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Christmas Weekend 2025 in NYC Top Things To Do: Caroling, Kwanza and More

Skate beneath the historic Brooklyn Bridge while taking in the iconic views of the Manhattan skyline at Roebling Rink. Photo courtesy of venue
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12/20/24 - By Drew Kristofik

Looking for the best things to do in New York City this Christmas weekend? Here are some family-friendly events and activities to add to your list for this weekend.

You may still have gifts to wrap (or—gulp—shop for) and stockings to hang, but there's festive fun to be had all weekend and beyond. Our annual Christmas favorites include singing carols under the Washington Square Arch, catching a holiday show, and checking out the Dyker Lights.

Plus, families can celebrate Kwanzaa at the Brooklyn Children's Museum, giggle along to the holiday marionette mashup that is A Christmas Carol, Oy! Hanukkah, Merry Kwanza at Theater for the New City, and catch the Nefesh Mountain family concert at the Jewish Museum.

No matter how you celebrate, Happy Holidays from the Mommy Poppins team!

More Things To Do in New York City this Week with Kids

Be sure to click through to each listing for all the details, including recommended ages and times.

OUR LATEST VIDEOS

Best Things To Do in NYC this Christmas Weekend

Holiday Caroling Under the Washington Square Arch

Greenwich Village – FREE
Wednesday, 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

Come-As-You-Are Christmas Pageant at St. Bartholomew's

Midtown East – FREE
Wednesday, December 24
Kids are invited to participate in a come-as-you-are Christmas pageant on Christmas Eve. Arrive by 3:45pm to be provided with a costume and directed to the stage at the appropriate time. READ MORE

Family Concert: Nefesh Mountain

Upper East Side
Thursday, December 25
Nefesh Mountain—singer Doni Zasloff and her multi-instrumentalist husband Eric Lindberg—present a blend of bluegrass, Celtic, and Appalachian melodies with a Jewish soul. They perform original melodies from their albums Songs from the Mountain and Beneath the Open Sky. READ MORE

Winter Concert at Eldridge Street Synagogue

Lower East Side
Thursday, December 25
As the city shuts down on Wednesday, December 25, the Museum at Eldridge Street on Manhattan's historic Lower East Side comes to life for an afternoon of soulful and spirited klezmer music.   READ MORE

Celebrate Kwanzaa at the Brooklyn Children's Museum

Crown Heights, Brooklyn
Friday, December 26-Tuesday, December 30
NYC’s largest Kwanzaa festival returns for its 18th year—a week-long celebration of African heritage and culture—with daily candle lightings, youth performances, and dance, drumming, and art workshops inspired by Kwanzaa's seven principles.  READ MORE

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

Lower East Side
Opens Friday, December 26
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

Kwanzaa Celebration at CMOM

Upper West Side
Sunday, December 28-Monday, December 29
Learn about the seven principles of Kwanzaa and come together to honor ancestors and celebrate African and African American culture. READ MORE

MOMIX: Alice at the Joyce

Chelsea
Through Saturday, January 3, 2026
MOMIX sends audiences flying down the rabbit hole in Moses Pendleton’s ALICE, inspired by Lewis Carroll’s classic Alice in Wonderland. Alice encounters the undulating Caterpillar, a lobster quadrille, frenzied White Rabbits, a mad Queen of Hearts, and a variety of other surprises.  READ MORE

Celebrate the Holidays at PaleyLand!

Midtown
Select dates through Sunday, January 4, 2026
The Paley Center's must-see holiday extravaganza fills five floors of the Paley with holiday fun and winter wonderland magic. Enjoy free hot chocolate, watch past and present holiday family specials on the big screen, discover the magic of a classic model railroad display, and so much more. READ MORE

Broadway Magic Hour at the Broadway Comedy Club

Times Square
Saturdays through Saturday, March 21, 2026
The Broadway Magic Hour features master magicians Jim Vines and Carl Mercurio in a performance that includes mind-boggling mysteries and hilarious comedy for all ages. Witness magic, mind-reading, comedy, and grand illusions! READ MORE

Family Fridays: CurveBalls at MoMath on 5th

Gramercy – FREE
Friday, December 20
Create simple yet elegant ornaments out of just three strips of beautiful marbleized cardstock and learn the surprising methods of transforming 2D nets into 3D geometric constructions. Interlocking the rings and folding along the curves gives the orb enough strength to use for holiday decorations, games, and even hidden surprises. READ MORE

La MaMa Kids: Winter Wonderland

Lower East Side
Saturday, December 21
La MaMa Family weaves its magic and excitement for La MaMa’s end-of-year celebration, including a fun-filled, in-person performance by La MaMa resident artists. Embracing puppetry, storytelling, music, and theater, this is a unique holiday event for the whole family. All ages encouraged! READ MORE

Family Art Project: Hello 2025 at Wave Hill

Riverdale, the Bronx
Saturday, December 21-Sunday, December 22
Prepare for the new year by creating a calendar highlighting your favorite part of every season. Get creative and use bright colors to capture the excitement of each month.    READ MORE

A Charlie Brown Christmas: Live at Shapeshifter

Park Slope, Brooklyn
Saturday, December 21-Sunday, December 22
A Charlie Brown Christmas: Live celebrates the timeless television classic as Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus, and the rest of the Peanuts characters gather to uncover the true meaning of Christmas. READ MORE

125th Birthday Celebration at the Brooklyn Children's Museum

Crown Heights, Brooklyn
Saturday, December 21-Sunday, December 22
Brooklyn Children’s Museum is turning 125 and the beloved institution is celebrating with a FREE weekend extravaganza filled with non-stop fun. Dance at a disco party, glide on the outdoor sock-skating rink, create anniversary-themed art, and enjoy surprise giveaways and raffles. READ MORE

Watson Adventures’ Ho-Ho Holiday Midtown Family Scavenger Hunt

Midtown East
Monday, December 23
Kids and adults discover the best of Midtown’s lavish holiday displays on this seasonal scavenger hunt, including the windows along Fifth Avenue, the Rockefeller Center tree, Grand Central Terminal, the model train display in the Transit Museum Annex, and other festive highlights. READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

About the Author

Drew Kristofik
Drew Kristofik’s career took a twist from editing teen magazines to a seven-year stint at MacNeil/Lehrer, followed by a long run at Nickelodeon/Viacom as Director of Content for Nick Online and Editor-in-Chief of ParentsConnect.com. A founding member of the Webby Award-winning GoCityKids, she’s written for Family Fun, Vanity Fair, and New York. Her middle school novel, The Time Boat, is available on Amazon Kindle. Drew keeps the MommyPoppins New York Events calendar spot-on and can be reached at events@mommypoppins.com.
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