As the breezes get colder, holiday entertainment and gift-giving options warm travelers and city-dwellers in the Big Apple. Those traveling for business, family gatherings or vacations during December through February can land tickets to seasonal extravaganzas. Those looking to up the ante may want to land tickets to one of our Insider VIP experiences, available for a limited time for some of the hottest shows playing on Broadway.

Exclusive VIP Packages include:

1. Event ticket in the Orchestra section.
2. Post-show Meet the Cast experience, which starts 30 minutes after the show at a nearby theatre district restaurant where you will enjoy coffee, dessert, and a nightcap with a current cast member. You can look forward to discussing the show and getting a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into producing one of the most popular shows on Broadway.

Exclusive VIP Packages are offered for the following performances and dates:

Hamilton NYC: 12/6/18, 1/3/19, 2/7/19
Mean Girls NYC: 12/13/18, 1/10/19, 2/14/19
Dear Evan Hansen NYC: 12/20/18, 1/17/19, 2/21/19
Come From Away NYC: 12/27/18, 1/24/19, 2/28/19
Pretty Woman NYC: 12/27/18, 1/31/19, 2/28/19

*You can find the VIP Experiences listed under Section: Insider Experience, Row: Package.

Other Holiday Happenings in New York City

It wouldn’t be a Christmas-time trip to the Big Apple without seeing the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. This year, technology is making a big impact on the traditional show, with lights and lasers creating a bright and merry aura around guests. The Rockettes open the show along with Santa, and the event is filled with impressive choreography. For those who want to dance instead of watch, the Jingle Ball is a great option, and music lovers can get down at the, and Other events of note in and around Manhattan include performances from icons such as Andrea Bocelli, Barry Manilow, and Trans-Siberian Orchestra. Families might also be interested in the Cirque Musica Holiday Spectacular, Home for the Holidays or the Nightmare Before Christmas.

• Cirque Dreams Holidaze
• A Charlie Brown Christmas
• Not So Silent Night – Muse, Florence and the Machine, Death Cab for Cutie and more.
• Ruben and Clays Christmas Show with Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken
• The Nutcracker
• Holiday Doo Wop Extravaganza
• Jody Joseph’s 16th Annual Christmas Concert
• Harlem Gospel Choir
• Andy Cooney’s Christmas Celebration
• The Irish Tenor’s Holiday Celebration
• Hot For The Holidays
• Hip Hop Nutcracker
• John Legend
• Countess Luann and Her Holiday Cabaret Show
• Headbangers Holiday Hell with Mike LePond’s Silent Assassins
• Kwanzaa Celebration: Regeneration Night
• New York Philharmonic – New Years Eve Viennese Ball
• Holiday Express Benefit Concert

Flushing Meadows

November 10 – January 13

It takes a whole year for chef Jon Lovitch to create the Guinness World Record-winning Gingerbread Lane on display at the New York Hall of Science. The confectionary city is made up of hundreds of pounds of gingerbread, icing, candy, and gum, and, since it sits around for so long, probably isn’t a suitable snack.

Cost: General admission is $16

Bar Car and NY Botanical Garden

The Bronx

December 7, 8, 21, 22, 28, 29; January 5, 12

The Botanical Garden Holiday Train Show isn’t just for kids. On adults-only after-hours bar car nights, you can wander the conservatory with a drink and a snack from the pop-up Bronx Night Market. Warm up by the fire, watch an ice sculptor at work, or listen to carolers as they wind their way through the scenery. Sounds like just the right romantic wintry setting for somebody to ask, “What do you want? You want the moon? Just say the word and I’ll throw a lasso around it and pull it down.”