One of New York's most iconic holiday shows, The Radio City Christmas Spectacular has been celebrating the season for more than 90 years. The Rockettes perform in their signature precision dancing style as reindeer, Santa Clauses, tourists, and, in perhaps the most famous number, toy soldiers.

Whether you've never seen the Spectacular or go every year, this NYC holiday tradition is sure to get you in the spirit with both classic Christmas tunes and jaw-dropping, high-tech design.

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You've never seen the classic movie like this. Set in a 1940s radio studio, It's a Wonderful Life on Broadway features five actors — Lisa Rinna, Harry Hamlin, Andrew Rannells, Tituss Burgess, and Megan Hilty — performing as all the characters from the beloved story about second chances. You'll also hear joyful Christmas carols and live sound design.

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Jack Thorne and Matthew Warchus's five-time Tony Award-winning adaptation of A Christmas Carol returns to New York for 2026. This stunningly designed production of Charles Dickens's classic tale stars Tony Award nominee Andy Karl as miser Ebenezer Scrooge, who's visited by four ghosts on Christmas Eve urging him to find the holiday spirit before it's too late.

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This show marks a lot of firsts for Blue Man Group: It's their Broadway debut and their first holiday show. But this family-friendly spectacle has all the mayhem you know and love from the azure alien trio, who now test out classic holiday traditions with a colorful twist.

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The Magic Flute returns as The Metropolitan Opera's special holiday presentation for families. See the story of a noble prince, equipped with a flute that can charm anyone, as he goes on a quest to save a princess. At just an hour long, performed in English, and filled with plenty of whimsical stagecraft, this musical fairytale will charm audiences of every age.

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This is one holiday special that's just for the adults. Nutcracker Rouge is a sexy take on the classic tale of The Nutcracker, performed by Company XIV. The company has performed Nutcracker Rouge to acclaim since 2013, and the show includes a mix of burlesque, opera, and circus entertainment in its reimagining of Marie-Claire, the Nutcracker, the Sugar Plum Fairy, and more. Audiences are immersed into the sensual side of the Land of Sweets, and the experience includes cocktails, champagne, and treats.

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Running through November 29, Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) is set at Christmastime, making this original musical feel like an NYC holiday movie come to life. That's actually what U.K. native Dougal is hoping for when he arrives in New York for his estranged father's wedding. Robin, the sister of the groom, picks him up from the airport, and what starts as a routine errand leads to a charming citywide adventure.

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Ever wanted to hear Scrooge, Tiny Tim, and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future sing? Then see A Christmas Carol: The Musical, back in New York for another year. The story of how the miser Ebenezer Scrooge changes his ways on Christmas Eve remains the same, but it's set to festive original music.

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New York City Ballet's annual production of The Nutcracker is a beloved holiday tradition. With gorgeous dancing, colorful costumes, special effects, and a massive Christmas tree, this family-friendly ballet takes audiences on an adventure to the Land of Sweets alongside young Clara and her Nutcracker prince. The Nutcracker is one of the best-known holiday shows for a reason — after decades, the magic remains, and this production is an NYC bucket-list item.

Titanique’s Marla Mindelle and ta-da!’s Josh Sharp star in this zany riff on A Christmas Carol, in which three ghosts of Nicole Kidman visit Cate Blanchett on Oscars eve to teach her the true meaning of awards season. If you want to switch it up from the standard Christmas Carol, this one's for you.

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The Christmas spirits are flowing at this adults-only Christmas Carol, featuring one drunk actor and four sober ones attempting to perform the Dickens story. You can even get in on the fun with a VIP ticket type that allows you to make plot decisions, or by simply buying a drink or two of your own at the bar.

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Whether you celebrate Christmas or Chanukah, comedian Gary Gulman has you covered at his live show inspired by his beloved comedy album All I Want For Chanukah is Christmas. He and various other comedians celebrate the holiday season in all its joy and utter absurdity alike.

Get Gary Gulman's First Annual Holiday Show tickets now.

A celebrated tradition, Big Band Holidays is swinging back into NYC for its 13th year. Hear the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra play all your favorite festive songs, accompanied by both renowned jazz vocalists and rising stars.

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The Big Apple Circus isn't holiday-themed, but it's a beloved NYC holiday tradition. The iconic blue Big Top pops up in NYC every year, and under it is a family-friendly spectacle of acrobats, stuntpeople, clowns, animals, and so much more from all over the world.

Omnium Circus’s latest show blends circus artistry, live music, and storytelling into this holiday-themed spectacular. Both able-bodied and disabled artists are featured in this show that celebrates courage, passion, and joy — things worth celebrating all year round. Performances run in Brooklyn for four days only in December.

Get I'mPossible Holiday Wonders tickets now.

Everyone knows it wouldn't be the holidays without family drama. Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Joe Keery, Ed Harris, Allison Janney, and Lily Rabe star in Jon Robin Baitz's Pulitzer-nominated drama set at Christmas, when a daughter arrives back home with a memoir that threatens to expose her parents' darkest secrets.

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