November 2026 in Manhattan: Broadway, museums, and events

November is Manhattan’s big month. The marathon opens the month, the Rockettes open the holiday season, and Thanksgiving week brings the 100th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the start of the Nutcracker, and holiday markets across Midtown and downtown. Here are the highlights, in date order where it helps.

Big dates

TCS New York City Marathon, Sunday, November 1. Nearly 60,000 runners cross five boroughs to the Central Park finish, and it is free to watch from the sidewalk. Details: https://marathonhandbook.com/ultimate-guide-to-new-york-city-marathon/

Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes, Radio City Music Hall, November 4, 2026 through January 4, 2027. The 90 minute show runs 230 performances this season, its most ever, with a new number, “Ring,” set to “Carol of the Bells.” Details: https://www.rockettes.com/christmas/

Photo: The Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular. Source: Radio City Rockettes.

Rockefeller Center Christmas tree arrival, Saturday, November 7. Watch the tree arrive in Midtown and be raised on the plaza. The lighting ceremony itself is December 2, so November is your chance to see the tree go up. Details: https://www.travelpirates.com/captains-log/rockefeller-center-tree-lighting-guide

Grand Central Holiday Fair, Vanderbilt Hall, Grand Central Terminal, November 9 through December 24. An indoor artisan market under the terminal’s chandeliers, closed on Thanksgiving Day. Details: https://ultimatechristmasmarkets.com/usa/grand-central-holiday-fair/

Union Square Holiday Market, Union Square, November 12 through December 24, as listed by a vendor partner. Nearly 200 independent makers and food vendors fill the park’s south end. Details: https://www.newyorkexplained.com/guides/nyc-holiday-markets/

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Thursday, November 26, 8:30 a.m. to noon. The 100th parade marches 2.5 miles from 77th Street and Central Park West to Macy’s Herald Square, with a record 100 inflatables, including new balloons Sorcerer’s Apprentice Mickey and Joe Cool and Woodstock, plus the return of Underdog and Felix the Cat. It is free to watch along the route, and it airs on NBC, Telemundo, and Peacock. Details: https://www.centralpark.com/events/macys-thanksgiving-day-parade/

Broadway and performing arts

George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, New York City Ballet, David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center, November 27, 2026 through January 3, 2027. Details: https://www.eventticketscenter.com/blog/nyc-christmas-shows-dates-tickets/1264/b

A Christmas Carol, Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC), November 20, 2026 through January 3, 2027. Details: https://roamrecs.com/guide/best-christmas-shows-nyc

A Christmas Carol at the Merchant’s House Museum, November 24, 2026 through January 3, 2027, an intimate, candlelit take on the Dickens classic. Details: https://roamrecs.com/guide/best-christmas-shows-nyc

Also on Broadway in November: Much Ado About Nothing, previews from October 31, 2026, opening November 19, 2026, through January 10, 2027, with Tom Hiddleston and Hayley Atwell; Oh, Mary!, with Bowen Yang as Mary Todd Lincoln from September 15; and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, with Tom Felton through November 1. Details: https://nycinsiderguide.com/new-york-city-events-november

Museums

Monumental: The 3 WatchMen and Other Works by James Hart, American Museum of Natural History, opens November 20, 2026. Details: https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions

The Origami Holiday Tree, American Museum of Natural History, November 23, 2026 through January 20, 2027. The 13 foot tree is covered in more than 1,000 hand folded origami models, this year spotlighting “animal athletes.” Details: https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/origami-holiday-tree

The Nature of Color, American Museum of Natural History, opening week November 16 through 22, 2026. An interactive, all ages exhibition on how color shapes the natural world and our lives. Details: https://mommypoppins.com/new-york-city-kids/event/events/opening-week-of-the-nature-of-color-at-the-amnh

Krasner and Pollock: Past Continuous, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, October 4, 2026 through January 31, 2027. Details: https://weekendseek.com/en/newyork.html

Marketing the Gilded Age: Advertising Publications from the Studios of Louis C. Tiffany, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, October 29, 2026 through February 16, 2027. Details: https://www.ad-hoc-news.de/unterhaltung/reisen/the-metropolitan-museum-of-art-opens-tiffany-show-on-29-october/70405758

Holiday markets and winter outings

Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park, Midtown, shops October 28, 2026 through January 3, 2027, with the rink open through February 28, 2027. The 17,000 square foot rink offers free admission if you bring your own skates, plus more than 170 holiday shops and the Lodge Bar and Food Hall. Details: https://secretnyc.co/bank-of-america-winter-village-bryant-park-2026-vendor-list/

Macy’s Herald Square holiday windows debut Thursday, November 19, and the Saks Fifth Avenue light show returns Monday, November 23, both worth pairing with a Midtown walk. This year’s Macy’s windows tell the story of the Blue Hippopotamus, an early parade character. Details: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20261022360595/en/Theres-Magic-Inside-Macys-This-Holiday-Season Saks Fifth Avenue has six center windows with an animated trip through New York City, plus the synchronized light show nightly 5 to 11 p.m. Details: https://mychristmasinnewyork.com/saks-fifth-avenue-light-show/ These dates come from a secondary guide, so treat this as a pairing suggestion, not a confirmed official announcement. Details: https://medium.com/@asktrippilot/christmas-in-new-york-itinerary-2026-4-days-of-lights-markets-and-skating-7b3aa0289bb6a

More in Manhattan

New York Comedy Festival, November 6 through 15, 2026, at venues including Carnegie Hall, Beacon Theatre, and Town Hall. More than 200 comedians in over 100 shows. Details: https://news.pollstar.com/2026/07/13/new-york-comedy-festival-unveils-2026-lineup/

WANTED, Broadway musical, opens Sunday, November 8, 2026, James Earl Jones Theatre. Details: https://newyorktheater.me/2026/06/17/broadway-2026-2027-season-preview-guide/

Here There Are Blueberries, Broadway play, previews begin November 2, opens November 9, 2026, Ethel Barrymore Theatre. Details: https://www.broadway.com/broadway-guide/currently-playing/november/

NYC Veterans Day Parade, Wednesday, November 11, 2026, stepping off 12:30 p.m., Fifth Avenue from 26th Street. Details: https://bushwickdaily.com/politics/navy-veteran-and-nasa-astronaut-sunita-williams-named-nyc-veterans-day-parade-grand-marshal/

Kent Monkman: Officer and Laughing Girl, The Frick Collection, November 12, 2026 through February 22, 2027. Details: http://www.frick.org/exhibitions

The Fantasticks, opens November 16, 2026, Hayes Theatre. Details: https://playbill.com/article/schedule-of-upcoming-and-announced-broadway-shows

Roy Lichtenstein: Like New, Whitney Museum of American Art, October 11, 2026 through May 10, 2027. Details: https://www.6sqft.com/nycs-first-major-roy-lichtenstein-retrospective-since-1993-now-on-view-at-the-whitney/

Planning tip: Thanksgiving week is the busiest week of the month. If you are coming for the parade, arrive early, skip large bags, and note there is no public viewing on Central Park West between 59th and 60th Streets or on Sixth Avenue between 34th and 38th Streets.

Looking for more November ideas? See our November 2026 roundups: November 2026 in the Bronx: events, festivals, and family fun and November 2026 in Westchester: events, festivals, and family fun.

Sources

• TCS New York City Marathon guide: https://marathonhandbook.com/ultimate-guide-to-new-york-city-marathon/
• Radio City Christmas Spectacular: https://www.rockettes.com/christmas/
• Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade: https://www.centralpark.com/events/macys-thanksgiving-day-parade/
• Bryant Park Winter Village: https://secretnyc.co/bank-of-america-winter-village-bryant-park-2026-vendor-list/
• Grand Central Holiday Fair: https://ultimatechristmasmarkets.com/usa/grand-central-holiday-fair/
• American Museum of Natural History exhibitions: https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions and https://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/origami-holiday-tree
• NYC holiday market dates: https://www.newyorkexplained.com/guides/nyc-holiday-markets/
• NYC Christmas shows guide: https://www.eventticketscenter.com/blog/nyc-christmas-shows-dates-tickets/1264/b