I was walking my chihuahua down 5th Avenue recently and unexpectedly came across a group of carolers. Best treat EVER! No lie, we stopped in our tracks, plopped on a bench and spent the next hour listening to renditions of Jingle Bells and Come All Ye Faithful. Although the chihuahua was chilly, he enjoyed all the attention from tourists almost as much as I enjoyed the singing.
While this particular group was a bit of an improv performance, there are many opportunities for organized caroling in NYC that are not only festive, but completely free. Here’s a few we’re really excited about:
Trinity Youth Chorus – Financial District
St. Paul’s Chapel, Broadway and Fulton Street
Friday, December 14 at 6pm
Unsilent Night – West Village
The Arch at Washington Square Park, Fifth Avenue and Washington Square North
Saturday, December 15 at 7pm
Caroling on the Steps – Midtown East
Saint Bart’s Church, 325 Park Avenue between 50th and 51st Streets
Monday, December 17 at 5:30pm
West Village Chorales Greenwich Village Caroling Walk – West Village
Judson Memorial Church, 55 Washington Square South at Thompson Street
Saturday, December 22 at 4pm
Candlelight Caroling on Christmas Eve – East Village
West Stuyvesant Square Park, Second Avenue at 16th Street near the statue of Peter Stuyvesant
Monday, December 24 at 6pm
Christmas Eve in Gramercy Park – Gramercy
Lexington Avenue at 21st Street
Monday, December 24 at 6pm
Christmas Eve Caroling – West Village
The Arch at Washington Square Park, Fifth Avenue and Washington Square North
Monday, December 24 at 5pm
What’s your favorite song that always gets you in the holiday spirit?
Jessica Tiare Bowen lives in the juicy Big Apple with her adorable pink-nosed chihuahua, Gillman. He’s the inspiration for her first published children’s book, “Park Avenue Pound Puppy.” The book is the combined result of her two greatest passions: pooches and penning stories.
Her passions include art, urban hikes through Manhattan, drinking coffee with 3 creams and 6 sugars, making extremely detailed itineraries and traveling to far away places, singing along to Broadway shows, Netflix movie nights, discovering incredible treasures at Goodwill and thrift stores, and listening to stories from little people under 7 and big people over 70.
She started her career as New York City Teaching Fellow, teaching elementary school and theater arts at a special education school in the South Bronx for 6 years. She is now a Special Education School Improvement Specialist working in public schools throughout New York City. She is the Editor-In-Chief of the online New York City travel magazine, Used York City. The magazine focuses on finding the best of New York…as used by New Yorkers. She is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, and an ASPCA Ambassador.
