Holiday Performances in the New York Area 2023
Celebrate the holiday season with these performances all over New York! There’s something on this list for everyone in the family.
Psst… Check out 9 Holiday Light Drive-Thru Attractions in NYC and Nearby!
Manhattan
‘Twas the Night Before… by Cirque du Soleil
The Theater at Madison Square Garden, 4 Penn Plaza, Midtown
Dec. 7-Dec. 28, see website for complete schedule
All ages
Tickets start at $46
‘Twas the Night Before… by Cirque du Soleil returns to NYC this holiday season! A thrilling interpretation of the well-known Christmas classic, this joyful show about the virtues of generosity and friendship promises to leave a lasting impression on families this holiday season.
Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes
Radio City Music Hall, 1260 Avenue of the Americas, Midtown
Nov. 17-Jan. 4., see website for complete schedule
All ages
Tickets start at $49
Embrace the festive spirit and experience the heartwarming joy of the season at the Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes presented by QVC. It’s time to make cherished memories at New York City’s favorite holiday tradition!
A Christmas Carol the Musical
The Players Theatre, 115 MacDougal St., NoHo
Nov. 26-Dec. 27, see website for complete schedule
Sundays at 11am are a designated family performance and include a workshop at 10am
All ages
$40 – $60
Follow along with Ebenezer Scrooge as he is visited by four ghosts: his old business partner Marley and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future. See what happens when he gets a glimpse of his own future if he doesn’t change his life.
Will Scrooge catch the holiday spirit and save himself in the process? Find out in this special holiday show with a story so warm it will melt the cold heart of even the grumpiest Scrooge!
The Magic Flute—Holiday Presentation
The Metropolitan Opera House, 30 Lincoln Center Plaza, Upper West Side
Dec. 8-Dec. 30, see website for complete schedule
All ages
Tickets start at $37
The Met’s family-friendly production of Mozart’s dazzling fairy tale returns, sung in English and running under two hours. Patrick Furrer and Gareth Morrell share conducting duties, leading a standout cast in Julie Taymor’s magical staging.
Tenors Piotr Buszewski and Joshua Blue share the role of Tamino, the brave prince on a quest to win the clever princess Pamina, sung by sopranos Janai Brugger and Liv Redpath.
Bridge for Dance Presents: Journey of the Season
The Riverside Theatre, 91 Claremont Ave., Morningside Heights
Sunday, Dec. 10, 4 pm
All ages
Tickets start at $23
A postman embarks on a journey full of dance, to deliver a letter to Santa Claus to fulfill a little girl’s Christmas wish to see her grandmother.
Young People’s Chorus of New York City Presents Winter Holiday Concert, “A Very Merry New York”
Lincoln Center’s David Geffen Hall, 10 Lincoln Center Plaza, Upper West Side
Sunday, Dec. 10, 5 – 8 pm
All ages
Tickets starting at $49
The Young People’s Chorus of New York City (YPC), under the direction of YPC Artistic Director/Founder Francisco J. Núñez and Creative Director Elizabeth Núñez, will unlock the joy of the holiday season and celebrate in the key of love with “A Very Merry New York,” its 2023 winter holiday concert.
The program will feature 600 exceptional young voices hailing from every corner of New York City. The performance promises to inspire the audience to celebrate with YPC’s talented artists, led by its accomplished conductors, Ahra Cho, Caitlin Henning, Maria Peña and Emma Sway, with spectacular choreography by Jacquelyn Bird.
Christmas on Fifth Avenue: The Boys of the Saint Thomas Choir with the MAP String Ensemble
Saint Thomas Church, 1 West 53rd Street, Midtown
Thursday, Dec. 14, 5:30 pm
All ages
$18-$60
For the first time, students from Juilliard’s Music Advancement Program (MAP) join the Boys of the Saint Thomas Choir for the Christmas on Fifth Avenue concert.
This annual, family-friendly concert at Saint Thomas Church features Christmas carols and music for the season spanning three centuries, including works by Telemann, Britten, Villa-Lobos, and John Rutter.
Flamenco Vivo Navidad Flamenca
Chelsea Factory, 547 West 26th, Midtown
Dec. 15-16, Friday, 7:30 – 8:30 pm; Saturday, 7:30 – 8:30 pm, 1 – 2 pm & 4 – 5 pm.
All ages
$30; $15 for children and seniors
Enjoy a vibrant program bringing the rich holiday customs of the Spanish-speaking world to life. This hour-long performance incorporates live music, dance and villancicos (carols)—an essential part of Spanish heritage.
The show highlights the many traditions united by a single language, reflecting the influence of Hispanic culture across the Americas!
New England Symphonic Ensemble: A Grand and Festive International Choral Christmas
Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage at Carnegie Hall, 881 7th Ave., Midtown
Tuesday, Dec. 19, 7 pm
All ages
$50-$125
Dr. Will Kesling conducts the New England Symphonic Ensemble and choir with renditions of classic holiday favorites alongside refreshing contemporary seasonal selections.
Completing the evening is John Rutter’s Magnificat, led by Cailin Marcel Manson, Conductor & Artistic Consultant with MidAmerica Productions. Join the choir, soloists, and the New England Symphonic Ensemble for a night of festive celebration.
Brooklyn
A Christmas Carol
Narrows Community Theater, 403 John Warren Ave., Ft. Hamilton
Dec. 1-10, Fridays and Saturdays, 8 pm, Sundays, 2 pm,
All ages
$30; $25 seniors and students; $20 children younger than 12
Ebenezer Scrooge is a prosperous curmudgeon who believes that personal wealth is far more valuable than the happiness and comfort of others.
With an infuriated “Bah! Humbug!” Scrooge summates his feelings of Christmas tidings and charitable giving, but he’s forced to face his selfish ways when three ghosts on Christmas Eve lead him through his Past, Present and Future.
Thanks to their guidance, Scrooge recognizes his faults and greets Christmas morning with a cheerful “Happy Christmas” before spending the day reconnecting and sharing love with those that mean the most to him.
Queens
Big Annie – A Holiday Puppet Musical
Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning (JCAL), 161-04 Jamaica Avenue, Jamaica
Sunday, Dec. 9, 12 – 1 pm
Ages 4 – 8
$15; $12 Kids
Big Annie is a larger than life heroine – a Creole flatboat captain who uses her amazing strength, and the help of the audience and some animal friends, to pull a boat full of toys through a terrible storm one Holiday Eve long ago.
This interactive musical puppet show also includes a Winter Holiday Sing-Along, with songs for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and Three Kings Day.
A Christmas Carol
Queensborough Performing Arts Center, 222-05 56th Ave., Bayside
Thursday, Dec. 21, 7 – 9 pm
All ages
$43-$68
Bursting on stage in spectacular fashion, this fabulous Christmas gift of a show is overflowing with music, laughter, a couple of really scary ghosts and one extremely grumpy old man.
Gather the whole family together and come join Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, Jacob Marley and Mr. Humbug himself, Ebenezer Scrooge, for an amazing theater experience you will never forget.
Celebrate the true spirit of Christmas with this brand new, original production filled with haunting special effects and heartfelt sentiments.
Nacimiento
Queens Theatre, 14 United Nations Ave South, Corona
Friday, Dec. 22, 8 pm
All ages
$22-$42
Nacimiento fuses the history of the birth of the mestizaje with the emergence of Christianity and Christmas in the New World.
It explores pre-Hispanic rituals and the impact of colonization on the Americas. Nacimiento examines stories of La Malinche, Juan Diego and the Virgen de Guadalupe, and other historical characters whose stories are seminal to the identities of the New World.
Act II of Nacimiento demonstrates the festive nature of how Mexican Christmas traditions are celebrated today in Mexico and in North America, through the Posadas: celebratory dances and retelling of the Nativity scene.
Staten Island
The 20th Annual Christmas Show at St. George Theatre
St. George Theatre, 35 Hyatt St, Staten Island
Friday, Dec. 8, 7pm; Dec. 9-10, Saturdays and Sundays, 2 pm and 6 pm
All ages
$15-$55
This two-hour production is a high-energy, rhinestone-studded series of songs and dances that the whole family will enjoy! The show revolves around a grandmother reading a Christmas story about what makes the holiday season so beautiful.
Set in grandmother’s house, the story takes the audience on a magical journey through numerous scenes from the North Pole with Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus to Times Square, Clove Lake Park to The Rainbow Room, and culminates in a justifiably renowned Living Nativity.
Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.”
Historic Richmond Town, 441 Clarke Ave., Staten Island
Friday, Dec. 22, 6 – 7 pm
All ages
$40; $35 ages 11 and younger
Enjoy a special presentation of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” by storyteller Jonathan Kruk, with musical accompaniment by harpist Erika Lieberman. Enjoy a cup of hot tea or cocoa, which is included with your ticket..
Long Island
Ring in the Holidays with Laurie Berkner
The Paramount, 370 New York Ave, Huntington
Sunday, Dec. 17, 11 am – 12:15 pm
All ages
$20.50 – $88.50
Kids’ music superstar Laurie Berkner invites families to share the spirit of the holiday season with her at a festive concert.
Laurie’s Huntington show will be one of her first live performances of tunes from her newest holiday album, Another Laurie Berkner Christmas, including original songs like “I Live Inside a Snowglobe (Shake It Up)” and traditional songs like “Deck the Halls” and “Holly Jolly Christmas.”
The rest of the program will be chock full of traditional and original holiday songs, including “Jingle Bells,” “Candy Cane Jane,” “The Dreidel Song,” and more.
Fans can also expect an array of Laurie’s greatest hits, such as “We Are The Dinosaurs” and “Waiting for the Elevator,” and “Pig On Her Head.” Kids should plan to bring their dancing shoes and a stuffed animal (for their heads), and Laurie hopes everyone will join in the holiday spirit and sing along!
Bergen
Cirque Dreams Holidaze
New Jersey Performing Arts Center, 1 Center St, Newark
Tuesday, Dec. 26, 7 pm
All ages
$39-$99
This annual tradition wraps a Broadway-style production around an infusion of contemporary circus arts. Audiences will have visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads as a fantastical cast of holiday storybook characters come to life.
Featuring an ensemble of aerial circus acts, sleight-of-hand jugglers, fun-loving skippers, breath-catching acrobatics, and much more.
