NYC during Christmas time and the holiday season is easily one of the most magical times to visit! From beautiful Christmas lights, holiday store decorations, ice skating rinks, and more, there is a ton to do, even on Christmas day! As a local, I am here to help you plan your Christmas day! Therefore, below I’m covering some of the best things you can do in the city on Christmas Day that is open!
While a lot of stores and museums are closed on Christmas Day, there are still tons of top attractions open on Christmas Day as well, so don’t worry!
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Rockefeller Center
Take a stroll through Rockefeller Center and see the famous Rockefeller Center Christmas tree if you haven’t already. Rockefeller Center, in general, is one of my favorite places. Did you know the Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center is usually around 80-100 ft on average? The first tree actually went up back in 1931.
While you’re at it, consider going ice skating under the tree at the Rink at Rockefeller Center.
Additionally, one of the best observation decks is open on Christmas Day as well; the Top of the Rock! This observation deck offers 3 floors of incredible views of the Manhattan skyline, including an epic view of the Empire State Building!
First time in New York? Check out my local Travel Tips to know for visiting NYC!
St. Patrick’s Cathedral
Did you know you could attend mass on Christmas Day at the St. Patricks Cathedral? This stunning Catholic Church is known as one of the largest Gothic Revival Catholic cathedrals in North America!
Midnight mass is by a lottery ticket only. There is additional mass at 7 AM, 10:15 AM, 1 PM, and 4 PM! Check here to learn more about attending mass. Even if you don’t want to attend mass, the building is still beautiful to see, and it is located right next to Rockefeller Plaza.
Central Park on Christmas Day
Another fun Christmas Day activity is to take a stroll through Central Park! If you’re lucky, Central Park may even be covered in snow! However, even without snow, I still highly recommend visiting.
Central Park is over 800 acres, so technically, you can take a full day exploring this famous green space! Some of my favorite places I recommend checking out in Central Park include Bow Bridge, Bethesda Terrace and Fountain, Gapstow Bridge, and Umpire Rock.
Additionally, you can go ice skating at the famous Wollman Rink. Tickets for Wollman Rink are already on sale and can be purchased here.
Christmas Spectacular Radio City Rockettes
What better thing to do on Christmas day than to see the Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular on Christmas Day?
Currently, there are three show times available at 11 AM, 2 PM, 4:30 PM, 7:30 PM, and 10 PM. This is a very popular attraction, so I would recommend booking this in advance. Find Broadway Rockette tickets here.
Did you know The Rockettes have been performing at Radio City Music Hall in Manhattan since 1932? If you choose not to see the show, you can still check out the holiday decorations at Radio City! Furthermore, there are also a ton of other on-Broadway shows and off-Broadway Shows open on Christmas Day!
See the Famous Christmas Holiday Window Displays
You can’t visit without seeing the store’s window displays. While you most likely won’t be able to go inside the stores on Christmas day, you will be able to see the extravagant display windows.
Some of the best window displays to see on Christmas day are Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Sak’s Fifth Avenue, Cartier Holiday Decorations, and Bergdorf Goodman.
I especially love Sak’s 5th Avenue at night for their Christmas light show. Their Christmas lights start around 5 PM, and it starts every 10-15 minutes. Best yet, Saks is located right across the street from Rockefeller Center, so you can see the Christmas lights on the Rockefeller tree next.
Saks Fifth Avenue Address: 611 5th Ave
Macy’s Address: 151 W 34th St, New York
Bloomingdale’s Address: 1000 3rd Ave
Bergdorf Goodman Address: 754 5th Ave
Cartier Address: 653 5th Ave
Grand Central Terminal
So far, all of these activities have been outdoors, so let’s warm up at Grand Central! This train station is one of the most iconic landmarks in New York and another perfect thing to do on Christmas day.
Did you know Grand Central sees around 750,000 visitors a day and is one of the second most visited places in NYC? During your visit, marvel at ceiling work, stand under the famous clock, and check out that marble work.
Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park
The Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park is likely one of my favorite Christmas Markets in the city, and it is also open on Christmas Day! You can snap a picture under the Christmas Tree, enjoy the ice skating rink, and visit any open shops.
They also have Cozy Igloos that can be reserved for up to 90 minutes! To reserve your own Cozy Igloo, check here!
Summit One Vanderbilt
The Summit One Vanderbilt is one the best attractions, and luckily for us, it is open on Christmas Day. Witness the city with a whole new viewpoint, which includes unique mirror rooms, panoramic views, and the Ascent. Although it is really hard to choose, I think this is my favorite observation decks.
Since it is so popular, I would expect crowds. Learn more at the Summit One Vanderbilt website.
Times Square
Have you walked through Times Square yet? Well, if not, you can take the S train from Grand Central Terminal right into Times Square. You may even get lucky to see Times Square in the snow! However, the snow gets dirty pretty quickly once the cars start driving through!
Regardless, Times Square is the most visited place in the city and pretty special if you have yet to visit!
The Hudson Yards
Another place to add to the list is the Christmas displays and Vessel at Hudson Yards. The Vessel is the honeycomb-like structure you have probably seen all over the internet.
Additionally, you have all the beautiful Christmas lights inside the Hudson Yards Shopping Mall and the Edge! The Edge is known as the highest outdoor sky deck in the West Hemisphere.
At 100 stories high, enjoy unobstructed views of the Manhattan skyline along with a partial glass bottom deck. On top of that, they have introduced Sky Skate on their 100th floor. This is the highest indoor ice skating rink – talk about a unique Christmas experience. You must get these tickets in advance, though!
The Hudson Yards also do their “Shine Bright” Christmas displays with over 2 million lights.
Walk The High Line
Located right next to the Hudson Yards is The Highline! If it is not too cold out, I’d recommend taking a stroll down this old railroad turned into an epic green space. It used to be one of my favorite places to visit during my college days!
The Highline is 1.45 miles and allows you to look down over the Chelsea Neighborhood!
The Flatiron Building
Another free and cool thing to do on Christmas day is viewing one of the most photographed buildings in the city. The Flatiron building is a unique triangular-shaped building that stands 285 ft. tall.
While you are near the Flat Iron Building, you can also check out Madison Square Park, which also usually has Christmas decorations and displays. – Update: The Flat Iron Building has scaffolding on it.
Washington Square Park
Washington Square Park is another nice place you can visit. You can view their Christmas tree under the Famous Washinton Arch. Enjoy this 9.75-acre park located in Greenwich Village. I have always loved this area as a local, and I think their tree is unique.
This is such a quaint area, so make sure to check out the beautiful brownstone buildings that are likely decked in lovely Christmas decorations.
The Oculus
Looking for another place to warm up? Check out the iconic Oculus train station at One World Station. This stunning piece of architecture was designed after the fall of the Twin Towers and was designed by Santiago Calatrava. The Oculus is also another top photography spot and usually has really nice holiday decorations.
One World Observatory
Love observation decks? The One World Observatory is also open on Christmas Day! Enjoy 360 views of the city, along with having the opportunity to dine, have a drink, or have a guided tour. If it is really cold out and you don’t want to be outside, you might want to consider this observation deck.
However, if you are limited on decks to visit, my favorites are still The Summit, The Edge, Top of the Rock, and the Empire State Building, but everyone has a different opinion on this!
Visit The Top of the Empire State Building
Can you believe the Empire State Building is open, too? It sure is, so if you want to go to the top of the most photographed and well-known buildings in New York, you can do it on Christmas day!
The Empire State Building offers views of the 86th floor and 102nd floor, depending on which ticket you purchase.
Did you know the Empire State Building was built in 1930 and only took 13 months to build? Additionally, if you were to climb to the 102nd floor, you’d have to climb 1,872 steps!
One thing to keep in mind is that if you do go to the top of the Empire State Building to see the skyline, you will not see the Empire State Building – obviously. For a long time, I would recommend other decks over it because of this, but after a recent visit, the nostalgia of the Empire State Building has me ranking it over others now. They do a really great job here.
I’d recommend getting an NYC attractions pass if you plan to do a lot of paid attractions. I cover the passes in my Guide for New York, which also includes all my NY blog posts.
The Staten Island Ferry to See the Statue of Liberty
Have you seen the Statue of Liberty yet? If not, you can hop on a free ride from the City to Staten Island on the Staten Island Ferry, which is open and running on Christmas Day.
The Ferry takes about 30 minutes one way and provides some pretty epic views of Lady Liberty.
The Staten Island ferry runs on its weekend schedule on Christmas day, but don’t worry, there are tons of rides in and out.
Wondering if you should do anything in Staten Island? Well, no hate to Staten Island (I used to live there), but I’d say no. Just go back to Manhattan for more Christmas festivities!
The Staten Island Ferry departs from the White Terminal. You can find the Staten Island Ferry Schedule here.
Cross the Brooklyn Bridge
Visiting the Brooklyn Bridge is another fun thing to do, so what better day to visit it than on Christmas Day? It is completely free to walk this iconic Bridge, and if you still have time, you can cross the bridge to DUMBO (Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) neighborhood.
The DUMBO neighborhood is really nice, and if you are looking for the iconic photo of the Manhattan Bridge with the Empire State Building, this is the area it can be found!
If you are in search of this Instagrammable spot, it can be found at the cross-sections of Waters Street and Washington Street.
Hit Chinatown
As a local, one of the most popular traditions on Christmas day is to get Chinese food, especially if you don’t celebrate Christmas. New York City is also known to have some of the best Chinese food, so you will be in for a delicious treat!
Chinatown is located in Lower Manhattan near Little Italy and the Lower East Side.
Dinner during Christmas is very popular, so you will want to make a reservation if they accept it. Jewish Delis, including Katz’s Delicatessen, are usually open for Christmas dinner as well.
See a Movie
Another classic thing we do on Christmas Day (especially if you don’t celebrate Christmas) is to see a movie, so most, if not all, movie theaters are open.
There is a pretty good chance the movie theaters are crowded, so if you do plan on seeing a movie, look for your tickets ahead of time.
The most popular movie theater is AMC, and I generally look for tickets and showtimes on Fandango, Moviefone, or directly at the movie theater website.
Dyker Heights Christmas Lights
Another top thing to do, even on Christmas day, is to see the Christmas Lights in Dkyer Heights, Brooklyn. If you love Christmas lights, this is the place for you! This Brooklyn neighborhood goes all out with insane Christmas decorations!
If you are trying to decide if this is best to do on Christmas Day or on one of the days before Christmas, personally, I would rather go before Christmas Day, but this is totally dependent on your itinerary.
When I think of Dyker Heights, I think of the movie “The Grinch” when they were competing to have the brightest most over-the-top Christmas decorations!
The lights go on at Sundown (about 5 PM) and end around 10 PM when homeowners go to bed. For the best lights, travel around 11th Ave. to 13th Ave. and from 83rd to 86th Street. Get all the deets in my guide for Dyker Heights!
Wrap-up
Now you know some of the best things to do on Christmas day! Way more than you thought, am I right? I hope you have the best time visiting New York City during the holidays!
Did you enjoy this guide? I’d really appreciate it if you could share it below!