The best things to do on Christmas Eve in NYC

It's time to lace up your skates—the best ice skating rinks in NYC are waiting for you. As one of the most beloved cities to spend the holidays in, NYC has plenty of indoor and outdoor rinks where you can glide and practice your toe jumps.

To help narrow down your options, we’ve ranked the top places to go, from the renowned Rink at Rockefeller Center to the iconic Wollman Rink in Central Park.

The Dyker Heights Christmas Lights display has definitely earned its stripes as one of the best New York attractions. What’s not to love about all that razzle-dazzle to get you in the Christmas spirit?

The Brooklyn neighborhood is home to the most over-the-top Christmas light decorations with life-size Santas, sleighs, snowmen and some houses even bump Christmas carols from loudspeakers. Crowds of all ages flock to the Kings County neighborhood to wander down the multiple blocks and avenues.

Take a nostalgic stroll to the Rockefeller Tree on Christmas Eve. This tree is one of the top New York attractions to visit in person and is lit daily from 5am-midnight. On Christmas Eve, the tree is lit for 24 hours.

Immerse yourself in the spirit of the season—with spirits—throughout the most wonderful time of the year at these holiday bars. With over-the-top decor, holiday music, and festive glassware, these bars take holiday cheer(s) to the next level.

Everything's themed, down to the drinks with options like spiked eggnog, tequila-twisted Coquito Ho Ho Hos, and the Grinch Don't Kill My Vibe.

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.

Since New York City transforms into a magical wonderland with millions of holiday lights right after Thanksgiving, it's helpful to know where to find the best Christmas lights in NYC.

Expect to see over-the-top inflatable Santas at the Dyker Heights Christmas Lights in Brooklyn and iconic displays at Central Park and Rockefeller Center. Take it all in and get ready to “ooh” and “ahh” at these landmarks, holiday markets and neighborhoods that create the most picturesque holiday light displays during the holiday season.

Sail into the holiday spirit aboard Circle Line’s Holiday Harbor Lights Cruise, running through January 5. Decked out with twinkling holiday lights, green garland, Christmas trees and other jolly decor, the festive—and heated!—boats will tour you around the Hudson River. 

This year's cruise is complete with a “Create-Your-Own-Santa Hat” station to get all passengers in the holiday mood. A menu of seasonal cocktails inspired by the Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes are available, with highlights like the Salted Caramel Rockette-tini or the Rum Punch Kick Line. Don't forget to leave a gift inside the Toys for Tots donation box for families who may not be able to afford gifts during Christmas.

The cruise departs each day at 7pm and you can buy tickets here starting at $45.

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.

Finish a little last-minute shopping at Bryant Park's Winter Village by Bank of America. Along with festive shops, there's a 17,000-square-foot ice-skating rink that's free to use (if you bring your own skates). This year more than 180 kiosks will be there to peruse—all at one of the best NYC parks. 

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

Lightscape, an illuminated trail of art from local and international artists, featuring the iconic Winter Cathedral, 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. This year’s show offers off-peak and peak pricing, ranging from $24-$45 for adults and $12 to $23 for kids.

The tingly experience of ASMR—also known as Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response—typically stems from auditory cues. But the team behind ARTECHOUSE in Chelsea reimaginged that auditory language into a vibrant visual experience infused with holiday magic for their latest immersive experience. 

Called Tingle Bells: An ASMR-Inspired Holiday Special, this new exhibition merges holiday nostalgia with cutting-edge technology. Think gift wraps unraveling into hundreds of small boxes that transform into Tetris pieces. Or a conveyer belt of Rubik's cube-like baked goods in mouthwatering pink and blue hues. It's all projected onto the massive walls of a former boiler room-turned-gallery next to Chelsea Market. 

Tingle Bells offers a chance to unplug while still engaging with digital media—and that feels very 2024. Find ARTECHOUSE at 439 W 15th St. inside the historic boiler room at Chelsea Market; tickets start at $23.

The beloved New York holiday train tradition at the New York Botanical Garden, going on for over 30 years, is back and will be open on Christmas Eve. 

Each year, the garden becomes a mini-train depot with its collection of 25 G-scale model trains that’ll chug along a nearly half-mile track by 190 miniature NYC 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.

George Balanchine's magical 1954 production, set to Tchaikovsky's timeless score, includes the full New York City Ballet company, two casts of School of American Ballet students, scenery by Rouben Ter-Arutunian, costumes by Karinska and lighting by Mark Stanley, after Ronald Bates's original concept. 

The show is a magical occasion: Along with a one-ton Christmas tree that grows from 12 to 40 feet, there's a snowstorm of blizzard proportions and a Mother Ginger with a nine-foot-wide skirt. In the end, however, Balanchine's choreography is what holds it all together. It's enchanting, and it never grows old.