Next week, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will help usher in the 2024 holiday season for New York City. Image Credit: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office.
Happy holidays! As the 2024 holiday season begins in New York City, CityLand is delighted to present our annual guide on some of New York’s seasonal highlights.
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade will be held live on Thursday, November 28 from 8:30 AM to noon. The event will also be televised on NBC and streaming on Peacock. For more information about the parade route, click here.
The public inflation of the parade balloons will be held Wednesday, November 27 in front of the Museum of Natural History from 12 to 6 PM. Spectators can enter at West 72nd Street and Columbus Avenue and may exit west along anywhere from West 82nd to West 86th Street. For more information about the inflation, click here.
Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting
The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony will be held on Wednesday, December 4th. Viewers at home can watch the ceremony on NBC starting at 8 PM. The tree will be lit every day from 5 AM to 12 AM. On Christmas Eve, the tree is lit for 24 hours and on New Year’s Eve the tree is lit until 9 PM. The tree will be lit through mid-January.
Ice skating is also available at the Rink at Rockefeller Center. For more information about tickets and pricing, click here.
Radio City Christmas Spectacular and Other Theater Performances
The Radio City Rockettes have returned and will perform through January 5th. Tickets are available here and for more information, click here.
The holiday season is a popular time to see a show on Broadway. For more information about what shows are available for the 2024 holiday season, click here. For information about off-Broadway shows, click here.
Holiday Markets
Holiday markets are a wonderful chance for New Yorkers to try local food and engage with local businesses and artists.
The Holiday Shops at Bank of America Winter Village in Bryant Park are currently open through January 5th from 11 AM to 8 PM on weekdays and 10 AM to 8 PM on weekends. The Rink at the Bank of America Winter Village is the only free admission ice skating rink in New York City. The rink requires timed entry with reserved tickets in advance, but there is no cost for admission. Skate rentals and paid bag checks are available. The rink will be open through March 2nd. Le Carrousel is also available to ride from 11 AM to 8 PM. For more information about other activities at Bryant Park, click here.
The Union Square Holiday Market is open now through December 24th from 11 AM to 8 PM on weekdays, and weekends 10 AM to 8 PM. The market will be closed on Thanksgiving at closing at 4 PM on Christmas Eve.
The Columbus Circle Holiday Market will be open from December 3rd through December 31st. The hours are Monday to Friday from 11 AM to 8 PM and weekends from 11 AM to 7 PM. The market will be closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve.
The Herald Holiday Market will be open in Herald Square from December 6th through January 3rd. The market operates Monday through Thursday from 10 AM to 9 PM, Friday and Saturday from 10 AM to 10 PM and Sunday from 10 AM to 9 PM.
Botanical Gardens and Zoos
The New York Botanical Garden’s annual Holiday Train Show runs now through January 20th from 10 AM to 6 PM. Holiday Train Nights will be available for adults 21+ on November 23, 29, 30, December 7, 13,14, 28 and January 4, 11, and 18th and available for all ages December 20-23, 26-27.
The Botanical Garden is also hosting The Nightmare Before Christmas Light Trail on Thursdays through Sundays from dusk to 10 PM through December 1st. For further information about events at the New York Botanical Garden, click here.
The Bronx Zoo Holiday Lights experience will be available during select dates from today through January 5th. For more info, click here.
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden Lightscape returns this year. The experience runs from November 22 to January 5 with the exception of certain days. For more information, click here.
The Queens Botanical Garden will host Lektrik: A Festival of Lights starting December 20th. The illuminated trail will feature over 100 light sculptures. The event will run through March 2025. For more information, click here.
Menorah Lightings
Hanukkah begins the evening of Wednesday, December 25th and runs through Thursday, January 2nd.
Brooklyn’s Largest Menorah will be lit in Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza, with a kickoff concert on December 25 starting at 4 PM. For a further schedule, click here.
More information will be added about future menorah lightings as that information becomes available.
Kwanzaa Celebrations and Kinara Lightings
Kwanzaa begins Thursday, December 26 and runs through Wednesday, January 1.
The Apollo Theater’s annual Kwanzaa celebration, “Kwanzaa: A Regeneration Celebration” will be held December 21st for two shows at 2 PM and 7:30 PM. For more information and tickets click here.
More information will be added about future kinara lightings as that information becomes available.
Museum Highlights
The Museum of the City of New York’s Gingerbread NYC: The Great Borough Bake-Off, in which select bakers from around the city created gingerbread displays to represent their neighborhoods, returns for another year. The exhibit runs through January 12th. For more information and tickets, click here.
Brooklyn Children’s Museum Kwanzaa Celebration: Kwanzaa starts on Thursday, December 26 and ends on Monday, December 30. The Brooklyn Children’s Museum will have its seventeenth annual Kwanzaa celebration featuring music, art-making, food, dance demonstrations and spoken-word presentations. For more information and to buy tickets, click here.
The New York Historical Society will bring back their exhibit, “Holiday Express: Toys and Trains from the Jerni Collection.” The exhibit will run now through February 4th. For more information, click here.
Times Square New Years Eve
The Times Square New Years Eve 2025 celebration can be viewed in person at Times Square or at home on multiple TV stations and viewed online. Please check your local TV schedule for details.
The NYE Wishing Wall returns this year, where anyone can submit a wish, goal or dream for the upcoming year in person from December 2-28th or online now. Submitted wishes will be added to the confetti that drops in Times Square at midnight on New Year’s Eve. Wishes can be submitted online here and in person at TSq Plaza 46-47 on Broadway between 46th and 47th Streets. Wishes can also be shared over Twitter and Instagram using #ConfettiWish.
We at CityLand hope you have a safe and wonderful holiday season.
By: Veronica Rose (Veronica is the Editor of CityLand and a New York Law School graduate, Class of 2018.)