1. Start the new year with a new adventure: head to Videology to watch the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy back to back. (Friday, FREE)
2. Or start it off weird at the Coney Island Sideshow New Year’s Day, featuring sword-swallowing, contorting, nails in noses, and more delights. (Friday, $10)
3. Or start it off laughing at Picture This!, where illustrators animate comedians’ jokes in real time. (Friday, $8)
4. Or start it off groaning at 51 Worst Jokes, where comedians share the most awful clunkers they delivered in 2015. (Friday, FREE)
5. Or start it off sketchy at Annoyance Theater with Dyno Pidgin’s sketch show, Hair of the Dog: A New Year’s Tail. (Friday, $10)
6. Or start it off dancing at C’mon Everybody’s Latin / Brazilian / Reggae night, Roots & Soul Brooklyn. (Friday, FREE)
7. Take in a wide range of culture at Brooklyn Museum’s First Saturday, this month featuring music from Tamara Renee, DISCWOMAN, and Young Paris, screenings of GoFish and Don’t Tell Anyone, and more. (Saturday, FREE)
8. Get a great dose of comedy, from big names to up-and-comers, at the 10th annual 50 First Jokes. (Saturday, $10)
9. Imagine a better world with the US Department of Arts & Culture as they transform one floor of the Brooklyn Museum into a future City of Justice, with art-making, poetry, story sharing, and more. (Saturday, FREE)
10. Dance it out at House of Yes with the I <3 NY Party, featuring beats from Elon, Tektite, DJ REsy, and more. (Saturday, $20)
11. Or dance it out in a secret warehouse at MeanRed’s Get Real, with guest DJs Green Velvet and Claude VonStroke joining Dirtybird artists Shiba San and Will Clarke. (Saturday, $30)
12. Don’t be a dull boy—get the late-night shivers at Nitehawk’s midnight screening of The Shining. (Saturday, $11)
13. Donate some time at Silent Barn’s Dirty Hands Club volunteer day, where you can help paint, prep, or build. Plus pizza! (Sunday, FREE)
14. See into the future at the Oracle of Dreams tarot and astrology salon at Catland. (Sunday, $10)
15. Take a closer look at your hood with MAS NYC’s Deeper Into Williamsburg walking tour, rambling through the BQE underpass environs, the Fillmore Place historic district, and into the Williamsburg Art & Historical Center. (Sunday, $30)
16. Rock out for a good cause at Secret Project Robot’s Planned Parenthood benefit show, with Ava Luna, Cloud Becomes Your Hand, and Palberta. (Sunday, $10)
17. Give your ears a strange treat at Muchmore’s Monthly Modular Night, a showcase of DIY electronics and unconventional noise. (Sunday, FREE)
Wouldn’t you love to have all these events in your inbox? Subscribe!