Weekly roundup (November 19)

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November 19, 2025 | Issue #133

NYC FOR FREE WEEKLY ROUNDUP

Note from Rebeka:

This week: Enjoy holiday & Thanksgiving pop-ups (Bloomingdale’s, Diamond Crystal Salt), beauty pop-ups (Tree Hut, Old Navy, BtheB), and more. Check out nycforfree.co/holidays for all upcoming holiday events & tree lightings in NYC!

– Rebeka

FEATURED EVENTS (THIS WEEK):

🧣Bloomingdale's x Burberry Holiday Unveil (November 19): Bloomingdale’s is kicking off the holiday season, unveiling the facade “wrapped” in a giant Burberry scarf and a live performance by RAYE!

🦃Diamond Crystal Salt House of Brining (November 20): Diamond Crystal Salt will host its first-ever House Of Brining, a spa-inspired pop-up that reimagines Thanksgiving prep as the ultimate act of self-care. 

🙂Smiling Friends HQ Pop-Up (November 21 - 23): To celebrate new episodes of “SMILING FRIENDS,” Adult Swim is offering fans an immersive experience that brings the show’s offbeat charm to life, with character encounters to giveaways and more

⛸️Tree Hut Dancin’ Queen Ice Skating Pop-Up (November 21 - 22): Tree Hut is lacing up their skates and bringing Nutcracker season to life with free ice skating (ticket required), festive giveaways, and sweet seasonal surprises

🧴Old Navy Beauty Co (November 22 - 23): Old Navy is officially stepping into beauty and NYC gets an early peek, with a one-weekend in-store pop-up!

🎨Primark Studio (November 22 - 23): Primark extended its pop-up due to popular demand! Enjoy complimentary color analysis, coffee, gift cards and more!

💋ÅLAND BtheB Grand Opening (November 22 - 23): ÅLAND, the biggest Korean fashion retailer in the U.S., is launching BtheB, a new K-beauty segment, at American Dream Mall this weekend with free samples and goodies!

🍎NYC Apple Orchard (November 25): The Farmlink Project and 260 Sample Sale are transforming the 260 flagship into a free pop-up apple orchard, complete with hay bales, cider, and 20,000 pounds of locally grown New York apples.

MORE EVENTS (THIS WEEK):

🎁 QVC Holiday House (November 19 - 20)

🥀 Guerlain Shalimar Exhibition (November 19 - 20)

📚Zibby’s Bookshop Pop-Up (November 19 - December 12)

💄 Peripera x Cha Cha Matcha: #PeelPlaySlay Pop-Up! (November 20)

🥽 Eclipso NYC Virtual Reality Test Session (November 20)

🥧 Pie Hard: Friendsgiving by Chain & Skrewball (November 20)

🛍️MUJI Fifth Avenue: 10th Anniversary (through November 20)

🌳 Alchemai Bonsai Pop-Up (November 22 - 23)

🐶 Loftie Emma's 7th Birthday Pawty (November 22)

💚 Wicked: For Good The Soundtrack Penn Plaza Pop-Up (November 22/23)

🩰Brookfield Place The Nutcracker 2025 (November 22 - 23) 

☕️Capital One Friendsgiving (November 25)

🌟Downtown Brooklyn Gets Lit! (November 25)

🧳Away Winter Workshop (Weekends through December 21)

🌟Holiday Under the Stars: Columbus Circle (through Jan 4)

🍁Genesis House CHROMA: Tales Between Hues (through December 14)

🚂New York Transit Museum Holiday Train Show (opens February 2026)

😆PAC-MAN Celebrates 45th Anniversary (through January 18)

ON THE RADAR:

🎈Macy's Thanksgiving Eve Balloon Inflation (November 26): Watch the iconic balloons and floats come to life on the Upper West Side, the day before the Parade.

🦃99th Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (November 27): Watch this annual Thanksgiving tradition in person, with 34 balloons, 28 floats, 26 performers and more, from the Upper West Side down to Herald Square.

🎄Holiday Tree Lightings & Other Events: Bryant Park (December 2), Rockefeller Center (December 3) & many more! 

MISC, RECURRING & DEALS:

🎁 Cushion Foundation Testing: A beauty brand is looking for women in the NYC area to join a short in-office product feedback session for a new cushion foundation. Try the product, share your thoughts, and take home a $50 gift code.

🤑 Rakuten: Get Cash Back during the holidays by shopping at stores like Nike, Bloomingdales, lululemon & more (often 10%+). Plus, new users can get $50 after using the Rakuten app or browser extension to make your first purchase of $50+. Sign up here.

🙇🏽‍♀️ Get $225 for a Focus Group: Earn $225 in rewards to help to shape the future of technology! Sign up for a 3 hour in-person study in Midtown Manhattan and get $225 for your time and participation.