Century of sparkle: The Rockettes and the sweet art of becoming a kid again

New York holds many rituals, although very few possess the power to resuscitate the spirit the way the Rockettes do.

Their Christmas Spectacular has always been a glitter-drenched rite of the season, yet this 100th anniversary carries a different kind of voltage—gentler, brighter, almost defiant in its joy. The moment the curtain rises, the city’s collective armor melts, and even the most elegant, world-weary adult becomes a breathless child again. After a dark year, that transformation feels less like entertainment and more like medicine.

The precision of the Wooden Soldiers remains hypnotic—an ode to discipline so perfect it borders on transcendence. The many Santas burst in next, creating a gleeful avalanche of red velvet and holiday chaos that feels oddly cathartic. Their sheer abundance turns the entire hall into a snow globe of delight. It is impossible not to laugh. It is impossible not to feel something open.

Then the snow begins.

Radio City Music Hall fills with falling flakes and glittering light, and suddenly the entire venue becomes a tender hallucination of childhood. The sparkle settles onto the audience as softly as relief. The grandeur of the hall matters here. It always has. Few venues in New York still know how to cradle a moment. Radio City does. Its gold archways and cinematic sweep give the evening a sense of ceremony, a reminder that beauty carries weight, and joy—when offered at this scale—becomes a communal act of faith.

The Radio City Christmas SpectacularPhoto credit: MSG Entertainment

The ride through the animated streets of New York nearly brings a lump to the throat. The city flashes by in candy-colored motion, bustling with taxis, skyscrapers, and winter lights, as if the Rockettes are guiding us through our own private love letter to the place we call home. Something in the air shifts. The show stops feeling like a performance and begins to feel like a promise that things, finally, are looking up again.

The magic of the 100th year lies in the show’s refusal to apologize for its sincerity. The Rockettes never hedge their joy. They never dilute their glamour. Their kick lines land with exhilarating confidence, their costumes glow with theatrical bravado, and their storytelling remains timeless. Nothing here is ironic. Everything is sincere. That sincerity is what disarms us. That sincerity is what saves us, even for just ninety glorious minutes.

What truly stops a viewer in their tracks is the sense of renewal that fills the room. After months of heaviness, uncertainty, and quiet exhaustion, the Rockettes arrive like a collective exhale. Their performance reminds us that hope can shimmer. That tradition can steady us. That joy is still a discipline worth practicing. They prove, once again, that holiday magic is not reserved for children. It is earned, reclaimed, and relished by adults who desperately need the permission to feel wonder again.

The Rockettes remain a New York treasure because they know exactly what they are offering. They give the city a moment of unfiltered delight, wrapped in tinsel, precision, nostalgia, and grace. They give us the reminder that beauty still insists on being seen. They give us the feeling—unexpected, undeniable—that brighter days are truly ahead.

Get your tickets!