Reasons to Visit New York City This Winter

While summer in NYC is enjoyable, winter truly brings the Big Apple to life, as locals and tourists bundle up to enjoy ice skating in Central Park, admire the Rockettes’ kick line, or shop along Fifth Avenue. Many seasonal favorites, like the towering Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, which stands at 80 feet this year, remain popular. Additionally, this winter introduces exciting new restaurants, hotels, bars, plays, and exhibits to explore. From a trio of Sondheim musicals to a wood-fired eatery by a Danish culinary expert, here are seven thrilling ways to experience the city this holiday season.

Experience Broadway's Stars

After the pandemic disrupted American theater, Broadway is gradually returning with a lineup of star-studded musicals and plays. Although Merrily We Roll Along was a famous failure when it debuted in 1981, this reimagined revival featuring Jonathan Groff, Tony winner Lindsay Mendez, and Daniel Radcliffe is receiving acclaim. Meanwhile, across Times Square, Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford shine in another Sondheim classic, Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, until February 9, when they will pass their roles to Aaron Tveit and Sutton Foster. At the recently renamed James Earl Jones Theatre, Book of Mormon stars Andrew Rannells and Josh Gad showcase their comedic chemistry in Gutenberg! The Musical! (Spoiler: Each show features a surprise guest star, with past appearances by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Vanessa Williams, and Cynthia Erivo.)

For those who prefer nonmusical theater, Danny DeVito teams up with his daughter, Lucy, in the charming dramedy I Need That, written by Smash creator Theresa Rebeck, running through December 30. Additionally, two-time Pulitzer finalist Branden Jacobs-Jenkins will debut on Broadway with Appropriate, a story about a family feuding over their father's inheritance at a dilapidated Arkansas plantation. The impressive cast features Sarah Paulson, Elle Fanning, and Corey Stoll.

Experience the Glamour of the Gilded Age at the New Fifth Avenue Hotel

HBO’s opulent period series The Gilded Age has returned for its eagerly awaited second season. For those wishing to immerse themselves in the late 19th century's lavish atmosphere, booking a stay at the newly opened Fifth Avenue Hotel is a must. This hotel combines a contemporary glass tower with a historic Italian Renaissance-style bank designed by the renowned architectural firm McKim, Mead & White, which also created the Brooklyn Museum and the Columbia University campus.

Inside the hotel’s grand exterior lies a vibrant display of colors and textures that echo the extravagant spirit of the era: Expect jewel-toned chandeliers adorned with crystal accents resembling fruits and flowers, arched green windows that act as room dividers, bold rugs featuring oversized floral or tiger patterns, inlaid bar carts with lizard-shaped handles, and vanities boasting colorful Chinese dragon designs inside their doors. At the wood-paneled Portrait Bar, bar director Darryl Chan crafts both innovative and classic cocktails (he likens the St. James in London to “afternoon tea meets English milk punch”) paired with gourmet snacks, while acclaimed chef Andrew Carmellini delights guests with exquisite dishes like rabbit cacciatore and lobster cannelloni topped with caviar at Café Carmellini.

Honor a Local Icon at the Brooklyn Museum

Curious about what drives director Spike Lee? Then make your way to the Brooklyn Museum for the extensive retrospective Spike Lee: Creative Sources, running until February 4. The Oscar-winning filmmaker has profoundly influenced how people perceive his beloved borough (he moved to Brooklyn as a child after being born in Atlanta in 1957), and this exhibit features over 450 items from his personal collection that showcase his artistic inspirations. The gallery includes works by notable Black artists like Kehinde Wiley, Deborah Roberts, and Michael Ray Charles, alongside vintage photographs, sports and film memorabilia, and instruments once played by renowned musicians.

Join a “Nutcracker” Crawl

George Balanchine transformed the holiday season with his rendition of The Nutcracker, which premiered in 1954. The New York City Ballet continues to perform his original choreography at Lincoln Center every holiday season (November 24 to December 31), but the Big Apple offers an array of fresh interpretations of the classic ballet.

Kings Theatre, a beautifully restored 1929 movie palace nestled in Brooklyn, will host both the touring production of Nutcracker! Magical Christmas Ballet (December 6) and The Brooklyn Nutcracker (December 16), which features diverse dance styles (flamenco, hip-hop, Ukrainian hopak, Native American hoop dancing) as characters journey across the borough. For adults, Company XIV presents Nutcracker Rouge (November 16 to January 27), a playful burlesque twist on the classic, filled with risqué humor and allure.

Cozy up by the fire at a trendy new restaurant in Greenpoint

For a taste of one of the city’s most thrilling new dining spots, hop on the G train to Greenpoint, Brooklyn, where Danish chef and Noma co-founder Mads Refslund has established his culinary haven in a repurposed rubber factory. Ilis, named after the Danish words for “fire” and “ice,” offers an inventive dining experience where guests create their own à la carte meals (with a five-course, $150 minimum). Seasonal ingredients for the night—like eel, scallops, bison, or beets—can be served cold or grilled over a wood fire. The menu is ever-changing, but you might encounter dishes such as grilled tuna with sunflower miso, bison tartare in a beet, or barbecued eel garnished with marigold for drizzling extra Japanese tare glaze. The drinks are equally imaginative, like a smoky clam and tomato water served in a surf clam shell sealed with beeswax.

Gather festive outfit inspiration at the Met Costume Institute

It’s the season for stylish attire, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art is showcasing its finest for the winter Costume Institute exhibition Women Dressing Women (December 7 to March 3), highlighting female designers and women-led fashion houses. Among the approximately 80 ensembles on display are creations from prominent figures like Elsa Schiaparelli, Miuccia Prada, Diane von Furstenberg, Donna Karan, and Vivienne Westwood, as well as lesser-known talents from 20th-century fashion history, including Ann Lowe, who designed Jacqueline Kennedy’s wedding gown in 1953.

Throughout the exhibition, there will be various engaging activities, including curator talks, a touch-focused event for visually impaired visitors (January 15), and an immersive workshop with designer Hillary Taymour of Collina Strada, where participants will explore sustainable fashion and create their own upcycled garments. Meanwhile, indie cinema Metrograph will host a related film series titled Women Dressing Women: From Runway to Screen, beginning December 8, showcasing actresses who donned iconic looks from influential female designers.

Experience a performance at one of the city’s latest cultural hubs

In 2019, the Shed arts center transformed the cultural landscape of the city with its striking structure in Hudson Yards; this winter, it will debut yet another Sondheim musical, Here We Are, completed after the legendary composer's passing in 2021. Further downtown, the Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC) opened this fall in a stunning marble cube next to One World Trade Center. The inaugural season features discussions with Jada Pinkett Smith and Kerry Washington, performances by Ben Platt and Brian Stokes Mitchell, a unique one-man show by Laurence Fishburne, and a play from the intertribal Native sketch comedy group the 1491s.

Another New York icon, chef Marcus Samuelsson, will debut his new restaurant Metropolis in the PAC NYC lobby. This James Beard Award–winning chef draws inspiration from the diverse immigrant communities across the five boroughs, serving dishes such as Flushing-style oysters with XO sauce, smoked hamachi tacos, and aged Long Island duck with mole and winter plums.

And if you return to PAC NYC next June, you can catch what promises to be one of 2024’s most talked-about productions: a reimagined rendition of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats, set against the backdrop of New York’s vibrant queer ballroom scene.