Things to do in NYC in December 2020 include Hanukkah, Las Mañanitas, Winter Solstice, Christmas, Kwanzaa & New Year’s.
In December, New York City turns into a winter wonderland. It is one of the great cities in the world to celebrate the holidays, no matter which holidays you celebrate!
New York City’s holiday season starts in November before Thanksgiving and ends at Three Kings Day on January 6.
The first snow is usually the first week of December. This year it arrived early on October 30.
Modern holidays are a blend of cultures from around the world. New Yorkers celebrate many traditions, including nothing at all. Many American holiday traditions were started or redefined in New York City.
However you celebrate, we want to celebrate with you.
We wish you and your family a very happy holidays and prosperous new year.”
New York Latin Culture Magazine
December Things to Do in NYC
HOLIDAYS
- Giving Tuesday (December 1, 2020)
- Hanukkah (December 10-18, 2020) 🇮🇱
- La Posada 🇲🇽 (December 16 – 24)
- La Novena 🇨🇴 🇪🇨 🇻🇪 (December 16 – 24)
- Winter Solstice (December 21)
- Christmas Eve 🇮🇹 (December 24)
- Christmas Day 🇮🇹 (December 25)
- Boxing Day (December 26)
- Kwanzaa (December 26 – January 1)
- New Year’s Eve (December 31)
HOLIDAY WINDOWS
- Bergdorf Goodman
- Bloomingdales (Monday, November 23, 2020)
- Macy’s (Thursday, November 19, 2020)
- Saks Fifth Avenue (Monday, November 23, 2020)
HOLIDAY FESTIVALS
- Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree (December 2, 2020)
- Holiday Train Show
- Winter’s Eve at Lincoln Square (December 2, 2020, CANCELLED)
- Dyker Heights Christmas Lights
- LuminoCity Festival on Randall’s Island
- Hello Panda lantern festival (CANCELLED)
HOLIDAY MARKETS
- Bryant Park Winter Village (October 31 – January 3)
- Columbus Circle Holiday Market (CANCELLED)
- Grand Central Terminal Holiday Fair (VIRTUAL grandcentralterminal.com through December 24, 2020)
- Union Square Holiday Market (CANCELLED)
SKATING RINKS
- Central Park’s Wollman Rink (late October to early April)
- Rockefeller Center (November 21, 2020 through January 17, 2021)
INDEPENDENCE DAYS
Portugal Restoration Day 🇵🇹 (December 1, 1640)
ART
- Art Basel Miami (Miami Beach Convention Center, December 3-6, 2020, CANCELLED)
DANCE
- New York City Ballet George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker (CANCELLED)
- Radio City Christmas Spectacular (CANCELLED)
MOVIES
MUSIC
- Paul Winter’s Winter Solstice Celebration (Live Stream, December 19, 2020)
- Chris Botti 🇮🇹 Blue Note Holiday Residency (CANCELLED)
- Handel’s “Messiah” NY Philharmonic (CANCELLED)
- Handel’s “Messiah” Trinity Church (CANCELLED)
- “Magic Flute” Metropolitan Opera (CANCELLED)
THEATER
Broadway is closed until at least Fall 2021.
BIRTHDAYS
- Machito 🇨🇺 bandleader of Machito & His Afro-Cubans who defined Latin jazz (Havana, Cuba, December 3, 1909)
- Carlos Gardel 🇫🇷 🇦🇷 iconic tango singer (December 11, 1890)
- Damaso Perez Prado 🇨🇺 Mambo No. 5 (December 11, 1916)
- Eddie Palmieri 🇵🇷 (December 15, 1936)
- Alejandro Sanz 🇲🇽 (December 18, 1968)
- Wisin 🇵🇷 (December 19, 1978)
- Jean-Michel Basquiat 🇭🇹 🇵🇷 1980s art star (Brooklyn, December 22, 1960)
- Ricky Martin 🇵🇷 from Menudo boy band (December 24, 1971)
- Marco Antonio Solis 🇲🇽 (December 29, 1959)
- Miguel Zenon 🇵🇷 jazz saxophonist (San Juan, Puerto Rico, December 30, 1976)
FAITH DAYS
- Las Mañanitas 🇲🇽 (December 11)
- Our Lady of Guadalupe 🇲🇽 (December 12)
INDEPENDENCE DAYS & NATIONAL CELEBRATIONS
- International Tango Day 🇫🇷 🇦🇷 🇺🇾 (December 11)
NATIONAL DAYS
- National Champagne Day 🇫🇷 (December 31)
Things to do in NYC in
December 2020 Week 49
November 30 – December 6, 2020
Tuesday, December 1
It’s the winter months.
Celebrate Giving Tuesday (which was started by the 92nd Street Y).
Celebrate Portugal Restoration Day. 🇵🇹
Wednesday, December 2
Watch the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting ceremony on NBC 4 from 7-10pm. FREE (No public access.)
Thursday, December 3
Remember “Machito” 🇨🇺 Francisco Grillo, one of the godfather’s of Latin Jazz, who was born in Havana, Cuba on December 3, 1909.
Friday, December 4
Celebrate Changó, the Orisha of Thunder, Lightning, Fire and War.
Celebrate the Feast of Santa Barbara, patron saint of mathematicians and people who work with explosives.
Saturday, December 5
Sunday, December 6
Things to do in NYC in
December 2020 Week 50
December 7-13, 2020
Monday, December 7
Celebrate Día de las Velitas, the Colombian Festival of Lights!
Tuesday, December 8
Celebrate Panamanian Mother’s Day.
Wednesday, December 9
Thursday, December 10
Friday, December 11
Pública Espacio in Santurce, Puerto Rico and Abrons Arts Center in the Lower East Side are radio-streaming Latin indie artists Arieshandmodel, Tahyana and Nina Nina from Mexico City for the Fiebre de Cabina (Cabin Fever) compilation on Aire Libre from 9-10pm ET. FREE
Celebrate Las Mañanitas 🇲🇽, the traditional birthday celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patron saint of Mexico.
Celebrate International Tango Day 🇫🇷 🇦🇷 🇺🇾
Remember Carlos Gardel 🇫🇷 🇦🇷, the iconic Argentine tango singer and second Latin screen idol, who was born in Toulouse, France on December 11, 1890.
Remember Damaso Perez Prado 🇨🇺, the bandleader famous for “Mambo No. 5,” who was born in Matanzas, Cuba on December 11, 1916.
Saturday, December 12
Celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe 🇲🇽, patron saint of Mexico and icon of our multiracial identity.
Sunday, December 13
Things to do in NYC in
December 2020 Week 51
December 14-20, 2020
Monday, December 14
The new moon rises over New York City at 11:16am.
Tuesday, December 15
Latin jazz legend Eddie Palmieri 🇵🇷 🇺🇸 was born in Harlem, Manhattan on December 15, 1936.
Wednesday, December 16
Celebrate La Posada 🇲🇽, the Mexican caroling tradition, through December 24.
Celebrate La Novena de Aguinaldos 🇨🇴 🇪🇨 🇻🇪, the Colombian Venezuelan Ecuadorian prayer tradition through December 24.
Thursday, December 17
Celebrate Babalú-Ayé, Orisha of the Sick.ds
Friday, December 18
Alejandro Sanz 🇪🇸, the Spanish pop star, was born in Madrid, Spain on December 18, 1968.
Saturday, December 19
Paul Winter’s Winter Solstice Celebration at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine is streaming.
Wisin 🇵🇷, the reggaeton star, was born in Cayey, Puerto Rico on December 19, 1978.
Sunday, December 20
Pública Espacio in Santurce, Puerto Rico and Abrons Arts Center in the Lower East Side are radio-streaming Puerto Rican indie musicians Y2K Obession and Critonia from the Fiebre de Cabina (Cabin Fever) compilation on Radio Red Mixcloud from 5-9pm. ET FREE
Things to do in NYC in
December 2020 Week 52
December 21-27, 2020
Monday, December 21
Celebrate the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year and the original year-end celebration.
Honor Huitzilopochtli, the Aztec sun god of war, sacrifice and Tenochtitlan (México City).
Tuesday, December 22
Remember Jean-Michel Basquiat 🇭🇹 🇵🇷, the 1980s art star who was born in Brooklyn on December 22, 1960.
Wednesday, December 23
Pública Espacio in Santurce, Puerto Rico and Abrons Arts Center in the Lower East Side are radio-streaming Latin indie musicians Florentino Kelman Duran and Joe Cotch from the Fiebre de Cabina (Cabin Fever) compilation on NTS Radio in London from 5-6pm. ET FREE
Thursday, December 24
Celebrate Christmas Eve!
Ricky Martin 🇵🇷, the Latin pop star who started in the boy band Menudo, was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico on December 24, 1971.
Friday, December 25
Saturday, December 26
On the first day of Kwanzaa, the African American holiday tradition, celebrate “Umoja” unity. If we get together, we are so strong.
Celebrate Boxing Day, the English Christmas tradition.
Sunday, December 27
On the second day of Kwanzaa, celebrate “Kujichagulia” self-determination. It’s true that in America, everything is possible, but nothing is given. That is why we have to be responsible for ourselves.
Things to do in NYC in
December 2020 Week 53
December 28, 2020 – January 3, 2021
Monday, December 28
On the third day of Kwanzaa, celebrate “Ujima” collective work and responsibility. If we want to benefit from society, we have a responsibility to contribute to it.
Tuesday, December 29
Gitesha 🇵🇷 plays a jazz set at Anyway’s Café in Manhattan’s East Village from 6:30-9:30pm.
The Cold Moon, December full moon, goes full at 4:12pm.
On the fourth day of Kwanzaa, celebrate “Ujamaa” cooperative economics. Humans work better together.
The National Dominican Day Parade is giving a free webinar
Marco Antonio Solis 🇲🇽, the Regional Mexican pop star, was born in Ario de Rosales, Michoacán, Mexico on December 29, 1959)
Wednesday, December 30
On the fifth day of Kwanzaa, celebrate “Nia” purpose. Beginning with the end in mind helps us be efficient and avoid distractions.
Jazz saxophonist Miguel Zenon 🇵🇷 was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico on December 30, 1976.
Thursday, December 31
On the sixth day of Kwanzaa, celebrate “Kuumba,” creativity. If you can dream it, you (or someone in the future) can make it.
Celebrate National Champagne Day. 🇫🇷
Happy New Year! We made it this far. Next year will certainly be better.
We don’t now what this December will be like during the COVID-19 Pandemic, but this photo of Times Square captures the energy and excitement of a normal New York holiday season.