NYC up & OUT!: Bringing Our Gay Community Together

(The Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center, between West 62 & 65th Sts and Columbus & Amsterdam Aves) (7pm) Experience Gounod's ultra-sensual interpretation of Shakespeare for the Met's New Year's Eve gala. www.metoperafamily.org

(Fulton Ferry Landing near the Brooklyn Bridge) (7pm) In one of New York's most romantic settings, this New Year's Eve concert is perfect for classical music lovers. www.bargemusic.org

(Jivamukti Yoga Center, 841 Broadway) (9pm - 12 midnight) Mauna, the yogic practice of silence, (yes that's right: no talking) will be observed. www.jivamuktiyoga.com

(Avery Fischer Hall, Columbus Avenue & 65th St) (7pm) One of the most gifted violinists of his generation serenades the night away with the most romantic melodies ever composed. www.lincolncenter.org

(Damrosch Park, 62nd St near Amsterdam Ave) (9:30pm) Bring in the new year under the Big Top. Stay after the performance for dancing to music performed live by the Big Apple Circus band. The 30th Anniversary season extends through January 13th. www.lincolncenter.org

(Caroline's, 1626 Broadway) Self-proclaimed as the funniest Party in the Universe. www.carolines.com

(Gotham Comedy Club, 208 West 23rd) (10pm) Ring in the New Year with some of the Country's Top Comics. Featuring: Ted Alexandro, Jessica Kirson, Kevin Flynn and William Stephenson. www.gothamcomedyclub.com

(Central Park) (11pm) Usher in 2008 with speedy style! Featuring a costume parade, dancing, and fireworks, this four-miler is more of a party than a race. Count down the minutes 'til midnight and then count down the miles 'til the finish line. www.nyrr.org/races/2007/r1231x00.asp

(Times Square, Central Park, South Street Seaport and Prospect Park) (12am) Whether you brave the masses or snuggle with your honey, there is nowhere in the world that does midnight fireworks like NYC. www.gonyc.about.com

(Riegelmann Boardwalk at Stillwell Ave, Coney Island) (1pm) It hurts us every year to watch the Polar Bears make that first of the year plunge. Bring a donation or pledge online on the Freezin' for a Reason website for this year's beneficiary, Camp Sunshine. www.freezinforareason.com

(Meeting Place: Blimpie's Restaurant, 38 Park Row btwn Spruce & Beekman Sts across from City Hall Park in Manhattan) (1:30pm) Go in search of the spirits of the Algonquin Indians, Black slaves, Dutch settlers, Walt Whitman, P. T. Barnum, Captain Kidd, the ghosts of Trinity Churchyard, and the true story of Edgar Allan Poe and Marie Roget. www.ghostsofny.com

(Café Carlyle, 35 East 76th St) (8pm) A revival of Elaine Stritch's acclaimed autobiographical solo musical. "At Liberty" is a musical evening that traces her career, from her roles in "Company", "The Little Foxes" and "Bus Stop" to "A Delicate Balance", "Sail Away" and "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" www.nytheatre.com

(American Airlines Theater, 227 West 42nd St) Adapted from Hitchcock's 1935 classic move thriller, this brand new version is performed by four actors playing a minimum of 150 roles and contains every single legendary scene from the award-winning movie. www.roundabouttheatre.org

(Prospect Park Entrance) Don't throw away your holiday tree - bring it to the Park where they'll turn it into mulch for healthy ground cover. Call (718) 965-8960 for details. www.prospectpark.org

(City Center Main Stage, 131 West 55th St) The New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players, America's preeminent professional G&S; repertory company performs \The Pirates of Penzance", "Princess Ida", "The Gondoliers" and more. www.nycitycenter.org

Queens College, 65-30 Kissena Blvd, Flushing, Queens Gotham Volleyball is the largest gay sports organization in New York City. Division 1 - 8 Tournament Play. www.gothamvolleyball.org

(Huntington Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Ave, Huntington, NY) (11:30am) (After-party at BAANG cafe & bar, 8285 Jericho Turnpike, Woodbury, NY) Join HRC, Showtime, hundreds of your fellow L Word fans and your favorite onscreen lesbian friends for the kick-off to another drama-filled season. www.hrc.org/lword

(Joyce Theater, 175 8th Ave) Parsons Dance is internationally acclaimed for movement so vivid, raucous, and mesmerizing that the audience barely has a chance to catch its breath. www.joyce.org

(BAM Harvey Theater, 30 Lafayette Ave, Brooklyn) Inhabiting Beckett's taut prose, voluminous silences, and angular rhythms, Fiona Shaw is a woman faced with no option but optimism.

(The Jewish Museum, 1109 5th Ave at 92nd St) This collaboration between The Jewish Museum and Film Society of Lincoln Center celebrates Jewish filmmakers. www.thejewishmuseum.org

(Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium, 1000 Fifth Ave at 82nd St) (7pm) Songs from "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum", "Company", "Merrily We Roll Along" and "Follies". www.metmuseum.org

(LGBT Community Center, 208 West 13th St) (12 Noon - 5pm) Open freestyle wrestling competition with awards presentation. Gay, straight, male, female, athletes and spectators are all welcome. www.metrowrestling.org

(Bartow-Pell Woods, 95 Shore Ave, Bronx) (2 - 4pm) A discussion on sustainable residential construction led by Lynn Gaffney of Lynn Gaffney Architects, PLLC. Using a 1900s house as an example, guests will learn about building green. www.nycgovparks.org

(Temple of Dendur, 1000 Fifth Ave at 82nd St) (7pm) Byzantine music, developed within the monastic environment as an expression of worship, represents the foundation of all Western music. The choir will perform some of the most lofty and singular masterpieces from this tradition. www.metmuseum.org

(LGBT Community Center, 208 West 13th St) (6:30pm) Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter, David Cay Johnston will reveal how the U.S. tax code affects LGBT households. www.outprofessionals.org

(Leslie/Lohman Gallery, 26 Wooster St) Work in all media by gay and lesbian artists, with an emphasis on subject matter that speaks directly to gay and lesbian sensibilities. www.leslielohman.org

(Meets at 526 West 26th St) (1pm) Visit eight art galleries of interest to lesbians and gay men. Led by Rafael Risemberg, Ph.D., art critic for the New York Blade. No advance reservations. www.nygallerytours.com

(Dance Theater Workshop, 219 West 19th St) An extension of DTW's Family Matters Series, this showcase of original work by children 8 - 18 who have been choreographing since the age of 5 with renowned dance educator Ellen Robbins, is witty, intriguing and fun. www.dancetheaterworkshop.org

(La Tourette Park & Golf Course, 441 Clarke Ave, Staten Island) (7:30 - 11pm) Enjoy a delightful evening of unplugged music in an intimate 19th-century tavern at Historic Richmond Town in the heart of Staten Island. Musical styles include bluegrass, traditional, old-time, sea chanteys, singer-songwriter, jug band, Irish, and more. Warm yourself by the wood-burning stove and enjoy. www.nycgovparks.org

(The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, 1047 Amsterdam Ave at 112th St) Although the group encompasses many ethnic and spiritual backgrounds, the choir provides a special ministry to black lesbians and gays. www.lavenderlight.com

(Queens Museum of Art, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park) (3pm) Featuring "Jack Smith and the Destruction of Atlantis," and Derek Jackson's "Visions." Co-presented with New York State of Mind at QMA and "HUNG" Magazine. Q&A; panel with filmmakers and light refreshments served. www.cinemarosa.org

(China Club, 268 West 47th St) (3:30pm) A mix of the best new dance tracks with classic favorites. Raffle prizes and more. www.sageusa.org

(7:30 - 10:30pm) Dinner, dancing and more. Formal "Court" attire requested. www.imperialcourtny.org

(Citywide) NYC's finest eateries come together to provide New Yorkers and visitors with world-class culinary dishes for a fraction of their normal menu pricing. A great excuse to brave the cold weather! www.nycvisit.com

A week of educational activities aimed at stopping name-calling and verbal bullying in schools. www.nonamecallingweek.org

(Joyce Theater, 175 8th Ave) Dubbed the 'punk ballerina' by Vanity Fair, Armitage brings together significant music, art and dance to create work that expands our thinking about the dilemmas and beauties of modern life. www.joyce.org

(City Center Main Stage, 131 West 55th St (8pm) National Heritage masters Gospel Caravan and Peru Negro. www.nycitycenter.org

(Studio 54, 254 West 54th St) This musical celebrates the art of creation and the creation of art. Music and Lyrics composed by Stephen Sondheim. www.theatermania.com

One of NYC's largest LGBT dinner dances with over 400 people attending in support of Queens Pride. www.queenspride.com

(WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden, 7th Ave btwn 31 & 33rd Sts) Kathy Griffin has more stories, more dish, more of what she shouldn't say, but you know you want to hear it. www.kathygriffin.net

(Congregation Shaare Zedek, 212 West 93rd St) (4pm) Recount Israel's struggles, victories, losses, joys and hopes through song. Debbie Friedman, one of today's most prominent Jewish musicians, joins Music Director Joyce Rosenzweig, Cantor David Berger and the CBST Community Chorus. www.cbst.org/holidays.shtml

(The Helen Hayes Theatre, 240 West 44th St) (7pm) 'Heaven on Wheels, and in Leg Warmers' says The New York Times. Fundraiser for The Actors Fund, a nationwide human services organization that helps all professionals in performing arts and entertainment. www.actorsfund.org/performances/current

(Cipriani, 110 East 42nd St) (6:30pm) Black-tie benefit gala honoring the work of Carine Roitfeld, Julian Schnabel and Bobby Shriver. www.amfar.org