It’s the most wonderful time of the year for kids of all ages to soak in the magic of NYC this holiday season. Where else are there are larger-than-life trees, candy canes adorning buildings, and Swarovski crystal snowflakes dangling from street lamps? It’s a perfect time to count your blessings, perform all those acts of kindness, and spread your dose of holiday cheer. (In NYC, there is endless festive fun, so pick your dose wisely). Here are some of our favorite holidays shows and spectaculars to mesmerize and delight the whole fam.
The Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes
Christmas in NYC is not complete without a visit to the jaw-dropping and awe-inspiring Christmas Spectacular, featuring the Radio City Rockettes. The spectacular show-stopping numbers makes everyone want to be a Rockette when they grow up. The production beautifully blends classic numbers that audiences know and love, with innovative technology, like drones and immersive digital projections. Since it opened at Radio City in 1933, the Christmas Spectacular has brought holiday joy to more than 71 million people from around the world.
For those looking to especially wow your crew, you can treat the family to one or several VIP add-on experiences. Families will love the “Santa’s Breakfast Spectacular” package, a pre-show reception in the exclusive Roxy Suite at Radio City, which includes a private entrance, festive food and beverage, and an escort to your premium seats for the show. Maybe you’ll even create a new cherished holiday tradition, and enjoy a private dance workshop every year.
New York Philharmonic Sounds of the Season
Enlighten your little loved ones with a festive trip to the New York Philharmonic Sounds of the Season this year. Your holiday season will be brightened with these family-friendly matinees: an eclectic program of works, featuring music from the classical canon (think Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker), popular hits (such as Irving Berlin’s White Christmas), and festive songs from around the world (from Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride to South Africa’s Sizalelwe Indodana). Mark our words: Sounds of the Season will be music to your ears.
George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker
Nothing says NYC at Christmas like George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker. It is a treasured holiday classic and a timeless story. The whole family will be in awe: stunning ballerinas, entering the Land of Sweets as the orchestra plays the famous score — iconic. Highlights of this world-renowned holiday production include a one-ton Christmas tree that grows from 16 to 41 feet, an onstage snowstorm, and hundreds of elaborate costumes (including one for Mother Ginger that measures 9 feet wide and weighs 85 pounds). The production’s grand finale involves one million watts of lighting — the most used in any New York City Ballet production.
Looking to sweeten the experience? New York City Ballet also offers a Sweet Seat VIP Package, which includes premium seating, a complimentary souvenir book, and for every two Sweet Seat tickets purchased, a coupon for one complimentary keepsake photo taken onsite at the theater.
Annie
Even though it’s the holiday season (and if you haven’t noticed, we love the holiday season), we all sometimes need a reminder that “the sun will come out tomorrow.” And just in time to delight all families for the holidays, the legendary musical ANNIE returns to New York City for the first time in a decade. Whoopi Goldberg will join the cast as Miss Hannigan beginning Wednesday, December 11 through the end of the run. This new production celebrates family, optimism and the American spirit as the ultimate cure for the hard knock life.
Trans-Siberian Orchestra Winter Tour: The Lost Christmas Eve
The legendary rock group the Trans-Siberian Orchestra (TSO) is celebrating a lot of 20s this season. It’s a trifecta: 20 years of their beloved rock opera The Lost Christmas Eve, reaching their 20-millionth concertgoer, and surpassing a phenomenal $20 million donated to charity. The show-stopping spectacle is filled with excitement and pyrotechnics, lasers, and the incredible storytelling that is synonymous with TSO. The celebration continues with a high-energy second set, featuring the group’s greatest hits and fan favorites.
Holiday Under the Palms
Brookfield Place is hosting its first-ever Holiday Under the Palms, inspired by the recent arrival of 16 new palm trees to its seasonal Winter Garden. Families can escape the winter of the city, and feel transported to a warm, sun-kissed oasis. Festivities begin with four performances of Keith Michael’s The Nutcracker by the New York Theatre Ballet, followed by the return of Selfies with Santa, an all-new installation within the Winter Garden palm trees called Santa’s Sandcastle, and a Hanukkah celebration. There is also the The Rink at BFPL (a holiday favorite for New Yorkers to whirl and twirl on the ice), along with a Tropical Cocktail Crawl, and Hot Chocolate Tuesdays in December.
Tingle Bells: An ASMR-Inspired Holiday Special
Does your family want to escape the seasonal over-stimulation and holiday hustle? ARTECHOUSE Studio team presents a refreshing alternative: an ASMR-inspired retreat that blends nostalgic holiday warmth with cutting-edge digital art: Tingle Bells: An ASMR-Inspired Holiday Special. From gift wraps unraveling into playful Tetris pieces, to “slice-of-life” scenes that bridge the digital and tangible, every detail of this experience is curated to evoke feelings of curiosity and relaxation. Let the gentle whispers, delicate sounds, and entrancing visuals transport you to a place of comfort and calm, and create an oasis amidst the holiday hustle.
A special treat for grown-ups to complement the exhibition is a menu of curated holiday cocktails, activated via the ARTECHOUSE app in NYC’s first XR Bar — an extended reality experience that fuses art with mixology. Specialty cocktail highlights will include: Champagne Sparkle (a sparkling blend of champagne and apple cider, crowned with a light cloud of cotton candy) and Winter Caramel Sleigh (spiced rum and warm apple cider, swirled with rich caramel and a hint of sea salt, topped with fluffy whipped cream and caramel chunks) as well as mocktail options.
