Radio City Christmas in New York

If you're planning to be in New York for the Christmas season this year, attending the famous Radio City Christmas Spectacular show is an essential element of New York City's celebrations.

This is America's number one Christmas show and the much-loved New York Christmas tradition has been running for over 75 years.

Since first taking to the iconic Radio City Music Hall stage in 1933, the show has been re-imagined and enhanced every year with new scenes, songs and costumes added.

These are mixed in with the traditional songs and scenes from the early days and focus on the power of the Christmas spirit and its heart-warming magic.

As you walk into the lobby of Radio City Music Hall, the first thing you will see is the Swarovski crystal Christmas tree, which is worth an extravagant $1 million (over £500,000) and made up of over 10,000 individual, handcrafted Swarovski ornaments.

The perennial stars of this show are the Rockettes, who light up the stage with their dynamic performances, breathtaking special effects and gorgeous costumes.

New Jersey newspaper the Star Ledger said: "No matter how sophisticated a person gets, watching those vintage segments unfold in that glorious theatre evokes Christmas past-type memories.

"The years fly by, but somehow you're always a kid again at the Radio City Christmas Spectacular."

And according to the New York Post: "Clad in costumes that seem sexier than ever, the gorgeous Rockettes dazzle in such imaginatively choreographed routines as the toe-tapping Twelve Days of Christmas, New York at Christmas and, of course, the classic Parade of the Wooden Soldiers."

In 2008 the Radio City Christmas Spectacular is set to feature the world-famous Rockettes in an unforgettable signature production number set in Times Square - lighting up the New York skyline with a glittering on-stage fireworks display.

In 'New York at Christmas', the Rockettes will board a real double-decker grey line tour bus for a tour of Manhattan and the audience will take a trip around historic landmarks such as the Empire State Building, 5th Avenue's store windows and even Central Park.

Arriving in Times Square, the Rockettes will perform a show-stopping number surrounded by all the lights and excitement that only New York City can generate.

The number climaxes with a live fireworks display on-stage before Santa takes the audience from New York City to the North Pole – where what appears to be a humble looking toy workshop unfolds before your eyes into Santa's gigantic 25-foot-high warehouse of Christmas toys.

This larger-than-life set becomes the backdrop to a high-energy tap routine featuring the Rockettes as rag dolls, a performance re-imagined and inspired by a classic Rockette number that was originally choreographed in 1933 by Russell Markert.

Just before the show culminates with the classic favourite Living Nativity number, the Rockette finale Let Christmas Shine will see the dancers in their stunning Swarovski costumes, posed on a glittering staircase in a formation that suggests a giant Christmas tree.

The show really is the epitome of New York at Christmas and is a must for anyone visiting New York City during the festive season.

The Radio City Christmas Spectacular will run from November 7th 2008 to December 30th 2008. Tickets are on sale now and prices range from $42 to $105 (£21 to £53) and tickets are available online at or at the Radio City box office (50th Street and Avenue of the Americas).