10 Best Places to Celebrate Christmas in New York

The Dyker Heights Christmas Lights have been a New York holiday tradition for decades. The residential South Brooklyn area comes to life each year with over-the-top holiday displays, replete with blow-up Santas, animated reindeer, and elaborate nativity scenes. Many of the homes blast Christmas carols from their front yards to amp up the holiday cheer.

Guided bus tours take visitors around Dyker Heights and give the inside scoop on the friendly area competition. Lights go up the weekend after Thanksgiving and come down just after the New Year. Keep in mind that this is a popular event for locals and tourists alike and will get very crowded closer to Christmas Day.

Nothing is more emblematic of Christmas in New York City than the Rockefeller Centre tree. The iconic Christmas tree stands an astonishing 82 ft high and is decorated with 50,000 lights and a sparkling Swarovski star. Whether you visit for the lighting ceremony or just to feel like Macaulay Culkin in a scene from Home Alone, this is the place to bask in the spirit of the season.

Each year, the Rockefeller Centre transforms for the holidays, with trumpeting angels standing in the central square and the roller rink coated in ice. Take your turn skating under the tree, then ride the lift up to the Top of the Rock for dazzling 360 views of the city in all its nighttime glory.

Bryant Park celebrates the holidays each year with its Winter Village, a centre for play, shopping, dining, and relaxation in the middle of Midtown. The highlight of the Winter Village is a 17,000-sq-ft ice rink where everyone from handholding first-timers to seasoned skaters can be found making the rounds. Admission to the rink is free, as long as you bring your own skates.

Surrounding the rink are over 100 kiosks where local businesses set up shop selling handmade winterwear, unique gifts, artisan treats, and hearty snacks. Indulge in a silky cup of cocoa and watch the skaters glide by.

Christmas is undoubtedly the best time of year for a stroll down Fifth Avenue. Do your holiday shopping beneath the glow of holiday lights and giant snowflakes. Gather with fellow shoppers outside Saks Fifth Avenue for their annual lights display, which plays in sync with festive tunes.

What brings even the locals out to the famous shopping street are the dreamy, themed displays in the windows of luxury brands like Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Fifth Avenue. From surreal underwater scenes to fantastical mobiles and miniatures, the shops seem to be competing as much with themselves as with each other. Find the best displays between Macy’s and the southeast corner of Central Park.

If you crave some time away from the New York City Christmas crowds, Abe Stark Rink might be the place for you. Located about an hour from Manhattan in Coney Island, the rink is a hidden gem for the city’s skaters. On weekdays it’s reserved by local schools and sports teams, but on the weekend the wide rink is open to the public, with lots of space to skate.

Coney Island has a particular charm in the desolate winter months. The rides are closed but Famous Nathan’s stays open, and on a sunny day the abandoned boardwalk can be a unique delight. Grab yourself one of the city’s favourite hot dogs and enjoy some space to yourself.

Central Park in the winter season is all charm and romance. Wander the sloping, snowy paths over arching bridges and around half-frozen ponds. Just steps from bustling Fifth Avenue, the park is surprisingly peaceful, especially when it’s covered in a layer of glistening snow. Explore on foot or relax in the back of a horse-drawn carriage that takes you by the park’s highlights.

The north of the park is filled with evergreens and provides the most tranquility. In the centre, you’ll see New York families flying down Pilgrim Hill on sleighs. The south of the park is home to the precious Central Park Carousel and Wollman Rink.

Each winter the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens stage the Lightscape, an after-dark experience of art, light, and music. Visitors walk a 1-mile illuminated trail that features works of art and light by local and international artists. A curated playlist that includes Brooklyn musicians accompanies the walk, which encircles the garden. Concessions like hot cider and mulled wine are offered along the way.

If it's flowers you’re after, visit in the daytime to check out the many orchid varieties inside the tropical Aquatic House. The alpine habitats and Japanese gardens showcase winter blooms and majestic evergreens.

The Bronx Zoo Holiday Lights is a holiday festival made for families. During winter evenings, the park is decorated with light displays and smells of popcorn and cocoa. Families can take a ride around the zoo on the holiday train and catch nightly performances and ice carving demonstrations.

What makes this festival really special are the custom-designed animal lanterns that fill the zoo. Nearly 400 lanterns representing 100 animal species are illuminated each night, with new animals debuting each year. You’ll see tigers, parrots, elephants, stingrays, turtles, and even plants and corals. Spend an evening with your loved ones making s’mores and appreciating the creatures we share our planet with.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art celebrates the season with holiday displays, performances, and special exhibitions. Step out of the cold and into one of the world’s largest and most renowned art museums to spend a day browsing works from all periods, places, and disciplines. Visitors can also attend seasonal performances of classics like Handel’s Messiah and a musical production of the 12th-century Play of Adam.

The Museum’s main location on Fifth Avenue displays a magnificent Christmas tree adorned with silk-wrapped angels. At its base is a spectacular Neapolitan Nativity scene featuring 71 figures, 50 animals, and intricate background pieces such as Roman temple ruins. Medieval holiday decorations deck the halls of the Met Cloisters.

The New York City Ballet’s production of The Nutcracker is widely regarded as one of its finest renditions. George Balanchine’s elegantly choreographed ballet is set to Tchaikovsky’s score and performed at the world-renowned Lincoln Centre of the Performing Arts. If that doesn’t convince you, then go to see the onstage blizzard or the Christmas tree that grows 30 ft before your eyes. There’s also a delightful costume change that happens so fast that it’s practically a magic trick.

The Nutcracker is an enchanting way to spend an evening. Tickets are usually in high demand, so it’s advisable to secure seats well in advance.