THE LINCOLN SQUARE BID’S HIGHLY ANTICIPATED
WINTER’S EVE AT LINCOLN SQUARE RETURNS
FOR 15th ANNUAL CELEBRATION
New York’s Largest Holiday Festival Featuring FREE Family Fun, Live Entertainment, Children’s Activities, Food Tastings from Renowned Restaurants, and the Upper West Side’s Only Tree Lighting is set for
Monday, December 1, 2014, at 5:30 pm
Broadway Legends Brian Stokes Mitchell and Bebe Neuwirth Headline Main Stage
Tony Award® Winner Billy Porter and Cast Members from the Tony Award® Winning Best Musical KINKY BOOTS to Perform at the 15th Annual Winter’s Eve at Lincoln Square
The Annual Fete Featuring FREE Live Entertainment, Family Fun, Children’s Activities, Food Tastings from Top Local Kitchens and the Upper West Side’s Only Tree Lighting Ceremony will take place on
Monday, December 1, 2014, at 5:30PM
New York, NY—The Lincoln Square Business Improvement District (BID) is proud to announce that Tony Award® winner Billy Porter, star of the hit Broadway show Kinky Boots, will join as the emcee for the 15th Annual Winter’s Eve at Lincoln Square, New York’s largest outdoor holiday festival, which is set for Monday, December 1st from 5:30PM – 9:00PM! The night will kick-off with a special performance from Kinky Boots on the main stage at Dante Park (Broadway & 63rd Street). Headlining the main stage this year is a Winter’s Eve favorite, folk legend Arlo Guthrie. This annual holiday festival will feature 20 live performance areas and over 30 restaurants offering savory samples of signature dishes.
“Winter in NYC is one of my favorite things, and there’s nothing more magical than Lincoln Square during the holidays. I’m thrilled to participate in Lincoln Square BID’s fabulous night of festivities, food, music, culture and community,” said Tony Award® winner Billy Porter, star of the hit Broadway show Kinky Boots.
“We are so pleased to have Broadway star, Billy Porter and the outstanding cast members of Kinky Boots join us for this milestone year,” said Lincoln Square BID President, Monica Blum. “Billy will undoubtedly light up the Upper West Side with holiday cheer to kick-off this annual celebration that has become one of New York City’s iconic public, holiday events. Whether you live here or are visiting; whether you are a foodie, a student, a retiree, a theater or folk music enthusiast; there is something for everyone at Winter’s Eve and we encourage all to join in on the fun!”
Admission to Winter’s Eve is free. Event attendees are encouraged to bring and donate gently used or new coats of all sizes to Dante Park at 63rd Street and Broadway as part of the 26th Annual New York Cares Coat Drive.
Winter’s Eve at Lincoln Square is hosted and produced by the Lincoln Square Business Improvement District (BID), a not-for-profit tax-exempt organization that was formed in 1996 by property owners, businesses and others with a stake in this Upper West Side community. The mission of the Lincoln Square Business Improvement District is to make Lincoln Square cleaner, safer, and more beautiful, and to undertake various improvement projects by focusing efforts on supplemental sanitation and security services; the beautification of public spaces, malls, and parks; and the promotion and marketing of the area’s diverse business and cultural offerings. Members of the Lincoln Square BID include property owners, businesses, hotels, restaurants, leading retail establishments, both large and small, cultural institutions, public officials, and residents. For more information please visit www.lincolnsquarebid.org
New York, NY— Whether you are a Theater, Jazz, or Folk music enthusiast, there is something for everyone to enjoy at the 15th Annual Winter’s Eve at Lincoln Square, New York’s largest outdoor holiday festival, hosted and produced by the Lincoln Square Business Improvement District (BID). The annual fete is set for Monday, December 1st from 5:30PM – 9:00PM and promises over 20 free, world-class musical performances, processional groups, dance, ice-sculpting, jugglers, stilt-walkers and other street festivities that will line the blocks & fill the shops of this cosmopolitan neighborhood. As you walk along the sidewalks of Broadway from Time Warner Center at Columbus Circle to 68th Street, you will hear music resonating from the unique voices and instruments of a variety of talented performers as this Upper West Side neighborhood is transformed into a winter wonderland!
From 5:30pm – 6:00pm, Tony Award® winner Billy Porter, star of the hit Broadway show Kinky Boots, will serve as the emcee and kick-off the evening with a special performance from Kinky Boots on the main stage at Dante Park (Broadway & 63rd Street). Headlining the main stage this year is a Winter’s Eve favorite, folk legend Arlo Guthrie. Fifty years after the historic events that launched him to reluctant celebrity, Arlo is bringing “The Alice’s Restaurant Massacree” in its entirety for an international tour beginning January 2015. In Winter’s Eve tradition, WABC-TV’s Sade Baderinwa, will be on stage to lead the tree-lighting countdown, broadcast live on WABC-TV, Channel 7 at Dante Park.
In addition to these talented performers, a dynamic list of entertainers promises to light-up the entire Upper West Side:
Golem – Following the tradition of great Klezmer acts performing on Winter’s Eve, Golem is set to rock the Main Stage after the tree lighting. Golem was founded by Annette Ezekiel Kogan in New York City in 2000. Since then, the band (Annette Ezekiel Kogan, Aaron Diskin, Jeremy Brown, Curtis Hasselbring, Taylor Bergren-Chrisman, Tim Monaghan) has become a leading re-interpreter and innovator of Yiddish and Eastern European music, pushing tradition forward into the 21st century.
Location: Winter’s Eve Main Stage – Broadway and 63rd Street, 6:30pm & 7:45pm
The Cafe Wha? House Band – Downtown Comes Uptown with The Cafe Wha? House Band! Pop, rock, funk, soul, reggae, latin, and more – this band performs all of your favorite styles in a unique and unforgettable way. Cafe Wha? House Band has been entertaining audiences at its namesake location in historic Greenwich Village five nights a week for over 20 years. Since their inception in 1988, the band has become the most reputable and well known party band in NYC, and has made its way from its humble beginnings in the basement club to venues across the country and around the world.
Location: Winter’s Eve TD Bank Dance Party on Broadway and 61st Street, 6:00pm – 9:00pm
The Jazzmeia Horn Quartet– Jazzmeia Horn has earned a reputation in NYC as a dynamic musician with a soulful sound. In 2013, she won the First Place Prize in the Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Competition, hosted by WBGO and Jazz Roots. On the evening of Winter’s Eve, the Empire Hotel Lobby Bar will be transformed into a hot jazz club with the sounds of Jazzmeia and a jazz quartet.
Location: The Empire Hotel, Lobby Bar, 44 West 63rd Street, 6:30pm & 8:00pm
M.A.K.U. SoundSystem – Even if there is a chill in the air on Winter’s Eve, Lincoln Center’s David Rubenstein Atrium will be keeping the dance floor warm with folklore, punk, rock band, M.A.K.U. SoundSystem.
Location: David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center, Frieda and Roy Furman Stage, 7:00pm
Lucky Chops Brass Band – The band has been making audiences dance with a blend of funk, gospel, jazz, rock, and world music since 2006. The Chops’ infectious energy and high caliber musicianship has made them one of the busiest and most sought after brass bands in NYC. The Chops were a big hit at the Lincoln Square BID’s Free Lunchtime Concert Series, and they are back in Lincoln Square for Winter’s Eve to get people moving again at Richard Tucker Park.
Location: Richard Tucker Park, Broadway between 65th & 66th Streets, 6:30pm, 7:30pm & 8:30pm
Spuyten Duyvil – Defined as Barn Burning American Roots Music, their brand of original and traditional American Roots music blends Olde Time, Blues, 2nd Line, Bluegrass, and Folk Rock with a pinch of Punk Rock energy to create a uniquely modern mix. Lead by song-writing couple, Mark Miller and Beth Kaufman, this seven piece powerhouse brings electric energy to venues throughout the Northeast, and now Winter’s Eve!
Location: Richard Tucker Park, Broadway between 65th & 66th Streets, 6:00pm, 7:00pm & 8:00pm
Shinbone Alley Stilt Band – A dynamic brass combo – all on stilts, Bond Street Theatre’s Shinbone Alley Stilt Band brings music to new heights with a selection of Dixieland, Swing, Jazz, Holiday, International and Rock. A real attention getter – and totally mobile! The Shinbone Alley Stilt Band is a talented group of musicians who also parade and dance on stilt and perform various feats of physical and musical dexterity. They will be warming up the crowd for the Upper West Side’s only tree lighting ceremony at Dante Park on Broadway between 63rd and 64th Streets.
Location: Dante Park – Broadway between 63rd and 64th Streets, 5:15pm, & Roaming throughout Lincoln Square
Singer / Songwriter Annika– Annika may only be seventeen years old, but she has already written scores of songs and performed extensively throughout the greater New York region. She’ll bring her fresh, original sound to Winter’s Eve performing inside of Lincoln Square’s Century 21 Department Store.
Location: Century 21 Department Store – 1972 Broadway, 6:00pm, 7:00pm & 8:00pm
Raya Brass Band – This group promises to thrill audiences with its energetic brand of soul shaking, border defying dance music. Given the way these five musicians electrify clubs, festivals, underground parties, and even subway cars with their riotous performances, it’s no wonder that they’re often mistaken for a band twice the size. The members of the band all bring their unique voices to the group, creating a sound informed as much by their love for the fierce and seductive music of the Balkans as it is by New Orleans brass bands, punk rock, out jazz, and a host of other international sounds. On the evening of Winter’s Eve Raya Brass Band will bounce down Broadway, drumming up excitement and even spurring some dancing in the street.
Location: Roaming throughout Lincoln Square
Hungry March Band – NYC’s Legendary Street Brass Marching Band is celebrating 15 years of bringing live musical spectacle to the people of NYC and 10 years of entertaining the crowds at Winter’s Eve at Lincoln Square. Founded in Brooklyn in 1997 for the Coney Island Mermaid Parade, HMB embodies the spirit of NYC’s streets with an inimitable brass sound and inspired, eclectic dance. A unique sonic voice has emerged from the recording of their four self-released albums—one that melds their musical knowledge of big band, traditional, and free jazz, with punk rock and global brass influences.
Location: Roaming throughout Lincoln Square
OKAMOTO STUDIO Ice Sculpting – Winter’s Eve favorite OKAMOTO STUDIO will return to this year’s festival ready to create more fabulous ice sculptures. OKAMOTO STUDIO is a New York-based artist collective best known for their design, production, and consultation of everything made of crystal clear ice. From the most delicate ice wares to life-like sculptures to live performance carvings, OKAMOTO STUDIO delivers the perfect ice experience. Formed in 2003, OKAMOTO’s mission is to showcase the full beauty and potential of handcrafted ice.
Two Locations: In front of Time Warner Center & 125 Columbus Avenue between 65th & 66th Streets, All evening
Batala NYC – Home-grown in NYC, Batala NYC is an Afro-Brazilian, Samba Reggae Drum Band composed entirely of women. These Winter’s Eve veterans are back for their third year of drumming and dancing in the streets of Lincoln Square. The music of Batala originates in Salvador de Bahia, in North Eastern Brazil. The international Batalá family owes its existence to Giba Gonçalves, a drummer and composer from Salvador, Bahia. In Brazil, he was one of the founders of Cortejo Afro, an arts education project to help underserved young people living in poor communities. When he moved to Paris in 1997, he started up Batalá in Paris as the European wing of the project. Batala has since spread to over 30 international cities!
Location: Roaming throughout Lincoln Square
Multicultural Dance presented in partnership with Dance Parade and made possible by the New York City Council. Featuring:
– NYC Bhangra: traditional Punjabi folk-dancing style (6:00pm & 7:30pm)
– Neville Dance Theatre: Theatrical ballet with cotemporary innovations (6:30pm & 8:00pm)
– Fusha Dance Company: African cultural dance (Congo, West Africa, South America, the Caribbean and Urban dances) (7:00pm & 8:30pm)
Location: Frey Plaza: Trump International Hotel and Tower – E. Broadway between 60th and 61st Street. Alternating every 20 minutes