Stumblday's hand-checked ranking of the best things to do in New York City in December 2026: 303 picks, refreshed weekly. December in New York is the season everything else was rehearsal for: the Rockefeller tree lights in the first week, holiday markets run through Christmas Eve, the Rockettes and the Nutcracker play daily, Dyker Heights turns its blocks into a light show, and Handel's Messiah fills the concert halls. Hanukkah's giant menorahs light nightly December 4-12 in 2026, and the month closes with the Times Square ball drop and its calmer alternatives — fireworks in Prospect Park and a midnight run in Central Park.
Times Square, ManhattanThe Ball descends atop One Times Square as revelers pack fenced viewing pens that stretch up 6th and 8th Avenues as far as 56th Street.
Times Square, ManhattanThe Ball descends atop One Times Square as revelers pack fenced viewing pens that stretch up 6th and 8th Avenues as far as 56th Street.
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Dyker Heights residential blocks, Dyker Heights, BrooklynHomeowners in a south Brooklyn neighborhood outdo each other with floodlit lawns and the whole thing is free to walk from the public sidewalk.
Dyker Heights residential blocks, Dyker Heights, BrooklynHomeowners in a south Brooklyn neighborhood outdo each other with floodlit lawns and the whole thing is free to walk from the public sidewalk.
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Midtown, ManhattanPhotograph by Mike Peel ( www.mikepeel.net ). · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsBryant Park transforms into NYC's biggest holiday hub: a free-admission ice rink, the European-style Holiday Shops market and The Lodge bar and food hall behind the New York Public Library.
Midtown, ManhattanPhotograph by Mike Peel ( www.mikepeel.net ). · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsBryant Park transforms into NYC's biggest holiday hub: a free-admission ice rink, the European-style Holiday Shops market and The Lodge bar and food hall behind the New York Public Library.
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Radio City Music Hall, Midtown, ManhattanFrank Schulenburg · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsTen Rockettes numbers and Sphere Immersive Sound fill 90 intermission-free minutes at Radio City Music Hall, across a record 230 performances.
Radio City Music Hall, Midtown, ManhattanFrank Schulenburg · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsTen Rockettes numbers and Sphere Immersive Sound fill 90 intermission-free minutes at Radio City Music Hall, across a record 230 performances.
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David H. Koch Theater, Lincoln Square, ManhattanBillie Grace Ward from New York, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsAll 90 City Ballet dancers, 62 musicians and 125 School of American Ballet children stage Balanchine's growing-tree spectacle at the Koch Theater.
David H. Koch Theater, Lincoln Square, ManhattanBillie Grace Ward from New York, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsAll 90 City Ballet dancers, 62 musicians and 125 School of American Ballet children stage Balanchine's growing-tree spectacle at the Koch Theater.
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American Academy of Arts and Letters, Washington Heights, ManhattanBeyond My Ken · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsThe Final Fantasy artist's first New York institutional solo show: a Pandora frieze of drawings, free at Audubon Terrace from opening day.
American Academy of Arts and Letters, Washington Heights, ManhattanBeyond My Ken · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsThe Final Fantasy artist's first New York institutional solo show: a Pandora frieze of drawings, free at Audubon Terrace from opening day.
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The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx Park, BronxReconrabbit · CC0 · Wikimedia CommonsNearly 200 New York landmark replicas built from palm fronds, pinecones and cinnamon sticks, with model trains looping the Haupt Conservatory.
The New York Botanical Garden, Bronx Park, BronxReconrabbit · CC0 · Wikimedia CommonsNearly 200 New York landmark replicas built from palm fronds, pinecones and cinnamon sticks, with model trains looping the Haupt Conservatory.
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Midtown, ManhattanTzim78 · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsThousands of costumed Santas swarm Midtown bars in the annual charity-tied pub crawl, traditionally held the second Saturday of December with a route revealed only days before.
Midtown, ManhattanTzim78 · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsThousands of costumed Santas swarm Midtown bars in the annual charity-tied pub crawl, traditionally held the second Saturday of December with a route revealed only days before.
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Winter Garden Theatre, Theater District, ManhattanThe Richard Nixon Presidential Library · Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsTom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell spar as Benedick and Beatrice in Jamie Lloyd's party-pitched Shakespeare, transferred from a record London run.
Winter Garden Theatre, Theater District, ManhattanThe Richard Nixon Presidential Library · Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsTom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell spar as Benedick and Beatrice in Jamie Lloyd's party-pitched Shakespeare, transferred from a record London run.
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The New York Historical, Upper West Side, ManhattanAcroterion · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsA Dee Dee Ramone Fender, a Studio 54 opening-night invite and the Saturday Night Fever script tell how broke 1970s NYC birthed disco, punk and hip hop.
The New York Historical, Upper West Side, ManhattanAcroterion · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsA Dee Dee Ramone Fender, a Studio 54 opening-night invite and the Saturday Night Fever script tell how broke 1970s NYC birthed disco, punk and hip hop.
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David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center, Lincoln Square, ManhattanAjay Suresh from New York, NY, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsThe New York Philharmonic plays John Williams's score live at David Geffen Hall while the first Harry Potter film runs on a big screen above them.
David Geffen Hall, Lincoln Center, Lincoln Square, ManhattanAjay Suresh from New York, NY, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsThe New York Philharmonic plays John Williams's score live at David Geffen Hall while the first Harry Potter film runs on a big screen above them.
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Herald Square, ManhattanJet Lowe · Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsMacy's flagship turns its 8th floor into Santaland — an elaborate walk-through North Pole village ending in a visit and photo with Santa.
Herald Square, ManhattanJet Lowe · Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsMacy's flagship turns its 8th floor into Santaland — an elaborate walk-through North Pole village ending in a visit and photo with Santa.
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New York City Center, Midtown, ManhattanAjay Suresh from New York, NY, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsRevelations, two world premieres and Forsythe's In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated in Ailey's City Center holiday run under Alicia Graf Mack.
New York City Center, Midtown, ManhattanAjay Suresh from New York, NY, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsRevelations, two world premieres and Forsythe's In the Middle, Somewhat Elevated in Ailey's City Center holiday run under Alicia Graf Mack.
Add to calendarProspect Heights, BrooklynJet Lowe · Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsGiant menorahs at Brooklyn's Grand Army Plaza and at Fifth Avenue and 59th Street in Manhattan are lit nightly throughout Hanukkah (December 4–12, 2026), with music, latkes and gelt drops at the big lightings.
Prospect Heights, BrooklynJet Lowe · Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsGiant menorahs at Brooklyn's Grand Army Plaza and at Fifth Avenue and 59th Street in Manhattan are lit nightly throughout Hanukkah (December 4–12, 2026), with music, latkes and gelt drops at the big lightings.
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Historic Richmond Town, Richmondtown, Staten IslandMatthew Trump · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsNew York City's only living-history village goes full holiday, with costumed interpreters, horse-drawn carriages and Santa across Richmondtown.
Historic Richmond Town, Richmondtown, Staten IslandMatthew Trump · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsNew York City's only living-history village goes full holiday, with costumed interpreters, horse-drawn carriages and Santa across Richmondtown.
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Brooklyn Children's Museum, Crown Heights, BrooklynDisco roller skating on a rooftop with skyline views returns to Brooklyn Children's Museum, a nod to the legendary Empire Rink — reopening weekend.
Brooklyn Children's Museum, Crown Heights, BrooklynDisco roller skating on a rooftop with skyline views returns to Brooklyn Children's Museum, a nod to the legendary Empire Rink — reopening weekend.
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Queens County Farm Museum, Floral Park, QueensDanTD · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsNew York's oldest continuously farmed land switches on an after-dark holiday light walk across 47 acres of Floral Park fields.
Queens County Farm Museum, Floral Park, QueensDanTD · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsNew York's oldest continuously farmed land switches on an after-dark holiday light walk across 47 acres of Floral Park fields.
Add to calendarUnion Square, ManhattanPhotograph by Mike Peel ( www.mikepeel.net ). · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsAround 185 vendor stalls fill Union Square Park's south plaza with handmade gifts, local art and street food from mid-November through Christmas Eve — one of NYC's signature holiday markets.
Union Square, ManhattanPhotograph by Mike Peel ( www.mikepeel.net ). · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsAround 185 vendor stalls fill Union Square Park's south plaza with handmade gifts, local art and street food from mid-November through Christmas Eve — one of NYC's signature holiday markets.
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Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Morningside Heights, ManhattanLeonard Bernstein founded this Cathedral tradition in 1984; organist David Briggs and soprano Susanna Phillips carry it into the new year.
Cathedral of St. John the Divine, Morningside Heights, ManhattanLeonard Bernstein founded this Cathedral tradition in 1984; organist David Briggs and soprano Susanna Phillips carry it into the new year.
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Whitney Museum of American Art, Meatpacking District, ManhattanAbout 130 Lichtensteins, from Look Mickey to Masterpiece, fill the Whitney's fifth floor in a major Pop retrospective opening this weekend.
Whitney Museum of American Art, Meatpacking District, ManhattanAbout 130 Lichtensteins, from Look Mickey to Masterpiece, fill the Whitney's fifth floor in a major Pop retrospective opening this weekend.
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Imperial Theatre, Theater District, ManhattanEpicgenius · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsBilly Crystal turns the house he lost in the Palisades fires into a solo memory play, written by him and directed by Scott Ellis.
Imperial Theatre, Theater District, ManhattanEpicgenius · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsBilly Crystal turns the house he lost in the Palisades fires into a solo memory play, written by him and directed by Scott Ellis.
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Doris C. Freedman Plaza, Central Park, ManhattanBronze, stone and concrete dogs on leashes take over the Central Park entrance at 60th and Fifth — Camille Henrot's first public show in New York.
Doris C. Freedman Plaza, Central Park, ManhattanBronze, stone and concrete dogs on leashes take over the Central Park entrance at 60th and Fifth — Camille Henrot's first public show in New York.
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The Joyce Theater, Chelsea, ManhattanBeyond My Ken · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsLindy hoppers and a live swing band turn the Joyce into a holiday dance hall, with social dancing spilling past the curtain call.
The Joyce Theater, Chelsea, ManhattanBeyond My Ken · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsLindy hoppers and a live swing band turn the Joyce into a holiday dance hall, with social dancing spilling past the curtain call.
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Sam S. Shubert Theatre, Theater District, ManhattanKen Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsRaúl Esparza plays the astronomer on trial for his telescope, in a rock-scored new musical from Danny Strong and Michael Mayer.
Sam S. Shubert Theatre, Theater District, ManhattanKen Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsRaúl Esparza plays the astronomer on trial for his telescope, in a rock-scored new musical from Danny Strong and Michael Mayer.
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