Things to do in NYC in December 2025

Lightscape, Brooklyn Botanic Garden's gorgeous, after-dark illuminated spectacular promises a glittering winter wonderland where you'll feel like you're strolling through an enchanted forest. More than 1 million lights combine to form illuminated trail of art by local and international artists.

Don't miss the iconic Winter Cathedral, where you'll definitely want to snap a selfie. Plus, expect firefly fields, glowing bluebonnets, flocks of luminous birds and a reimagined Sea of Light.  

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

Tickets are now on sale for the event, which runs from November 21, 2025 through January 4, 2026. This year’s show offers off-peak and peak pricing, ranging from $29-$44 for adults and $15 to $28 for kids.

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 fifth 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 jacked lumberjack. The journey culminates at Santa's Secret Speakeasy, where guests will enjoy live music, themed cocktails and a dazzling variety show featuring burlesque, aerialists and jaw-dropping acts.

This year, the event is moving to a massive new location: 10 Columbus Circle in Midtown. Just don't let Santa party too hard—or how will he deliver all the presents with a hangover?!

The show runs from November 13 until December 31. Tickets start at $65/person.

The fabulous holiday icon of NYC, The Rockefeller Christmas Tree is a must-see for both locals and visitors during the holiday season, whether you’re visiting before ice-skating on The Rink at Rockefeller Center or just passing through.

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.

The tree lights up days on Wednesday, December 3 and stays on through mid-January. On Christmas Eve, the tree is lit for 24 hours and on New Year’s Eve it is lit from 5am to 9pm. 

The winter festivity has already begun even before the snow falls. The Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park returns to NYC with exciting holiday shops, food and activities. 

Its 17,000-square-foot ice-skating rink that’s free to use (if you bring your own skates) is always the highlight, but its Winter Village in all its holiday spirit is a close second. This year, over 190 new and returning kiosks will be there for you to peruse through—all at one of the best NYC parks.

The Winter Village is open through March 1, 2026, but the holiday market closes on January 4.

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.

More than a dozen bakers across the city crafted their own versions of iconic NYC places, buildings and spirit as part of Museum of the City of New York’s annual Gingerbread NYC: The Great Borough Bake-Off 2025. Now in its fourth year, Gingerbread NYC welcomes professional and amateur bakers to design fully edible gingerbread structures. This year’s “Iconic New York” theme saw everything from brownstones and Broadway to skyscrapers and subways. 

You can go see all of the gingerbread creations (and vote for your favorite) at the museum in East Harlem now through January 19, 2026.

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 millions of lights and hundreds wildlife lanterns spread across six lantern trails. 

Beloved favorites return, including the holiday train and Enchanted Sea, plus look for new additions such as snow tube slides, an illuminated ice-themed throne and virtual snowball throwing.

Holiday Lights will run at the Bronx Zoo on select dates from November 21, 2025 through January 4, 2026. Pricing starts at $26.95 for kids under 13 and $41.95 for adults. 

Cirque du Soleil, famous for defying reality (and gravity), is returning to New York City this holiday season. Due to overwhelming success, their special first and only holiday show, "Twas the Night Before..." will return to The Theater at Madison Square Garden for just a few weeks in December. 

Inspired by the classic poem "A Visit from Saint Nicholas" by Clement Clarke Moore, Cirque's story follows a jaded young girl who rediscovers the magic of the holidays. Directed by James Hadley, a 25-year veteran of circus productions and live theater, "Twas the Night Before..." combines classic Christmas spirit with jaw-dropping acrobatic stunts. 

The show will run from December 4-28 and tickets for all 36 shows start at $49 when purchased in person at the Madison Square Garden box office and at $63 when purchased online here. 

Shop 'til you drop at FAD Market, a curated fashion, art and design pop-up marketplace, which is back for 2025. Expect to see your favorite makers plus brand new creatives to help you live smarter, gift better and support local businesses. 

FAD—which stands for Fashion, Art and Design—takes over different venues with a horde of independent vendors and creators. Admission is free and dogs are welcome!

Here's the upcoming FAD Market schedule for 2025:

• Dumbo (Empire Stores, 55 Water Street), December 1–21 daily, 11am–6pm
• Boerum Hill (51 Bergen Street), December 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21,  11am–6pm
• Cobble Hill (St. Paul’s, 190 Court Street), December 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21,  11am–6pm

During iHeartRadio’s annual touring holiday bash, Madison Square Garden becomes home to Z100’s Jingle Ball NYC. The artists behind the year’s best pop songs join this glittery gathering, performing truncated, hit-heavy sets.

This year, Jingle Ball takes place Friday, December 12, 2025, at 7pm. The star-studded lineup features: Alex Warren, BigXthaPlug, Conan Gray, Ed Sheeran, Jessie Murph, Laufey, MONSTA X, Myles Smith, Nelly, Ravyn Lenae, Reneé Rapp, and Zara Larsson. Also expect a special sing-along moment for KPOP DEMON HUNTERS. 

Tickets are on sale now starting at $349.

Within Grand Central Terminal, find the New York Transit Museum's 21st 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 2026. 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.

In New York Botanical Garden's wildly popular diorama, more than a dozen model railway trains traverse an incredibly detailed New York City scene with 200 tiny buildings, including landmarks such 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. This year's model adds a botanical replica of the new Delacorte Theater in Central Park, surrounded by other park landmarks.

This year's holiday train show will take place from November 15 through January 11, 2026 at the Bronx destination. Also check out Holiday Train Nights, lively after-dark celebrations with seasonal cocktails and mocktails.

Festooned with more than 1,000 meticulously hand-folded paper ornaments, this year’s 13-foot-tall tree at the American Museum of Natural History is inspired by the theme "New Beginnings." The theme is a reference to new museum exhibition "Impact: The End of the Age of Dinosaurs" and the approaching New Year. 

The design will celebrate the spectacular variety of species that evolved after an asteroid impact ended the age of dinosaurs some 66 million years ago. It'll even be topped with a golden asteroid! 

Some of the origami pieces decorating the greenery include pterosaurs who filled the skies, mosasaurs and plesiosaurs who ruled the seas, and Triceratops and Tyrannosaurus rex, which walked the Earth during the Cretaceous Period. Plus, musuem icons like the Blue Whale find a home on this tree, as well. 

You can see the tree with museum admission starting on November 24, 2025. Find it in the Ellen V. Futter Gallery on the first floor. 

Take a break from Christmas shopping and check out the state-of-the-art holiday light display at The Shops at Columbus Circle. This year, the seasonal spectacle has been pumped up with 300,000 shimmering lights and 44 floating stars illuminating the entire complex in holiday cheer. Holiday Under the Stars runs from November 10 to January 3, 2026.

You’ll be so moved, you won’t even care that you maxed out your MasterCard getting Aunt Judy that back massager she’s been wanting. Color-changing stars will perform choreographed light shows every 30 minutes from 5pm to midnight, casting a kaleidoscope of color across the shopping center. Also look for illuminated stars at the 58th Street and 60th Street entrances and sparkling photo moments throughout the complex.  

It's free to visit, and there are plenty of shops and restaurants to stop by along the way. If you can, visit on a Thursday evening for free Broadway Under the Stars performances! 

Catch a free Broadway performance under the glittering holiday lights at Columbus Circle during Broadway Under the Stars. This series of free performances inside The Shops at Columbus Circle brings performers from some of the hottest shows right now for music and intimate conversations moderated by Broadway alumnus George Psomas.

Performances happen on Thursday evenings from 5-6pm on the second-floor stage. While you're there, enjoy the seasonal spectacle with 300,000 shimmering lights and 44 floating stars illuminating the entire complex in holiday cheer. 

Here's the full lineup:

• November 13: Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Death Becomes Her, & Juliet
• November 20: MAMMA MIA!, The Outsiders, Maybe Happy Ending
• December 4: The Lion King, Aladdin, Hell’s Kitchen
• December 11: SIX The Musical, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York), The Queen of Versailles
• December 18: Operation Mincemeat, The Book of Mormon, Chicago

New York is burnin' up for the JoBros. The Jonas Brothers are bringing Jonas20: Greetings From Your Hometown Tour with Jesse McCartney, Franklin Jonas & Deleasa to UBS Arena on December 21 and Barclays Center on December 22, 2025.

Tickets are now on sale, and it's highly recommended that you buy them in advance, since the band is celebrating the milestone with large crowds and iconic special guests, including Jordin Sparks, JoJo, 5 Seconds of Summer, Jason Mraz and more.

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 13, from 10am-8pm, across Midtown. We've got the scoop on how to get in on the fun—or how to stay away from it.

The Moth, the acclaimed storytelling show, is DARING to be different. For the first time in the organization's 25-plus-year history, its 2025 mainstage season will be dedicated to one theme. From New York to Nairobi, The Moth will be taking their deep and poignant show on the road to 18 cities. 

The last NYC performance of the series will be at St. Ann & The Holy Trinity Church in Brooklyn on December 5. Learn more here.

New York City has plenty of on-the-reindeer’s-nose holiday pop-up bars to immerse yourself in the spirit of the season—with spirits—throughout the most wonderful time of the year. Get ready for festive spiked eggnog, "naughty" shots, Coquito Ho Ho Hos, and over-the-top holiday decor.

Half the fun of holiday shopping in New York is ogling the tricked-out window displays along Fifth Avenue that pop up to coincide with the merriest, spendiest time of the year. 

NYC is packed with holiday markets every fall with holiday spirit and unique gifts. While fancy Christmas window displays may entice you, NYC's holiday markets offer a chance to shop local. With everything from clothing to holiday ornaments to artwork, there's something for everybody on your holiday shopping list.

Shopping for the perfect gift doesn't have to be stressful; make it fun at these holiday markets.

The pressure is always immense to have a good time on New Year’s Eve—and have a good time you will. Ring in 2024 with a raucous amount of drinks and a good dinner with a champagne toast, or a New Year’s Eve fireworks display. You’ll find these celebrations and more with our essential guide to New Year’s Eve in New York.

Keep checking back for ticket announcements—we’ll be updating this page with new events from now through December 31.

Gear up for eight days of celebration! Time to nosh on latkes (and other delicious fried food). Or you can say l’chaim and warm up with winter cocktails. Check out our events celebrating the Festival of Lights.