Top 5 Weekend: Troy Hot Chocolate Stroll, Dusty Slay, Gimme Gimme Disco

Hey, Capital Region readers! It’s Thursday, which means it’s time for our Top 5 Weekend Picks, your essential guide to this wintry weekend. Kick it off with a stroll around Troy’s charming downtown for its beloved Hot Chocolate Stroll. We’re especially excited to sample the beverages from Ilium Brewing, Jacob Alejandro and The Flour Bender. If you're not up for braving the cold or the crowds, Unplugged Adult Night at VIA Aquarium may be just your jam. Keep reading for more excellent weekend picks…

👏 Thank you to Pamela Howard from the Historic Albany Foundation for putting us in touch with Silvia Lilly, who tells us: “Loved your post about my neighborhood, DelSo. I’ve lived in my neighborhood for 30 years and coining the word DelSo is one of my greatest achievements!”

Thanks for putting the neighborhood on the map (literally), Silvia!

—Phat X. Chiem & Karley Sullivan

⭐️🍫 Downtown Troy’s Hot Chocolate Stroll turns the city into a cozy, cocoa-filled winter wonderland! Stroll from shop to shop sipping creative hot chocolate concoctions crafted by your favorite local businesses. Pay $2 per sample—or grab the commemorative mug for $25 and enjoy one free sample at every participating location. Feeling extra festive? Upgrade to a boozy hot chocolate for just $5 at spots serving spirited sips. Fri, 5-9p, $25 (hurry, this event could sell out).

⭐️ 🚜 Comedian Dusty Slay brings his laid-back Southern charm and sharp, observational wit to The Egg. Known for his working-man’s perspective and stories rooted in everyday life, Slay delivers smart, relatable stand-up that turns ordinary moments into LOLs. Expect an evening of unfiltered humor, blue-collar storytelling, and the easygoing delivery that’s made him a breakout favorite on the national comedy circuit. Sat, 7p, $29.40-$77.

⭐️ 🐠 Unplugged Adult Night at VIA Aquarium is an adults-only evening designed to help you disconnect to reconnect—screens off, phones away, focus only on fish. Wander the aquarium at your own pace with lo-fi music, thought-provoking prompts, snacks, and drinks, all in a relaxed atmosphere. Honestly, this sounds like such a therapeutic way to end a very long work week. Maybe pop a gummy or two beforehand 😉 Fri, 6–8p, $24. 18+ only please.

⭐️ 🎭️ Confetti Stage presents “The Lion in Winter,” a riveting medieval drama full of royal scheming, sharp wit, and emotional intensity, set during Christmas 1183 as King Henry II, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, and their sons vie for the English crown. Staged at the Albany Masonic Temple with immersive period music, costumes, and a festive preshow, this production blends political intrigue and human drama in a fresh, powerful performance. Fri & Sat, 7:30p, $18 ($12 for students). Preshow at 7 pm. Get tix here.

⭐️ 🪩 Gimme Gimme Disco at Empire Underground is a high-energy 1970s-inspired dance party spinning all your favorite ABBA hits alongside classic disco tunes from the Bee Gees, Donna Summer, Cher, and more. Get ready to boogie in your best disco threads and soak up the glitter, grooves and nonstop disco vibes. Fri, 8:30p, $28.10.

THURSDAY

🍽️ The 2026 Schenectady County Restaurant Week runs through Sunday, offering 3-course dinners for $30 or $40. Meanwhile, Saratoga County Restaurant Week goes through March 5, and Watervliet Restaurant Week goes through Saturday (among the participating spots is Quechua Peruvian Restaurant, which we’ve been meaning to try).

❄️ The Lake George Winter Carnival continues this weekend with polar bear plunges, hot wing contests, the Lake George Dog’s Got Talent Show, and more!

🔉 At EMPAC, staging grounds explores how art, cultural memory, and experience are shaped by structures that re-animate events across time. Through Feb. 28.

💘 This month’s Drag Me to Nine Pin features a Battle of the Couples, hosted by the ever-charismatic Typhoid Mary.

📚️ If you’ve been meaning to check out The Hive's Grown-Up Book Fair, you've got two chances this week: At Brown’s Brewing tonight and Fort Orange Brewing on Friday.

FRIDAY

🔥❄️ Fire & Ice returns to Glens Falls. Enjoy ice skating, hot chocolate, live music and more family-friendly fun at Crandall Pond.

☕️ Brewtus Roasting in Delmar invites local women & moms to their Coffee Walk & Talk. Take a relaxed stroll along the rail trail and then come back for a delicious cup of coffee or three.

📜 A Revolutionary Age: Generations & the American Revolution in Albany explores how the Revolutionary era impacted young and old, juxtaposing art & first-hand experiences in Albany. Online via Zoom.

🎙️ Michael Mayo is one of the most exciting vocalists working in contemporary jazz right now. And he’s giving a free show at Skidmore's Zankel Music Center!

🎢 Glens Falls Community Theatre presents "Ride the Cyclone," a somewhat outlandish musical about six teenagers from a Canadian choir who die in a freak roller coaster accident. Fri-Sun.

🤣 Local comedian Tyler Artis brings four of his funniest friends in the Capital Region to Local 217 Taproom for The Artis(T) Comedy Showcase.

💃 Celebrate Ruthenia's 176th birthday with dancing, drinks, & drag performances at KRESY MYTH—a Slavic folktronica dance party.

SATURDAY

❄️ Get to Bootleggers on Broadway’s Winter Fest for live music, ice bars, drink specials, and cozy winter vibes.

📚️ The Indie Book & Comic Expo at the Shirt Factory in Glens Falls features over 50 authors, publishers, illustrators and artists.

🎸 Hometown rockers Super 400 celebrates their 30th anniversary (!) at Cohoes Music Hall.

🪑 Shaker Day at the NYS Museum celebrates 250 years of Shaker history in the Capital Region with hands-on basket and box making, broom making, seed packing, chair weaving, and more!

🍜 Yukgaejang is a delicious Korean beef soup known for its stick-to-your-bones goodness. For just $30, eat and cook your way through this Korean cooking class organized by the International Youth Fellowship.

🧧 Celebrate Lunar New Year with a tea ceremony, and dance and musical performances at Troy's Main Library.

☕️ Tortoise & Hare Coffee put on their weekly popup at River Garden Studio.

SUNDAY

🍗 Enjoy some of Allie B's most famous dishes including their signature macaroni and cheese and collard greens with smoked turkey at Allie B's Soul Food Gospel Brunch @ La Serre.

🍕 DeFazio’s at 216 is now serving Sunday brunch. Check out their new menu!

LOOKING AHEAD

• March 5: Jade Asian Buffett Grand Opening (10% off all day)

• March 7-8: NY Women’s Expo

• March 8: Upstate Punk Rock Flea Market

• March 9-15: Wizard Fest

• March 15: Mats & Margs at Grand Margaritas

• March 15-21: Glens Falls Restaurant Week

• March 21: Mushroom Dinner Experience

• March 22: A Big Gay Market

Our music listings are now published separately on The 518 website. Click here.

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