Things to do on a Sunday in New York

A brand new double-decker carousel is set to spin holiday cheer throughout the season in Greeley Square at 33rd Street and Broadway on November 21, offering rides through January 6, 2026.

The two-story swirl of lights, music and storybook creatures will spin from 10am to 10pm daily, offering plenty of opportunity to catch a ride before, during or after your holiday shopping. Tickets cost $7/person.

Speaking of shopping: the carousel will be in the perfect location. It will sit just steps from Macy’s Herald Square, where the holidays are already in full swing.

For the first time, a holiday market is popping up in Chinatown. The non-profit Welcome to Chinatown is transforming the second floor of Canal Street's Kam Man Market into a month-long holiday market featuring more than 35 AAPI-owned retail and food vendors.

The festive market will celebrate Chinatown's brick-and-mortars. Featured vendors include the streetwear brand DAWANG, children's books creators The ABC Digest, It's Ahn-Thu Ceramics and Favor Coffee. Plus, a different pop-up will take over each weekend serving treats all day long. A percentage of benefits will support Welcome to Chinatown's mission to ensure Chinatown remains open as a beacon of cultural and economic resilience. 

The market will be open every Friday through Sunday from 12-6pm from November 21 until December 21 on the second floor of Kam Man Market (200 Canal Street). 

Lightscape, Brooklyn Botanic Garden's gorgeous, after-dark illuminated spectacular promises a glittering winter wonderland where you'll feel like you're strolling through an enchanted forest. More than 1 million lights combine to form illuminated trail of art by local and international artists.

Don't miss the iconic Winter Cathedral, where you'll definitely want to snap a selfie. Plus, expect firefly fields, glowing bluebonnets, flocks of luminous birds and a reimagined Sea of Light.  

As always, a curated playlist of music brings the light art to life, and there will be food concessions along the trail that offering seasonal treats like hot cocoa, hot cider, and mulled wine as well as light bites, cookies and sweets.

Tickets are now on sale for the event, which runs from November 21, 2025 through January 4, 2026. This year’s show offers off-peak and peak pricing, ranging from $29-$44 for adults and $15 to $28 for kids.

The Bronx Zoo's sparkling seasonal outdoor celebration featuring animated lights and LED displays of animals from around the world is back. Expect the zoo to dazzle with millions of lights and hundreds wildlife lanterns spread across six lantern trails. 

Beloved favorites return, including the holiday train and Enchanted Sea, plus look for new additions such as snow tube slides, an illuminated ice-themed throne and virtual snowball throwing.

Holiday Lights will run at the Bronx Zoo on select dates from November 21, 2025 through January 4, 2026. Pricing starts at $26.95 for kids under 13 and $41.95 for adults. 

Train aficionados of all ages are certain to be transfixed by the scenic components of this show, featuring model trains, toy stations and miniatures from the Jerni Collection at The New York Historical. The dispaly illustrates the design evolution from the early 20th century to the era of World War II. 

Lighting and accompanying music make for an immersive experience on the first floor of the Upper West Side museum. This year, families can explore the objects on view with a special scavenger hunt and train-themed storytimes on select dates. 

The exhibit's on view from November 21 until February 22, 2026.

One of Keith Haring’s most significant public works is returning to view in New York this fall.

Martos Gallery on Elizabeth Street in downtown Manhattan has mounted a rare presentation of 14 of the original 30 panels from Haring’s FDR Drive mural, originally created onsite in 1984 along a 300-foot stretch of the highway facing the East River. Long thought lost, fragmented or scattered, the panels now appear together again in a gallery setting—still hung roughly 4.5 feet from the ground, just as they were when drivers, cyclists and dog walkers first encountered them in real time 40 years ago.

The mural will be available for viewing at Martos Gallery from November 13 through January 15, 2026.

Turns out, the North Pole knows how to throw quite a party. Join in on the fun at Santa's Secret, a seductive speakeasy and immersive wonderland that's back in NYC for a fifth year. 

Here's what's on tap at this adults-only holiday extravaganza: Delightfully cheeky characters, including mischievous living toys, seductive gingerbread ladies, and the famed jacked lumberjack. The journey culminates at Santa's Secret Speakeasy, where guests will enjoy live music, themed cocktails and a dazzling variety show featuring burlesque, aerialists and jaw-dropping acts.

This year, the event is moving to a massive new location: 10 Columbus Circle in Midtown. Just don't let Santa party too hard—or how will he deliver all the presents with a hangover?!

The show runs from November 13 until December 31. Tickets start at $65/person.

The Urbanspace Union Square Holiday Market, the alfresco, European-style winter market with more than 185 local and national vendors, will return for 2025. This year, guests will be welcomed by sparkling new decorations, a festive holiday tree and murals that set the tone for the season, plus interactive photo booths to capture holiday memories with your friends and family. Expect lots of great shops and excellent food vendors to fuel your shopping spree.

New this year, stop by Coco Bred, a Jamaican-born company specializing in coco bread sandwiches with traditional fillings topped with sauces, chutneys, relishes, and crumbles; Rubyzaar Baked, famous for their liquid s'mores hot chocolate topped with a toasted marshmallow; and Wicked Heathens, which will be selling handmade crystal jewelry inspired by sacred geometry and occult symbols. Also new this year is NYC's first cat cafe, Meow Parlour, which sells merchandise and cat-related items including cat beds, scratchers, food bowls, and catnip toys for the cats, with all profits helping cats get adopted.

This is the oldest holiday market in the city, so make sure to add it to your holiday tradition list. Starting on November 13, it's open Monday through Friday 11am-9pm; Saturday 10am-9pm and Sunday 11am-1pm. The market will be closed on Thanksgiving and will close for the season after 4pm on Christmas Eve. 

Within Grand Central Terminal, find the New York Transit Museum's 21st annual Holiday Train Show, an ode to all kinds of locomotives. You'll feel positively giant while wandering around the 34-foot-long display, festooned with miniature versions of city landmarks such as the Brooklyn Bridge and the Empire State Building. Watch as Lionel model trains depart from a miniature replica of Grand Central. Then they travel over the river (the East River, to be exact) and through the wood to reach their final destination, the North Pole.

The Holiday Train Show will be on view at Grand Central Terminal through February 2026. The free show is open Monday-Friday, 10am-7:30pm; Saturday-Sunday, 10am-6pm; and closed major holidays. Find it in the shuttle passage on 42nd Street and Park Avenue, adjacent to the Station Master’s Office.

Perhaps one of the most conveniently located holiday markets is the Grand Central Holiday Fair. Running from November 10 through December 24 at Vanderbilt Hall, the destination will highlight the work of 35 local food and craft vendors and small businesses known for their quality craftsmanship and products made within the state of New York or the U.S.

Goods will range from home décor and jewelry to abstract art and perfumes. This year, Uncommon Goods is back with a pop-up at the market with a hand-picked selection of imaginative gifts for kids, handmade jewelry and ornaments, small batch syrups and confections, and creatively designed finds for grillmasters, sports fans, book lovers and more. Also returning is the viral Inciardi Mini-Print Vending Machine with over 30 new prints, three new collections, five machines and other new merchandise. 

There will also be a Thanksgiving Market on Wednesday, November 26 from 1pm to 6pm in the Biltmore Room, near Track 42. This one-day event features a festive selection of seasonal treats from the Terminal’s retailers, perfect for any Thanksgiving gathering.

The Holiday Fair will operate seven days a week from 10am to 7pm Monday-Saturday; and 11am to 6pm on Sundays. The space will be closed for Thanksgiving and open on Christmas Eve from 10am-6pm. 

For more information regarding specific vendors and hours, click here.