronel no tiene quien le escriba is at Repertorio Español in Kips Bay, NYC in Spanish with English subtitles at 3pm. From $15
Porgy and Bess, Gershwin’s American opera about Black life in the old South, is at the Metropolitan Opera in Lincoln Center at 8pm. From $30
Latin Grammy winner Pedro Giraudo plays Argentine tango at Barbès in Park Slope, Brooklyn at 8pm. $10 suggested donation
Locobeach plays Venezuelan psychedelic cumbia at Barbès in Park Slope, Brooklyn at 9:30pm. $10 suggested donation
PUERTO RICO
The San Sebastian Street Festival is in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
Sunday, January 19
Filomena Marturano Un Matrimonio a la Caribeña, a Cuban version of the Italian play is at Repertorio Español in Kips Bay, NYC at 3pm. From $15
Dance Argentine tango at the El Destino milonga at Solas in Manhattan’s East Village from 6-11pm. $12
PUERTO RICO
The San Sebastian Street Festival is in Old San Juan, Puerto Rico
January 2020 Week 4
January 20-26, 2020
Monday, January 20
Celebrate the Martin Luther King Day holiday.
Italian-American hot jazz specialists Vince Giordano & the Nighthawks play Iguana in Times Square, Manhattan at 8 & 11pm. $20
SPAIN
La Tamborrada is a popular drum festival in San Sebastián, Spain.
Tuesday, January 21
Celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Altagracia, patroness of the Dominican Republic.
It’s Dominican Heritage Month in New York City.
It’s NYC Restaurant Week through February 9. Reservations opened on January 8.
It’s NYC Broadway Week (2-for-1 tickets) through February 9. Tickets went on sale January 8.
The NYC Ballet Winter 2020 Season opens with a Stravinsky & Balanchine program at the David H. Koch Theater in Lincoln Center at 7:30pm. The Season runs through March 1. From $35
Puccini’s Italian opera La Bohème is at the Metropolitan Opera in Lincoln Center at 7:30pm. From $30
Italian-American hot jazz specialists Vince Giordano & the Nighthawks play Iguana in Times Square, Manhattan at 8 & 11pm. $20
Wednesday, January 22
Pedrito Martínez plays Cuban rumba at the House of Yes in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Doors at 7pm. $15
Thursday, January 23
La Canción, VICO C’s Puerto Rican hip-hop reggaeton musical, is in Spanish with English supertitles at Repertorio Español in Kips Bay, NYC at 11am. $30
Italian opera La Traviata is at the Metropolitan Opera in Lincoln Center at 7:30pm. From $30
Dance traditional Argentine Tango at Tango La Nacional in Chelsea, Manhattan from 9:30pm – 2am. (Classes: Beginners 7pm, Intermediate 8pm). $15
URUGUAY
The inaugural parade of Montevideo Carnival marches down 18 de Julio Avenue at 8:30pm local time.
Friday, January 24
Arturo Alfonso Schomburg, the Puerto Rican New Yorker whose Harlem Renaissance book collection became the New York Public Library’s Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, was born in Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico on January 24, 1874.
Indigenous American Maria Tallchief, the first major prima ballerina in the the United States (and New York City Ballet’s first prima), was born in Fairfax, Oklahoma on January 24, 1925.
The Winter Show (Winter Antiques Show) is at the Park Avenue Armory through February 2.
The new moon is tonight at 4:42pm.
Saturday, January 25
Celebrate Chinese New Year of the Rat 2020.
SPAIN
The 34th Goya Awards (Spain’s movie awards) are at the Palacio de Deportes José María Martín Carpena in Málaga, Spain.
Master Drawings New York art fair is in Manhattan’s Upper East Side through February 1.
Puccini’s Italian opera La Bohème is at the Metropolitan Opera in Lincoln Center at 8pm. From $30
Dance Argentine Tango at the NYC All Night Milonga at Stepping Out Studios in NoMad, Manhattan from 10pm – 4am. $18
Sunday, January 26
Italian opera La Traviata is at the Metropolitan Opera in Lincoln Center at 3pm. From $30
Dance Argentine tango at the El Destino milonga at Solas in Manhattan’s East Village from 6-11pm. $12
The 62nd Grammy Awards at Staples Center in Los Angeles are broadcast on CBS (2) at 8pm ET.
January 2020 Week 5
January 27 – February 2, 2020
Monday, January 27
It’s the UN’s Holocaust Remembrance Day.
Tickets go on sale for Off-Broadway Week February 10-23.
CARNEGIE HALL CITYWIDE
Marimba/Vibraphone player Stefon Harris and his band Blackout play jazz at Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem, NYC at 7pm. FREE
Italian-American hot jazz specialists Vince Giordano & the Nighthawks play Iguana in Times Square, Manhattan at 8 & 11pm. $20
Bulla en el Barrio sings and dances Colombian Bullerengue at Barbès in Park Slope, Brooklyn at 9:30pm. $10 suggested donation
Tuesday, January 28
Porgy and Bess, Gershwin’s American opera about Black life in the old South, is at the Metropolitan Opera in Lincoln Center at 7:30pm. From $30
Italian-American hot jazz specialists Vince Giordano & the Nighthawks play Iguana in Times Square, Manhattan at 8 & 11pm. $20
Wednesday, January 29
NYC Ballet presents its Winter 2020 All Balanchine program at the David H. Koch Theater in Lincoln Center at 7:30pm. From $35
Thursday, January 30
Limón Dance Company, founded by Mexican-American modern dance pioneer José Limón, dances at Purchase College Performing Arts Center in Purchase, New York (near White Plains) at 8pm.
Dance traditional Argentine Tango at Tango La Nacional in Chelsea, Manhattan from 9:30pm – 2am. (Classes: Beginners 7pm, Intermediate 8pm). $15
Friday, January 31
Argentine-Venezuelan New Yorker Bárbara Martínez sings Brazilian bossa nova and Spanish flamenco at Club Bonafide in Midtown East, NYC at 8pm. $20
Italian opera La Traviata is at the Metropolitan Opera in Lincoln Center at 8pm. From $30