This and That: Events, Parties, and Things To Do in NYC in December 2025 (with Free Events!)
Our biggest December events guide ever! From family-friendly holiday activities, exciting festivals, rooftop winter pop ups, world class exhibitions, or cozy nightlife, this curated lineup highlights the month’s most essential things to do in NYC in December 2025.
Jen Stark: Drip Cascade (Times Square Edition)
What’s happening: Artist Jen Stark transforms Times Square into a kaleidoscopic reverie with Drip Cascade (Times Square Edition), an entrancing sequence of geometric “psychedelic camouflage.” The vivid patterns pulse with organic movement, creating a rare pocket of transcendence at the heart of New York’s most illuminated crossroads.
Why go: A nightly ritual for art pilgrims and city dreamers alike, Stark’s chromatic installation invites reflection amid chaos—an immersive glimpse of wonder above the neon roar. It’s a fleeting, midnight meditation on color, rhythm, and the possibilities of perception.
What’s involved: Light installation viewing.
Monday, December 1, 2025 until Tuesday, December 30, 2025 from 11:57 p.m. until Midnight at Times Square, New York City. Information here.
African Diaspora International Film Festival 2025
What’s happening: The African Diaspora International Film Festival returns with its thirty third edition, presenting more than sixty films from over thirty countries. The program spans dramas, comedies, romances, and incisive documentaries that examine the experiences of people of color across continents. This year’s retrospective spotlights Curaçaoan filmmaker Felix de Rooy, alongside daring thematic explorations such as “Silenced Voices: Cinema and Censorship.”
Why go: ADIFF has become an essential space for encountering global cinema that expands, challenges, and reframes dominant narratives. Opening Night features The Dutchman, while Closing Night centers on Fanon as part of a broader conversation connecting Pan African legacies. Across the festival, audiences can immerse themselves in premieres, panel conversations, and rediscoveries that reveal the aesthetic and political richness of diasporic storytelling. Whether you lean toward vérité documentary, lyrical fiction, or archival excavation, the festival offers a rare density of perspectives in one city.
What’s involved: Screenings, panels, conversations.
Now until Sunday, December 14, 2025 at a variety of Venues in Manhattan, New York City, with online access at nyadiff.org in the USA and Canada. Information and tickets here.
The Saloon Sessions Benefit
What’s happening: The Saloon Sessions returns with an intimate evening of music led by Broadway talent in support of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Conceived by Matt DeAngelis in memory of his mother, the gathering brings artists together in a relaxed setting where they trade show tunes for personal favorites, creating a night that feels both heartfelt and unscripted.
Why go: The event offers rare closeness with performers whose work usually fills far larger rooms. This edition welcomes John Gallagher Jr., Katerina McCrimmon, and Gracie McGraw among its featured guests, with past editions including artists from Wicked, Back to the Future, Swept Away, and more. Beyond the music, the evening carries a meaningful mission, contributing directly to research efforts that have already been advanced by fundraising initiatives like the Janice Jam. It is a chance to spend the eve of Giving Tuesday in the company of artists lending their voices to a deeply personal cause.
What’s involved: Live performances, cocktails.
Monday, December 1, 2025 from 8:00 pm until 10:00 pm at Hurley’s Saloon 232 West 48th Street, New York, NY 10036. Information and tickets here.
UNICEF Gala New York
What’s happening: Now in its twentieth year, the UNICEF Gala honors the humanitarians, creators, and global programs shaping a more equitable world for children. This year spotlights UNICEF Guatemala’s Early Childhood Development Program, an initiative that strengthens the earliest and most vital years of a child’s life. The evening continues the Gala’s long tradition of pairing cultural excellence with global purpose, reflecting an organization whose contributions include distributing life-saving vaccines, expanding access to safe water, advancing girls’ education, and supporting children in conflict zones.
Why go: It is one of New York’s most resonant philanthropic evenings, drawing a constellation of influential guests whose presence underscores the event’s cultural weight. Past attendees have included Katy Perry, Orlando Bloom, Selena Gomez, Audrey Hepburn’s family, Millie Bobby Brown, and Olivia Colman, each lending their voice to UNICEF’s mission. This year’s program features an original poem by Amanda Gorman, a performance by Leon Bridges, hosting by UNICEF Ambassador Sofia Carson, and an afterparty led by Questlove. A single night can help deliver vaccines, education resources, emergency relief, and protection for children across more than 190 countries.
What’s involved: Cocktails, dinner, program, and afterparty.
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 from 6:00 pm until late at Cipriani 25 Broadway, 25 Broadway, New York, NY 10004. Information and tickets here.
Music for Medicine 2025
What’s happening: Music for Medicine gathers supporters of the Open Medical Institute and the Salzburg Weill Cornell Seminars for an evening that pairs world-class performance with global medical advancement. Guests will hear members of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in an intimate concert before a seated dinner and auction supporting international physician education. It is an annual tradition that links culture and humanitarian purpose with uncommon clarity.
Why go: Few benefit evenings carry such depth of impact. Funds raised help train physicians from underserved regions, expanding access to lifesaving knowledge across continents. The program’s music is performed by some of the finest classical musicians in the world, making the night a rare intersection of artistic virtuosity and meaningful global contribution. It is an occasion where attending feels like both a privilege and a responsibility.
What’s involved: Cocktail reception, concert, dinner, and auction.
Tuesday, December 2, 2025 from 6:00 pm until 10:30 pm at 1 East 60th Street, New York, NY 10022. Information and tickets here.
Yalla Parkour at The New School
What’s happening: The MENA Creative Collective, Friendly Strangers Studios, and Balady Film Club present a three night screening series of Yalla Parkour, Areeb Zuaiter’s poignant exploration of memory, identity, and place. The film traces the filmmaker’s connection with Ahmed, a parkour athlete in Gaza, whose discipline and optimism unfold against a landscape marked by constraint. Each evening pairs the feature with two short films that examine themes of longing, resilience, and generational inheritance, including Aicha by Sanaa El Alaoui.
Why go: The series offers an intimate cinematic encounter with pre October 7 Gaza, revealing the textures of daily life, the emotional weight of departure, and the urgency of creative expression under pressure. All proceeds support families within Gaza’s parkour community. Audiences are also invited to stay for a moderated discussion, opening space for dialogue around filmmaking, memory, and the complexities of belonging.
What’s involved: Screenings and discussion.
From Thursday, December 4, 2025 through Saturday, December 6, 2025 with screenings each day at The New School University Center, UL 104 63 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10003. Information and tickets here.
Live! on Grand at Abrons Arts Center
What’s happening: To close its fiftieth anniversary season, Abrons Arts Center invites New Yorkers onto one of the Lower East Side’s most storied stages with the inaugural Live! on Grand talent showcase. Ten finalists will emerge from open community auditions to perform at the historic Playhouse Stage, a room that has hosted legends such as Ethel Barrymore, Fred Astaire, Martha Graham, and Dizzy Gillespie. The event captures everything Abrons does best: honoring local artistry, fostering cultural access, and creating an environment where anyone with a skill to share can step into the spotlight.
Open Auditions for Live! on Grand!
Live! on Grand includes two open audition evenings for New Yorkers age eighteen and over. Auditions will take place on Friday, December 5th 2025, and Saturday, December 6, 2025. Applicants may present any act that fits within the guidelines, from magic to monologue to musical performance, even skateboarding. Note: Registration for auditions and performances take place in-person at Abrons Arts Center, 466 Grand Street. First come, first served, line up early! Information here.
Why go: Live! on Grand is set to become one of the city’s most spirited year-end gatherings, bringing together neighbors, artists, and audiences for two nights of delightfully unpredictable performances. It offers the rare chance to watch emerging talent take a stage that has shaped generations of American performance. With its mix of community warmth, cultural significance, and sheer Lower East Side character, it feels like the kind of night you will remember long after winter has settled in.
What’s involved: Performances, workshops, and community programming.
Various dates and times at Abrons Arts Center, 466 Grand Street, New York, NY 10002. Information here.
Performance dates and times:
Caviar and Champagne Benefit
What’s happening: Guests are invited into one of New York’s rare Gilded Age landmarks for an evening of caviar, champagne, and live music. The former George F. Baker Mansion, now home to the Synod of Bishops and the show room of jeweler Maxim Dimitry, opens its doors to support essential restoration efforts, offering a chance to experience the building’s architectural legacy in an intimate setting
Why go: This benefit pairs an essential culinary delight with the uncommon opportunity to explore a historic residence seldom accessible to the public. The Maxim Dimitry showroom, typically open by appointment only, will be accessible for browsing, showcasing singular jewels and antiques. The event supports the preservation of a cultural monument while surrounding guests with the atmospheric beauty of its interiors. It is a night of refinement, artistry, and philanthropy, ideal for those who appreciate both the city’s heritage and the pleasures of a well appointed evening.
What’s involved: Champagne, caviar, music.
Thursday, December 4, 2025 from 7:00 pm until 10:00 pm at Synod of Bishops Russian Church, 75 East 93rd Street, New York, NY 10128. Information and tickets here.
The Gingerbread City at the Seaport
What’s happening: The Gingerbread City transforms one of the season’s most beloved holiday traditions into a playful feat of architecture and urban design. This annual exhibition, which began in London, presents an entire gingerbread metropolis at The Seaport, conceived by architects and designers who reimagine city planning through icing, sugar, and structural invention. Visitors wander through a miniature world where festive nostalgia meets contemporary creativity.
Why go: This is gingerbread at a different altitude — a holiday activity taken to a captivating new level. After exploring the exhibition’s edible skyscrapers and candy clad streets, guests can join a guided workshop to build their own architect designed gingerbread house, freshly handmade by Padoca Bakery and crafted exclusively for the event. With its blend of seasonal charm, design education, and hands on creativity, it is one of December’s most delightful ways to celebrate imagination with family or friends.
What’s involved: Exhibition viewing, creative workshop.
Friday, December 5, 2025 until Sunday, January 4, 2026 at 19 Fulton Street, New York, NY 10038. Information and tickets here.
American Australian Association Holiday Party
What’s happening: The American Australian Association hosts its annual holiday gathering high above Midtown, bringing guests together for an evening shaped by the spirit of connection that has long defined the cultural exchange between the United States and Australia. Set against sweeping skyline views, the celebration blends conviviality, culinary warmth, and the distinct character of Australia’s food and drink traditions.
Why go: It is a rare chance to experience Australia’s festive energy in the heart of New York, complete with live music, signature beverages, and a holiday raffle featuring Australian themed prizes. The evening draws a community of artists, scholars, and professionals whose ties span the Pacific, making it one of the season’s most welcoming and globally minded celebrations. If you are seeking a night anchored in generosity, camaraderie, and a shared transpacific spirit, this is the one to attend.
What’s involved: Cocktails, music, raffle.
Thursday, December 11, 2025 from 6:00 pm until 8:00 pm at The Murdoch Center 600 Third Avenue, Floor 34, New York, NY 10016. Information and tickets here.
Press Play 2025 at Pioneer Works
What’s happening: Press Play at Pioneer Works returns for its sixth edition with a full weekend celebrating the radical, the printed, and the beautifully unclassifiable. Pioneer Works becomes a floor-spanning landscape of books, records, art, and ephemera from more than one hundred thirty independent exhibitors. Curated by Micaela Durand, the 2025 program explores desire in all its contemporary contradictions, tracing the intersections of intimacy, technology, bodies, and subcultures.
Why go: Press Play has become a year-end pilgrimage for readers and artists seeking work that sits at the edge of contemporary culture. On Saturday, explore Khajistan’s Middle World archive, drop into workshops that reimagine publishing and protest, and catch conversations that probe collective refusal, experimental poetry, and the cultural detritus shaping online desire. On Sunday, don’t miss the Hanuman Editions reading, a roundtable centered on Karachi After Midnight, and open studios with the current artist-in-residence cohort, all unfolding alongside deep-dive discussions on writing, intimacy, and the evolving language of subcultures. With installations, live broadcasts, and the early release of Broadcast Issue 03, the weekend rewards both curiosity and stamina.
What’s involved: Books, exhibitions, talks, readings, workshops, and open studios.
Saturday, December 13, 2025 until Sunday, December 14, 2025 from 12:00 pm until 7:00 pm at Pioneer Works 159 Pioneer Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231. Information and events schedule here.
Omar Abdullatif: The Dream Weaver
What’s happening: Institute of Arab and Islamic Art and William White Studio present their first ever collaboration with The Dream Weaver, the debut US exhibition of Cairo born painter Omar Abdullatif. The presentation brings together works informed by Arabic literature, philosophy, and the liminal atmosphere of dusk and dawn. Figures and landscapes appear in states of transition, threaded through the artist’s meditative exploration of memory, imagination, and the complexities of human experience.
William White Presents Will’s Holiday Bazaar
Join the opening celebration of Will’s Holiday Bazaar with festive treats, tree decorating, and a curated marketplace featuring Heirloom, Underwater Weaving, Arquiste, Phaidon, Lindquist, Andrew Yes, Rizzoli, Cinnamon Projects, Vendome, Casa Bosques, and more.
Wednesday, December 3rd, 2025 from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm, at William White Emporium, 325 Canal St, New York, NY 10013
Why go: The exhibition unfolds inside the extraordinary environment of the William White Studio, where monotoned drapery, sculptural lighting, vintage furnishings, and intimate residential textures create a soft, dreamlike architecture around Abdullatif’s work. The painter’s restrained yet illuminated palette is surprisingly compatible with the immersive nature of the space, altogether deepening the encounter. This collaboration marks a rare alignment of sensibilities.
What’s involved: Exhibition viewing.
Now until Friday, December 19, 2026 from 11:00 am until 6:00 pm at William White Studio, 264 Canal Street, Suite 4E, New York, NY 10013. Information here.
Feast of the Seven Fishes at The Otter
What’s happening: The Otter, located in The Manner hotel, marks New Year’s Eve with an intimate coastal inspired dinner that reimagines the Italian Feast of the Seven Fishes through the distinctive lens of Chef Alex Stupak. The five course menu traces a journey from Sicilian crudo to octopus with capers and parsley root, followed by housemade sea urchin spaghetti and a delicate black cod bourride. The evening concludes with a playful dessert of taiyaki paired with pistachio and coffee saffron ice cream.
Why go: It is a rare New Year’s Eve experience rooted in elegance and culinary imagination, elevated by the old world glamour of The Otter’s Art Deco design. A Champagne toast ties together the occasion of New Year’s Eve, with elevated bottle selections available for lingering celebrations. For diners seeking a transportive holiday ritual in the heart of SoHo, this feast promises warmth, intimacy, and culinary imagination.
What’s involved: Five course dinner, wine pairings, Champagne toast.
Wednesday, December 31, 2025 from 7:00 pm until late at The Otter, 58 Thompson St, New York, NY 10012. Information and reservations here.
New York City offers countless winter pop-ups, but few rooftop experiences truly stand out. From suspended igloos to luxe chalets and a playful alpine lodge, these are our favorite escapes for cold-weather cocktails, vibes, and skyline views.