While New York City’s holiday season is best known for its twinkling lights and the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, the city also offers a wealth of world-class live performances to dazzle audiences with festive cheer. Here are some of the best ways to celebrate the holidays in NYC with music, dance, and theater, from the Radio City Christmas Spectacular to festive ballet, jazz, and theater performances at Lincoln Center.
Radio City Christmas Spectacular
Through January 5, 2026
Radio City Music Hall, 1260 Avenue of the Americas, Manhattan
An annual holiday tradition since 1933, Radio City Music Hall’s Christmas Spectacular is one of New York City’s most beloved seasonal events. Led by the famed women’s dance troupe, the Rockettes, this year’s performances are especially noteworthy, as the group celebrates its 100th anniversary. The 90-minute performance showcases over 140 dancers, backed by an original music score, striking set designs, and engaging visuals. In addition to the centennial season, Radio City is debuting a new immersive sound system that uses 3D audio technology to deliver an unparalleled sonic experience. More information on ticket prices and show dates can be found here.
A Christmas Carol
Through January 4, 2026
Perelman Performing Arts Center, 251 Fulton Street, Manhattan
A special rendition of Charles Dickens’ classic Christmas tale comes to the Perelman Performing Arts Center this holiday season. Produced by Tony Award–winning playwright Jack Thorne and director Matthew Warchus, this whimsical interpretation of Ebenezer Scrooge delivers stunning staging, moving storytelling, and 12 beloved Christmas carols, including “Joy to the World,” “Silent Night,” and “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear.” Tickets start at $58 and can be purchased here.
Stopping at Brooklyn’s Kings Theater as part of its national tour, the Broadway-style production of the beloved holiday celebration featuring Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and other familiar Peanuts characters offers a perfect experience for the whole family. The show includes immersive sets, lighting, choreography, and colorful costumes, with the historic Kings Theater’s grand interior adding to the magic. General admission tickets cost $62.70 per person and can be purchased here.
One of the holiday season’s most iconic theatrical productions is returning to Lincoln Center, where New York City Ballet will present George Balanchine’s classic “The Nutcracker,” set to the music of Tchaikovsky. The intricate production brings together 90 dancers, 62 musicians, 40 stagehands, and more than 125 children in two alternating casts from the School of American Ballet, making it one of the most elaborate ballets in the company’s repertoire. Expert lighting and set design heighten the show’s immersive quality, featuring a Christmas tree that grows from 12 to 41 feet and an 85-pound, 9-foot-wide Mother Ginger costume that requires three people to manage, among other spectacular elements. Learn more about show dates and ticket prices here.
Based on Clement Clarke Moore’s classic poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” Cirque du Soleil’s first-ever Christmas show is coming to the Theater at Madison Square Garden for a limited run this holiday season. The production follows Isabella and her father, who read Moore’s famous poem every year. This time, though, Isabella feels she has outgrown the tradition. What follows is a whimsical journey in which the poem comes to life, restoring her holiday spirit through stunning acrobatics, striking sets, and more. Tickets start at $55 and can be purchased here.
The Brooklyn Nutcracker
December 6 through 14
The Theater at City Tech, 275 Jay Street, Brooklyn
Across the East River, Brooklyn Ballet will present another spectacular rendition of “The Nutcracker,” incorporating the borough’s culture and architecture. This unique production reimagines beloved Nutcracker characters and scenes to reflect Brooklyn’s diverse cultural tapestry, from a hip-hop battle scene to a bohemian Mother Ginger. The story journeys from the Victorian homes of Flatbush to landmarks such as the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. Tickets start at $37 and can be purchased here.
A Very Merry New York
December 7 at 5 p.m.
Lincoln Center, David Geffen Hall, Manhattan
The Young People’s Chorus of New York City returns with its annual holiday spectacular, showcasing the powerful voices of more than 600 young singers at Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall. Led by founder and artistic director Francisco J. Núñez and creative director Elizabeth Núñez, this year’s production features beloved holiday classics with fresh arrangements and spectacular choreography. Learn more about the highly anticipated performance here.
A Goyishe Christmas To You!
December 10 at 9 p.m.
Kaufman Music Center, Merkin Hall, 129 West 67th Street
Now in its 16th year, A Goyishe Christmas To You! features classic Yuletide tunes with a twist, all composed by Jewish musicians. The show stars soprano Lauren Worsham, mezzo-sopranos Donna Breitzer and Rebecca Jo Loeb, tenor Alex Mansoori, baritone Joshua Jeremiah, and Cantor Joshua Breitzer, with pianist and host Steven Blier and clarinetist Alan R. Kay. The performance includes favorites like Irving Berlin’s “White Christmas” alongside Yiddish renditions of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” and “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” Tickets cost $45 and can be purchased here.
Mozart’s “The Magic Flute”
December 11 through January 3, 2026
Lincoln Center, Metropolitan Opera House, Manhattan
A cherished holiday tradition, Mozart’s beloved fairy tale “The Magic Flute” returns to the Metropolitan Opera. Tony Award-winning director Julie Taymor’s abridged, English-language production brings the opera’s most popular musical numbers to life with vibrant sets, elaborate costumes, and mesmerizing puppetry. Perfect for audiences of all ages, each performance includes free activity books and themed photo opportunities in the lobby. Additionally, complimentary face painting will be available before the matinee performances on December 27, 29, 30, and January 3. Tickets start at $35 and can be purchased here.
Z100’s Jingle Ball comes to the world’s most famous arena this December, featuring a star-studded list of performers. Featured acts include Alex Warren, BigXthaPlug, Conan Gray, Ed Sheeran, Jessie Murph, Laufey, Monsta X, Myles Smith, Nelly, Ravyn Lenae, Reneé Rapp, Zara Larsson, and a special “sing-along” moment for KPOP Demon Hunters. More information on ticket prices can be found here.
The famed New York Philharmonic invites guests to celebrate the season with a festive matinee of jubilant holiday music. Featured pieces include Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride” with its jingling bells, the Sugar Plum Fairy’s dance from “The Nutcracker,’ selections of Vince Guaraldi’s music for “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” and Astor Piazzolla’s “Four Seasons of Buenos Aires,” and other seasonal surprises. More information on ticket prices can be found here.
Enjoy a cozy holiday outing in a dim, candle-lit setting accompanied by enchanting live music. This season, Candlelight Concerts will be held at St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel–Annunciation Church, Irondale, and Sony Hall on select dates in December. At Mt. Carmel and Irondale, guests can enjoy a Christmas program featuring pieces from The Nutcracker, holiday classics by Tchaikovsky and Debussy, and traditional Hanukkah songs. At St. Ann’s and Sony Hall, audiences can look forward to a selection of Christmas carols performed on strings, with the grand interiors of each venue enhancing the calming atmosphere of the music. Learn more about the concerts and prices here.
Returning to Lincoln Center’s Rose Theater for its 13th year, the annual concert offers a joyful evening of swing, celebration, and musical magic on the famed arts campus. Led by trombonist and arranger Christ Crenshaw, the cherished holiday event breathes new life into classic festive tunes. Joining Crenshaw are two spectacular vocalists: Shenel Johns and Kate Kortum, both distinguished jazz singers. The December 21 matinee at 2 p.m. is a relaxed performance, open to all and designed for people with autism, sensory or communication disorders, and learning disabilities. Tickets start at $42 for balcony seats and can be purchased here.
While most of the city shuts down on December 25, the Lower East Side’s Museum of Eldridge hosts its annual winter concert, offering a delightful afternoon of soulful klezmer music. This year, the museum welcomes back klezmer artist and scholar Yale Strom and his band, Hot Pstromi, who blend classic Yiddish songs and klezmer melodies with original compositions. The program also features traditional tunes Strom discovered during his years of ethnographic fieldwork in Eastern Europe. Tickets cost $25 online and $30 at the door. More information can be found here.
Back for its 13th year, this beloved retelling of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” is even more enchanting at the historic Merchant’s House Museum, where audiences are surrounded by 19th-century holiday decorations, flickering candles, and period furnishings. The immersive setting transports guests 150 years into the past as they enjoy the 70-minute performance of Dickens’ classic holiday tale. Tickets start at $110 and can be purchased here.
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