Best December events in New York

Travel/Guide

December in New York City brings its share of holiday cheer, with classic seasonal shows at historic theaters like the Apollo in Harlem and the St. George in Staten Island.
The month isn’t just about the holidays, though; there are new art exhibitions, concerts from old friends and plenty of sporting events to go around. For details on these happenings and many more, read on.

World's Largest Hanukkah Menorahs

Both the Manhattan and Brooklyn Grand Army Plazas host competitors in the race for the World’s Largest Hanukkah Menorah. Gather around the 32-foot-high, gold-colored, 4,000-pound steel holiday icon across the street from The Plaza hotel (Manhattan) to kick off the Jewish Festival of Lights; lightings for that one generally take place at 5:30pm, though it's around 3:30pm on Friday and 8pm on Saturday, bookending the Sabbath. Across the East River, go to the top of Prospect Park to see its similarly sized rival illuminated; lightings are at 6pm most evenings, with Friday’s at 3:30pm and Saturday’s at 7pm. The Brooklyn organizers typically host a kickoff concert prior to the lighting on Hanukkah’s first night, at which they serve potato pancakes.

Music Winter

The cold-weather edition of Make Music New York takes place on the winter solstice and features a dozen musical parades and gatherings in which participants play an integral role in creating the music. Celebrations occur across the boroughs in sites such as Brooklyn Bridge Park, the High Line, Cathedral of St. John the Divine and Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza.

Santa and the City

The legend of Santa Claus dates back to the 4th century, but it was 19th century New Yorkers, including John Pintard, Washington Irving, Clement Clark Moore, and Thomas Nast, who are most responsible for the images of Santa as he's known today. In fact, it was Pintard who first proposed Saint Nicholas as the city's patron saint.  Washington Irving followed, popularizing the character in his 1809 Knickerbocker's History of New York. Finally, it was the work of Clement Clark Moore with his 1822 An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas, better known as 'Twas the Night Before Christmas and Thomas Nast's illustrations of a red-suited elderly man from the North Pole who came to life in Harper's Weekly. 

Life of an American Ruin: Philip Johnson’s New York State Pavilion

The New York State Pavilion was built by architect Philip Johnson for the 1964 World’s Fair and still stands today in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens. The historic structure has suffered some deterioration but has also been restored by groups interested in preserving its history. This exhibition features photographs taken by Bill Cotter of the structure’s heyday during the World’s Fair along with modern-day images from Marco Catini, Robert Fein and Phil Beuhler that “capture the beauty of the building in its ruined state.” On October 1 there will be a free opening reception featuring a screening of the film Modern Ruin, followed by a Q&A with creator Matthew Silva.