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Christmas Weekend 2021 in NYC: Best Things To Do With Kids

Delight in the spectacular installations at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Lightscapes. Photo by Jess Laird
Delight in the spectacular installations at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Lightscapes. Photo by Jess Laird
12/22/21 - By Bethany Braun-Silva

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

While you may be busy unwrapping presents for much of the weekend, there are still many fun things to do in NYC with the kids. Your family can go caroling in Washington Square Park, check out the Christmas lights in one of the city's most decorated neighborhoods, or take in tried and true crowd-pleasers like the Bronx Zoo Holiday Lights or ice skating on Governors Island.

We've also got top picks for family-friendly destinations open on Christmas, plus picks for a holiday meal out, whether your tastes are traditional, or you choose Chinese. Of course, our Family Activity Calendar has more fun events for every day of the holiday break.

Be sure to check with each venue for its COVID guidelines and requirements before heading out to any event, and read more about local public safety protocols here; some events are getting canceled or postponed at the last minute due to the latest COVID surge, so always confirm details before heading out.

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The Bronx Zoo Holiday Lights deliver an unexpected burst of brightness on the cold winter nights. Photo by Jody Mercier
The Bronx Zoo Holiday Lights deliver an unexpected burst of brightness on the cold winter nights. Photo by Jody Mercier

Best Things To Do in NYC This Weekend With Kids

Holiday Caroling Under the Washington Square Arch

Greenwich Village
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

A Charlie Brown Christmas: Live on Stage

Midtown West
Daily through Friday, December 24
A Charlie Brown Christmas: Live on Stage celebrates the timeless television classic as the whole family can join Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus, and the rest of the Peanuts characters in their journey to uncover the true meaning of Christmas. READ MORE

Canarsie Park Holiday Hike

Canarsie Park, Brooklyn–FREE
Saturday, December 25
Walk off holiday excess on an outdoor hike along the shores of Jamaica Bay with the Urban Park Rangers. READ MORE

Winter Photo Scavenger Hunt

Middle Village, Queens–FREE
Saturday, December 25
Take a guided hike through Juniper Valley Park and challenge your photography skills as you work to complete a photo scavenger hunt. READ MORE

The Steadfast Tin Soldier & Nutcracker Sweets

Park Slope, Brooklyn
Saturday, December 25 and Sunday December, 26
Puppetworks presents a double bill, featuring The Steadfast Tin Soldier, from Hans Christian Andersen, and Nutcracker Sweets with Tchaikovsky's music. Both are adapted for the marionette stage by Nicholas Coppola.  READ MORE

Celebrate Kwanzaa

Crown Heights, Brooklyn
Sunday, December 26 through Thursday, December 30
The Brooklyn Children’s Museum and Brooklyn-based Asase Yaa Cultural Arts Foundation present their 15th annual Kwanzaa celebration! Explore Kwanzaa’s seven principles throughout the week with vibrant performances, workshops, art projects, and celebratory cuisine each day. READ MORE

Dyker Heights Christmas Lights

Dyker Heights, Brooklyn–FREE
Through Friday, December 31
Catch one of the largest and zaniest neighborhood Christmas lights displays in Brooklyn, if not in all of New York City, when block after block of homeowners mount over-the-top displays. READ MORE

A Sherlock Carol

Midtown West
Select dates through Sunday, January 2
When a grown-up Tiny Tim asks Sherlock Holmes to investigate the peculiar death of Ebenezer Scrooge, the Great Detective must use his tools of deduction to get to the bottom of the crime. READ MORE

Interwoven Installation

Flatiron–FREE
Daily through Sunday, January 2
Interwoven celebrates the joys of reconnecting in public space. Its interactive archways are activated by color-coded sensors; when two or more people pass through sensors of the same color, Interwoven responds with corresponding lights and musical compositions by local artists inspired by the installation’s themes. READ MORE

Luminaries

Battery Park City–FREE
Select dates through Sunday, January 2
Visitors are immersed in a canopy of light emanating from hundreds of suspended lanterns floating above the Winter Garden at Brookfield Place. Touch-free Wishing Stations on the ground allow visitors to “send” a wish to the canopy of lanterns above, translating the wish into a mesmerizing display of lights and colors. READ MORE

Holiday Time in PaleyLand with Santa

Midtown West
Select dates through Saturday, January 6
The beloved Paley holiday experience returns with visits and photos with Santa, a stunning 7-foot menorah, character meet and greets, screenings of holiday classics on the big screen, gaming stations, and The Paley Express, a magical winter wonderland holiday train display. READ MORE

Holiday Lights at the Bronx Zoo

Bronx Park, the Bronx
Select dates through Sunday, January 9
Holiday Lights return to the Bronx Zoo, bigger, brighter, and greener than ever before. The beloved holiday tradition covers acres of the zoo, lighting the grounds with custom Asian lanterns, wildlife-themed LED displays, and animated light shows on the historic Astor Court. READ MORE

Lightscape

Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Select dates through Sunday, January 9
Explore the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's after-dark, illuminated spectacular Lightscape, and celebrate the beauty of nature in winter on an enchanting trail animated by dazzling light, color, and sound. READ MORE

NYBG Glow

Bronx Park, the Bronx
Select dates through Sunday, January 9
Visitors can explore a glowing world of color and light at the New York Botanical Garden's outdoor light show. Washes of brilliant colors, thousands of dazzling, energy-efficient LED lights, and picture-perfect installations enliven the gardens and collections. READ MORE

New York Botanical Garden Holiday Train Show

Bronx Park, the Bronx
Select dates through Sunday, January 23
The New York Botanical Garden’s Holiday Train Show returns for its 32nd year! Model trains zip through a miniature wonderland of nearly 200 New York landmark replicas, each re-created from natural materials such as leaves, seeds, twigs, bark, acorns, and cinnamon sticks. READ MORE

Governors Island Winter Village & Ice Skating Rink

Governors Island
Sunday, December 26-Sunday, January 30
Governors Island celebrates the season with a Winter Village, including a 5,000-square-foot skat­ing rink, sea­son­al activ­i­ties, fes­tive win­ter lights, games, and food and drinks along­side warm­ing fire pits.  READ MORE

A Wonderful, Awful Idea: Animating the Grinch Who Stole Christmas

Astoria, Queens
Sunday, December 26-Sunday, February 27
The sketches, animation cels, and backgrounds on exhibit—40 selections from the extensive private collection of Bill Heeter and Kristi Correa—illustrate legendary animation director Chuck Jones’ approach to adapting Theodor Geisel’s story for the screen. READ MORE

Holiday Express: Toys and Trains from the Jerni Collection

Upper West Side
Select dates through Sunday, February 27
The Holiday Express returns to New-York Historical Society creating a magical winter wonderland full of toy trains, figurines, and miniatures from the renowned Jerni Collection. Exhibits illustrate the workings of the railroad, its services, and how it helps keep people and goods on the move. READ MORE

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