Holiday Lights, Nutcracker Nights, and NYC Celebrations - Things to Do in the City That Never Sleeps

Welcome, listeners, to Things to Do in New York City with your globe-trotting sports nut Oly Bennett, broadcasting from the city that treats walking to the subway like an Olympic event. It’s a crisp December day in NYC, chilly enough for scarves but perfect for power-walking, holiday lights blazing, and the whole town buzzing with end-of-year energy. Here’s today’s vibe: Midtown is glowing with holiday displays, ice rinks are packed with future penguin Olympians, and the city’s in full “one more big night before the new year” mode. Subways are busy but running on regular Sunday schedules, so give yourself extra time, especially around Times Square and Rockefeller Center where crowds are thick. Let’s hit a few standout events today. At New York City Center, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater is performing this afternoon and evening, with their legendary piece Revelations in rotation—pure athleticism meets art, like watching human poetry in motion according to New York City Center. Over at Lincoln Center, New York City Ballet continues its classic run of The Nutcracker at the David H. Koch Theater, a must for anyone who likes their sports with pirouettes and sword-fighting toy soldiers, as I Love NY notes. For families, ‘Twas the Night Before… by Cirque du Soleil is on at The Theater at Madison Square Garden, with acrobatics that feel like gravity just gave up, according to MSG’s event listings. Theater lovers can catch Waiting for Godot this afternoon at the Hudson Theatre, a perfect pick if you like your drama existential with a side of Broadway glamour. And for something more meditative, Make Music New York is marking the winter solstice with musical events all around the city, turning sidewalks into pop-up stages. On the local news and city buzz front, Secret NYC reports a wave of new restaurant openings, from Hue House, a four-story Asian cultural hub, to Godunk’s Thai street food and Muku, a tiny kaiseki spot that just snagged a Michelin star at record speed. Holiday light shows are in full swing at The Shops at Columbus Circle and around Hudson Yards, with synchronized displays set to music every evening, according to NYC for Free. Transit-wise, no major disruptions today, but expect heavier foot traffic near Grand Army Plaza for the final night lighting of the world’s largest menorah at Fifth Avenue and 59th Street. Here are a few must-do moves for your NYC game plan today. Glide around the Bryant Park Winter Village rink, then wander its holiday market for local crafts and hot chocolate. Hop to Brooklyn after dark for the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Lightscape, where more than a million lights transform the garden into a neon fairy-tale trail, as Secret NYC highlights. Culture fans can double up: hit The Met or the American Museum of Natural History by day, then cap the night with Alvin Ailey or The Nutcracker. Local tip from your pal Oly: if you’re heading to Rockefeller Center or Times Square, enter from the side streets—48th, 50th, o This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI.