Hanukkah in NYC

By Rachel Meyer

Hanukkah Hanukkah time is here! Time for joy and time for – Well, what is it time for? Hanukkah is the festival of lights. It commemorates the rededication of the Jewish temple and a miraculous victory protecting the people’s freedom to practice religion.

This calls for an eight-day long celebration, filled with candle lighting, gifts, dreidels and lots of fried food.

So, how can you celebrate, aside for treating yourself to a seasonal latke? (That’s a traditional fried potato pancake – can I get a “yes, please?”) This year, Hanukkah begins on the 22nd of December and ends on the 30th, which means we will be on break, and you’ll have eight nights to celebrate and light up in the New York area!

Here’s 8 celebration suggestions for Hanukkah (and the month leading up to it!):

1. A Very House of Yes Hanukkah – House of YES, Brooklyn – December 22 Ring in the first night of the holiday with a candle-lighting ceremony, live performances, aerial dancers, latkes and jelly donuts, gogo dancers, DJs and dancing! *21+ event

2. Exhibition: Lighting the World: Menorahs Around the Globe – Museum at Eldridge Street – December 6 to the end of the month Tap into your artistic and historic sides and check out this expansive exhibition of menorahs from all over the world, spanning across five centuries.

3. Chanukah on Ice NYC – Lasker Rink, Central Park – December 22 Lace up your skates and show off your dreidel spins with tens of thousands of people celebrating Hanukkah in seasonal style!

4. Menorahs and Manhattans – 92Y – December 14 Get into the Hanukkah spirit (and spirits) by creating you own menorah at this paint-and-sip holiday-party mashup! *21+ event

5. Brooklyn’s Largest Menorah – Grand Army Plaza – December 22 Take the one train way downtown for live music, hot kosher latkes, and the biggest menorah lighting in town (Menorah and crowd size)!

6. Yo La Tengo Hanukkah tour – Bowery Ballroom – December 22-30 Rock through the festival with Yo La Tengo’s annual Hanukkah run! Special guests join the band for eight consecutive nights of holiday concert, and it’s selling out fast!

7. The Hanukkah Experience through Television and Film – Puffin Cultural Forum, Teaneck – December 3 Learn about the evolution and history of celebrating the festival of lights through the big and little screens!

8. The Doughnut Plant – Multiple locations – check location hours Visit this delicious, kosher bakery for a holiday delicacy that will keep you warm and full. Make the trek or have it delivered to you by ordering on their website!

Wherever you may be, and whatever you may or may not celebrate – we are wishing you a happy, joyful holiday season filled with light!