The Radio City Christmas Spectacular remains a timeless bucket-list experience

As the Rockettes celebrate their 100th anniversary in 2025, and the holiday show approaches its own centennial, the tangible, classic elements remain its highlights.

Summary

• The 2025 Radio City Christmas Spectacular coincides with the Rockettes' 100th anniversary
• The annual holiday show's highlights are the classic Rockette routines that are performed each year like "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers" and "Twelve Days of Christmas"
• The show's design impressively reaches all corners of the 6000-seat venue and focuses on making the experience feel immediate and tangible

Leave it to the Rockettes to make 5 minutes of simply walking around a stage into a riveting, fan-favorite routine. And for 92 years and counting, no less.

Of course, I'm talking about "Parade of the Wooden Soldiers," arguably the cornerstone of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular as one of the only numbers that's still around from the show's 1933 debut. Having seen the Spectacular half a dozen times since childhood, I've found that it's not the periodic newfangled updates that keep it enticing. It's the classics numbers I've seen in the same form over and over and over. They're still there for a reason.

"Wooden Soldiers," for one, is a masterclass in military precision, in which the Rockettes all but glide between perfectly aligned formations before collapsing like dominos in slow motion. The other undisputed highlight (read: my personal favorite) is the jaunty and deceptively difficult tap routine to "Twelve Days of Christmas." The ultra-sharp taps are almost more impressive than the Rockettes' world-famous synchronized kicklines: To hear zero stray sounds from 40 people's worth of noisy shoes is a true marvel.

That's not to dismiss the still-challenging kicklines, of which the Spectacular has plenty. (There's even one in "Twelve Days of Christmas.") The Rockettes' ability to seamlessly pivot between dance genres without missing a beat (puns intended) is exactly what's made the troupe iconic over the last century. In fact, 2025 marks the 100th anniversary of the Rockettes, touchingly commemorated with a mini-documentary featuring current and former members as the Spectacular is about to start. The film is as saccharine as a sugar plum, but to see dance history honored on one of the world's biggest stages is striking. Excited murmurs rippled through my audience at the first mention of the anniversary: Just by being there, you feel like you're part of the Rockettes' enduring legacy and NYC history.

The film keyed me into the Spectacular in a new way: I learned that one current Rockette has been with the troupe for an impressive 20 years, and that knowledge made me excited to spot her on stage. The show's only misfires are the new features that distract from the onstage dancers, like winged drones that fly over the audience during "Dance of the Frost Fairies."

Chalk the drones up to immersion if nothing else, which is otherwise the other area where the Spectacular excels — a particularly impressive feat in a nearly 6,000-seat venue. The show formerly achieved an all-surrounding effect with 3D and virtual reality sequences, introduced in the early 2010s when such technology was new and trendy. The creators have since removed all that, and at the risk of sounding antiquated, I don't miss it. The focus is now squarely on creating a palpable, truly live experience.

Santa is our emcee, entering through the audience and greeting individual theatregoers on his way up to the stage. There are streamers and glitter in the air. As in past years, there are live camels in "The Living Nativity" and a full-size double-decker tour bus in "New York at Christmas." Even the drones, at least, are tangible — especially if one falls down into your lap, as a pre-show announcement warns may happen.

And if you're in the upper levels, you're not left out: The lighting design (by Christopher Coyle) and projections (by Batwin + Robin Productions, Moment Factory, Optical Animal, and Sphere Studios) fan out over every inch of Radio City's domed, sunset-inspired ceiling. Yes, those elements are digital, but they fold you into each scene and make the building come alive, such as a burst of light like fireworks that accompanies the first appearance of the live orchestra.

That's why people from all over the world still flock to the annual Spectacular, right? They come to see, hear, and feel holiday spirit come to life. Between the iconic dancing, the classic Christmas carols, the all-encompassing design, and the perpetual amazement of first-time attendees, the Christmas Spectacular delivers that. I've already checked the show off my own bucket list multiple times over, but I'll never not want to see "Twelve Days of Christmas" again.

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Photo credit: The Radio City Christmas Spectacular starring the Rockettes. (Photos courtesy of MSG Entertainment)