Planning a New York City holiday season trip? This ultimate Truly New York holiday guide brings together the best Thanksgiving Day Parade tickets, Thanksgiving Day parade brunch experiences, Rockefeller Center Christmas tree viewing, tree lighting ceremony in Rockefeller Center tips, and New Year's Eve in Times Square Ball Drop parties — the complete New York City Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Eve calendar, planned the Truly New York way: premier vantage points, premium hospitality, reserved seats, world-class food and beverage, and no crowds, no cold, and no stress.
Start with Thanksgiving in New York City. The best way to watch the Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City is from Central Park near 72nd Street for the electricity of the crowd — or, better, with Thanksgiving parade tickets to a Thanksgiving Day parade brunch and indoor parade viewing party. Truly New York is the marketplace for the most premier vantage points to the parade, from Jazz at Lincoln Center and its grand wall of glass overlooking Central Park and Columbus Circle, to Sarabeth's on Central Park South, Acadia, and Carnegie Diner & Cafe for Thanksgiving dinner and Thanksgiving Day parade brunch. Arrive by 7:00 AM, never try to cross the parade route after 7:00 AM — even with a Thanksgiving Day parade ticket — pack light for security, and book Thanksgiving parade tickets early in the year, because the best Thanksgiving Day Parade viewing experiences sell out.
Then plan Christmas in New York City. How to witness the tree lighting ceremony in Rockefeller Center and how to see the tree in Rockefeller Center day and night are two different, equally magical experiences: the tree lighting ceremony is an exclusive, one-city-block event with street closures and security checkpoints from early afternoon, while the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree draws an estimated one million viewers a day all season. For the best views of the Christmas tree in New York City, try the secret third-floor Equinox Cafe at 45 Rockefeller Center for banana bread and hot chocolate, Le Rock below for fine dining, a fantastic burger, and a hot toddy, and FAO Schwarz with the kids — jam packed, but worth every minute in line for the excitement in their eyes.
Finish the season with New Year's Eve in New York City. Have your New Year's Eve Times Square plans set in stone before you arrive: the secure Times Square box, roughly Fifth Avenue to Ninth Avenue and 42nd Street to 57th Street, fills with tourists, so book a Times Square restaurant dinner package as your home base, or go premium with Truly New York New Year's Eve tickets at Bowtie Bar at the Renaissance Hotel Times Square or M Social for direct Ball Drop sight lines, full hospitality, and a view without the crush. Prefer what to do outside of Times Square on New Year's Eve in New York City? Choose Magic Hour or The Dream Downtown for a large-format open bar New Year's Eve party with general admission, reserved tables, and bottle packages into the wee hours, or Acadia's New Year's Cabaret — a four-hour dinner and open bar with Broadway performers from shows including Wicked and Hamilton — for an elegant, seated New Year's Eve dinner in NYC.
One holiday season, three iconic New York City traditions, one way to plan it all: book early, book premier, and book with a view. Thanksgiving Day Parade tickets and Thanksgiving Day parade brunch in November, Christmas tree viewing and the tree lighting ceremony in Rockefeller Center in December, and New Year's Eve Ball Drop tickets in Times Square to close the year — Truly New York holiday experiences are built so your family gets the electricity of New York City's most celebrated traditions, with the warmth, hospitality, food, beverage, and reserved seat that make the memory last forever. Start planning your full New York City holiday season with Truly New York today.
