8 things to do tonight in the East Village that don't involve Santas

[Big Ben]

I've heard from a few people today who said that they aren't going out today because of the Santas... That's kind of dumb, huh?

These are 7 things worth doing just off the top of my head, so to speak... Feel free to leave other ideas int he comments...

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• Go to the Ben Gazzara retrospective at the Anthology Film Archives. Tonight, "Husbands" at 6:30 and "The Killing of a Chinese Bookie" at 9:15. (Info.)

• Visit the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space at 155 Avenue C (Info.)

• Attend the annual holiday fair at d.b.a., 41 First Ave. 3-8 p.m.

• Take part in the annual Unsilent Night, the boombox caroling walk from composer Phil Kline's. Meeting place is 7 at the Arch at Washington Square Park... and traveling to Tompkins Square Park. (Info.)

• See Desire! [A Varsouviana], a "heart-stopping, pill-popping remix of Tennessee Williams’ sexiest play" at Under St. Mark's. 7 p.m. (Info.)

• Attend a world premiere dance performance of "Devouring Devouring" at the Ellen Stewart Theatre on East 4th Street. 7:30 p.m. (Info.)

• Check out the Sensitive Skin #9 Reading Release Party at A Gathering of the Tribes. 7-9 p.m. (Info.)

• Enjoy the quiet comfort of the William Barnacle Tavern at Theatre 80 on St. Mark's Place.

Introducing Midnight Wednesday: 35 East Village stores staying open late tonight

From the EV Grieve inbox...

Midnight Wednesday is a new holiday tradition in the East Village encouraging shoppers to visit East Village boutiques to take care of holiday shopping. The East Village Community Coalition (EVCC) and Amé Amé have organized 35 businesses to keep late hours, until as late as midnight. Many stores will offer holiday treats and special discounts that customers can enjoy while completing their holiday shopping and supporting neighborhood shopkeepers.

Midnight Wednesday will capture planned holiday spending within the East Village, which will keep money local and amplify the effects for the community. Unlike other parts of Lower Manhattan, the mixed-use nature of the East Village does not bring a daily flow of office workers. Our shops rely heavily on evening and weekend traffic. Midnight Wednesday gives people from the East Village an opportunity to experience late night activity — separate from the bar scene - and encourages them to support direct storm recovery during the shopping season.

“Since Sandy, all businesses in the East Village suffered from some combination of structural damage, loss of inventory, business interruption, and the lasting effects
resulting in lower traffic at this critical time of year,” said Sara Romanoski, managing director of the East Village Community Coalition. “The local and federal loans that many businesses owners are reluctant to apply for have not – and may never – materialize. Preserving a creative, small business culture is essential to restoring our quality of life in this community.”

Shoppers can find a list of participating boutiques here.

The EVCC also recently released The Get Local! Shopping Guide featuring more than 400 independent businesses. A PDF is here.