Downtown Ithaca

YEM 2025 Season
2025-01-11 10:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York) | Rev: Ithaca Startup Works, 314 E State Street, Ithaca, 14850
The new season starts on January 11th and all 5 monthly Workshops will be hosted in person at Ithaca’s premier incubator space, REV: Ithaca Startup Works (314 E. State Street) from 10AM-Noon. Additionally, we’re hosting 15 after-school hands-on working sessions, “Get Messy Club,” at New Roots School (116 N. Cayuga Street) from 4PM-5:30PM on Wednesdays in between workshops. *Grades 4+

Winter Dance Series: Breaking The Foundation
2025-01-14 18:30 - 19:15 | Southside Community Center, 305 S. Plain Street, Ithaca
Breaking Foundations (Advised for 17 & under)
Master the basics of breaking! Join G-QUAN for a fun, supportive environment where young dancers (recommended ages 17 & under) can develop essential breakdancing skills. Build confidence, connect with other dancers, and enjoy learning the foundational elements of breaking!

Global Creative Family Presents Winter Dance Series: Hip Hop Shape
2025-01-14 19:30 - 20:30 | Southside Community Center, 305 S. Plain Street, Ithaca
Hip Hop Shape (Only for Ages 18+)
Get fit and groove in style! Ready to move, groove, and transform? This dynamic hip-hop series is designed for adults looking to stay active, have fun, and elevate their dance game! Led by G-QUAN, this series will help you stay fit while learning cool hip-hop moves!

Open House & Celebration of Learning at New Roots Charter School
2025-01-15 17:00 - 19:00 | New Roots Charter School, 116 N. Cayuga Street, Ithaca
Join us for an inspiring evening on Wednesday, January 15, from 5:00 – 7:00 PM at the Historic Clinton House, home to New Roots Charter School. Discover how our innovative programming empowers students to excel academically and personally.
This event features interactive displays and presentations where students proudly showcase their 1st-semester achievements, embodying the New Roots spirit of reflection, growth, and creativity.
Explore our vibrant learning community, connect with faculty, and enjoy light refreshments prepared by our Culinary Arts class. RSVP is appreciated. We look forward to welcoming you!
Click here to learn more

Ithaca Community Chorus & Chamber Singers perform Mozart's Requiem
2025-01-18 19:30 - 21:00 | St. Paul’s Methodist Church, 402 N Aurora St., Ithaca, 14850
The Ithaca Community Chorus & Chamber Singers, with full orchestra and soloists and under the direction of Gerald Wolfe, will perform Mozart’s “Requiem” at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 18, at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 402 North Aurora Street, Ithaca.
The Chamber Singers will present Jonathan Dove’s “In Beauty May I Walk” and “Seek Him That Maketh the Seven Stars.”
Tickets are $20 (children & students free) and are available at https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/6496575 or at the door.

Navigating Childhood Anxiety: Empowering Caregivers with the SPACE Program
2025-01-22 17:30 - 19:00 | Virtual
On Wednesday January 22nd from 5:30pm to 7:00Pm join Dr. Katrina Blomquist, child clinical psychologist, and Liz Allen, Dean of Students at Elizabeth Ann Clune Montessori School and NAMI Program Committee Chair for a talk on childhood anxiety! We will be discussing the SPACE program for caregivers of anxious children. SPACE stands for Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions and is a parent-based treatment program for children and adolescents with anxiety, OCD, and related problems. SPACE was developed by Dr. Eli Lebowitz at the Yale Child Study Center and has been tested and found to be efficacious in randomized controlled clinical trials. Caregivers who participate in SPACE will learn skills and tools to help their child overcome anxiety, OCD or related problems. The program focuses on changes that parents can make to their own behavior; they do not need to make their child change. The two main changes that parents learn to make are to respond more supportively to their anxious child and to reduce the accommodations they have been making to the child’s symptoms.

Undressed: The Musical
2025-01-24 19:00 - 20:00, 2025-01-25 19:00 - 20:00 | Kitchen Theatre Company, 417 W State Street, Ithaca, 14850
Come inside the Kitchen Theatre Company and warm up from those cold Ithaca winter nights with the hottest show in town!
In Undressed: the Musical, YOUR embarrassing story gets turned into an hour-long musical right before your eyes by a cast of veteran performers (including local Ithaca artist Ilan Kaplan) wearing nothing but their underwear. One lucky audience member with the most interesting embarrassing moment gets chosen by audience vote to get up on stage and share their story. Then, the cast and band make up an entire Broadway-style musical, spontaneously creating every single note, dance, and line of dialogue on the spot. Oh, and did we mention that the cast is wearing nothing but their underwear?
Why are we in our underwear? Undressed is a show about stripping away our insecurities and living in the vulnerable. Our performances are always as raw and funny as they are unique, and our audiences are the best and most supportive in the world. Undressed isn’t just a comedy show, but an experience that will leave you feeling more connected to yourself and your community.
Tickets are $30 (general) and $15 (student)
KTC Bar will be open
Show runs about an hour

Karaoke!
2025-01-24 20:00 - 23:00 | Liquid State Brewery, 620 W. Green St., Ithaca
Come belt it our for on-stage karaoke with your host Lil’b (Formerly known as Brandon Fortenberry).

Guided Tequila & Mezcal Tasting
2025-01-25 16:30 - 17:30 | Bickering Twins Restaurant & Tequila Bar, 114 N Cayuga St., Ithaca, N, 14850, United States
Join us and learn the basics of tequila & mezcal: a bit of history on agave spirits, how/where its made, how to taste & enjoy it, and how to find/where to buy some of the best and most traditional brands on the market. Try 3 tequilas and 3 mezcals as Kevin & Corey, the ‘Twins’ behind Bickering Twins pour some of our best selections while walking you through the process. Sip, enjoy and learn about one of today’s most popular and fastest growing spirits.

Pocket Bandits Album Release
2025-01-25 18:30 - 21:00
Celebrating the debut LP from Ithaca’s favorite emerging progressive funk-fusion trio! Hear Joe, Simon, and Sam lead an evening of original material and surprise covers in the barrel room at Liquid State Brewing Co in Downtown Ithaca.
They’ll be joined throughout the night by a host of special guests musicians, including Ali Diemecke (La Llorona, Ilium Works) Joe Gibson (The Shuffle Bros, Spacetrain), Mandy Goldman (Noon Fifteen), Amanda Massa (Thru Spectrums), Bob McMahon (Fall Creek Brass Band, Thru Spectrums), Harry Nichols (Fusebox, Noon Fifteen), Josh Oxford (Oxtet), Alec Staples (Fall Creek Brass Band, Thru Spectrums), Michael Wu (Gunpoets, Front & Main) AND MORE!
Doors 6:30 PM
Music 7:00 PM
$15 cover
Preorder “Nine by Pocket Bandits” here:
https://pocketbandits.bandcamp.com/…/nine-by-pocket…

Pocket Bandits

MIX Art Gallery presents March OPEN CALL FOR ARTISTS!
2025-01-29 08:00 - 2025-02-15 23:00 | MIX Art Gallery, 156 E. State Street, Ithaca, 14850
Would YOU like to be a part of Ithaca’s art scene?!
MIX Art Gallery is ready to heat things up in March with an OPEN CALL for our new group show entitled, “March-Mad-Lust”. As artists, we enjoy exploring the full range of emotions available to use in our creative process! The passion and heat we create between us is how we survive as a species… and it’s cold out there! So, let’s explore March madness with some HEAT! Submit up to 3 pieces of art for $35 at
https://www.mixartgallery.com/artist-submissions/p/march-mad-lust-group-art-show-submission
Or follow the QR code to our website and show us your work by February 15th, 2025.
Entries are now being accepted for a group art show themed “March-Mad-Lust” at MIX Art Gallery & Event Space.
All artistic media, both 2D & 3D, will be considered.
The entry fee is $35.
The submission deadline for completing your entry will be 11pm, February 15th, 2025
The show will run from March 7th – March 29th, 2025
Artwork will be presented both in our gallery and simultaneously on-line.

Lion Dance and Parasol Dance at TCPL to Celebrate Lunar New Year
2025-02-01 14:30 - 15:30 | Tompkins County Public Library, 101 E. Green Street, Ithaca, NY, 14850
Tompkins County Public Library, in partnership with the Cornell Lion Dance Club and the Cornell Illumination Chinese Cultural Dance Troupe, invites you to a spectacular and thrilling dance performance for children and families!
Help celebrate the Lunar Year by ushering in the Year of the Snake! The performance will be on the Avenue of Friends at TCPL.
Each performance will feature a lively 10-15 minute dance, followed by engaging interactions with the children.
This year, the Cornell Lion Dance is back with two ferocious lions! Don’t miss this exciting celebration!

Scuba Bowl 3
2025-02-03 19:00 - 22:00 | Liquid State Brewery, 620 W. Green St., Ithaca
For the third annual Super Bowl weekend running comes – Scuba Bowl! A live musical performance from Ithaca’s voted “best bar band” Scuba Jerry, playing the music from the great Jerry Garcia Band.
Friday, February 7th, is 7-10pm
21+

State of the Art Gallery Members Show "THREADS"
2025-02-06 12:00 - 2025-03-02 17:00 | State of the Art Gallery, 120 W State St #2, Ithaca, 14850, United Kingdom
The State of the Art Gallery presents THREADS, February 6-March 2, 2025. Twelve artist members thread their diverse images together to reflect the colors of the new year. Works will include sculpture, photography, painting, digital art and mixed media by Christine Chin, Jane Dennis, Frances Fawcett, Annemiek Haralson, Daniel McPheeters, Keith Millman, Catharine O’Neill, Diana Ozolins, Nancy Ridenour, Carol Spence, David Watkins, and Hsiao-Pei Yang.
The show will run from February 6th through March 2nd, 2025. Opening reception Friday, February 7th, 5–8pm.
Regular hours Thursday-Sunday 12-5 pm. 120 W State St. Curbside parking and ADA accessibility. 607-277-1626. Made possible in part with funds from the NYS Council on the Arts, administered by the Community Arts Partnership.

MIX Art Gallery presents "Interact with Abstract" art opening on Ithaca's Gallery Night, Friday, Feb. 8th 5-8PM
2025-02-07 17:00 - 20:00 | MIX Art Gallery, 156 E. State Street, Ithaca, 14850
February’s exhibition at MIX Art Gallery showcases a new face in the local art scene. Peter “Rafe” Harpending, originally from Elmira, NY, now resides in Ithaca. With a naturally inquisitive spirit, he describes his personality as a gradient of colors from yellow and orange to red. It’s no surprise that his drawings reflect his degree in Biology, as his artistic interests focus on “living things” from various clades. While there are many detailed drawings of insects, birds, fish, and more that will be available, the highlighted works on our gallery walls will primarily be his mesmerizing abstracts.
“I must have had an innate urge to create a visual world, starting at a very young age—perhaps as early as I could talk. Additionally, my mother appreciated modern art, and that early exposure motivated me to create.” Harpending draws inspiration primarily from modern abstract art, and his biggest influences include Mondrian, Klimt, Dali, Klee, John McLaughlin, Pollock, and Georgia O’Keeffe, among others. “I’m fascinated by the fact that humans are both ordered and biological beings! The order represented in many of my geometric pieces is juxtaposed with disruptive visual elements. This expresses an obsession with the tension between order and chaos, the notion that humans can create a thin veneer of spatial and temporal structure, but underneath lies the inevitable turbulent and maddening realm of nature.”
Almost reminiscent of Native American art, these abstract pieces are both compelling and captivating, and whether on paper or simple board, they are attractively priced. A must-see this February showing through March 1st, 2025.

Passing Through: Portraits of Gender Rebellion - Ithaca's First Friday Gallery Night
2025-02-07 17:00 - 20:00 | CAP ArtSpace, 110 N Tioga st, Ithaca, NY, 14850, United States
This exhibit features a collection of paintings by Dominican-American artist, Isa Goico (they/elle). Their practice focuses on the intersection of self-mythology and gender liberation. Goico utilizes photographic queer archive, community members, and local drag artists as inspiration.
Passing Through is a compilation of paintings that reflect the unique individual experience of gender. “In painting queer individuals in everyday settings, I am celebrating the impact trans lives have on the Ithaca community at large. The portraits aim to honor and thank the Ithacans that are bravely themselves in an increasingly anti-trans political climate.”
The exhibition features a series of small gouache paintings on scrap board salvaged in Ithaca. In addition to the serial work, the exhibition features 3 large scale oil portraits completed during Goico’s time as an undergraduate at Cornell. Ithaca First Fridays Gallery Night – Passing Through: Portraits of Gender Rebellion is going to be the title of the event as we go forward to create social media and other content to promote the event.

CSMA Presents "Our Seats for the Table"
2025-02-07 17:00 - 20:00 | Community School of Music and Arts, 330 East State Street, Ithaca
CSMA is proud to present “Our Seats for the Table” in our gallery! This powerful art exhibit by Village at Ithaca Youth, Sarah Wolff, and Grace Azaula honors Black agents of freedom through reimagined found chairs.
Join us on Ithaca Gallery Night, Feb 7, for a live performance by the Breaking Ground Steppers, an impactful film, and the chance to add your artistic flair to a community chair.
Admission is free and the event runs from 5pm-8pm in our gallery. We hope to see you there!

2025 Opening Reception
2025-02-07 18:00 - 19:30 | History Center of Tompkins County, 110 N Tioga Street, Ithaca, New York
Please join us for the grand opening of our exhibit, “Trains, Planes, and Automobiles: Buses, Boats, and Bikes.”
Grand Opening Schedule – February 7, 2025:
10:00 AM – Exhibit opens to the public.
5:00-8:00 PM – Gallery Night in Downtown Ithaca.
6:15 PM – Public Reception with Musical Living History Performance
Opening Reception
To celebrate the creation of a new exhibit exploring the storied past of how-we-get-places we invite you to a preview performance of the “THE AWFUL WRACK of the FRONTENAC and the COWARDICE of MEN.” This living history musical performance tells the story of a 1907 maritime disaster that took place on Cayuga Lake, featuring singer/songwriter Ted Walsh with unexpected appearance of the Lost Survivor/Orphan News Boy. Lifejackets optional.

Scuba Bowl 3
2025-02-07 19:00 - 22:00 | Liquid State Brewery, 620 W. Green St., Ithaca
For the third annual Super Bowl weekend running comes – Scuba Bowl! A live musical performance from Ithaca’s voted “best bar band” Scuba Jerry, playing the music from the great Jerry Garcia Band.

Nice Racks! Vintage and Locally Made Market
2025-02-08 13:00 - 17:00 | Liquid State Brewery, 620 W. Green St., Ithaca
Shop the tastefully curated racks of 10 vintage and locally made vendors. Chicken, Beer and unique fashion gems for everyone!

NYC Meets NRE: Ithaca Comedy Night
2025-02-08 19:00 - 21:00 | NRE Space, 402 W. State St, Ithaca, 14850
NYC Meets NRE: Ithaca Comedy Night
Looking for a night of unstoppable laughter? Join us on February 8th at 7 PM at NRE in Ithaca for NYC Meets NRE: Ithaca Comedy Night, a comedy showcase bringing the best NYC stand-up comedians to the Finger Lakes!
Featuring a stellar lineup of rising stars in the comedy world:
Skyler Holzman: Founder of Cornell’s first stand-up comedy club, Pun Intended, and producer of NYC’s “Leg Day Comedy.”
Anna Koppelman: Co-producer of Pucker Comedy and a professor of creative writing at NYU.
Grace Lobo: NYC-based comic, co-producer of Pucker Comedy, and a New York Comedy Festival featured performer.
Max Kaczor: Finalist in Buffalo’s Funniest and Maine’s Wicked Funny Laugh Off, and producer of Cat Mouth Comedy.
This one-night-only event promises sharp wit, hilarious observations, and side-splitting performances from comedians taking the NYC comedy scene by storm. Whether you’re a long-time comedy fan or just looking for a fun night out, NYC Meets NRE is your perfect dose of laughter.
Tickets: Available now!
Location: NRE 402 W. State St
Date & Time: February 8th, 7 PM
Grab your friends and join us for an unforgettable night of laughs at NYC Meets NRE: Ithaca Comedy Night!
Follow us on @ComedyHOF and @ComedyOnTheCommons for updates!

TCPL to welcome Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author Jonathan Eig
2025-02-10 18:00 - 20:00 | Tompkins Coutny Public Library, 101 East Green Street, Ithaca, 14850
Tompkins County Public Library is excited to welcome author Jonathan Eig for a speaking event.
He will be speaking about “King: A Life,” his biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that was awarded the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for Biography.
The program is free to the public and will include a Q&A session as well as a book signing in conjunction with Odyssey Books.
The event is made possible by support from the Tompkins County Public Library Foundation.
See our announcement and learn more about Eig and his work here: https://www.tcpl.org/TCPL-welcomes-Jonathan-Eig

Adam Gellings & Nathan Lipps - Poetry Reading and Conversation
2025-02-13 16:00 - 18:00 | Buffalo Street Books, 215 N. Cayuga St., Ithaca
Poets Adam Gellings and Nathan Lipps will be at Buffalo Street Books for a reading, followed by a conversation with Suzanne Richardson.

Adam Gellings & Nathan Lipps - Poetry Reading & Conversation
2025-02-13 16:00 - 18:00 | Buffalo Street Books, 215 N. Cayuga St., Ithaca
Poets Adam Gellings and Nathan Lipps will join us for a reading, followed by a conversation with Suzanne Richardson.
Adam J. Gellings is a poet & instructor from Columbus, Ohio. He received his MFA from Ashland University & his PhD from the State University of New York at Binghamton, where he was the recipient of a fellowship from the Marion Clayton Link Endowment. His poems have appeared in numerous journals & magazines including the Academy of American Poets’ Poem-a-Day, Copper Nickel, Salamander, Southern Humanities Review, Willow Springs & elsewhere. His debut poetry collection Little Palace was released in fall 2022 by Stephen F. Austin State University Press.
In his debut poetry collection Little Palace, Adam Gellings gives readers a perfect example of that often-repeated but rarely achieved instruction: “show, don’t tell.” These sophisticated poems wander through the busy streets of Paris, past quiet courtyards full of flowers, into a kitchen that smells of fresh-baked bread. This metropolitan yet nostalgic collection brings the reader into new places and experiences while reminding them of familiar truths about human connection, the fugitive feeling of travel, and the universality of art.
Nathan Lipps is the author of Built Around the Fire and the chapbook the body as passage. Born and raised along the rural coast of western Michigan, he currently lives in Ohio and works as an Assistant Professor at Central State University. His work has been published in the Best New Poets, Colorado Review, Cleaver, EcoTheo Review, North American Review, TYPO, and elsewhere. Nathan is the recipient of a Peter Taylor Fellowship, an Excellence award in Research (Binghamton University), and a Poetry Fellowship (WSU) and was a Suzzanne Wilson Artist-in-Resident (GAAC).
His book Built Around the Fire delves into notions of place, the enveloping wonder and plight of our environment, and the complexities of rural culture: an examination of hierarchies, conservatism, generational religion, and the perpetuation of patriarchal norms. Such concepts are juxtaposed with a personal narrative: the rise and failure of a relationship, the deafening silence that arrives within any new vacancy, and the eventual need to learn to adapt in order to grow. These two themes—the notion of a midwestern place and its ideologies, and the notion of a failed relationship— work in tandem to speak for a shared struggle. The small family farm is dying out and the personal relationship dies right alongside it. What remains is a chance at rebirth, change, a looking outward, finally, as much as a looking inward. Though there is brokenness, and pain, there is also hope.

Figure Drawing Fridays at CSMA
2025-02-14 18:00 - 20:30 | Community School of Music and Arts, 330 East State Street, Ithaca
Drop in for figure drawing sessions at CSMA, generally held on the 2nd and 4th Friday evenings of each month. If you’re an intermediate or advanced-level artist interested in drawing from the nude model, come join our non-instructed, open sketch sessions. Just grab your own supplies and enjoy an evening of creativity in the company of other artists.

Valentine's Day Karaoke With Lil'b
2025-02-14 20:00 - 22:00 | Liquid State Brewery, 620 W. Green St., Ithaca
Come Celebrate love with a night of Karaoke- hosted by Lil’b (formerly known as Brandon Fortenberry) and a participating partner of “Ithaca Loves Teachers”. The stage performance of your dreams is waiting and what a fun way to celebrate the season of love!

Asempe Kitchen Valentine's Day Cooking Class
2025-02-15 11:00 - 13:00 | Asempe Kitchen, 114. West Green Street, Ithaca, 14850
Join us for a cooking class with Chef Kuukua on Saturday, Feb 15th from 11-1pm! We’ll cook together, eat together & share stories. It’s a celebration of love of all kinds!
Imagine stepping into an experience filled with vibrant tales and tantalizing flavors. Upon arrival, a refreshing soft drink will be your companion as you settle in to hear my personal journey, a nostalgic recounting of life in the lively heart of Accra, Ghana during the vibrant ’80s. But this is not just a listening experience; it’s hands-on, it’s immersive.
Together, we’ll explore a world of local and imported ingredients, their aromas and textures, their stories. We’ll be prepping and cooking an appetizer and a main dish – each a flavorful reflection of my homeland. But the journey doesn’t end at the stove.
Once our labor of love has been transformed into a delightful meal, we’ll sit down to enjoy it, and the storytelling will shift to you. I can’t wait to hear your tales of growing up, of places far and wide, of cultures and cuisines.
Are you ready for an afternoon of flavorful food and fascinating stories? If so, I hope you join us!
Please note:
-Aprons will be provided
-Please let us know if you have any dietary restrictions
-Spices, hot sauce, aprons & Better Brittle coconut & peanut brittle are available for purchase

MW&TBS Tour Homecoming Show wsg SingTrece!
2025-02-15 17:30 - 21:30
Maddy Walsh & The Blind Spots will be returning from tour for a homecoming show at the beautiful Foundation of Light in Ithaca with very special guest, the incomparable SingTrece!
Available for purchase: Amazing southern fare from Simply Red Kitchen, wine from award-winning Osmote Wines, and beer!
Tickets sold via Venmo exclusively: @TheBlindSpots
$15 ADV / $25 DOS

Destiny La Vibe Presents: Circus of Love- Valentine’s Extravaganza 2
2025-02-15 18:00 - 20:30 | Hangar Theatre, 801 Taughannock Blvd., Ithaca, 14850
Get ready for an electrifying Valentine’s concert that promises to be a night to remember! Destiny La Vibe and Vibe Nation will take the stage, bringing together an incredible blend of soul, R&B, pop, rock ‘n’ roll, and stunning circus arts. VIP tickets get access to a special preshow with RnB sensation M’busi and more!
As the venue fills with anticipation, the lights dim, and the crowd gets excited. Destiny La Vibe kicks off the night with her signature soulful sounds, her powerful voice captivating everyone in attendance. The energy in the room is palpable as she seamlessly transitions into smooth R&B tracks that invite the audience to sway and groove along. The concert will features special guests such as two-time Grammy award winning artist Clayton Bryant and the very sensational Dave Tony.
Destiny La Vibe’s band, Vibe Nation band, will feature a stellar rhythm and horn section, delivering an electrifying performance that gets hearts racing and feet moving. Their infectious rhythms and catchy hooks create an atmosphere of love and joy, making it impossible not to sing along. The visuals are equally stunning, with vibrant light displays that enhance every note and lyric.
But the night doesn’t stop there! Interspersed throughout the concert, talented circus performers from CirqOvation dazzle the audience with breathtaking aerial acts and gravity-defying stunts. Imagine a trapeze artist soaring above while dancers twirl and spin, adding a whimsical touch to the vibrant musical experience. The night leads to a sexy segment from Destiny La Vibe, Goddess, and Dominique’s Dance Creations that will set a fire deep within.
What’s a night out without a surprise grand finale? The show will culminate in an unforgettable surprise. This Valentine’s Extravaganza with Destiny La Vibe is not just a musical event; it’s an immersive experience that will leave everyone buzzing with joy, laughter, and a little magic in the air. Don’t miss out on this love, music, and art celebration!
