This festive season, NYC & Company invites travelers and locals to enjoy holiday events and iconic Christmas traditions in the city of New York. A hotspot for end of the year cheers, the city, this year too, presents an extensive list of holiday activities to choose from – from winter exhibitions and cultural events, flagship shopping offers, local businesses, and pop-ups, light festivals and displays to ice skating rinks, hotel offers, outdoor igloos and cabins, and much more!
1. Times Square Holiday Show Globes
Through December 26 | Times Square, Manhattan
Times Square welcomes back the holiday “Show Globes” – the large snow globe displays inspired by the designs of hit Broadway shows including Wicked, Ain’t Too Proud, The Lion King and Dear Evan Hansen.
2. New Year’s Eve Times Square Ball Drop
December 31–January 1 | Times Square, Manhattan
The Waterford Crystal Times Square New Year’s Eve Ball will sparkle in Times Square all season, but its descent on New Year’s Eve is spectacular, once-in-a-lifetime way to ring in the New Year. The event, watched by millions of viewers in NYC and around the globe, will welcome spectators back in-person this December. Guests can also stop by the New Year’s Eve Confetti Wishing Wall to submit (in-person and online) a wish for the New Year on a piece of official NYE confetti that will be dropped at midnight as the ball drops.
3. The Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes
Through January 5 | Midtown Manhattan
The beloved holiday tradition returns to Radio City Music Hall this year after being paused last year, dazzling audiences of all ages with incredible costumes, festive songs, synchronized high kicks, and new acts.
4. George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker Presented by New York City Ballet
November 26–January 2 | Upper West Side, Manhattan
George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center will return this year with exquisite costumes, magnificent sets, and Tchaikovsky’s iconic score that transports audiences to a land of twirling snowflakes, leaping candy canes, waltzing flowers and more.
5. The Magic Flute Holiday Presentation at The Met Opera
December 10–January 5 | Upper East Side, Manhattan
The Met’s abridged, English-language version of Mozart’s magical fairy tale is a classic holiday treat for audiences of all ages, bringing the charming story and enchanting music to life.
6. Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo at The Joyce Theatre
December 14–January 2 | Chelsea, Manhattan
The beloved all-male drag ballet troupe returns to The Joyce for an uproarious the holiday season, taking the stage for three weeks of nonstop skilled pointe work and hilarious parodying of classical holiday-themed ballet inspired by Jerome Robbins’ In the Night.
7. Fifth Avenue Holiday Installation at the Pulitzer Fountain
November 17–January 7 | Midtown Manhattan
Fifth Avenue welcomes the holiday season with 32 handcrafted-in-Brooklyn animal sculptures across from the Plaza Hotel, 5,000 feet of lighting, an ice-skating rink, and 24 handmade icebergs surrounding the Pulitzer Fountain, with orchestrated music from composer Paul Brill.
8. Pinkmas at Museum of Ice Cream New York City
November 18–January 9 | Soho, Manhattan
Museum of Ice Cream’s annual holiday celebration, Pinkmas, will transform its 13 multisensory installations into a pink winter wonderland bursting with snowflakes, candy canes, and pink trees. Guests are encouraged to bring a new toy—to be donated to Toys for Tots—in exchange for one scoop of ice cream at the museum café.
9. Holiday Train Show at the New York Botanical Garden
November 20–January 23 | Fordham, the Bronx
The City’s beloved holiday tradition returns for its 30th year with a miniature wonderland in the warmth of the Haupt Conservatory. Marvel at model trains as they zip through an enchanting display of more than 175 famous New York landmarks, all re-created from natural materials such as pine cones, acorns, and seeds.
10. Christmas Tree and Neapolitan Baroque Crèche at the Met
November 23–January 9 | Upper East Side, Manhattan
A NYC tradition, the Met’s Christmas Tree and Neapolitan Baroque Crèche exhibition—an adorned tree with a nativity scene around its base—comes from a collection of 18th-century Neapolitan figures donated by American artist and collector Loretta Hines Howard in 1964.
11. The Origami Holiday Tree at the American Museum of Natural History
November 24 through holiday season | Upper West Side, Manhattan
The delightfully decorated 13-foot Origami Holiday Tree, celebrating its 50th anniversary, will have a Gems of the Museum theme, featuring 50 specially created gold-colored models for the “golden anniversary.”
12. Seaport District NYC Celebrations
Throughout the holiday season | Seaport District NYC, Manhattan
It’s the most wonderful time of the year as the historic cobblestone streets of the Seaport District and Pier 17 turn into the ultimate destination for holiday celebrations. Festivities include the Hanukkah Menorah Lighting on November 28, the Holiday Tree Lighting on December 2, and decorations throughout the streets.
13. Tiffany & Co. West Village Pop-Up
Through January 8 | West Village, Manhattan
The iconic jewelry store pop-up is located in the heart of the West Village, offering shoppers a series of holiday-themed activities such as hand-painting Tiffany gift boxes and holiday cards, calligraphy, poetry readings, and more.
14. Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park
Through January 2 | Bryant Park, Manhattan
This year, the European-style Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park opened earlier than ever to commence the festive season, with must-buy gifts, sweets, drinks, and winter activities.
For more information, please visit: nycgo.com/holidays.
