Celebrating the holidays with family is among the best things to do in NYC in December 2026. New York City is one of the world’s best holiday cities.
Winter Solstice is the ancient root of the big holidays including: Christmas/Navidad, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s Eve.
Latin families may also celebrate Changó/Santa Barbara (🇨🇺 🇵🇷), Día de las Velitas/Immaculate Conception (🇨🇴), Bodhi Day (🇧🇷 🇵🇪), Las Mañanitas/Guadalupe (🇲🇽), Babalú-Ayé (🇨🇺 🇵🇷), Las Posadas (🇲🇽), La Novena de Aguinaldos, Watch Night 🇺🇸, and more. Puerto Rican families may hold parrandas throughout the season (🇵🇷).
Holiday season for many Latin families doesn’t end until January 6 with Epiphany/Kings Day/Three Kings Day/Eleguá (🇮🇹 🇺🇸 🇨🇺 🇵🇷), the start of Carnival Season. Puerto Ricans carry on with Las Octavitas until Las Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián (🇵🇷). Traditional Catholics carry on until Candlemas on February 2, which is Candelaria (🇮🇨 🇪🇸) or Lemanjá (🇧🇷). Brazilians carry on until Carnival ends (🇧🇷).