‘Tis the season to enjoy the twinkling lights decorating holiday trees and light displays in NYC, some already underway, with the biggest of them all, the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, this week.
Tree lighting ceremonies include FREE celebrity performances, and several offer photos with Santa for the little ones, even hot chocolate.
Here is your complete guide to NYC holiday tree lighting ceremonies, and information about the nightly lighting of the giant Menorahs in Manhattan and Brooklyn for Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, that begins later in December.
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Already Underway
AMNH Origami Holiday Tree
An annual Museum tradition, the delightfully decorated Origami Holiday Tree and two merrily lit 19-foot Holiday Barosaurs welcome visitors to the Museum throughout the holiday season.
The theme of this year’s 13-foot tree is T. rex and Friends: History in the Making, with models inspired by the Museum’s special exhibition T. rex: The Ultimate Predator.
The exhibit celebrates the world’s most famous dinosaur species, which was first discovered, named, and exhibited to the public by AMNH.
In honor of the Museum’s 150th anniversary, the Origami Holiday Tree includes more than 150 origami models of theropod dinosaurs, including T. rex, as well as models of other Museum icons like the blue whale.
Volunteers, including local, national, and international origami artists, fold year-round, contributing to a collection of over 1,000 models displayed on the tree. Each year the 13-foot-tree features a different theme relating to special exhibitions or collections, which includes more than 34 million artifacts and specimens.
During the holiday season, volunteers will be on hand to teach visitors of all ages origami, the art of paper folding.
- Through Jan. 12
Winter’s Eve at Lincoln Square
2019 is the 20th annual Winter’s Eve Festival with a stellar cast of FREE musical performers including special guests, the legendary 50s recording stars Ronny Spector and the Ronnettes
There’s more than 20 FREE musical and dance performances, processional groups, a special area for kids’ entertainment and activities, ice sculpture demonstrations, food and more, including the annual tree lighting ceremony.
The tree lighting is at Dante Park, Broadway at 63rd., at 5:30pm.
- 5:30pm to 9pm, along Broadway, between 59th St./Columbus Circle and 70th Street.
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