One of New York's most iconic holiday shows, The Radio City Christmas Spectacular has been celebrating the season for more than 90 years. The Rockettes, now celebrating their 100th anniversary, perform in their signature precision dancing style as reindeer, Santa Clauses, tourists, and, in perhaps the most famous number, toy soldiers.

Whether you've never seen the Spectacular or go every year, this NYC holiday tradition is sure to get you in the spirit with both classic Christmas tunes and jaw-dropping, high-tech design.

Get Radio City Christmas Spectacular tickets now.

After winning five Tony Awards for its 2019 Broadway debut, Jack Thorne and Matthew Warchus's adaptation of A Christmas Carol returns to New York in 2025. This stunningly designed production of Charles Dickens's classic tale stars Tony Award winner Michael Cerveris as miser Ebenezer Scrooge, who's visited by four ghosts on Christmas Eve urging him to find the holiday spirit before it's too late.

Get A Christmas Carol tickets now.

Hear your favorite holiday songs as never before at Christmas by Candlelight, a one-night-only concert on December 22 that will set your holiday aglow. Surrounded by hundreds of candles in St. Bartholomew's Church, a live string quartet performs classic holiday tunes and music from festive films like Love Actually and Home Alone.

Get Christmas by Candlelight tickets now.

No one does the holidays quite like Cirque du Soleil. The circus troupe's annual Christmas show Twas the Night Before... takes audiences into a world where characters from the "Night Before Christmas" poem come to life with acrobatics, stunts, and plenty of holiday magic for all ages.

Get Cirque du Soleil: Twas the Night Before... tickets now.

This is one holiday special that's just for the adults. Nutcracker Rouge is a sexy take on the classic tale of The Nutcracker, performed by Company XIV. The company has performed Nutcracker Rouge to acclaim since 2013, and the show includes a mix of burlesque, opera, and circus entertainment in its reimagining of Marie-Claire, the Nutcracker, the Sugar Plum Fairy, and more. Audiences are immersed into the sensual side of the Land of Sweets, and the experience includes cocktails, champagne, and treats.

Get Nutcracker Rouge tickets now.

The Magic Flute returns as The Metropolitan Opera's special holiday presentation for families. See the story of a noble prince, equipped with a flute that can charm anyone, as he goes on a quest to save a princess. At just an hour long, performed in English, and filled with plenty of whimsical stagecraft, this musical fairytale will charm audiences of every age.

Get The Magic Flute tickets now.

The annual iHeartRadio Jingle Ball puts the "festive" in "music festival." Ringing in the holiday season with their biggest hits at this year's concert are Alex Warren, BigXthaPlug, Conan Gray, Ed Sheeran, Jessie Murph, Laufey, MONSTA X, Myles Smith, Nelly, Ravyn Lenae, Reneé Rapp, Zara Larsson. Plus, KPop Demon Hunters fans can anticipate a sing-along moment during this one-night-only event at Madison Square Garden.

Get iHeartRadio Jingle Ball tickets now.

Chart-topping country musician Brett Eldredge is ringing in the holidays with his Glow Live tour, where he'll sing timeless hits like "White Christmas," "Winter Wonderland," and "Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!" from his Christmas album Glow. A good old-fashioned night of entertainment is in store during Eldredge's two-night stint at the Beacon Theatre in December.

Get Brett Eldredge's Glow Live tickets now.

This holiday season, the Muppets are making their Broadway debut alongside world-famous illusionist Rob Lake in a special NYC event. Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, and more will team up with Lake for an all-ages show blending comedy, magic, and cheer from October to January only.

Get Rob Lake Magic with Special Guests The Muppets tickets now.

The Big Apple Circus isn't holiday-themed, but it's a beloved NYC holiday tradition. The iconic blue Big Top pops up in Lincoln Center's Damrosch Park every year, and under it is a family-friendly spectacle of acrobats, stuntpeople, clowns, animals, and so much more. This year's circus features America’s Got Talent winners the Olate Family alongside a host of talent from all over the world.

Get Big Apple Circus tickets now.

Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) is set at Christmastime, making this new, original musical feel like an NYC holiday movie come to life. That's actually what U.K. native Dougal is hoping for when he arrives in New York for his estranged father's wedding. Robin, the sister of the groom, picks him up from the airport, and what starts as a routine errand leads to a charming citywide adventure.

Get Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York) tickets now.

New York City Ballet's annual production of The Nutcracker is a beloved holiday tradition. With gorgeous dancing, colorful costumes, special effects, and a massive Christmas tree, this family-friendly ballet takes audiences on an adventure to the Land of Sweets alongside young Clara and her Nutcracker prince. The Nutcracker is one of the best-known holiday shows for a reason — after decades, the magic remains, and this production is an NYC bucket-list item.

Ever wanted to hear Scrooge, Tiny Tim, and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future sing? Then see A Christmas Carol: The Musical, back in New York for another year. The story of how the miser Ebenezer Scrooge changes his ways on Christmas Eve remains the same, but it's set to festive original music.

Check back for information on A Christmas Carol: The Musical tickets on New York Theatre Guide.