Best things to do in NYC over this holiday season

The tree will be lit daily from 5am to midnight. On Christmas Eve, the tree is lit for 24 hours and on New Year’s Eve it is lit from 5am to 9pm. The tree goes dark for the season in mid-January.

More than 50,000 multi-colored LED lights wrap around the branches. It’s topped with a three-dimensional Swarovski star that weighs 900 pounds and sparkles in 3 million crystals.

Framed perfectly inside the park's famous arch, Washington Square Park's beautiful tree is a sight to behold. It officially lights up on Wednesday, December 11 (5-7pm), and all are invited to the festivities. The tree lighting ceremony includes carols by the Rob Susman Brass Quartet and vocalist Linseigh Green. Santa Claus himself has promised to appear, candy canes in hand, to lead the illumination countdown. 

If you miss the tree lighting, you can see the beautifully lit 45-foot tree throughout the holiday season, lit from 4pm-1am daily.

Also mark your calendar for Christmas Eve caroling on Friday, December 24 at 5pm. 

Brooklyn Botanic Garden's gorgeous, after-dark illuminated spectacular is back this holiday season. Lightscape, an illuminated trail of art from local and international artists, features the iconic Winter Cathedral and a larger Fire Garden—all set to over a million lights, color and music.

As always, a curated playlist of music brings the light art to life, and there will be food concessions along the trail that will still offer seasonal treats like hot cocoa, hot cider, and mulled wine as well as light bites, cookies and sweets.

See it from November 22-January 5.

In the signature kick line that finds its way into most of the big dance numbers, the Rockettes’ 36 pairs of legs rise and fall like the batting of an eyelash, their perfect unison a testament to the disciplined human form. This is precision dancing on a massive scale—a Busby Berkeley number come to glorious life—and it takes your breath away.

You can step into Lovitch’s whimsical world inside The Shops at Columbus Circle. Find this four-tiered gingerbread village on the second floor of the mall. It’s free to visit and will be on view through January 5, 2025. If you want to learn to make your own gingerbread house, Lovitch is hosting classes for $35 per person; you can grab a ticket here.

Turns out, the North Pole knows how to throw quite a party. Join in on the fun at Santa's Secret, a seductive speakeasy and immersive wonderland that's back in NYC for a fourth year. 

Here's what's on tap at this adults-only holiday extravaganza: Delightfully cheeky characters, including mischievous living toys, seductive gingerbread ladies, and the famed very jacked lumberjack. The journey culminates at Santa's Secret Speakeasy, where guests will enjoy a five-piece band led by powerhouse vocalist Inyang Bassey; a dazzling variety show featuring burlesque, aerialists and jaw-dropping acts; themed cocktails; and food by Michelin-starred chef Richard Farnabe.

This year, the event is moving to a massive new location: 548 West 22nd Street in Chelsea, which will turn 26,000 square feet into a festive playground. Just don't let Santa party too hard—or how will he deliver all the presents with a hangover?!

The show runs from November 29 until December 31. Tickets start at $75/person.

No matter which side of it you fall on, the most festive drinking event in Gotham has to be SantaCon NYC. This major, mid-December celebration brings thousands of folks dressed up in red suits, elf hats, and antlers to midtown bars for a daylong celebration.  

Hordes dress up for this boozy crawl on Saturday, December 14, from 10am-8pm, across Midtown.

Some of the pieces decorating the greenery include rabbits, kangaroos, grasshoppers, frogs, squirrels, and cicadas, along with those depicting iconic museum exhibits like the Blue Whale and Tyrannosaurus rex.

You can see the tree with museum admission starting on November 25, 2024. Find it in the Ellen V. Futter Gallery on the first floor. 

In NYBG's wildly popular diorama, more than a dozen model railway trains traverse an incredibly detailed New York City scene, including such landmarks as the Empire State Building and Radio City Music Hall, made of natural materials such as leaves, twigs, bark and berries.

Each year, artist Laura Busse Dolan and her team at Applied Imagination work on the awe-inspiring structures using plant materials to build "botanical architecture." It's been a beloved tradition since 1992.

The destination is ideal for children, but there are also 21+ nights to check out. This year's holiday train show will take place from November 16 through January 20, 2025, starting at 10am until 6pm, at the Bronx destination.

Caroling, Klezmer and Calypso—oh my! Brooklyn Conservatory of Music will present its first-ever Holiday Extravaganza on Sunday, December 15 from 3pm to 5pm.

The family-friendly, multicultural celebration will see the conservatory throw open the doors of its historic Park Slope Victorian mansion, surrounding gardens, and front stoop for guests to enjoy performances from BKCM’s Klezmer Hanukkah Ensemble, David Bertrand’s Calypso holiday band, and Christmas carolers, among others.

Attendees can get warm and cozy at the delicious Tea Station from Tea Arts & Culture and can get moving with dance lessons provided by Asase Ya Cultural Arts Foundation celebrating Kuumba, the sixth principle of Kwanzaa. The event is pay-what-you-wish, with a suggested donation of $20, and registration is required.

Get into the holiday spirit with NYC darlings Svetlana's Big Band at two shows in December. No matter which show you choose—or both!—you can count on classic big band sound meeting thrilling modern arrangements, all with Svetlana’'s dulcet vocals and captivating stage presence.

Hear a dynamic set featuring Svetlana's favorite holiday songs, including big band arrangements from her chart-topping recording, serpentine jazz love songs, and uplifting originals. As she puts it: "let the enchanting melodies quicken your pulse and thaw your heart from the winter blues!"

On December 8 is the Birdland Holiday Big Band Show; get tickets here for $35-$45. On December 14, it's the Blue Note Holiday Show; tickets range from $32-$37. 

Talk about shining bright! Two million twinkling white lights will adorn Hudson Yards for the shopping center’s fifth annual holiday display. This year's seasonal illumination includes 115 miles of string lights, 725 evergreen trees dressed to create a gleaming forest, 16-foot tall illuminated hot air balloon decorations and a massive 32-foot hot air balloon centerpiece suspended in The Great Room of The Shops & Restaurants. 

In addition to the awe-inspiring light display, there are plenty of free photo opportunities, chances to visit Santa and stores to shop for everyone on your list.

Within Grand Central Terminal, find the New York Transit Museum's 20th annual Holiday Train Show, an ode to all kinds of locomotives. You'll feel positively giant while wandering around the 34-foot-long display, festooned with miniature versions of city landmarks such as the Brooklyn Bridge and the Empire State Building. Watch as Lionel model trains depart from a miniature replica of Grand Central. Then they travel over the river (the East River, to be exact) and through the wood to reach their final destination, the North Pole.

The Holiday Train Show will be on view at Grand Central Terminal through February 2025. The free show is open Monday-Friday, 10am-7:30pm; Saturday-Sunday, 10am-6pm; and closed major holidays. Find it in the shuttle passage on 42nd Street and Park Avenue, adjacent to the Station Master’s Office.

Perhaps one of the most conveniently located holiday markets is the Grand Central Holiday Fair. Running now through December 24, Vanderbilt Hall, the destination will highlight the work of 36 local food and craft vendors and small businesses known for their quality craftsmanship and products made within the state of New York or the U.S.

Goods will range from home décor and jewelry to abstract art and perfumes. Look for a pop-up from Uncommon Goods as well as a bevy of Grand Central Terminal-branded gifts.

The Holiday Fair will operate seven days a week from 10am to 7pm Monday-Saturday; and 11am to 6pm on Sundays. The space will be closed for Thanksgiving. For more information regarding specific vendors and hours, click here.

Started originally by ornithologist Frank Chapman as an alternative to the then-customary holiday bird hunt, the Christmas Bird Count is now the longest-running community science bird project in the country. There are counts at nearly 3,000 locations across the country, including one of the most well-known and historic counts, happening at Central Park on December 15.

This family-friendly and welcoming event offers a unique opportunity for participants, from bird lovers to those totally new to birding, to contribute to bird conservation efforts while enjoying nature and the beauty of one of New York City's most iconic locations. Data collected by participants over the years help ornithologists and conservation biologists study long-term bird populations and decide what conservation action is required to protect birds and the places they need.

Throughout the past few years, the ongoing effects of climate change have meant that we're getting less and less snow during the holidays, but that's not enough to stop Edge, one of the most iconic observatories in the city, from creating a holiday snow fantasy themselves. That's right—every weekday from December 2 till the 20 (11am-3pm), Edge will transform the New York City skyline into an immersive snow globe with wide powdery stuff falling onto the outdoor sky deck against one of the most impressive views of Manhattan. On Sundays, visitors will even be able to pose with installations of real snow and snowmen on the observation deck.

For some extra fun, check out Edge's jazz concerts, happening on Friday evenings throughout the holiday season from 9pm till midnight, or singalongs happening on Saturday mornings.

All activities, including Snowscape, are included in the price of admission to Edge's observation deck. 

In the heart of NoHo, Great Jones Distillery's downstairs speakeasy has been transformed once again into one of the coziest spots in NYC with gorgeous holiday decor to make it look like a winter chalet, complete with a warm fireplace, twinkling lights, ornamented trees, and a menu that'll make you want to come in from the cold. 

Sip with Great Jones' whiskey-based cocktails (Comet, Cupid, & Caramel, the returning Krampusnacht Nip, Sleighbell Sour and more) from head mixologist Collin Frazier alongside wintery bites like White Chocolate Fondue, Autumn Spiced Corn Dogs and Toastie Buttered Pretzels.

The Whiskey Wonderland will run through the holiday season into January 2025. Get a reservation here.

The Bronx Zoo's sparkling seasonal outdoor celebration featuring animated lights and LED displays of animals from around the world is back.

Expect the zoo to dazzle with 400 wildlife lanterns representing 100 species spread across an expansive area of the zoo. This year, the display spreads across six different trails, focusing individually on wildlife from North America, Africa, Latin America, and more. 

The zoo is introducing an interactive lights section this year with bright stepping stones and sparkling lights. Also don't miss the park’s holiday train, new snacks like apple pie nachos and warm spiked apple cider, and ice carving demonstrations. 

Holiday Lights will run at the Bronx Zoo on select dates through January 5.

Austin McCormick and his risqué neo-Baroque dance-theater group Company XIV present a lavish erotic reimagining of the classic holiday tale, complete with circus performers, operatic singers and partial nudity.

The word nutcracker has customarily conjured innocent wonder; now be ready to add glitter pasties, stripper poles and comically large stuffed penises to the toys in wonderland. Definitely leave the kids at home. 

Make the yuletide bright at the final iteration of Sleep No More's cast cabaret, the McKittrick Follies, at the atmospheric Manderley Bar of the soon-to-be-shuttered McKittrick Hotel. Kit Flowers—the alter ego of erstwhile Sleep No More cast member Ginger Kearns—hosts an evening of music, games and Christmas surprises. Festive attire is encoutraged for this December 10 show.

As Andy Williams croons in the iconic song, "It's the holiday season. And Santa Claus is coming 'round." But you know what else is coming 'round? STRESS. Finding gifts for everyone on your list. Baking dozens of cookies. Mailing greeting cards. The list goes on. 

This holiday season, Chelsea's ARTECHOUSE strives to create a space of calm amid the chaos with their newest immersive exhibit. Tingle Bells: An ASMR-Inspired Holiday Special will debut Thursday, November 21, and run through Sunday, January 5; general admission tickets start at $25. Equal parts wonder and calm, the experience blends nostalgic holiday warmth with cutting-edge digital art. 

Tingle Bells was inspired by the powers of ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response), which is known for eliciting tingling sensations through auditory and visual stimuli. It's designed to be, "oddly satisfying," as event organizers explain. 

Coney Island isn't just a summertime destination anymore. Luna Park's Frost Fest is home to a 35-foot tree sure to get you into the holiday spirit, plus photo opps with Santa, a holiday market, and an ice skating rink. 

New in 2024 is the Candy Cane Chute rapid slide that you are sure to want to ride down endlessly. Don't forget that the iconic Coney Island Cyclone will also be open during select days this season, so make sure to save some time to experience the thrilling ride as well.

Frost Fest will take over Coney Island from November 23-January 1, 2025 on select weekdays and holidays, plus Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Read more about the offerings right here.

George Balanchine's magical 1954 production, set to Tchaikovsky's timeless score, includes the full New York City Ballet company, two casts of School of American Ballet students, scenery by Rouben Ter-Arutunian, costumes by Karinska and lighting by Mark Stanley, after Ronald Bates's original concept. 

The show is a magical occasion: Along with a one-ton Christmas tree that grows from 12 to 40 feet, there's a snowstorm of blizzard proportions and a Mother Ginger with a nine-foot-wide skirt. In the end, however, Balanchine's choreography is what holds it all together. It's enchanting, and it never grows old. 

Sail into the holiday spirit aboard Circle Line’s Holiday Harbor Lights Cruise, running from November 29 through January 5. Decked out with twinkling holiday lights, green garland, Christmas trees and other jolly decor, the festive—and heated!—boats will tour you around the Hudson River. 

This year's cruise is complete with a “Create-Your-Own-Santa Hat” station to get all passengers in the holiday mood. A menu of seasonal cocktails inspired by the Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes are available, with highlights like the Salted Caramel Rockette-tini or the Rum Punch Kick Line. Don't forget to leave a gift inside the Toys for Tots donation box for families who may not be able to afford gifts during Christmas.

The cruise departs each day at 7pm and you can buy tickets here starting at $45.

Broadway needs a little Christmas, right this very minute, and it’s a pleasure to take off for a while on Elf’s magic ride. 

The weather outside is, indeed, getting frightful, so this holiday season, cozy up to the "Island of Warmth" activation at Manhattan West. Along with an electrifying urban bonfire, there will be music and dance performances (from Harlem Lite Feet with Chrybaby Cozie, the Maimouna Keita School of Dance, and Music from the Sole), memorable holiday photo opportunities, and a show-stopping winter lights display that is sure to mesmerize the whole family.

Enjoy complimentary hot chocolate by Daily Provisions on December 4, caroling around the campfire on December 11 and a Hanukkah celebration featuring the Brooklyn Klezmer Trio Plus on December 18. 

While this display might not get as much attention as some of the bigger light displays, it's an unconventional and under-rated attraction worth a visit.

Don’t let the freelance, remote or WFH lifestyle give you a blue Christmas—everyone is invited to this annual holiday bash on December 18. (Yes, even those with office jobs are welcome to party!) Sing your heart out to live-band karaoke without fear of your boss judging you. Grind up on a sexy stranger while the DJ spins holiday songs without ever worrying about running into them in the elevator days later.

There will also be a holiday photo booth so you can have evidence of why you ended up on Kris Kringle’s naughty list, as well as sweet local prizes, drink specials and an airing of your grievances against all bosses past and present. It's almost enough to make not having benefits worthwhile!

This holiday season, escape to an island paradise without ever leaving Manhattan. Celebrate the first-ever Holiday Under the Palms at Brookfield Place. Running through the end of the year, the brand-new concept will transport visitors to a warm, tropical oasis in the heart of frigid New York, thanks to the recent arrival of 16 new palm trees to BFPL’s iconic Winter Garden.

Among the "sunny" lineup of free events and family-friendly programming are waterfront ice skating, selfies with Santa, a tropical holiday cocktail crawl, festive giveaways and live performances of that Christmas classic, The Nutcracker, by the New York Theatre Ballet.  

Powerhouse musicians will help get you in the Christmas spirit inside the stunning Cathedral of St. John the Divine in Morningside Heights with a themed concert on Saturday, December 14. 

Sing along to holiday classics like "Silent Night," "Joy to the World," and "Angels We Have Heard On High." Performers include the cathedral choirs and orchestra with Arthur Fiacco on cello and Daniel Ficarri and Jacob Gruss on organ. Concerts are conducted by Kent Tritle, director of cathedral music, and Bryan Zaros, associate director of music and choirmaster. 

The concert also marks the much-anticipated return of the Great Organ (Aeolian-Skinner Op. 150A) after five years.

With its 1960s setting, comic-book–style art design and cross-dressing lyrical dancers, this is one of the kookiest productions of The Nutcracker.

Using the entirety of Tchaikovsky’s composition and including a section of the original E.T.A. Hoffmann story that even the original version of the ballet omitted, Mark Morris Dance Group’s take—which returns to BAM this yeat for the first time since 2018—is still fresh and very, very fun, especially after a few boozy hot cocoas during intermission.

The Tianyu Lights Festival has made its debut Citi Field and it’s got the glowy magic we all want in a light show. It differentiates itself by merging traditional Chinese lantern-making with modern technology (using steel, LED lights, and other colorful fabrics) to create sculptures is the storyline that inspires the entire festival.

All the sculptures tell a story called "Koda’s Adventure," which explores the Amazon rainforest. Even cooler, there are live performances of traditional Chinese plucked string instruments the guzheng and pipa, the peakcock dance and artwork using traditional Chinese styles.

The Tianyu Lights Festival is open every day from 5 to 10pm (the last entry is 9pm), except for December 9, December 16, December 20, January 6 and January 13. You can snag tickets at tianyuculture.us/nyc, which start at $22.

The holiday magic is in full effect at Lincoln Square's Magical Lights. Stroll along Broadway around 60th and 70th Street to explore this cool immersive audio and light installation. 

Strands of icicle lights decorate the trees inside Dante Park (at Broadway & 64th Street) and Richard Tucker Park (at Broadway & 65th Street). That's beautiful enough to see but then the magic comes in. The trees change color and respond to singing, clapping, music, and even the NYC soundscape. They'll glow in green, pink, purple, and golden hues for a dazzling interactive spectacle.  

Plus, given the parks’ location in a major cultural hub, The Magical Lights at Dante Park will also dance along to festive recordings from two of Lincoln Square’s iconic performing arts institutions: Jazz at Lincoln Center and The Metropolitan Opera.

In addition to the nightly light show, also expect free entertainment all season long, including: Giant puppets, icicle lanterns and carolers. Here's the full schedule.

Brooklyn Ballet's take on The Nutcracker, choreographed by artistic director Lynn Parkerson, emphasizes cultural and artistic diversity. Alongside sequences that hew to the classic 19th-century tradition are interludes featuring street dance, flamenco, belly dancing, Chinese dance, hoop dance, hip-hop and the Hopak, a traditional Ukrainian dance.

The 2024 edition features Kamala Saara and Jonathan Hart in the pas de deux and krump specialist Brian "HallowDreamz" Henry as the Rat King, along with Aliesha Bryan, the Eva Dance Studio, Sira Melikian, ShanDien LaRance and Michael “Big Mike” Fields. Live music is proviced by beatboxer Baba Israel, violinist Zafir Tawil, accordionist Mikhail Smirnoff and dizi floutist Yimin Miao.

Choreographer David Parker and his Bang Group reprise their neovaudevillian version of The Nutcracker, a comedic deconstruction of the holiday classic that mixes tap, ballet, contemporary dance, disco and bubble-wrap stomping. The cast for this year's edition includes students from the 92nd Street Y Harkness Dance Center; the matinee on December 14 and the evening show on December 19 are followed by a Winter Wonderland Afterparty that includes hot chocolate, sweets, photo ops and a tap-dancing station.

The days leading up to Christmas are full of festivities, but Broadway star Melissa Errico (My Fair Lady, High Society) is extending those jolly good vibes even after the holiday. Taking over 54 Below from Thursday, December 26 through Monday, December 30, Errico’s ’Twas The Night After Christmas will be a “winter party for every kind of holiday-er.”

Joined by the equally talented Billy Stritch, the actress-singer will perform yuletide and New Year’s classics from the American songbook—such as Rodgers & Hammerstein’s “My Favorite Things” and Frank Loesser’s “What Are You Doing New Year’s Eve?”—as well as new holiday-themed parodies of songs by Stephen Sondheim. 

The Meatpacking District will be packed with holiday lights this year, perfect for some photo opps. Sparkling lights, larger-than-life snowpeople, glowing dandelions, geometric photo frames and neon decor will take over the neighborhood's streets starting on December 11. 

See it all along Ninth Avenue between 14th Street and Gansevoort Street. If you want a taste of pristine nature without having to step foot ouside of the city, check out the debut of the enchanting “Gansevoort Forest,” in which over 100 deciduous and evergreen trees of various shapes and sizes up to 25 feet will be spread throughout Gansevoort Plaza in tadem with the spectacular holiday lights. 

Back in 1987, an art amusement park—featuring works from Keith Haring, Salvador Dalí, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and more—delighted visitors in Germany. There were plans for a world tour, but it never happened, and the art was abandoned. Until now, that is.

Now, you can walk through Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy, a wonderland featuring a Basquiat Ferris wheel, a Haring carousel, a Lichtenstein labyrinth, puppets and other immersive experiences in this limited-time installation at The Shed. Luna Luna is, hands down, the coolest art exhibition to open in New York City this year, and it's on view through January 5, 2025 with tickets starting at $44/person.

Sure, the holidays are something to be enjoyed, but sometimes, they're something to be endured. Opening on November 22 and running until December 28, The Second City New York will present their new Mainstage comedy show, "Wreck the Halls: The Second City New York’s Guide to Surviving the Holidays."

Packed with original sketches, improv and variety delights, the spirited show will gift plenty of laughs as it roasts all of the things we love to loathe about the "festive" season, from the dreaded family obligations to the boring office parties to the ad nauseum Mariah Carey songs. 

Kids are welcome at this staging of the Mozart classic. It’s the perfect starter opera: Performed in English, this abridged version by Julie Taymor, the Tony Award–winning director of Broadway’s The Lion King, clocks in at less than two hours and features delightful costumes and sets, but it’s still a Met production with some of the world’s finest performers.

If you want an extra special peek behind the curtain, mark your calendar for Saturday, December 14 when families with tickets to the matinee performance are invited to experience the Met’s immersive Holiday Open House, with festive behind-the-scenes demonstrations by members of the Met’s backstage and artistic staff.

The Dyker Heights Christmas Lights display has definitely earned its stripes as one of the best New York attractions. What’s not to love about all that razzle-dazzle to get you in the Christmas spirit?

The Brooklyn neighborhood is home to the most over-the-top Christmas light decorations with life-size Santas, sleighs, snowmen and some houses even bump Christmas carols from loudspeakers. Crowds of all ages flock to the Kings County neighborhood to wander down the multiple blocks and avenues.

Train aficionados of all ages are certain to be transfixed by the scenic components of this show, featuring trains and toys from the Jerni Collection dating all the way back to 1850. With its unique, handcrafted and hand-painted pieces, the collection epitomizes the golden age of toy manufacture and transportation.

This year's Holiday Express features a preview of the museum's new permanent train gallery, "All Aboard!" Highlights include an unusual German elevated station from 1895 with a raised track and platform and a rare Onion Dome station, featuring a bulb-shaped dome inspired by Mughal, Eastern European, and Middle Eastern architecture. Also keep an eye out for a toy plane version of a luxurious Pan Am Stratocruiser, a toy shop with miniature toys made in Germany in the early 1900s and a toy monorail made for the Leland Detroit Manufacturing Co. in 1932.

Lighting and accompanying music immerse visitors in the exhibit on the first floor of the New-York Historical Society & Museum on the Upper West Side. The exhibit's on view through February 2, 2025.

The Paley Center for Media's annual seasonal spectacular is back for another holiday season: PaleyLand will run through Sunday, January 5 at the midtown-based museum with jolly joy for revelers young and old.

Along with free hot cocoa and holiday treats, attendees can enjoy five floors of merriment, including photo opportunities with Santa; screenings of  holiday-themed episodes and specials of hit Disney Jr. and Disney Channel series; meet-and-greets with classic holiday characters like Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Hermey the Elf; and the chance to explore the magical holiday train, the Paley Express. It's all included with general admission.

New York’s stalwart old-school entertainer and Somebody Somewhere star Murray “Mr. Showbiz” Hill brings his rollicking year-end celebration—always one of the highlights of the season—back to Joe's Pub with burlesque titillation, musical mayhem and comedic mirth. Hill knows many talented people, so expect some very special guests. 

Shows run between December 12-20.

John Kevin Jones goes to the Dickens in this one-hour account of the novelist's classic holiday ghost story, adapted with director Rhonda Dodd. The Merchant's House Museum, formerly the home of a wealthy 19th-century family, provides an atmospheric candlelit setting for Jones's 12th annual engagement. Select performances include a preshow reception at which the audience sips mulled wine and Jones recites Clement Moore's “A Visit from St. Nicholas.”

Local bump-and-grind impresario Johnny Porkpie reimagines Scrooge as a greedy strip-club owner named Ebeneza who rips off her dancers—and, of course, her clothes—in this risqué burlesque-theater adaptation of Charles Dickens's holiday chestnut. If you like your spiritual redemption stories perked up with pasties and tassels, this is the Carol for you. The cast this year includes Scout Durwood, Fancy Feast, Cheeky Lane, Tiger Bay, Tigger, Cashlee Banks, Miscallaneous DomTop and Jo Weldon. (Leave the kids at home for this one, folks.)

This year will see a true Chrismukkah celebration: yes, Christmas Day officially overlaps with the first day of Chanukah. (Someone alert Seth Cohen!) And to celebrate on December 25, the Museum at Eldridge Street will play host to The Jazzukkah Project, an ensemble that's putting "a sonic, er, spin on the beloved canon of Chanukah classics."

Along with jazzy performances of tunes like "Ma'oz Tzur" and "I Have a Little Dreidel," the afternoon festivities will also feature a special candle lighting ceremony with historic menorahs from the Aharon Ben Zalman Collection on display in the museum's 1887 Sanctuary.

Skate your way into the holiday season at the iconic Oculus at the Winter Whirl Roller Rink, presented by Sonic the Hedgehog 3. Through Sunday, January 5, you can lace up your own skates (or rent a pair there) and surround yourself in festive holiday music and good cheer as you spin and slide under some seriously stunning architecture. It's an indoor rink, so you'll stay nice and warm and you glide around. 

In between turns around the rink, fuel up at The Polar Pub, an all-new holiday themed pop-up serving festive snacks and drinks.

Trek through snowy displays, an imaginary train car, and dancing lights inside "Winter Wonder: The Northern Lights Express" exhibit at Rockefeller Center's Hero. This immersive experience runs until January 20. 

After opening late last year, the enveloping, vast displays of HERO have undergone a seasonal update. The “Winter Wonder” exhibit brings you through the 13,000-square-foot space, stopping in eleven rooms to see familiar, beloved scenes from the coldest part of the year. The trip kicks off at a secret train station—complete with a clock tower, fir trees and silver tinsel—so attendees can take the Northern Lights Express toward the galleries. 

Tickets can be found here starting at $25 for children and $35 for adults. 

This not-to-miss Christmas/Hannukkah spectacular taking place at the Brooklyn Comedy Collective's Eris Theater in Williamsburg features three, one-act comedy plays celebrating the holiday season and includes a post-show afterparty that starts at 10pm. The show's premise is a hilariously murky one: The sketch comedy group describes itself as "57% Jewish and 100% girl" with a mission to uncover the true meaning of Christmas, as so many others have attempted before them. 

Girl Mountain Sketch Group is made up of comedians Lisa Zheutlin, Megan Bitchell, Franny Weed, Andrea Rose, Alex McMullen, Jamie Duncan, and Maddie Kasten.

First, bring your shopping totes because FAD Market, a curated fashion, art and design pop-up marketplace, is back at Empire Stores for the season. Small, local makers and brand new creatives will have handmade jewelry, apparel, skincare products, tableware, artisanal packaged food and more on hand for you to shop from each weekend through December 22.

Then on December 8, enjoy some holiday cheer and beer—during the Giants and Jets game, you can get a free beer refill with every touchdown at The Local Corner Bar.

If you’re looking for some more holiday fun, there will be meet- and-greets with holiday characters like Santa, Frosty, and the Gingerbrad man on Saturday afternoons in December.

For over a decade, award-winning singer Suzi Shelton has been creating music for kids, inviting them to dance, sing and explore the world around them. For the holidays, she is coming to Time Out Market New York with Macaroni KID Brooklyn NW for a special holiday show on Friday, December 13.

Prepare to sing along, clap and move with your little ones. Feel free to get dressed in holiday attire for the event. Doors open at 10am, and the shows starts promptly at 10:15am. Arrive early to get a front row spot!

This place takes the holidays to the extreme by stringing up thousands of lights, ornaments and garlands throughout its snug interior. Marvel at all the shiny things, then indulge in some hearty sausages and German brews.

For the third year in a row, Alex Kim and Kenny Park Yi put on their queer Asian comedy variety show, this time at the Bell House in Gowanus on Sunday, December 15. Head over at 6pm for an evening of comedy, sketch, drag and, of course, boba, with guest appearances by comics including Ai Vy Luu, Jes Tom and Sureni Weerasekera and a drag performance by Fefe Fo Fum.

And, since it is the season of giving, $.25 per ticket sold benefits Comedy Gives Back, a safety net for the comedy community.

Random Access Theatre’s boozy-geeky Drunk Texts series muddles classical texts—or modern ones reimagined as classical—into a cocktail of drinking games, improv and audience interaction, in which the audiences chooses which thespians take shots. Now the gang toasts the holiday season with its highly spirited annual version of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. 

New York nightlife personality and comedian Dominic Pupa—who you may know from his one-man shows like Gypsies, Tramps & Me, Cherstruck and Surprising No One—returns to The Cutting Room (44 E 32d St) with his annual holiday show, Dom We Now Our Gay Apparel.

The “pop culture roasting” of “a lecherous year” by “a treacherous queer” will skewer the best and (mostly) worst that 2024 had to offer, combined with holiday music parodies that promise to “ruin the Christmas classics for you forever.” Touring cities like Chicago, Boston, Washington, D.C. and Atlanta, this spunky and spirited show will make its way to New York City on Saturday, December 14. 

Instead of seeking shelter in the North Pole, you can find comfort from the cold at the top of the country’s tallest skyscraper. In this ONEderland, it’s encouraged to snap photos of the city down below, cuddle up in the observatory’s chalet atmosphere or snag a season-special confection from the building’s One Dine Restaurant. 

For those who adore the snowy mountain tops but are past their skiing or snowboarding days, this might be the next best thing.

The Cathedral of St. John the Divine—the world's largest Gothic Cathedral—will hold services on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Services are available in-person and via livestream; no passes or reservations are required.

Christmas Eve Lessons and Carols on Tuesday, December 24 begins at 3:45pm. Another Christmas Eve service—Christmas Eve Festal Eucharist—begins at 10pm. Christmas Day services start at 10:30am. 

Take your own NYC walking tour and stop by to see the lights at Radio City Music Hall, Central Park, the Plaza Hotel and more. Get ready to “ooh” and “ahh” at these landmarks and snap some photos of the most picturesque holiday light displays during the holiday season.

Two massive menorahs light up each year to celebrate Hanukkah in NYC, one in Manhattan and one in Brooklyn.

Manhattan

Find the world's largest Hanukkah menorah in Manhattan's Grand Army Plaza at 59th Street (across from the Plaza Hotel) for all eight days of the Festival of Lights.

The giant menorah will be lit after sunset every night of Hanukkah. Each day, a new candle will sparkle until all eight of them are lit on the last night of the holiday. 

Brooklyn

Those in Brooklyn can enjoy the borough's largest menorah, which will be set up in Brooklyn's Grand Army Plaza, right outside Prospect Park.

In true Brooklyn style, this menorah lighting opens with an official Hanukkah kickoff concert at 4pm on Wednesday, December 25. Free latkes will be on offer, as will gifts for children, every night of the holiday. Here's the full lighting schedule.