The light shows, markets, tree lightings and parades worth bundling up for — with dates, prices and how to beat the crowds. A dozen of our favorites here; all 41 holiday dates are in the Whosly app.
The big light trails sell timed tickets, and the nights closest to Christmas go first, so a weeknight in late November or early December is the easiest way in. The tree lightings and window displays are free — and crowded, so get there early.
An after-dark walk through Brooklyn Botanic Garden lit up with light installations and music. Timed tickets; value nights are cheapest, so book weekends ahead.
Lantern animals and light displays across the Bronx Zoo on select nights. New this year: the Children's Zoo farmyard and reptile house stay open after dark. Tickets include entry from 1 p.m.
The facade of Saks's flagship turns into a synchronized light show set to music, right across Fifth Avenue from the Rockefeller Center tree. Pair it with the holiday windows.
Whole houses decked in lights, giant inflatables and animated displays across a few blocks of Dyker Heights. Free to walk; go on a weeknight after dark to skip the tour buses.
The tree switches on live on NBC. Being there means hours in a pen for a glimpse; the tree stays lit into January if you'd rather come another night.
Free and outdoors. The best spots along the route go early, so dress for standing in the cold and take transit — streets close around the route.
The 100th parade, with a record lineup of balloons including the return of Underdog. Stake out Central Park West early; the stands at Herald Square are ticketed.
Weekday afternoons are the quietest time for the markets; evenings and weekends are when the lines for mulled wine get long. Rinks run timed sessions, so check before you go.
Free skating on the Bryant Park rink, its 25th season, ringed by holiday shops and places to eat. The shops close after New Year's; the rink runs through February.
Rows of red-and-white stalls in Union Square selling ornaments, knitwear, art and hot cider. Go on a weeknight to dodge the weekend crush.
The shows and indoor spectacles that make the season. December performances sell out, so book early — and these are the easy answer when the weather turns.
The Rockettes' 90-minute holiday show, with a new scene this year and 230 performances, the most since it opened in 1933.
Model trains wind past New York landmarks built from bark, leaves and seeds in the Haupt Conservatory. Book a timed ticket; members get in free. Some nights stay open until 8.
New York City Ballet's Nutcracker, with the growing tree and the snow scene, danced by the company and School of American Ballet kids. Weeknights cost less than holiday weekends.
Free viewing areas fill hours before midnight. Eat first, layer up, and plan the ride home before you go.
The ball drop, live music and a million people in pens along Broadway and Seventh Avenue. Arrive by early afternoon, dress warm, and plan to stay put: leave and you can't get back in.
Every light show, market, tree lighting and parade in the NYC Festivals & Events list — star the ones you're into and see which friends are going.
A few from Whosly's NYC Cocktail Bars pack, each a short walk from one of the big events above.
The St. Regis bar under the Maxfield Parrish mural, where the Bloody Mary was reportedly poured into being. Formal, expensive, and unlike anywhere else in Midtown.
A 1920s financier's private office tucked into Grand Central — leaded glass, a painted ceiling, and a stiff Manhattan before your train.
A piano, a deep rum list, and live music from the afternoon on. The one Times Square bar New Yorkers will admit to going to.
Meticulous Japanese bartending across three floors of a Gramercy townhouse. Reserve ahead.
Mapped, by neighborhood — save the ones you love and see which your friends have saved.
Every event and bar on this page. Tap a marker to see which it is.
This guide is a dozen of the 41 holiday dates in Whosly's NYC Festivals & Events list. The app keeps every one — and tells you when it matters.
Or search “Whosly: Plans, Places & RSVPs” on the App Store
“Whosly: Plans, Places & RSVPs”.
Festivals & Events and the cocktail bar packs are included with Planner Pro. Starting a plan and RSVPing are free, always.
