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Where to See Holiday Concerts and Sing Christmas Carols in NYC This Season

Sing Christmas carols during the annual winter edition of Make Music New York this holiday season. Photo courtesy of Make Music New York
Sing Christmas carols during the annual winter edition of Make Music New York this holiday season. Photo courtesy of Make Music New York
12/2/21 - By Drew Kristofik

Crooning Christmas carols on a brisk evening in the company of neighbors, pals, or friendly strangers is a wonderful way to celebrate the holiday season. Carolers of all levels mingle at these events—even the occasional Broadway star has been spotted from time to time—to serenade the city with a message of peace and joy. We've rounded up more than a dozen gatherings where you can literally sing in the holidays, and don't forget to check out all of the Christmas tree lightings—they often include caroling in their programs, too

If you'd rather just listen, consider booking tickets to a holiday concert to get everyone in the spirit. We've got our top picks for those, plus, we couldn't resist including a collection of NYC's many salutes to Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol.

However you spend the holidays, we wish you all the joy of the season. Don't forget to check our Family Activity Calendar and Guide to Holiday Events for more seasonal picks.

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The candlelight service at St. George includes a full choir and strings. Photo courtesy St. George
The candlelight service at St. George includes a full choir and strings. Photo courtesy St. George

Where to Sing Christmas Carols in New York City in December 2021

27th Annual Central Park Holiday Lighting

Central Park North–FREE
Thursday, December 2
See the flotilla of trees on the Harlem Meer get lit for the season at this annual Christmas tree lighting. Visitors can meet Santa and friends, watch a live ice-carving demonstration, sing carols on the plaza, and warm up with hot cocoa and cookies. READ MORE

Mark Morris Dance Group: Holiday Party on the Plaza

Downtown Brooklyn–FREE
Saturday, December 4
Join the Mark Morris Dance Center for a little caroling and holiday cheer! Guests can learn some excerpts from the group's Hard Nut Snow number, while Colin Fowler, the MMDG musical director, leads the singing. The MMDG Student Company stages a brief performance, too. READ MORE

Candlelight: A Service of Lessons and Carols for Christmas

Gramercy/Stuyvesant Town–FREE
Sunday, December 5
One of New York’s oldest Episcopal churches, The Parish of Calvary-St. George’s, hosts an annual celebration in its candlelit sanctuary. Carols, readings that reveal the true meaning of Christmas, and glorious music are the perfect start of the holiday season in NYC. READ MORE

Annual Park Avenue Tree Lighting

Upper East Side–FREE
Sunday, December 5
Park Avenue's illuminated trees—dotting on the Park Avenue Malls between 54th and 97th Streets—switch on for the season.  READ MORE

Coopertones Holiday Caroling

Astor Place–FREE
Monday, December 6
College acapella group the Coopertones return to Astor Place for holiday caroling. Stop by for winter cheer. READ MORE

St. Bart's Carol Sing-Along

Midtown East–FREE
Tuesday, December 7
Gather on the steps of St. Bart's for a rousing afternoon of carol singing. READ MORE

Washington Square Christmas Tree Lighting

Greenwich Village
Wednesday, December 8
Join the Rob Susman Brass Quartet as children and grown-ups alike sing holiday songs, and the sparkling lights on the resplendent tree are turned on to mark the beginning of festive winter evenings. Santa Claus leads kids in the illumination countdown. READ MORE

Brass Holiday Play-Along

Park Slope, Brooklyn–FREE
Saturday, December 11
If singing's not your thing—but rocking a tuba or sax is—head to Old Stone House for a socially distanced outdoor holiday play-along! Bring your brass instruments to play, if you’d like, and make some joyful noise to ring in the holidays. READ MORE

Christmas Alive! Christmas Carol Sing-Along

Midtown West–FREE
Saturday, December 11
The Salvation Army leads an outdoor Christmas Carol Sing-Along with live music to lift spirits this holiday season. READ MORE

¡Parranda! Around the Diaspora

Crown Heights, Brooklyn–FREE
Sunday, December 12
Cumbe’s version of the Puerto Rican holiday tradition looks a lot like caroling from house to house. This tradition includes live music and singing as the traveling group of singers often grows in size as it moves around the neighborhood. READ MORE

Cocktails & Carols

Lower East Side
Sunday, December 12
The musicians of Trinity Lower East Side lead holiday revelers in spirited holiday caroling in the outdoor garden. Between verses, enjoy unlimited hot mulled wine, other adult beverages, and non-alcoholic hot cider and treats.  READ MORE

Caroling on the Church Steps

Upper East Side–FREE
Tuesday, December 14
St. James Church "sings" in the holiday season with a caroling concert on the church steps. After caroling, warm up inside with hot chocolate, hot apple cider, and cookies. READ MORE

A City Singing At Christmas

Midtown East–FREE
Thursday, December 16
This free concert of traditional and contemporary Christmas hymns and carols closes with the performers and entire congregation raising their voices together to sing Silent Night by candle light. READ MORE

Holiday Caroling

Prospect Heights, Brooklyn–FREE
Saturday, December 18
The Brooklyn Conservatory of Music invites the community to join in a beloved tradition — holiday caroling! Spread cheer throughout the neighborhood, culminating in a reception in the BKCM Garden. READ MORE

The 13th Annual Jackson Heights Winter Holiday Sing-Along

Jackson Heights, Queens–FREE
Saturday, December 18
Meet up with neighbors and friends—new and old—to sing winter and holiday songs from all faiths, languages, and cultures as a group while walking thru the local Jackson Heights area. Small, acoustic, portable instruments are welcome and encouraged. READ MORE

Unsilent Night 2023

Greenwich Village–FREE
Sunday, December 19
Each year, composer Phil Kline leads a massive chorus of boomboxes from the West Village to the East Village in the annual holiday presentation of Unsilent Night. READ MORE

Men Singing Carols

Midtown East–FREE
Monday, December 20
In honor of National Caroling Day, Men Singing Carols perform at The Pulitzer Fountain at Fifth Avenue’s The Fifth Season Holiday Display. READ MORE

Make Music Winter Event: Bell by Bell

Soho–FREE
Tuesday, December 21
“Bell by Bell” is a fun Make Music Winter tradition, designed to transform first time participants and non-musicians into Music Makers — a perfect program for kids and families. READ MORE

Make Music Winter Event: Pilgrimage

Upper West Side–FREE
Tuesday, December 21
Under the guidance of conductor James John, artistic director of the Cerddorion Vocal Ensemble, headlamp-clad singers walk a route along Riverside Park, making stops along the way to sing medieval melodies once sung on the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. READ MORE

Make Music Winter Event: The Mobile Hallelujah

Multiple Locations–FREE
Tuesday, December 21
The always popular “Mobile Hallelujah” returns this season, in which the most dramatic 4 minutes of Handel’s famed oratorio Messiah are distilled into “pop-up” style performances that take place in six iconic midtown Manhattan locations, including Times Square and Rockefeller Plaza. READ MORE

Holiday Caroling Under the Washington Square Arch

Greenwich Village–FREE
Friday, December 24
Join The Rob Susman Brass Quartet for a holiday celebration under the Washington Square Arch. The annual Christmas carol event fills the city streets with the sweet sounds of holiday carols. READ MORE
The Young People's Chorus gets very merry in its holiday concert. Photo credit: Stephanie Berger.
The Young People's Chorus gets very merry in its holiday concert. Photo credit: Stephanie Berger.

Holiday Concerts in New York City in December 2021

The Klezmatics: Happy, Joyous Hanukkah

Upper West Side
Sunday, December 5
Celebrate Hanukkah with the Klezmatics! This joyful performance features Hanukkah-themed songs, many written by American folk singer Woody Guthrie, who was inspired by the Jewish culture he encountered while living in Coney Island in the 1940s. READ MORE

Klezmer Hanukkah Party

Park Slope, Brooklyn–FREE
Sunday, December 5
The Park Slope Jewish Center hosts an outdoor Hanukkah party with the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music and the Community Klezmer Band. READ MORE

Young People's Chorus of NY: A Very Merry New York

Washington Heights
Saturday, December 11
The Young People's Chorus performs its annual winter concert, packed with holiday favorites and cheer. Purchase tickets in advance. READ MORE

Kids Holiday Concert

Brooklyn Heights
Saturday, December 18
Mozart for Munchkins creates a relaxed, interactive and engaging environment where children and their families can experience and enjoy the wonders of holiday music with a hint of jazz and bluegrass. READ MORE
One man plays all the roles in <em>One Christmas Carol</em>.
One man plays all the roles in One Christmas Carol.

Where to See A Christmas Carol in NYC

A Christmas Carol

Greenwich Village
Saturday, December 4-Sunday, December 5
TheaterWorks USA presents a Christmas tradition on Bleecker Street. Catch the holiday spirit with this classic story of a man whose cold heart is warmed after a Christmas Eve encounter with the supernatural. READ MORE

Winter Family Fair

Midtown East
Sunday, December 12
Celebrate the holiday season with The Morgan’s annual display of the original manuscript of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol  as the Winter Family Fair returns on-site. Enjoy an afternoon of live music, gallery exploration, prizes, a film screening, and more! READ MORE

What the Dickens?!

Bowery
Sunday, December 12
Ring in the holidays with Housing Works' annual reading of Charles Dickens' classic, A Christmas Carol. Cozy up with hot chocolate and witness a group of performers as they read about the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. READ MORE

One Christmas Carol

Midtown West
Wednesday, December 15-Sunday, December 19
One man tells Charles Dickens' beloved tale, playing all 34 characters in a unique reimagining of A Christmas Carol. READ MORE

Virtual - Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre in "A Christmas Carol, Oy! Hanukkah, Merry Kwanza"

East Village
Select dates Wednesday, December 22-Sunday, January 1, 2022
Czechoslovak-American Marionette Theatre stages a holiday favorite – a toy-puppet theater take on Charles Dickens' classic, A Christmas Carol, with Czech accents and a few twists. The show has moved online only for the duration of its run. READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

Trinity Lower East Side Lutheran Parish
Pulitzer Fountain at the Plaza Hotel
St Paul & St. Andrew United Methodist Church
Various locations midtown west
St. Ann and the Holy Trinity Church