NYC events in November 2024

New York City residents have always cherished their pets, and the New-York Historical Society is here to document that. In the new special exhibition titled Pets and the City, they’ll feature an array of artwork—primarily obtained from the New-York Historical’s Museum and Library collections—that document the multidimensional roles animals have played to serve and coexist alongside human beings. See the exhibition from October 25 to April 27, 2025. 

Through photographs, memorabilia, film and television clips, the exhibition explores how the relationship between humans and their pets has transformed alongside the ever-changing New York City landscape. 

Get into the seasonal spirit by gliding around the ice at Central Park’s Wollman Rink.

During the skating season, enjoy skyline views, rinkside igloos, an expanded skate school, and free access programs. General admission ranges from $15-$38 for adults, depending on the date; kids and seniors get in for $10/person. Skate rentals cost $12. 

When you're cold, warm up with a snack at one of the rink's food vendors or rent a cozy igloo for your crew.

Before you even see these gingerbread creations, you’ll smell their sweet-spicy aromas wafting through the halls. Gingerbread NYC: The Great Borough Bake-Off has taken over the Museum of the City of New York once again bringing holiday cheer with 20 stunningly beautiful gingerbread structures.

Each one emulates an iconic part of the city, from the Wonder Wheel to the Prospect Park Boathouse to a bodega (complete with a bodega cat, of course). Feast your eyes upon them this holiday season.

An exhibit that tells the story of Paris' Notre-Dame cathedral is landing in New York. Starting Thursday, November 15, history fanatics and art buffs can make their way to Morningside Heights' massive Cathedral of St. John the Divine to experience this multimedia event. 

As a part of the church's art collection this winter, "Notre-Dame de Paris: The Augmented Exhibition" promises an interactive tour of crucial moments in the cathedral’s 850-year history, from its inception in 1163 to the current process of restoration after the 2019 fire. 

Admission to the exhibit costs $25 for adults, $22 for seniors, and $10 for children, with hours every day from 10am to 5pm.

Within Grand Central Terminal, find the New York Transit Museum's 20th annual Holiday Train Show, an ode to all kinds of locomotives. You'll feel positively giant while wandering around the 34-foot-long display, festooned with miniature versions of city landmarks such as the Brooklyn Bridge and the Empire State Building. Watch as Lionel model trains depart from a miniature replica of Grand Central. Then they travel over the river (the East River, to be exact) and through the wood to reach their final destination, the North Pole.

The Holiday Train Show will be on view at Grand Central Terminal through February 2025. The free show is open Monday-Friday, 10am-7:30pm; Saturday-Sunday, 10am-6pm; and closed major holidays. Find it in the shuttle passage on 42nd Street and Park Avenue, adjacent to the Station Master’s Office.

NYC is packed with holiday markets every fall with holiday spirit and unique gifts. While fancy Christmas window displays may entice you, NYC's holiday markets offer a chance to shop local. With everything from clothing to holiday ornaments to artwork, there's something for everybody on your holiday shopping list.

Shopping for the perfect gift doesn't have to be stressful; make it fun at these holiday markets.

This year, new holiday markets are debuting in Herald Square.

Every year, The Rink at Rockefeller Center ushers in the holiday season by opening up to the public to skate under a golden Prometheus. Once peak season hits, there’s going to be a bit of a wait to get on the slick stuff.

Tickets start at $21 per person, but the exact price depends on the date, the time of day and age. Skate rentals are available for $12. 

The rink is now open, with tickets are on sale here.

Festooned with more than 1,000 meticulously hand-folded paper ornaments, this year’s 13-foot-tall tree at the American Museum of Natural History is inspired by the theme "Jumping for Joy" in honor of our 2024 Leap Year. The tree features specially crafted origami creations inspired by the museum's hopping, pouncing, and leaping creatures.

Some of the pieces decorating the greenery include rabbits, kangaroos, grasshoppers, frogs, squirrels, and cicadas, along with those depicting iconic museum exhibits like the Blue Whale and Tyrannosaurus rex.

You can see the tree with museum admission starting on November 25, 2024. Find it in the Ellen V. Futter Gallery on the first floor. 

If Netflix’s Squid Game was one of your favorite shows and you’re looking forward to the new season premiere this December, you’ll want to try your hand at some of the challeneges at Squid Game: The Experience here in NYC.

Set within Manhattan Mall (100 West 33rd Street by Sixth Avenue), you get into teams of up to 24 people each to complete challenges across 60 minutes, including those that appeared on the TV show (yes, you’ll get to try your hand at the iconic Red Light Green Light) plus a number of brand-new ones built specifically for the experience. Once done playing, you can enjoy a night market offering a variety of Korean and international sweet and savory foods, plus drinks.

The beloved New York holiday train tradition at the New York Botanical Garden, going on for over 30 years, is back and bigger than ever.

Watch model trains zip past nearly 200 famous New York landmarks, like the Empire State Building, Radio City Music Hall, the Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge and Rockefeller Center—all made of natural materials such as leaves, cinnamon sticks, twigs, bark and berries. The garden meticulously maintains its collection of 25 G-scale model trains that’ll chug along a nearly half-mile track (which is also overhead) in the warmth of the Conservatory. 

This year's holiday train show will take place from November 16 through January 20, 2025 in the Bronx. 

The annual pageant of giant balloons, floats, cheerleaders, clowns, marching bands, theater and Broadway in New York performances and celebs is a must-see.

The parade is on Thanksgiving Day, of course! But we’ll spell it out for you: Thursday, November 28.

An artsy carnival like something out of a dream is heading to Manhattan’s west side this month.

"Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy" is basically a massive fun house that will be installed inside the soaring McCourt space at the center on November 20, displaying a vast array of carnival rides and attractions by famous artists like Jean-Michel Basquiat, Salvador Dalí, Sonia Delauna, Keith Haring and Roy Lichtenstein, among many others.

From a vibrant carousel boasting chairs painted by Kenny Scharf to a Ferris wheel featuring the art of Basquiat, the exhibit will be filled with the wonderful pieces that first debuted in Hamburg, Germany, in 1987. Although meant to tour the world, the park was never on display again after that original run—until 2023, when it was installed in Los Angeles. 

"And then, by a twist of fate, the park’s treasures were forgotten in storage in Texas for 36 years," reads a press release. "'Luna Luna: Forgotten Fantasy' resurrected these artworks, to audiences’ delight."

As Andy Williams croons in the iconic song, "It's the holiday season. And Santa Claus is coming 'round." But you know what else is coming 'round? STRESS. Finding gifts for everyone on your list. Baking dozens of cookies. Mailing greeting cards. The list goes on. 

This holiday season, Chelsea's ARTECHOUSE strives to create a space of calm amid the chaos with their newest immersive exhibit. Tingle Bells: An ASMR-Inspired Holiday Special will debut Thursday, November 21, and run through Sunday, January 5; general admission tickets start at $25. Equal parts wonder and calm, the experience blends nostalgic holiday warmth with cutting-edge digital art. 

Tingle Bells was inspired by the powers of ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response), which is known for eliciting tingling sensations through auditory and visual stimuli. It's designed to be, "oddly satisfying," as event organizers explain. 

The winter festivity has already begun even before the snow falls. The Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park returns to NYC with exciting holiday shops, food and activities. The Winter Village is open through March 2, 2025, but the holiday market closes on January 5.

Its 17,000-square-foot ice-skating rink that’s free to use (if you bring your own skates) is always the highlight, but its Winter Village in all its holiday spirit is a close second. This year, over 180 new and returning kiosks will be there for you to peruse through—all at one of the best NYC parks.

The queen of Christmas herself, Mariah Carey, will be the focus of a seasonal pop-up bar on the fourth floor of Virgin Hotels at 1227 Broadway near 30th Street later this month, from November 15 through December 29.

It's dubbed Mariah Carey Black Irish Holiday Bar, a call-out to the artist's Irish cream liqueur brand. Inside the winter wonderland, guests will be able to snap photos alongside a custom "All I Want for Christmas Is You" neon sign (it's the iconic song's 30th anniversary!), sit on a festive wreath to actually recreate Carey's Christmas album, look through a lyric wall, interact with a Black Irish Christmas tree and even write a letter to Carey herself.

You can snag tickets to the 90-minute experience right here. Each pass includes a welcome signature Black Irish cocktail!

Heading to Madison Square Garden to watch the Knicks play is an iconic night out in NYC. The basketball team made the playoffs recently in the 2020-21 season led by forward Julius Randle and RJ Barrett. 

Catch them at MSG now!

Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s gorgeous, after-dark illuminated spectacular is back from November 22 through January 5, 2025.

Lightscape, an illuminated trail of art from local and international artists, features the iconic Winter Cathedral and a larger Fire Garden—all set to over a million lights, color and music. 

As always, a curated playlist of music brings the light art to life, and there will be food concessions along the trail that will still offer seasonal treats like hot cocoa, hot cider, and mulled wine as well as light bites, cookies and sweets.

Tickets are now on sale for the event ranging from $24-$45 for adults and $12 to $23 for kids, depending on the visit date.

Sure, the holidays are something to be enjoyed, but sometimes, they're something to be endured. Opening on November 22 and running until December 28, The Second City New York will present their new Mainstage comedy show, "Wreck the Halls: The Second City New York’s Guide to Surviving the Holidays."

Packed with original sketches, improv and variety delights, the spirited show will gift plenty of laughs as it roasts all of the things we love to loathe about the "festive" season, from the dreaded family obligations to the boring office parties to the ad nauseum Mariah Carey songs. 

Out of all the yuletide razzle-dazzle NYC has to offer, the Dyker Heights Christmas Lights display is among the most spectacular. Each year, more than 100,000 people flock to the Brooklyn nabe to witness some of the most over-the-top Christmas lights we’ve ever seen­—think huge inflatable Santas and snowmen, and houses that blast Christmas carols from loundspeakers. There is a lot of ground to cover, as many houses in the area participate over multiple blocks and avenues. (We’re talking tens of thousands of lights).

The festivities typically start the weekend after Thanksgiving. Here's our full guide to the fun.

Beneath the cobblestone streets of the Seaport, secrets hid underground for decades—until now, that is. A walking tour led by the South Street Seaport Museum unearths the neighborhood's freaky and fascinating facts.

The museum's "Sinister Secrets of the Seaport" whisks visitors back in time for a 90-minute walking tour full of true crime tales about theft, organized crime, murder and even pirates. Tours are available throughout the month for $40/adult. Whether you're a true crime buff or you're still soaking up the Halloween spirit, these tours make for a memorable afternoon in a historic neighborhood.

You’ll get a kick out of this holiday stalwart, which still features Santa, wooden soldiers and the dazzling Rockettes. In recent years, new music, more eye-catching costumes and advanced technology have been introduced to bring audience members closer to the performance.

In the signature kick line that finds its way into most of the big dance numbers, the Rockettes’ 36 pairs of legs rise and fall like the batting of an eyelash, their perfect unison a testament to the disciplined human form. This is precision dancing on a massive scale—a Busby Berkeley number come to glorious life—and it takes your breath away.

Dance yourself clean (or dirty) night after night with LCD Soundsystem's fall residency. For 12 glorious nights throughout November and December, the rock band will play its biggest hits on stage at the Knockdown Center in Queens.

Grab tickets here.

See the original manuscript of Franz Kafka's famed novella The Metamorphosis, along with manuscripts of his novels Amerika and The Castle. They'll be presented alongside correspondence, diaries and photographs related to Kafka.

The show runs at The Morgan from November 22 through April 13, 2025.

Pop on over to American Dream in East Rutherford, New Jersey for an immersive experience dedicated to bubbles. This surreal and colorful world promises to delight all ages with themed rooms, fantastic landscapes, and VR tech. 

Bubble Planet promises to challenge imagination, amaze with the magic of science, and unleash the inner child in all. Expect to see oversized bubbles, balloons, and more in this sensory playground.