Get ready for a Capital Region Thanksgiving

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Happy Tuesday, Capital Region! Today, we’ve got an abbreviated version of the newsletter for Thanksgiving week. And there won’t be a Thursday edition so we can celebrate the holiday with our families. 🦃 🍁 

As we head into the holidays, we’re super thankful for our readers (that’s you!) and sponsors who make The 518 Newsletter possible. Here’s wishing each and every one of you a week bursting with good company, good eats and maybe a turkey trot too.

—Phat X. Chiem & Karley Sullivan

Small org, big buzz: Asian Arts New York champions Asian heritage

There’s a new arts group in town, and they’re not wasting time making an impact.

Founded in March 2025 by Wei Qin, Asian Arts New York arrives with a mission to elevate Asian artists and traditions throughout New York State. The all-volunteer nonprofit is already punching above its weight.

“Our job is to be a platform,” says Wei, who’s long been a fixture in the Capital Region’s Asian community. “We want to lift up artists, show their value, and connect them with the broader public.”

So far, that platform includes everything from Tai Chi and Chinese painting classes to a showcase of traditional Mongolian music and a performance at the popular TroyAsia Night Market. Their growing artist roster reflects a diverse range of cultures, including Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese, Indonesian, and more. Artists don’t need to be of Asian descent, either. If they’re practicing Asian art, they’re welcome.

This weekend, Asian Arts New York will take a bold step forward with its first-ever stage production: a Chinese opera musical debuting this Saturday at the Arts Center of the Capital Region. The show is partially funded by a grant from the Arts Center’s Thrive & Grow initiative, but the group is still fundraising to cover the rest. Ticket sales and donations will help cover costs, and support future programming.

Wei believes “art transcends boundaries and connects people. It bridges generations. It creates unity. It sparks dialogue.”

Under her leadership, Asian Arts New York has become that cultural bridge. From school outreach to statewide artist connections, the goal is simple: celebrate the richness of Asian art, and invite everyone to the table.

Want to help? Buy a ticket. Make a donation. Attend a class. Spread the word!

🎟️ Journey of Love & Hope: A Peking Opera Musical, Sat, 5:30p. Tix: $35 for general admission; discounts for seniors & students.
📅 Find classes + events here
🖼️ Learn more: Asian Arts New York

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TUESDAY

🚂 The Canadian Pacific Kansas City Holiday Train stops in Menands (5:15p) and Mechanicville (7p) tonight. See the lit-up train and enjoy a free holiday concert!

WEDNESDAY

🎸 Lark Hall Presents The 5th Annual Last Waltz on Lark Street: A Tribute to the Music of The Band.

🍸️ The Thanksgiving Eve Bar Crawl in Albany gets you drinking way before the big bird comes out of the oven.

🎲 Want something a little more tame? Get to Wolf Hollow Brewing Co. for a Thanksgiving eve edition of Bingo Night.

THURSDAY

🏃‍♂️ The 2025 Troy Turkey Trot is loads of fun whether you’re in the race or just watching the spectacle unfold.

Btw, there are other turkey trots in Saratoga and Bethlehem.

🦃 The 31st Annual Ballston Spa Community Thanksgiving Day Dinner is free and all are welcome!

FRIDAY

🎸 This Black Friday, skip the shopping and rock out with our friend Danny Goodwin and The Men Who Loved Music (w/Saucer) at the Hangar on the Hudson, a post-Thanksgiving tradition.

🛍️ Shop local and grab some deals at the 2025 Saratoga Black Friday event.

😂 Black Friday at MopCo invites you to skip the commercialism and go for some laughs instead.

🎤 Sesame Street Live: Elmo and Friends Say Hello at Albany’s Palace Theatre is a singing and dancing spectacular for the little ones.

🎅 The Roast of Santa at Fort Orange Brewing is the one night we can watch jolly old St. Nick get verbally sleighed.

🎭️ theREP raises the curtain on “Murder for Two: Holiday Edition,” described as a witty madcap musical mystery. That’s good enough for us!

🪕 Get to the charming Vischer Ferry General Store for a special evening of music and storytelling with truck-driving Adirondack folk musician Josh Clevenstine.

SATURDAY 

🎄Join Santa Claus and the Center Square community for Lark Street’s 2nd Annual Christmas Tree Lighting.

💰️ Albany’s downtown shops are putting on special sales for Small Business Saturday. Also check out the deals in Saratoga.

🎄Deck the Hall-bany Holiday Market and Festival returns for the second of four Saturdays.

🎅 The 50th Annual Holiday Craft Marketplace takes over the Saratoga Springs City Center.

🍎 Samascott’s invites you to its 6th annual Makers Market on Sat & Sun.

🍏 Nine Pin is also hosting a Holiday Markers Market on Saturday.

🍁 Thacher State Park invites you to their annual Fall Fun Day featuring s’mores, hot chocolate, crafts and a scavenger hunt. Bring the kiddos!

📚️ Common Roots Albany Outpost puts on the Bookish Market. Meet some authors and join the community book swap.

🍻 Get hoppy with Warren Sieme at Wolf Hollow Brewing Company.

🚵 If you haven’t checked out the Saratoga Mountain Bike Association yet, they’re organizing two post-Thanksgiving rides, both with afterparties at Artisanal Brew Works.

SUNDAY

🤖 Looking for something to keep the kids entertained? Bring them to the New York State Museum for Creature Creator: Build Animal-Inspired Robots!

🧟 This seems perfectly timed to let off some post-Thanksgiving steam: Zombie Swarm Laser Tag!

🎁 The Last Lap, Saratoga’s alternative market, kicks off three weekends of its holiday market at Putnam Place.

🎪 Cirque Dreams Holidaze wraps a Broadway-style production around awe-inspiring contemporary circus arts. The show has been totally reimagined for 2025.

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

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Our rolling deadline is the Saturday before your event!

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