New York City is a multicultural hub with dozens of museums, hundreds of parks and millions of people. The number of potential things to see and do can feel overwhelming, but NY1 has you covered with some of the highlights taking place this weekend across the five boroughs.
A swath of Fifth Avenue will transform into a pedestrian-only promenade this Sunday as part of the city’s annual Holiday Open Streets.
The event, now in its fourth year, will feature holiday décor, live entertainment, food and drink offerings and unique activities, according to The Fifth Avenue Association.
The annual Christmas Bird Count is a continent-wide event now more than a century old. Spend the day among other bird enthusiasts trying to count as many of the winged creatures as you can find.
Anyone interested in participating in the 126th annual Christmas Bird Count should register here and choose a location: Manhattan, Governors Island, Randall’s Island or Roosevelt Island.
A new exhibit at the Museum of Food and Drink (MOFAD) in Brooklyn is dedicated to the city’s smallest food businesses and the immigrant entrepreneurs who have shaped the city’s flavor and culture.
Organizers say Street Food City “traces the challenges faced by street food entrepreneurs of the past to today’s fight for vendor rights.” The exhibit’s curator, Catherine Piccoli, and MOFAD president Nazli Parvizi also joined NY1 to discuss the exhibit.
The Municipal Art Society of New York was instrumental in preserving Grand Central, and is now relaunching tours of the landmark transit hub.
The society was founded in 1893 as a civic association working towards a more livable city. The tours offer insight into the history of Grand Central, including the answers to some questions commuters may have formed in their daily travels.
This is the last weekend to catch an exhibition at the Lévy Gorvy Dayan Gallery on the Upper East Side showcasing work from legends of the 1980s New York art scene.
The gallery is open to the public from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
(Spectrum News NY1/Roger Clark)
‘Mission: Impossible – Story and Spectacle’
Open until Dec. 14
Museum of the Moving Image, Queens
More information and full lineup here
This is also the last weekend to catch an exhibit at the Museum of the Moving Image that takes a look at the artistry behind the action of the “Mission: Impossible” franchise.
Each film in the series will have a section in the exhibition focused on its key stunt or action sequence. There’s also behind-the-scenes content including props, costumes and production materials.
💥Mission: Impossible—Story and Spectacle is now open.
Be among the first people to see the new exhibition at MoMI! https://t.co/PtU18ritAT pic.twitter.com/TRKKBLcEOQ
— Museum of the Moving Image (@MovingImageNYC) April 18, 2025
Visit Santaland
Open through Christmas Eve
Macy’s Herald Square, Manhattan
More information here
An annual holiday staple in the city, parents can take their children to meet Santa for free at Santaland at Macy’s Herald Square. The floor is also full of holiday decor like nutcrackers, Christmas trees and old-fashioned trains for other photo opportunities.
Macy’s says to reserve your spot at least six days before you plan to visit.
Times Square ‘Wishing Wall’
Open through Dec. 28 (closed on Christmas Day)
Times Square’s Broadway plazas between West 45th and West 47th streets
More information here
The Times Square “Wishing Wall” is open for submissions as New Yorkers prepare to ring in 2026.
Anyone can submit a wish online or in person through Dec. 28. The wishes will be printed on pieces of confetti used during the New Year’s Eve celebration at the Crossroads of the World.
Holiday Lights at the Bronx Zoo
Nov. 21 to Jan. 4
Bronx Zoo
More information here
The Bronx Zoo’s seasonal tradition continues this year, with millions of holiday lights lining the park. Visitors are invited to check out the hundreds of wildlife lanterns representing dozens of plant and animal species.
Organizers say the event also includes seasonal food and drink, and, new this year, snow tube slides and an ice-themed throne at the debuting “Freeze Zone.”
(Photo courtesy of the Bronx Zoo)
See the Rockefeller Tree
Open through the holidays
Rockefeller Center, Manhattan
More information here
The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree arrived in the city from East Greenbush, New York a month ago and was officially lit up Wednesday night.
The Norway spruce is wrapped in more than 50,000 multicolored lights and crowned with a Swarovski star.
NYBG Holiday Train Show
Open through Jan. 11
New York Botanical Garden, the Bronx
More information here
The New York Botanical Garden’s annual Holiday Train Show returns for its 34th year. Visitors have the opportunity to see nearly 200 replicas of New York City landmarks — all created from plant parts.
Toy trains wrap around recreations of the city’s skyscrapers and other recognizable icons. The garden runs both day and night availabilities, with seasonal food and drink offerings as well.
Holiday Fair and Train Show at Grand Central
Holiday Train Show open through February 2026
Holiday Fair open through Dec. 24, 2025
Grand Central Terminal, Manhattan
More information here
Another train show for the holiday season, the New York Transit Museum at Grand Central’s offering is smaller than what’s on display at the New York Botanical Garden, but no tickets are required.
The exhibit features model trains running through a 34-foot-long display — departing from a miniature Grand Central and passing by other iconic New York City landmarks like the Brooklyn Bridge and the Empire State Building. The Transit Museum’s collection of model trains includes Metro-North, Polar Express and vintage subway train sets.
Also at Grand Central is the Holiday Fair in Vanderbilt Hall. The 6,000-square-foot market features artisan jewelry and handcrafted pottery, among other artwork.
Holiday Markets at Bryant Park and Union Square
Bryant Park shops open through Jan. 4, 2026
Union Square shops open through Dec. 24, 2025
More information on Bryant Park here
More information on Union Square here
The holiday market has returned to Bryant Park, with local artisans and businesses offering everything from apparel and artwork to a cup of hot cocoa. Marketgoers can also check out The Lodge food hall and the ice skating rink, both open until March.
At Union Square, more than 100 booths offer a variety of locally made crafts, treats and potential gifts.
New York’s holiday headquarters ✨.
📍@BankofAmerica Winter Village pic.twitter.com/kyWxTIrWyQ
— Bryant Park (@bryantparknyc) October 23, 2025
The Great Borough Bake-Off
Open through Jan. 19, 2026
Museum of the City of New York, Manhattan
More information here
Professional and amateur bakers alike have created gingerbread versions of city sights like brownstones, bridges, bodegas and ballparks.
The competition includes bakers from all five boroughs, with each asked to make something that represents their community. Multiple prizes will be awarded by a panel of judges, and attendees can vote on a “People’s Choice” award of their own.
Ice Skating in Manhattan
Open through March 2026
Rockefeller Center, Manhattan
Wollman Rink, Central Park
Rockefeller tickets here
Wollman tickets here
Ice skating is open for the season at The Rink at Rockefeller Center and at Wollman Rink in Central Park.
Rockefeller Center’s website calls skating on its rink of the city’s “quintessential winter activities.”
Skip the cabin fever. Take your family for a spin on The Rink at Rockefeller Center Presented by Chase Freedom. pic.twitter.com/CjDEpNSsCd
— Rockefeller Center (@rockcenternyc) February 28, 2025
‘Jamaica/Jamaica’
Open through Dec. 20
King Manor Museum, Queens
More information here
A new exhibit at the King Manor Museum in Jamaica, Queens explores Jamaican heritage in the neighborhood.
Traditional Jamaican food, elaborate Carnival costumes and items from VP Records — a Caribbean music label based in the neighborhood — are just some of the cultural items on display.
(Spectrum News NY1/Roger Clark)
‘Monet and Venice’
Open through Feb. 1, 2026
Brooklyn Museum
More information here
“Monet and Venice” is New York’s largest museum show dedicated to impressionist painter Claude Monet in more than 25 years, according to the Brooklyn Museum, and features more than 100 artworks.
The museum says it’s the first exhibition to focus on Monet’s paintings of Venice. Curators say it’s an “underexplored chapter in the artist’s late career” after he once claimed the city was “too beautiful to be painted.”
‘Urban Stomp’
Open through February 2026
Museum of the City of New York, Manhattan
More information here
An exhibit at the Museum of the City of New York, “Urban Stomp: Dreams & Defiance on the Dance Floor,” guides visitors through a rich history of social dances born, shaped or popularized in the city.
There are around 30 video tutorials teaching the steps of dance styles like the foxtrot, Lindy Hop, salsa, hip-hop, breaking, hustle and vogue, with related cultural artifacts on display.
‘Empire Skate of Mind’
Open daily until April 12, 2026
Brooklyn Children’s Museum
More information here
The Brooklyn Children’s Museum has transformed its rooftop terrace into a retro rink described by organizers as a nod to the Empire Roller Rink that lasted in Brooklyn from the 1940s until 2007.
Tickets are required for the all-ages celebration. Skates, helmets and wrist guards are provided.
Studio Museum in Harlem
Open daily 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
144 West 125th St., Manhattan
More information here
The Studio Museum in Harlem has reopened after being closed for nearly eight years.
The museum, which is dedicated to presenting and collecting the work of Black artists, returns with a variety of exhibits on display.
(Spectrum News NY1/Roger Clark)
‘Impact: The End of the Age of Dinosaurs’
Now open
American Museum of Natural History, Manhattan
More information here
A new exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History looks at the impact of the asteroid strike that wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago.
The exhibition also explores how the Earth recovered from the event, including how it paved the way for new species.
(Spectrum News NY1/Roger Clark)
‘Encounters in the Milky Way’
Now open
American Museum of Natural History, Manhattan
More information here
“Encounters in the Milky Way” is a new show at the Hayden Planetarium that gives visitors a “front-row seat to spectacular moments in our solar system’s past and future.”
Narrated by Pedro Pascal, the show takes viewers through the paths of stars, comets and other interstellar debris. It’s part of the Rose Center for Earth and Space’s celebration of 25 years since its opening.
🚀A new Hayden Planetarium Space Show, narrated by Pedro Pascal, is opening June 9! In Encounters in the Milky Way, you’ll get a front-row seat to spectacular moments in our solar system’s past and future, including the paths of stars, comets, interstellar debris, and more. pic.twitter.com/jZtZLeaHFq
— American Museum of Natural History (@AMNH) May 20, 2025