Things to Do in New York in December: Events for Each Day This Month

Seasonal traditions join intriguing talks as smart New York City events fill the December calendar. We're especially looking forward to hearing what karma is (and isn't), a Stoic Virtues look at the work that lies behind wisdom, the ethics of travel, and the shaping of Western civilization.

Monday, December 1. Sit side by side with Sondheim, or at least his shows as interpreted by Al Hirschfeld, as The National Arts Club presents the new poster book Hirschfeld’s Sondheim along with a cabaret performance.

Tuesday, December 2. Close out a year of Sonic Commons programs with musician Toshi Reagon and cultural leader Suhaly Bautista-Carolina as they lead an evening of medicine-making, conversation, and congregation inspired by the Octavia E. Butler novels Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents. CTHQ.

Wednesday, December 3. Enter the mind of a photojournalist—known for striking images of the war in Ukraine and the Southern California wildfires—as Philip Cheung gives a talk at the International Center of Photography (ICP).

Thursday, December 4. Capture Gilded Age Brooklyn through the lens of pioneering photographer George Bradford Brainerd. Center for Brooklyn History.

Friday, December 5. Mark 70 years since the murder of Emmett Till with multidisciplinary artist Ralph Lemon and a New School seminar "exploring the landscape of history, memory, and ruins."

Saturday, December 6. Come back around to Tibet House US for a look at what karma is—and isn't—with Philip Goldberg, author of Karmic Relief: Harnessing the Laws of Cause and Effect for a Joyful, Meaningful Life.

Sunday, December 7. Resonate to audio and visual connections at a Metropolitan Museum of Art Sight & Sound concert highlighting current exhibition Divine Egypt.

Monday, December 8. Delve into the latest in the philosopher Ryan Holiday's Stoic Virtues series as he presents Wisdom Takes Work: Learn. Apply. Repeat. The 92nd Street Y, New York.

Tuesday, December 9. Reflect on the development of society with a cultural history from Tomer Persico, author of the new In God’s Image: How Western Civilization Was Shaped by a Revolutionary Idea. Shalom Hartman Institute of North America.

Wednesday, December 10. Heed the call for preservation as the World Monuments Fund leads a conversation at Rizzoli Bookstore around new publication Irreplaceable: 60 of Humanity's Most Treasured Places.

Thursday, December 11. Seek insight into Italy's 1935 invasion of Ethiopia at the Poster House talk Colonial Dreams to Fascist Empire, in conjunction with current exhibition The Future Was Then: The Changing Face of Fascist Italy.

Friday, December 12. Travel back in time with Greg Young of the Bowery Boys Podcast and a Hot Victorian Holiday storytelling cabaret perfect for fans of Bridgerton, Downton Abbey, and The Gilded Age. City Winery.

Saturday, December 13. Motor into a future that didn't arrive with a Coney Island USA screening and discussion of the restored 1927 classic Metropolis.

Sunday, December 14. Listen and you shall hear a new perspective on The Ride: Paul Revere and the Night That Saved America. The New York Historical.

Monday, December 15. Celebrate pioneering performers Karen Malpede and Penny Arcade at a Graduate Center, CUNY reading and panel around three publications.

Tuesday, December 16. Take a new approach to King Lear with literary scholar Nan Z. Da and an interpretation of China’s long 20th century as a manifestation of Shakespeare's tragedy. Asia Society and Museum.

Wednesday, December 17. Light a candle for New York traditions as the Tenement Museum hosts Hanukkah with Russ & Daughters: Celebrating 100 Years of Appetizing, an evening of stories, tours, and, of course, latkes.

Thursday, December 18. Follow along with global leaders at the World Speakers Series on Finance, Economy, Technology, AI & Politics. The Harvard Club of New York City.

Friday, December 19. Be entertained by actor and producer Guy Branum on a Union Hall evening where "a middle-aged, clinically obese homosexual confronts science and God to determine if there's any actual purpose to his existence."

Saturday, December 20. Join in with the spirit of the season at the Candlelight Christmas Concerts, with a mix of ancient carols and seasonal masterworks at the Church of the Ascension.

Sunday, December 21. Keep up tradition with The Klezmer Brass Allstars, an Isaac Bashevis Singer reading, and a YIVO Institute for Jewish Research celebration of Hanukkah.

Monday, December 22. Settle into a Metropolitan Opera winter favorite with a performance of Julie Taymor's Magic Flute.

Tuesday, December 23. Catch a big-hearted rendition of A Christmas Carol at PAC NYC, starring Tony-winner Michael Cerveris as Scrooge. 

Photo by Joey Stocks.

Wednesday, December 24. Ascend into the time capsule that is the Merchant's House Museum for a Christmas Eve performance of A Christmas Carol, surrounded by candlelit period detail.

Thursday, December 25. Stroll along with architectural historian Anthony W. Robins on his popular annual Christmas Day tour of Rockefeller Center.

Friday, December 26. Get mixed up with pickpockets, extortionists, armed robbers, bootleggers, gamblers, and hitmen as the Museum at Eldridge Street hosts a walking tour on The Jewish Gangsters of Lower Manhattan.

Saturday, December 27. Wander Lower Manhattan with Purefinder on The Dark Christmas Tour, looking at the ways colonial faith, immigrant tradition, and urban unrest shaped the city’s idea of Christmas.

Sunday, December 28. Hop a ride with the New York Adventure Club and the urban miracle that is Underground Manhattan: Exploring the History of the NYC Subway System.

Monday, December 29. Pass the popcorn for a Museum of Modern Art screening of 2025's Roofman, the stranger-than-fiction story of a military veteran hiding out in the ceiling of a Toys ”R” Us store.

Tuesday, December 30. Ponder Mindful Travel: The Ethics of Consumption with philosophy professor Dhananjay Jagannathan, author of the forthcoming Culture as Conversation. Caveat.

Wednesday, December 31. Wrap up the year on a harmonious note at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine's annual New Year’s Eve Concert for Peace, with commentary from renowned journalist Harry Smith.

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