Find Your Vibe™

Christmas things to do in NYC

December in Manhattan means skating under the lights, holiday markets, the big shows and rooms dressed for the season. These are our picks of Christmas things to do in NYC. For the hours around them, Find Your Vibe™ finds places that fit how you feel and sit close to where you are, so the season is more than one crowded corner.

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Our picks

Manhattan at Christmas runs from outdoor rinks under skyscrapers or in Central Park to open-air markets of wooden stalls selling handmade gifts and hot drinks. The list also covers the big holiday stage shows, a museum tree with a Nativity scene, and a Victorian bar that reviewers say goes all out for Christmas, so skaters, shoppers and theatergoers all have options.

Updated November 2026. Checked by the Moodap team.

  1. Museum

    The Metropolitan Museum of Art

    Museum in Upper East Side

    For the holidays, a lit blue spruce towers over an eighteenth-century Neapolitan Nativity scene in the Medieval Sculpture Hall, a tradition the museum keeps every year.

  2. Live music

    Radio City Music Hall

    Live music in Midtown

    Home of the Christmas Spectacular, where the Rockettes take the Great Stage in a hall reviewers call gorgeous.

  3. Theater

    New York City Ballet

    Theater in Upper West Side

    The holiday draw is Balanchine's Nutcracker on Tchaikovsky's score, with Karinska's lavish costumes and young casts from the School of American Ballet.

  4. Tourist attraction

    Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park

    Tourist attraction in Midtown

    The rink here is ringed by Holiday Shops, a rinkside food hall and bar, and cozy domes; reviewers love it at the holidays but warn of weekend crowds.

  5. Tourist attraction

    Union Square Holiday Market by Urbanspace

    Tourist attraction in Gramercy

    Wooden stalls strung with twinkling lights give this market a European Christmas feel, with hot chocolate, warming stations and, with luck, carolers.

  6. Ice skating rink

    The Rink At Rockefeller Center

    Ice skating rink in Midtown

    Skaters circle beneath skyscrapers with the Christmas tree and golden Prometheus overhead; expect crowds, and reviewers advise buying tickets ahead.

  7. Tourist attraction

    Columbus Circle Holiday Market by Urbanspace

    Tourist attraction in Central Park

    Local makers sell art, jewelry and home goods at this holiday market by Central Park's corner, laid out anew with a bigger seating area.

  8. Dive bar

    Lillie's Victorian Establishment

    Dive bar in Times Square

    Reviewers say this Victorian-style bar goes all out for Christmas and call its decorations magical; come for afternoon tea or a cocktail.

  9. Ice skating rink

    Wollman Rink

    Ice skating rink in Central Park

    Skating in Central Park comes with skyline views, plus themed skate nights, holiday celebrations on the ice and the return of Igloo Village.

Pick the kind of holiday outing

Find Your Vibe™ doesn't know the season and has no answer for holiday markets, so those are in the picks above. Use it for the rest of the outing: Move & Unwind, then Sports, brings in the ice rinks. Show Me Something brings in theaters and music halls. Actually Hungry finds dinner nearby, and Sippin' Something finds a drink after once you pick the kind of bar.

Plan around the cold

The rinks and the markets are out in the cold, so wrap up warm and plan a warm stop between them. When Find Your Vibe™ asks indoor or outdoor and you want a rink, tap Either works, so no rink is left out. Museums, theaters and a few other kinds skip the question, since their setting goes without saying.

Holiday hours and the crowds

Choose the neighborhood you're in and Find Your Vibe™ looks there first, then next door, so the evening is spent out rather than on the subway. It reads each place's usual weekly hours, so on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Eve check the place's own site before you go: many keep shorter hours. Add each stop to a plan and the night has a shape.

Questions people ask

What are the best Christmas things to do in NYC?
Skating at Rockefeller Center or Wollman Rink, the holiday markets in Bryant Park, Union Square and Columbus Circle, a holiday show at Radio City or The Nutcracker at Lincoln Center, and a drink at a bar dressed for Christmas. For dinner or a drink near any of them, Find Your Vibe™ finds places that fit your mood.
Is NYC crowded at Christmas?
Very, around Rockefeller Center and Fifth Avenue most of all, on December evenings and weekends. A weekday morning is calmer, and Find Your Vibe™ looks in the neighborhood you choose, so you can pick one away from the crowds.
Can I plan a Christmas day out with kids?
Yes. Tap With kids when Find Your Vibe™ asks who's coming and it leaves out bars and grown-up places; skating, the markets and the shows suit most ages. A free account keeps your plan for the day.

Planning something else?

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