Upcoming Events:
Absinthe Lecture, This pale green alcoholic liqueur has a romantic history like no other drink. No other drink has aroused such opposition as this wormwood-based beverage that was held responsible for all manners of crime, degeneration, sexual license and degeneracy. Join Associate Professor David Weir for a lecture. Tues., Nov. 1 at 6:30pm, COOPER UNION, Wollman Auditorium, 51 Astor Pl., 8th St. bet. 3rd & 4th Aves. 212-353-4195. Free.
Dog Costume Contest & Parade, Tompkins Square Dog Run is pleased to announce the annual Dog Run Halloween Parade. Hundreds of costumed canines will march to participate in the country’s largest Halloween parade for dogs. Various categories and prizes available. Raffle every 30 minutes. Sat., Oct. 29 at Noon. Rain date is Sunday. Tompkins Square Dog Run/First Run. www.dogster.org.
Drama Workshop, Free workshops will be lead by a group of experienced drama therapists and professional artists. Groups available for ages 7-11, 12-15, as well as adults. Continues thru May. CHURCH STREET SCHOOL. OF MUSIC AND ART, 74 Warren St. 212-571-7290. Free.
Halloween costume ball, 29th Annual celebration featuring non-stop theater, a costume competition and ballroom dancing that will bewitch the East Village. Mon., Oct. 31. Free outdoor entertainment begins at 4pm, doors open at 7:30pm. Theater for the New City, 155 1st Ave. at E. 10th St. and the block of E. 10th St. bet. 1st & 2nd Aves. $20. Costumes or formal wear required. 212-254-1109.
Halloween Extravaganza, A fright-fest featuring a haunted playhouse tour and interactive performances with ghoulish cast members along with the original theater piece, What’s So Different About Me? Mon., Oct. 31 at 4:30, 6:30 and 8:30pm. Abrons Arts Center, Henry Street Settlement, Harry De Jur Playhouse, 466 Grand St. $5. 212-598-0400.
Halloween Walking Tour, Celebrate Halloween with some of the finest ghosts you’ll ever meet. Visit the haunts of such departed New Yorkers as Mark Twain and Edgar Allan Poe. Learn the Village’s connection to the Titanic disaster. Walk the block where you might just meet the ghost of Alexander Hamilton. Sun., Oct. 30 at 2pm. $15. Call 212-475-9585 x34 for reservations and meeting place.
Improv showcase, A full night of critically acclaimed one-person shows. Thurs., Oct. 27 at 7, 8 & 9:30pm. THE PEOPLES IMPROV THEATER, 154 W. 29th St., bet 6th & 7th Aves. $5.
Marketing to Kids, With an avalanche of TV shows, websites, music, games and books all vying for young eyeballs, media companies try to stay on the cutting edge of cool. Learn how the industry observes, tracks and predicts young kids’, tweens’ and teens’ latest fixations and turns them into global marketing sensations. Tues., Nov. 1 from 6:30-8pm. NEW YORK UNIVERSITY, Kimmel Center, Sliver Board Room #914, 60 Washington Square South. Free.
Musical- Literary Collage, “A Crack in the Creation.” Includes works from Exiled Artists. Tues., Nov. 1 at 7pm. LEO BLACK INSTITUTE, CENTER FOR JEWISH HISTORY, Forchheimer Auditorium, 15 W. 16th St.
Pier of Fear, Hudson River Park’s 6th annual free haunted house with reasonably priced Halloween fun for kids and adults alike. Sat. & Sun., Oct. 29 & 30 from 12pm – 9pm. Pier 54, entrance is on 14th St. and the West Side Highway. 212-627-2020.
Political Walking Tour, “Stoop, Synagogue, Soapbox” explores the rich social politics of the Lower East Side. Using archival images, photographs and memoirs, historians will vividly evoke sights and sounds of the neighborhood at the turn of the century when the LES was the most densely populated area in the country. Sun., Oct. 30 at 2pm. ELDRIDGE STREET SYNAGOGUE, 12 Eldridge St., bet Canal & Division Sts. $12, $10 students & seniors. Reservations required. 212-219-0888 x302.
Reading Series, Featuring established and emerging novelists, poets and essayists whose work, in both form and content, reflect the energy, diversity and history of dissent which have always characterized the Lower East Side. Tues., Nov. 1 from 7-9pm. EDUCATIONAL ALLIANCE, Mazer Theater, 197 E. Broadway., bet. Jefferson & Clinton Sts. Free. Reservations suggested. 212-780-2300 x378.
Trans Rock Halloween, An explosion of heavy phantasmic rock classics especially geared for the trick or treat holiday. Sun., Oct. 30 from 9pm – Midnight. ARLENE’S GROCERY, 95 Stranton St. 212-995-1719. $7 at door.
Video Installation, The East Village Community Garden comes alive with a multiprojection video art display. Thurs. & Fri., Nov. 3 & 4 from 6-8pm. Green Oasis Community Garden, E. 8th St., bet. Aves. C & D. Free. Fri., Nov. 11 raindate.
William Shakespeare’s Haunted Pier, An interactive performance featuring a cast of 20 performers leading audiences on a walking tour around scenic Pier 25 and onto the decks of the historic Yankee Ferry. Sat. & Sun., Oct. 29 & 30 from 2-6pm; Mon., Oct. 31 from 4-8pm. Pier 25, West Side Highway at North Moore St. $5 at the door.
