Broadway Christmas | Broadway Flea Market 2015 and Elsie Fest

I'll admit to being a little skeptical when Elsie Fest was announced for the same day as the annual Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction. Two major Broadway events in one day? Won't one take away from the other? Despite this, I found the idea of a "Coachella for showtunes" intriguing to say the least. I decided to go for it. Take my money, Darren Criss.

I started out my day in Times Square, navigating the throngs of shoppers at the Broadway Flea Market. I look forward to this event every year. Much like your average flea market, you never know who you'll run into or which hidden treasures you'll find. If, in your mind, hidden treasure equates to vintage Playbills from the original Broadway production of Chess, thenthis event is for you. I shared my haul from this year in the video below. I'm particularly excited about the shot glass.

The Broadway Flea isn't just an amazing fundraiser for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. It also acts as a massive gathering of the theatre community. Stars, community leaders, producers, and fans alike get together to celebrate the new season and our favorite shows. I saw lots of friends reunite, taking a break from their busy schedules to scour the tables together for the perfect find. It all makes for a super-fun (albeit sweaty) day out in midtown.

After a few hours, I tore myself away from the flea market and headed over to JBL Live for Elsie Fest. I really didn't know what to expect heading in, but the set-up was similar to many outdoor concerts I'd been to before: stage, merch booths, porta potties. In addition to the standards, Darren Criss & Co. brought in a couple of food trucks and set up beer garden/piano bar on the opposite end of the bar (sponsored by the legendary West Village haunt, Marie's Crisis). My friends and I scouted out a spot in the back where we could lay down a picnic blanket and set up base camp for the day.

Bringing showtunes out of the theatre and into a concert setting like that of Elsie Fest is tricky, but I think everyone pulled it off really well. Some of the acts seemed more tailored to a smaller venue like 54 Below, but most adapted to the huge stage pretty well. Aaron Tveit opened his set with a rocking rendition of "I'm Alive" from Next to Normal, Leslie Odom Jr. turned "Cheer Up Charlie" from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory into a soulful R&B ballad, and Darren Criss closed out the show with a punk cover of "Cabaret." Plus, the whole Starkid gang got together to perform numbers from the hit parody musicals, most notably "Gotta Get Back to Hogwarts" from A Very Potter Musical.

When you go see a show, there's really no opportunity to get up and dance to your favorite songs like you might at home (unless you're seeing Mamma Mia). Elsie Fest gave us theatre dorks the opportunity to do just that, to relax and celebrate our favorite shows and performers. One of my favorite parts of the day was bonding with a bunch of rad ladies in the food truck line over Hamilton and more. That's really the best part of any fan gathering and why I keep going to them. I'm sure Elsie Fest will be even better next year. I know I'll be back.