The 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea are just around the corner. This year, the games begin on Friday, February 9 and run through to February 25. If you are looking for an unconventional way to celebrate — whether you want to do so alone or surrounded by friends in a bar — there are plenty of ways to cheer on your favorite teams.
You can attend viewing parties taking place across the city or try a winter sport yourself in many of New York’s arenas. Here are 10 activities to celebrate the 2018 Winter Olympics:
1. Watch the Opening Ceremony
Kick off the games at the Renaissance Midtown Hotel, where you can sip on specialty cocktails and eat Asian-inspired fare from 6 to 10pm on February 9. In honor of the event taking place in PyeongChang, the DJ will also play Korean music as you watch the ceremony airing on 37 televisions. Better yet, all 8,000-square-feet of the hotel will transform into two lanes of street curling, where competitions will be held each day throughout the Olympics from noon to 11pm.
Additionally, the W New York — Downtown will launch a specially curated Soju cocktail menu and give out complimentary face masks to guests and visitors. Starting on February 15, the four W Hotels of New York will also offer the hotels’ first SWERVE cycling package. Of course, that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to viewing parties.
2. Go Curling at LeFrak Center
Speaking of curling, make sure to head to the LeFrak Center at Lakeside in Prospect Park, where you can make a group reservation to learn the ins-and-outs of the game from certified instructors. No experience is necessary to participate (just rubber-soled shoes and warm loose fitting clothing).
You learn about the delivery of a stone, sweeping, game objectives and other tactics. By the end of your session, you’ll be sweeping your way through Brooklyn. Round up your friends and register online here.
3. Panel Discussion and Viewing Party at Rosa Luxemburg Foundation
Image from Rosa Luxemburg New York
If you are interested in the politics behind the 2018 Winter Olympics, head to the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation on February 15 for a 6pm panel discussion, where a group of experts will discuss current geopolitical tensions, including issues of race and gender, rising military tensions involving North Korea and accusations of corruption against the International Olympic Committee.
The featured speakers include Jules Boykoff (Pacific University, Professor; Author of Celebration Capitalism and the Olympic Games), Amira Rose Davis (Penn State University, Professor; Author of “Can’t Eat a Medal”: The Lives and Labors of Black Women Athletes in the Age of Jim Crow), and Minky Worden (Human Rights Watch; Director of Global Initiatives), with Stefanie Ehmsen, the co-director of the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung—New York Office. Following the panel discussion, a viewing party will take place with snacks.
4. Grab a Specialty Cocktail at The VNYL
Image courtesy The VNYL
Grab a Olympic-inspired specialty cocktail at The VNYL, East Village’s multi-level bar and “lifestyle space,” which was designed with inspiration from 1970’s interior design, fashion, art, music and attitude.
The funky, design-orientated space will be serving themed drinks like the Apollo Ohno and Tara Lipinski, and a variety of Californian-inspired eats. Best yet, it will be projecting the games on its massive 36-feet-screen with surround sound.
5. Cultural Events at the Korean Cultural Center New York
In celebration of the upcoming games held in PyeongChang, South Korea, the Korean Cultural Center New York (KCCNY) is hosting cultural events for the community, which include a curator-led exhibition tour of Diamond Mountains: Travel and Nostalgia in Korean Art at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and three separate recitals featuring South Korean concert pianist, Seong-Jin Cho.
In addition to these upcoming events, make sure to check back for year-round activities at the Korean Cultural Center New York, which promotes Korean arts and culture through a wide range of specialized programs, sponsored events and educational resources to the public.
6. Explore the History of NYC Ice Skating at the Museum of the City of New York
Major & Knapp Engraving, Manufacturing & Lithographic Co., printer Empire City Skating Rink, ca. 1868. Color lithograph. Museum of the City of New York, The J. Clarence Davies Collection, 2 9.100.1544
New York on Ice: Skating in the City, a new exhibition at the Museum of the City of New York opened on December 20. Digging into New York’s ice skating past, it traces the evolution of ice skating from a 19th-century craze to the elaborate spectacle, commercialized leisure activity and competitive sport it is today.
Curated by Frances Rosenfeld, the exhibit moves in four sections: “New Yorkers Take To the Ice,” “City of Rinks,” “Skating for the People,” and “New York Ice Champions.” The first three sections reveal just how many rinks and ponds were available to people — far more than we have today. It will be open for viewing through April 15, 2018, and be sure to check out the programs planned in conjunction with the show. Should you want to go ice skating after walking through this exhibition as badly as we did, then Lasker Rink is just across the way from the Museum in Central Park.
7. Go Ice Skating and Skiing in and Around New York City
New Yorkers have been skating since the 1860s and while there are less frozen ponds to skate on today, there’s a multitude of ice rinks available not only in Manhattan, but in Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island. (We’re still patiently waiting for the completion of the massive Kingsbridge National Ice Center in the Bronx).
Slide on over to the rink at Chelsea Piers for a general ice skating session or lessons with friends; make your way over to Central Park’s Wollman Rink for a picturesque view and head over to The Rink at Rockefeller Center for the quintessential New York City wintertime activity. Also make sure to check out our complete ice skating guide here, as well as our guide to skiing around the New York City area.
8. Speed Skating and Ice Hockey
For the more adventuresome, pay a visit to the World Ice Arena in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park for a session of speed skating, which take place on Monday and Thursday evenings from October to March. It’s only $28 per session (including skate rentals), and your first time is on the house, TimeOut New York reports.
The Aviator Sport and Events Center in Floyd Bennett Field also offers ice hockey lessons on Sunday evenings. Classes are quite costly ($300 per person), but if you already know how to play, join in on an Adult Open Hockey session for $22, which will grant you 80 minutes of ice and access to the center’s facilities.
Also check out 10 Quirky Alternative Valentine’s Day Activities in NYC for 2018.