Christmas Day is less than a week away and there’s no place like New York City to spend the holidays.
From the lesser-known (and perhaps less crowded) activities to the grand happenings famous around the world, here are some last-minute ways to celebrate the season in all five boroughs.
Manhattan
Nothing quite speaks to the magic of the season like ice skating in Central Park or staring up in awe at the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.
Meanwhile, a stroll down Fifth Avenue will delight you with dazzling window displays at stores like Saks Fifth Avenue and Bergdorf’s, while Macy’s Herald Square holds its own on the west side of Manhattan.
Brooklyn
The holidays will be filled with song in Brooklyn as the Cobble Hill Association and Brooklyn Youth Chorus sing Christmas carols Wednesday from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Cobble Hill Park.
Brooklynites still in the mood for music Thursday can attend Flatfoot Flatbush, “Brooklyn’s first-ever flatfooting parade,” which celebrates a form of “percussive” dance done in Appalachia. That event takes place on Flatbush between Dean Street and Sterling Place at 6:30 p.m. Guitar, mandolin, fiddle and banjo players are encouraged to bring instruments.
Queens
Kids in Queens wanting to get their picture taken with Santa can still do so for free at Queens Center from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. through Christmas Eve.
On Thursday night, the Perseverance Production’s national touring company performs Charles Dickens’ classic “A Christmas Carol” at Queensborough Performing Arts Center in Bayside. Tickets start at $43.
The Bronx
Trek to the Bronx for the New York Botanical Garden’s Holiday Train Show. This year’s display, including more than 200 replicas of New York City landmarks, is being billed as “bigger than ever with more trains and an all-new, outdoor train display.” Trains run from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. until Christmas Day.
New York Botanical Garden’s Annual Holiday Train Show
David Dee Delgado/Getty Images The New York Botanical Garden’s own Enid A. Haupt Conservatory is featured in the annual holiday train show.
At 4:30 p.m. through News Year’s Eve, the Bronx Zoo flips the switch on its Holiday Lights. This year’s spectacle, which stays up for a few days in January, includes a new lantern display highlighting wildlife found in New York’s wetlands and ocean areas.
Staten Island
Staten Islanders wanting to belt out three hours of Christmas tunes can do so on Saturday at “Christmas Karaoke Night!” at the Staten Island Seventh-Day Adventist Church. Singing starts at 5 p.m.
Citywide
While in-person tickets are long gone for midnight mass at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, everyone’s invited to start Christmas Day by tuning into PIX 11, where the service kicks off a full day of holiday programming that ends with the channel’s “Honeymooner’s” marathon running from 11 p.m. to 4 a.m.
Brian Niemietz
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