Closures at a glance

Each row comes from the venue's own page, checked 22 October 2026. "Not listed" means the venue names other closed days but not this one; it is not a promise of normal hours.

Venue Thanksgiving, 26 Nov Christmas Day, 25 Dec New Year's Day, 1 Jan
The Met Fifth Avenue Closed Closed Closed
MoMA Closed Closed Not listed as closed
American Museum of Natural History Closed Closed Not listed as closed
Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island ferries No service No service Not listed as closed
9/11 Memorial (outdoor pools) Open daily, holiday hours posted separately Open 8am–8pm in 2024 Open daily, holiday hours posted separately
9/11 Museum Holiday hours posted separately Closed in 2024 Holiday hours posted separately
Empire State Building Open; hours not posted yet Open; hours not posted yet Open; hours not posted yet
Top of the Rock Holiday hours not listed Holiday hours not listed Holiday hours not listed

Museums

The Met. Its plan your visit page says The Met Fifth Avenue is closed on Thanksgiving Day, 25 December, 1 January and the first Monday in May. It is also closed every Wednesday. Normal hours are 10am–5pm Sunday to Tuesday and Thursday, and 10am–9pm Friday and Saturday. Our Met tickets guide covers prices and the pay-what-you-wish rule.

MoMA. The MoMA visit page says the museum is "open every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas". Usual hours are 10:30am–5:30pm, with Friday open until 8:30pm. New Year's Day 2027 falls on a Friday; the page does not say whether the late opening applies on a holiday.

American Museum of Natural History. The AMNH hours page says "Open daily, 10 am–5:30 pm" and "Closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day". The same page lists frequent temporary hall closures, updated weekly, so check it again in the week you go.

9/11 Memorial and Museum. The about your visit page gives the Memorial as open daily 8am–8pm and the Museum as open Wednesday to Monday, 9am–7pm, with "select Tues & holiday hours" on a separate special-hours page that we could not open. The Museum's 2024 holiday post said the Museum was closed on Christmas Day while the Memorial stayed open 8am–8pm. For tickets, see our 9/11 Memorial and Museum guide.

Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

Statue City Cruises, the only ferry to both islands, runs daily except Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. The National Park Service's Liberty Island Information Center page gives the same two closures. Neither page lists New Year's Day as a closure.

The ferry page also warns that arriving after 2pm does not leave enough time for both islands. On short December days, aim for a morning ferry. Our Statue of Liberty tickets guide covers crown and pedestal booking.

New York, United States

Observation decks

The Empire State Building says it is "open 365 days a year". Its hours page listed dates only into mid-November when we checked, with no holiday times. Top of the Rock lists daily hours of 8am–midnight (last entry 11:10pm) and nothing for holidays. If a deck is your Christmas Day plan, the Empire State Building is the one that commits to opening. Our observation decks comparison helps you choose.

New York City Subway

Subway, buses and trains on the holidays

Last season the MTA published its holiday service notices about a week ahead. Last season's notices for Thanksgiving 2025 and Christmas and New Year 2025–26 show the pattern:

Day Subway City buses
Thanksgiving Sunday schedule, extra early-morning service on some lines Sunday schedule; Midtown delays and detours
Day after Thanksgiving Regular weekday Reduced weekday schedule
Christmas Eve Regular weekday Reduced weekday on most routes
Christmas Day Sunday schedule Sunday schedule
New Year's Eve Weekday, with extra late-night trains Reduced weekday; Midtown detours
New Year's Day Sunday schedule Sunday schedule

A Sunday schedule means longer waits between trains, not a shutdown. Allow extra time for anything with a fixed entry slot, such as a museum or ferry ticket.

How to plan around the closures

  • Thanksgiving: the parade fills the morning and the big museums are shut. Use the day for the parade, the outdoor 9/11 Memorial (open daily; check its holiday hours) or an observation deck, and move museum visits to Friday.
  • Christmas Day: the Met, MoMA, the natural history museum and the Statue ferries are all closed. The outdoor 9/11 Memorial (open last year), the Empire State Building and Bryant Park's Winter Village are the realistic daytime plans. The Winter Village page lists the Holiday Shops at noon–5pm on Christmas Day, and the rink runs 8am–midnight from 19 November to 3 January; see our Winter Village guide.
  • New Year's Day: the Met is the main closure among the venues above. Book anything else for the afternoon if you were out late, and expect Sunday train frequencies.