10+ Quintessential NYC Holiday Activities (Family Friendly + Mostly Free!)

Last Updated on March 27, 2026 by Adrienne

There’s something about New York at Christmastime that’s just magical. Here are some of my favorite things to see and do (and eat, of course) in NYC during the holiday season.

Top Kid-Friendly Things to Do In NYC at the Holidays

Attend the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade

My family attended the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade this year for the first time, and it was such a fun experience. The parade is famous for its giant balloons, and also features themed floats, college marching bands, cheerleaders and dance teams, and of course Santa, who wraps up the parade. The 2026 parade will be the 100th iteration of the event, so expect it to be an even bigger deal than normal, and it’s not too early to start planning your trip for next year since hotel rooms along the route start booking up nearly a year in advance.

Ice Skate (for free!) and Eat at the Bryant Park Winter Village

There are several iconic places to skate outdoors in NYC at the holidays, including Rockefeller Center and Wollman Rink in Central Park, but I like the Bryant Park Winter Village, because it’s totally free if you have your own skates (though reservations are required and can be made up to a week in advance), and it’s attached to a charming Christmas market with great food and drinks. The ice is a little rough, but the reservations help with crowd control and the setting is really pretty. The Bryant Park holiday market is one of the best in the city, with seemingly endless food and drink options. This year the toasted grilled cheese bites and tomato soup from Gunther’s in Brooklyn were all over social media, and this dish totally lived up to the hype for me.

Browse the Union Square Holiday Market

Another of my favorite holiday markets is in Union Square. The market, open from mid-November until Christmas Eve, has vendors selling everything from baked goods and mulled wine to homemade Christmas ornaments and jewelry to exotic spices and teas. It’s not a place for the agoraphobic (although the same thing can be said of NYC generally and particularly New York at the holidays), but if you can stand a little elbowing this is a great place to get a jump start on holiday shopping or pick up some unique souvenirs.

Sip fancy hot chocolate

On a cold winter day, there’s nothing better than warming up with a cup of hot chocolate and NYC has an abundance of great options. A few of my favorites:

• Angelina Paris has two Manhattan locations and serves outstanding thick drinking chocolate as well as pastries and afternoon tea.
• Jacques Torres has excellent hot cocoa. You can go to the original location in Dumbo Brooklyn, and there’s also an outpost at Grand Central Station.
• I’m not the biggest fan of Laduree‘s macarons (my go-to macaron place is La Maison du Chocolat) but I love their rich drinking chocolate.
• If you’re more about the marshmallows than the chocolate, check out Glace, which has a brick and mortar store as well as a food truck. They serve hot chocolate with decadent toasted marshmallows and ice cream toppings.

Visit the tree at Rockefeller Center

This one is kind of a “duh” – it’s only the most famous Christmas tree in the United States, after all – but I feel like it needs to be said that despite the fact that this place can be wall-to-wall bodies in December, it’s still worth a visit to see this beautiful tree in person. The tree is lit in a special ceremony every year, typically in the first week of December. The main outpost of the New York Public Library (in Bryant Park) also has a fantastic tree, as do some of the fancier hotels like the Plaza and Peninsula.

See the Rockettes in the Radio City Christmas Spectacular

This show is so much more than the Rockettes’ famous kickline, although it certainly features that more than a couple of times. They also take you on a tour through NYC (thanks to a TV screen and 3-D goggles), perform their famous Wooden Soldier fall, and include a living nativity scene at the end. The show doesn’t change much from year to year, so I’m not sure I’d recommend seeing it more than once (although there are plenty of people who have a tradition of seeing it every year), but it’s a classic for very good reason.

See Santa at Macy’s Santaland

For many, it wouldn’t be a holiday season without a visit with the big guy himself. There are of course many places in New York to see Santa, but the most iconic is Santaland at the flagship Macy’s in Herald Square. It’s free, but you do have to book a timeslot online up to 6 days in advance, and they sell photo packages on site (you can snap your own photos for free).

Admire the department store window displays

New York goes all out for the holidays, and its businesses are no exception. All the major department stores like Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s, Bergdorf Goodman and Saks all try to outdo each other with elaborate holiday window displays. Saks always seems to be my favorite (and they often have a really cool light show, in addition to the decorated windows) but check them all out and vote for your family favorite.

Shop under the stars at Columbus Circle

My very favorite NYC holiday display is the array of light-up stars at the The Shops at Columbus Circle. They change color every minute or so, and I could sit and watch them for ages. The stars hang in front of a floor-to-ceiling glass window that offers a great view of Columbus Circle and the southwest corner of Central Park. Occasional “Broadway Under the Stars” performances feature actors from hit musicals, and are a great way to get a taste of New York’s famous theatre scene if tickets to a show aren’t in your budget. As an added bonus, this building is home to two of my favorite New York dessert places, Bouchon Bakery and La Maison du Chocolat, although the LMdC there is just a kiosk with pre-made assortments – if you want an individual selection, you’ll need to visit one of the full-service locations.

Check out the Holiday Train Show at Grand Central Station

The free holiday train show at Grand Central Station (inside the New York Transit Museum Gallery & Store) is one of my favorite holiday things to do in NYC with little kids. It’s simple but very cute, with model trains making their way through major NYC landmarks like the Empire State Building and Brooklyn Bridge. The New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx also has a famous holiday train show, but the ticket prices starting from $35 for adults and $25 for kids make it a pretty steep outing for a family, and it’s also less conveniently located if you’re staying in midtown Manhattan. Grand Central is a better bet if you just want this to be a quick stop on your itinerary.

Where to Stay in NYC at the Holidays

New York is always crowded over the holiday season especially in the month of December, but I’ve found that hotel prices are actually fairly reasonable, probably because a large number of hotel rooms in the city are typically occupied by business travelers and those people are less likely to be traveling at the holidays. For first time visitors to the city, I recommend staying in Manhattan and specifically in Midtown, which puts you within walking distance of many of the biggest tourist attractions.

• My family really likes the Courtyard by Marriott Manhattan/Midtown East for a comfortable and affordable hotel that’s walkable to many tourist attractions but removed from the hustle and bustle of Times Square. The rooms are really spacious by NYC standards, which is ideal for larger families.

• Lotte New York Palace is one of my top suggestions for families coming to NYC at the holidays who want to really immerse themselves in the Christmas spirit. It’s right near Rockefeller Center and goes all out with holiday decorations. Some rooms even have a view of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. As a travel advisor I can hook you up with perks including property credit, breakfast credits and potential room upgrades – reach out to me today at adrienne.miller@fora.travel to start planning!

• If your budget is very flexible, it’s hard to get more iconically New York than the Plaza Hotel, which is located at Fifth Avenue and Central Park South (just steps from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade route) and has featured in many movies set in NYC, most notably holiday classic Home Alone 2. The Plaza has several family-friendly packages, including a Home Alone experience and an Eloise at the Plaza suite. If you book through me, I can add perks like complimentary breakfast and property credit that can be used at The Palm Court for afternoon tea or at the Champagne Bar.

This post contains affiliate links. If you book a stay through my link, I will earn a commission at no added cost to you. Thank you for your support of Destinations & Desserts.