I hope you and your loved ones have enjoyed the fall season. To help you plan for December, here are 31 curated events happening in and around New York City throughout the month. |
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| | | | | Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes
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An iconic 90-minute holiday production featuring the precision dancers of the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall.
| A Christmas Carol at the Merchant's House
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The Summoners Ensemble Theatre presents a candlelit performance of A Christmas Carol inside the Merchant’s House Museum, surrounded by authentic 19th-century holiday décor.
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Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater at New York City Center
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A celebrated modern-dance company kicks off its annual five-week holiday engagement with premieres and classics.
| A bold re-appraisal of American art from 1958–72 that brings together more than 100 artists to explore the surreal, psychosexual, and revolutionary undercurrents of the era.
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NEW INC Holiday Party at the New Museum
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An evening meet-up showcasing the institution’s year-12 innovation cohort with art, tech, and performance.
| Opening Reception: “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?”
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A free evening event presenting an exhibition from The New School collection in dialogue with contemporary artists who served in the armed forces, exploring service, loyalty and conscience.
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Sylvie Courvoisier with Mary Halvorson and Wadada Leo Smith
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An evening-long avant-jazz performance featuring pianist Sylvie Courvoisier in duo with guitarist Mary Halvorson and trumpeter-composer Wadada Leo Smith.
| World-renowned trumpeter Chris Botti performs at Blue Note Jazz Club for his annual December residency, blending jazz, pop and instrumental sophistication.
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Christie’s Auction: Important Watches
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A curated auction of exceptionally rare and desirable timepieces from vintage and independent brands.
| Top Shelf: 2025 Fiction All-Stars
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A year-end celebration with a panel of authors (Angela Flournoy, Katie Kitamura, Sebastian Castillo) hosted by Isaac Fitzgerald, featuring discussion, book-giveaways and a meet-&-greet, presented by The New York Public Library.
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Gilded Age Mansions of Fifth Avenue Walking Tour
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Step back in time and tour the historic mansions that defined Fifth Avenue during New York’s Gilded Age.
| Holiday Cookie Decorating Workshop
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Join a festive, hands-on class at Sur La Table to learn expert techniques for decorating sugar cookies just in time for the holiday season.
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Gingerbread NYC: The Great Borough Bake-Off 2025
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A festive display where amateur and professional bakers from across the five boroughs render iconic New York City buildings and landmarks entirely in gingerbread for a juried competition that’s open to visitors’ votes.
| A sweeping collection of 250 works that show how ancient Egyptians used images of their gods to bridge ritual, art, and daily life over more than three millennia.
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Celebrate Hanukkah at Hudson Yards
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Celebrate the Festival of Lights with a live menorah lighting in the Public Square & Gardens, joined by Chabad of Midtown Manhattan for an evening of music and festive treats.
| Grand Bazaar Holiday Market at Grand Central
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A three-day holiday shopping experience inside the Biltmore Room at Grand Central Terminal featuring local artisans, makers and unique handcrafted gifts.
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David Ostwald’s Louis Armstrong Eternity Band
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Tuba-player David Ostwald recreating the joyous sound of early jazz greats like Louis Armstrong and Bix Beiderbecke.
| Full Body Circuit Training
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A fitness class that combines resistance and bodyweight exercises, open to all experience levels, led by Ricky Silva.
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A relaxed, all-ages drawing session at MoMA inspired by the exhibition Ruth Asawa: A Retrospective, featuring self-guided prompts and short, artist-led demos with materials provided.
| Soundview Knitting Circle
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Gather at the New York Public Library for a relaxed community knitting session—start a new project or bring one you’re working on, with yarn provided.
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View Finding: Selections from The Walther Collection
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Explore a new exhibition featuring photographs and time-based works from The Walther Collection, illustrating how the camera is used to investigate identity, social change, and visual culture.
| The American Museum of Natural History’s yearly tradition returns, where a pyramid of 1,000+ origami cranes crowns a 40-foot fir beneath the museum’s iconic blue whale skeleton.
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Martha Armstrong: New Work
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A solo exhibition at Bowery Gallery presenting new paintings by Martha Armstrong that explore seascapes and landscapes through rich painterly craft.
| Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park
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Explore holiday shops, ice skating, and festive treats at Bryant Park’s seasonal Winter Village.
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Ice Skating at Rockefeller Center
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Glide across the iconic rink at Rockefeller Center in the heart of the holiday season.
| Lightscape – Brooklyn Botanic Garden
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A magical nighttime trail of light installations, glimmering trees and soundscapes winding through the garden grounds.
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This feel-good cardio dance course blends different genres of music – all experience levels are welcome.
| Kwanzaa Celebration: Verses of Unity
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A creative family-friendly program at the museum exploring the seven principles of Kwanzaa through art, music and dance.
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The beloved exhibition of model trains gliding over iconic NYC landmark replicas crafted from plant materials, set beneath twinkling lights with live music, seasonal cocktails, and festive photo-ops.
| Cafe Wha? House Band Performance
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An energetic live-music show with the iconic house band.
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Ring In The New Year
at The Django
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Celebrate New Year’s Eve with an evening of live jazz performances.
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