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20 Best Things To Do in NYC with Kids December 2025, from Mommy Poppins Editors

The Met Opera returns to the stage with The Magic Flute this holiday season. Photo by Richard Termine/courtesy of the Met Opera
The Met Opera returns to the stage with The Magic Flute this holiday season. Photo by Richard Termine/courtesy of the Met Opera
11/30/25 - By Drew Kristofik

Holiday lights, sights, and celebrations abound in NYC this December. Read on for our top things to do with kids to celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Year's Eve.

We're plowing through the leftover turkey, and prepping for Christmas, Hanukkah, and 2025's final bow. Luckily, there's a spectacular array of kid-friendly things to do in NYC this December.

Families can witness Clara dancing her heart out during The Nutcracker at Lehman College, and MOMIX invites you to fall down the rabbit hole at The Joyce. Plus, you can get in tune for the holidays during the musical madness that is Unsilent Night.

Finally, bid farewell to 2025 during the New Year's Eve Fireworks in Prospect Park! We're channeling the holiday spirit at warp speed: be sure to check our calendar for tons more holiday festivities.

Keep our top picks for holiday must-do's handy all month long, too, and bookmark our NYC Kids' Guide to Holiday and Christmas Events for easy access to all the holiday hullabaloo!

Want even more fun things to do this December? Our NYC Family Events Calendar is packed with great family activities every day of the month— and you can filter by age, location, or even free events!

Not on our newsletter list yet? Subscribe for FREE and get the best local family fun sent straight to your inbox. Already subscribed? Share it with a friend and start planning your outings together!

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The Museum at Eldridge Street hosts a Christmas Day concert in its stunning building. Photo courtesy of the museum
The Museum at Eldridge Street hosts a Christmas Day concert in its stunning building. Photo courtesy of the museum

Top Things To Do in NYC this December with Kids

Tree Lighting Skate-tacular at Bryant Park

Midtown West – FREE
Tuesday, December 2, 2025
Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park hosts its annual tree lighting, with a stellar lineup of live skate performances.  READ MORE

Calypso, Carols, and Cocoa: The Dumbo Holiday Lighting

Dumbo, Brooklyn – FREE
Thursday, December 4, 2025
The Dumbo Improvement District hosts its annual Dumbo Holiday Lighting ceremony, with all the trimmings. Enjoy live music, carols, hot cocoa, and an appearance from Santa himself. READ MORE

Peter and The Wolf with Isaac Mizrahi at the Guggenheim

Upper East Side
Weekends, Friday, December 5-Sunday, December 14, 2025
Isaac Mizrahi narrates and directs Sergei Prokofiev's charming children's classic. Ensemble Connect performs the music, and the cast, wearing costumes by Mizrahi, performs choreography by John Heginbotham all to bring the 30-minute story to life. READ MORE

Merry Mayhem at the New Victory Theater

Midtown West
Various dates, Friday, December 5-Sunday, December 28, 2025
Exploding onto the stage in a rascally rainbow of high-flying frivolity, this multi-generational, muscle-bound ensemble tumbles, tussles and trapezes to the beat of a live rock band! Embrace the holiday frenzy and buckle up for a uniquely Aussie celebration of subversive circus fun. READ MORE

Christmas in Historic Richmond Town

Richmond, Staten Island
Saturday, December 6-Sunday, December 7, 2025
Historic Richmond Town celebrates the season with a Dickens-style village. Guests can enjoy historical interpreters' presentations, shop for gifts and crafts, enjoy tasty eats, and embark on horse and carriage rides. READ MORE

El Barrio Latino Children's Film Festival at Teatro SEA

Lower East Side– FREE
Saturday, December 6-Sunday, December 7, 2025
The 12th annual El Barrio Children Film Festival exposes children, their families and their communities to unique films in Spanish that stimulate imagination, curiosity and pride through great storytelling. READ MORE

Teleflora’s Holiday Pop-up at Rockefeller Center to Benefit Make-A-Wish

Midtown West – FREE
Tuesday, December 9, 2025
Enjoy holiday cheer, Christmas carolers, and create your very own polar bear plushie—a Wish Bear—just steps from the world-famous Christmas tree. READ MORE

The Nutcracker at the Lehman Center

Kindsbridge Heights, the Bronx
Thursday, December 11-Sunday, December 14, 2025
The Westchester Ballet Company's production of The Nutcracker is a spectacular, enchanting, full-length presentation of the beloved holiday classic featuring a cast of 100 dancers.  READ MORE

Elephant & Piggie’s “We Are in a Play!” at the Atlantic Stage 2 Theater

Chelsea
Opens Saturday, December 13, 2025
A musical experience ripped from the pages of Mo Willems’ beloved, award-winning, best-selling children’s books. Gerald and Piggie take to the stage in a rollicking adventure that is perfect for young audiences. READ MORE

Unsilent Night 2025

Greenwich Village – FREE
Sunday, December 14, 2025
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

Hanukkah Family Day at the Jewish Museum

Upper East Side
Sunday, December 14, 2025
Enjoy the festival of lights at the Jewish Museum through art and live music. Check out the new dazzling display of more than 130 Hanukkah menorahs from around the world during this day-long family fest.   READ MORE

Hanukkah in Lego Land at the Seaport

South Street Seaport – FREE
Sunday, December 14, 2025
Chabad Jewish Center of FiDi welcomes the holiday with a 6-foot-tall Lego menorah, latkes, face painting, cotton candy, hot cocoa, a Lego master workshop, and more.  READ MORE

Hanukkah on Ice at the Wollman Rink

Central Park
Tuesday, December 16, 2025
Hit the ice at the Wollman Rink and skate to the sounds of festive Hanukkah music from DJ Yoni Stokar. The signature Dreidel mascot joins in the skating fun, spinning on the ice. Stick around to see the freshly-carved ice menorah lit in a moving ceremony. READ MORE

MOMIX: Alice at the Joyce

Chelsea
Opens Tuesday, December 16, 2025
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

Amateur Night Holiday Special at the Apollo Stages

Harlem
Friday, December 19-Saturday, December 20, 2025
Ring in the holiday season at a family-friendly evening showcasing talented alumni of the Apollo’s long-running signature series. The program captures the spirit of young performers all hoping to follow in the footsteps of Apollo Legends like Ella Fitzgerald and H.E.R., whose careers were launched on the Apollo stage.   READ MORE

Holiday Caroling Under the Washington Square Arch

Greenwich Village – FREE
Wednesday, December 24, 2025
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

Winter Concert at Eldridge Street Synagogue

Lower East Side
Thursday, December 25, 2025
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, 2025
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

Prospect Park New Year's Eve Fireworks

Prospect Heights, Brooklyn– FREE
Wednesday, December 31, 2025
The annual fireworks display includes live entertainment by Quintessential Playlist starting at 10pm. Fireworks begin at midnight, lighting up the skies above Brooklyn’s Backyard. READ MORE
Dyker Lights are an only-in-NY holiday experience worth seeing at least once! Photo courtesy of Dyker Heights Lights
Dyker Lights are an only-in-NY holiday experience worth seeing at least once! Photo courtesy of Dyker Heights Lights

More Things To Do in NYC this Holiday Season

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The Festival of Lights runs from from Sunday, December 14-Monday, December 22, 2025.
The Festival of Lights runs from from Sunday, December 14-Monday, December 22, 2025.

Holiday Fun for Families at Home

Mommy Poppins Gift Guide 2025 for Kids

Discover the perfect gift for every age, interest, and occasion. READ MORE

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Put on your yarmulkes, it's time for Hanukkah! READ MORE

A Charlie Brown Christmas and More Kids' Holiday Movies to Watch This Holiday Season

The only list you need for holiday cheer and laughs this holiday season! READ MORE

10 Best Christmas Cookies to Bake with Kids (Easy, Fun, and Festive Recipes for Families)

From a jolly Santa to a peanut butter Rudolph, these cookies are as tasty as they are cute. READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Lehman Center for the Performing Arts
Big Apple Circus at Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center

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.
Recent Articles By Drew Kristofik:
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