By Lisa Kava and Scott Etkin
New York City always shines during the holiday season with decorative lights, festive events, and happy tourists asking for directions. While New Yorkers generally move quickly throughout the year, the holiday season is a chance to slow down a little and enjoy time with friends and family, and take in some culture. For Upper West Siders staying local over the holidays, there are many activities and ways to celebrate in the neighborhood. Here is a sampling of nearby events.
Now – Sunday, December 17th
This weekend, The Riverside Theater (91 Claremont Avenue at West 121st Street) is putting on three performances of The Nutcracker, a holiday classic. The ballet will feature dancers from Mooney/Cooley Dance, a company in its 23rd annual season. Tickets are available at the link. The run time of the performances, listed below, is 90 minutes with a 15-minute intermission.
- Saturday, December 16th at 2 p.m.
- Sunday, December 17th at 1 p.m.
Saturday, December 16th
Riverside Park Conservancy is hosting a Riverside Park Pup Party on December 16th from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Riverside Park Field House at 103rd Street. The party will celebrate the launch of the Riverside Park 2024 dog calendar (a contest with community voting was held to pick winners). Refreshments, music, and dog treats will be available while dogs and owners meet and mingle.
Sunday, December 17th
The Riverside Church (490 Riverside Drive at 121st Street) hosts its annual Candlelight Carol Festival on Sunday, December 17th. The service, which starts at 4 p.m., features carillon, organ, harp, and the choirs of The Riverside Church, and culminates in a ritual sharing of candlelight. A musical prelude will begin at 3 p.m. In-person tickets are available at the link. The event will also be livestreamed.
Tuesday, December 19th
The West 68th Street Block Association is hosting a quartet of holiday carolers singing songs of the season to celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. The free show starts at 6:30 p.m. on December 19th in front of 60 West 68th Street. There will also be a $1 raffle with gift certificates to local restaurants.
Thursday, December 21st; Friday, December 22nd; Sunday, December 24th; and Sunday December 31st
West Side Comedy Club will feature holiday performances with New York-based comedian Zarna Garg, called “Practical People Win.” Garg, an Indian immigrant mom, has been touted by The New York Times as “the kind of presence that powers network sitcoms.” Performances will be held at 7 p.m. on December 21st, 6:00 p.m. on December 22nd, and 5:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve, December 24th. Tickets can be purchased here. On New Years Eve, December 31st at 5:00 p.m., Garg will be joined by comedian Katie Blunt, creator of the Milk and Cookies Show, for a family friendly performance geared towards families with children of all ages. There will be party favors, New Years Eve decor, and a non-alcoholic champagne toast. Individual tickets for adults cost $50, for children $25, and family tickets cost $150 (includes two adults and two children.) Tickets for the family show can be purchased here. West Side Comedy Club will also have two later New Years Eve shows on December 31st, one beginning at 8 p.m. and the other beginning at 10 p.m. Each will feature a line up of six comedians, festive decorations, chips and guacamole, a full dinner menu, and a champagne toast. Those attending the 10 p.m. show will ring in 2024 and watch the ball drop together at midnight. Tickets for the 8 p.m. show cost $65 and can be purchased here. Tickets for the 10 p.m. show cost $100 and can be purchased here.
Thursday, December 21st
Lincoln Square’s Magical Lights, a sensory light show in Dante Park (63rd Street and Columbus), which kicked off on December 5th, will culminate on December 21st with Winter Ramble, an illuminated community procession of Frost Giant puppets and icicle lanterns to recognize the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. The procession will be led by Processional Arts Workshops’s Frost Giants and will begin at 5:00 p.m. at a “secret location,” then wander through the Lincoln Square neighborhood until 6 p.m. Participants will have the opportunity to create their own mini lanterns in a workshop earlier that day between 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. Register here for the event.
Now – Saturday, December 30th
The Magic Flute at the Metropolitan Opera is another classic holiday family favorite. Mozart’s fairy tale opera is performed in English and runs under two hours. It features tenors Piotr Buszweski and Joshua Blue, sopranos Janai Brugger and Liv Redpat, tenor Rolando Villazon baritone Alexander Birch Elliott, soprano Kathryn Lewek, and basses Brindley Sherratt and James Creswell. Matinee and evening performance will be held through December 30th. Click here for a schedule and to purchase tickets.
The Central Park Conservancy is offering Winter Wonderland Tours until the end of the year.
Expert guides will lead visitors on a 90-minute walk through the park (1.25 miles) and “share what makes Central Park a defining part of the City’s winter scene.” Tours will start at the Kerbs Boathouse (enter on East 74th Street). Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate and a stop at Central Park’s historic Dairy Visitor Center & Gift Shop are included. Tickets which can be purchased here cost $40 with a 20% discount for conservancy members. Upcoming tour dates are:
- Saturday, December 16th at 2 p.m.
- Monday December 18th at 11:00 a.m.
- Saturday, December 23rd at 11:00 a.m.
- Monday, December 25th at 2:00 p.m.
- Wednesday, December 27th at 11:00 a.m.
- Saturday, December 30th at 10 a.m.
Saturday, December 30th
The historic Apollo Theater (253 West 125th Street) is staging its annual event, Kwanzaa: A Regeneration Celebration, on December 30th at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The lineup showcases music, spoken word, and dance from the African Diaspora, including performances by Forces of Nature Dance Theatre, Mumu Fresh, and The Harlem Children’s Zone Youth Academy of Dance and Wellness. Tickets are available at the link.
Now – Sunday, December 31st
The Nutcracker at Lincoln Center is synonymous with the holiday season. A timeless tradition, George Balanchine’s beloved classic runs from November 24th through December 31st. “A cast of 150 delectable characters with sensational sets and costumes transports audiences to the luscious land of sweets for waltzing treats to delight the entire family.” The Nutcracker features two alternating casts from the School of American Ballet including “90 dancers, 62 musicians, 40 stagehands, and more than 125 children.” Tchaikovsky’s music captivates audiences of all ages. The performance is approximately two hours and there are both matinee and evening performances daily. Click here for a complete schedule and to purchase tickets.
The Columbus Circle Holiday Market, featuring over 100 vendors, is open through December 31st. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Mondays through Fridays, and 10 a.m. through 8 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. You can enter the holiday market at the southwest corner of Central Park either from the park or from Columbus Circle. Vendors offer apparel, accessories, winter items such as hats, scarves and gloves, art, games, home goods, jewelry, posters, and more. There is also a food and beverage section. You can find a full list of vendors here. West Side Rag wrote about the Columbus Circle Holiday Market here.
The Central Park Conservancy is also hosting Winter Movie Tours. These tours will show visitors some of the places Central Park is most known for in the movies. Tours are 90 minutes long and meet at the park entrance at 59th Street and 7th Avenue. Winter movie tours cost $35 with a 20% discount for Conservancy members. In addition to dates in January, the upcoming dates through the end of the year are:
- Saturday, December 16th at 11:00 a.m.
- Thursday, December 21st at 11:00 a.m.
- Sunday, December 24th at 2:00 p.m.
- Friday December 29th at 11:00 a.m.
- Sunday, December 31st at 2 p.m.
Sunday, December 31st
The Cathedral Church of Saint. John the Divine (1047 Amsterdam Avenue at West 112th Street) offers a heartwarming and hopeful start to the new year with its Concert for Peace. The program, which runs from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., includes music from Mozart, Bach, and from Christian, Jewish, and Muslim traditions. It will also feature the premiere of Voices of Afghanistan by Stanley Grill. The night is capped off with a rendition of “This Little Light of Mine.” Tickets are available at the link.
Monday, January 1st
West Side Comedy Club will host two New Year’s Day shows with comedian and actor Elon Gold, one at 7:00 p.m. and one at 9 p.m. Gold’s stand-up special on Netflix is currently streaming on Amazon Prime. He has appeared on “The Tonight Show,” “The Late Late Show With James Corden,” and “This Week At The Comedy Cellar.” Gold has guest starred on multiple network shows,including the hit sitcom “Frasier,” and was a writer/performer on “The Dana Carvey Show.” Tickets cost $36 and can be purchased here.
Now – Monday, January 15th
The Origami Holiday Tree is on display at the American Museum of Natural History through January 15, 2024. Viewing is free for visitors to the museum. The 13-foot tree, which is an annual holiday tradition at the museum, features more than 1,000 decorative pieces of origami. This year, the origami features intricately designed models of elephants and elephant relatives inspired by the current exhibit The Secret World of Elephants. The origami is created by local, national, and international origami artists. WSR wrote about the origami tree here.
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Did Winter’s Eve officially die during the Pandemic years? Remember the gathering at (I think) Richard Tucker square in front of Lincoln Center? There would be a guy dressed as a Dreidel and a large Christmas tree with goodies both given away and available to buy, food, people, music….
I made it there in 2020 but I don’t remember one after that.
It was our family tradition. Going to the tree lighting, singing and going through the neighborhood. Also wondering if ABC departing made them not want to do this anymore.
Lovely article, filled with good information. But, while you were at Lincoln Center, why did you not list the newest version of the Big Apple Circus? My family was there last night. We’ve attended the Circus without fail every year for at least the last twenty. This iteration has to be the most exciting we’ve ever seen. Powerfully strong acrobats accomplishing feats at high altitude, phenomenal acts on the high wire and trapeze requiring iron-man strength, insanely accurate juggling while dancing wildly, clowns, fabulous music, high speed bicycling within a conical basketlike structure with a giant hole in its center as it’s lifted high over the floor, and the acts went on and on, occasionally even including randomly chosen audience members, all to the screams and delight of a full-house enthusiastic audience. On a scale of 1-10, this show scores a twenty. Best version we’ve ever seen.
Zarna is fantastic and the Milk and Cookies show is such fun for kids, even without a headliner! With one, it promises to be a great event. I’m sad we will be out of town!