Have an amazing weekend without opening your wallet! For even more activity inspiration, check out our Weekend Planner.
Through Saturday, December 31
It’s Holiday Time in PaleyLand
12-6pm
The Paley Center for Media
All Ages
Enjoy all the beloved classic holiday TV programs as The Paley Center for Media features continuous daily screenings from the Paley Archive. There will also be family activities and a visit with Santa! Plus, see a display of the iconic “Wooden Soldier” costumes made famous by the legendary Radio City Music Hall Rockettes. Free hot cocoa will be provided.
Through Monday, January 2, 2017
Harlem Holiday Windows 2016
All day
Fredrick Douglass Boulevard, between 114th and 122nd Streets
All Ages
Everyone knows that Fifth Avenue lights up during the holidays with window displays. But in Harlem, businesses along Fredrick Douglass Boulevard will be having their own displays to celebrate the unique heritage of the neighborhood. Featuring holiday-themed scenes from the Harlem Renaissance, there will be tours available with guides chock full of information, or you can stroll down the street yourself!
Beginning Friday, December 2
“Luminaries” Exhibit
8am-10pm
Brookfield Place
All Ages
Bring the whole family to Brookfield Place to enjoy a holiday light installation called “Luminaries.” This lantern light show was designed by the LAB at Rockwell Group, and is based on themes of giving and the community. Visitors can also send holiday wishes through touch-sensitive wishing stations, which materialize as bursts of color in the lanterns. This interactive show is sure to entertain your little ones! Please note: Wishing stations will only be available through Sunday, January 8, 2017.
Friday, December 2
13th Annual East Harlem Holiday Tree
6:30pm
Franklin Plaza
All Ages
Stop by the decorated tree at Franklin Plaza to celebrate the holiday season! Every year volunteers raise enough money to erect the tree and decorate it. This year, East Harlem senior citizens created “Winter Flowers” ornaments especially for the tree lighting.
Family Fridays: How Math Can Save Your Life
6:30pm-8pm
National Museum of Mathematics
All Ages
Your young academics will love this educational play, especially if they have an interest in math. This interactive folktale presented by storyteller Susan Marie Frontczak will take you and your family through concepts such as multiplication, division, and exponential growth! Preregistration is required.
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Saturday, December 3
Coca-Cola Winter Wonderland
2-6pm
The Apollo Theater
All Ages
Kick-off your holiday season with entertaining activities for the whole family at Coca-Cola Winter Wonderland. Families can enjoy spirit-lifting performances by the ARC Choir, Backtrack, and the St. Luke A.M.E. Church Praise Team, and little ones can snap a picture with Santa Claus! In the spirit of the season, Coca-Cola Winter Wonderland is collecting unwrapped, new or used toys, books, and clothing in good condition for boys and girls ages 3 to 18 for its Children’s Foundation. Families can enjoy a fun-filled afternoon and help out other kids!
Neighborhood Concert: Kinobe and Jaja
2:30pm
Bronx Library Center
All Ages
Bring your whole family to the Bronx Library Center to enjoy some heartfelt Ugandan music. Performed by Kinobe, a Ugandan native, and Jaja, a Democratic Republic of the Congo native, this acoustic duo will draw from the traditions of their homelands and share — through music — the ideas of peace, family, and friendship.
Sunday, December 4
Christmas in the Garden & Tree Lighting
1-5:30pm
Queens Botanical Garden
All Ages
Have you been naughty or nice this year? Here’s your chance to tell Santa! The Queens Botanical Garden is having a winter extravaganza that is sure to get the whole family in the holiday mood. Christmas in the Garden will feature photos with Santa, an ornament making workshop, a Garden tour, and music by acapella group The Rough Dozen. There will also be a tree lighting with Santa that is sure to brighten up everyone’s holiday.
7th Annual DUMBO Family Holiday Party
3-5pm
The Powerhouse Arena
All Ages
With the holiday season in full swing and Jack Frost nipping at your nose, families can celebrate the holidays with fun-filled festivities and winter-themed book readings with renowned kids’ book authors and illustrators such as Stephanie Graegin, Brett Helquist, and Laura Godwin. Authors will also participate in a light-hearted drawing competition where kids will suggest what they should draw. And with a special photo-op with Santa, the whole family is bound to be filled with the merriment of the season! Preregistration is required.
Holiday Tree Lighting
5-6pm
Carl Schurz Park
All Ages
Light up your holiday season with a tree lighting in Carl Schurz Park. The beloved tradition includes holiday classics such as carols, candy canes, hot chocolate, and spirit-filled songs from the Cantori choir. This is sure to be a memorable experience for the entire family.
