When was the last time a December event in Garden City asked you to sing instead of listen? This year the Cathedral of the Incarnation has put one on the calendar. It calls the event "a Cathedral first." It is an all-welcome sing-along of Handel's Messiah on Saturday, December 19, with the Cathedral Choir and professional soloists leading.
That date is the last of a short run. The village's holiday calendar starts on the Village Green on December 6 and moves into the Cathedral nave the following Sunday and again the Saturday after that. As the run goes on, the crowd's part grows. First you watch the performers, then you listen to the choir, and by the end you're singing with it.
Fourteen Days, Four Fixed Dates
Here is the core of Garden City's 2026 holiday season.
- Sunday, December 6, 3:30 p.m. The Annual Village Christmas Tree Lighting on the Village Green at Stewart Avenue and Hilton Avenue. The Village and the Garden City Chamber of Commerce host it.
- Sunday, December 13, 4:00 p.m. A Festival of Lessons and Carols at the Cathedral of the Incarnation.
- Friday, December 18, 5:30 p.m. A Very Grinchy Pajama Party at the Cradle of Aviation Museum.
- Saturday, December 19, 3:00 p.m. The Messiah Sing at the Cathedral of the Incarnation.
From the tree lighting to the Messiah Sing is thirteen days. The last two events fall on back-to-back days, so the weekend of December 18 and 19 has a family evening on Friday and a community sing on Saturday afternoon. If you want to fit in the whole season, that weekend is the one to keep open.
The Green Belongs to the Performers
The tree lighting is the most familiar date on the list, and it's built for watching. The Garden City Chamber of Commerce event listing promises holiday music, performances by the Broadway Bund Dancers and the Garden City High School Vocal Jazz Ensemble, hot chocolate, and "a visit from Santa himself."
The program starts at 3:30 p.m. on a Sunday in early December, on the Village Green at Stewart Avenue and Hilton Avenue.
On the Green, the music comes from the performers. The Vocal Jazz Ensemble, the dancers and Santa each have a role, and everyone else is the audience. That's the right format for a tree lighting. It's also where the season's other events start to differ.
Lessons and Carols Is the Listening Tradition
A week later, on Sunday, December 13 at 4:00 p.m., the Cathedral holds A Festival of Lessons and Carols. Its own description puts the event firmly in local tradition:
"The beloved Garden City tradition returns, welcoming the season of Christmastide with music and readings in the Cathedral's timeless format."
That line comes from the Cathedral's Music in the Cathedral page.
The format is music and readings, in the Cathedral's words. Like the tree lighting, it centers on what happens up front. The difference is the setting. This one takes place in a nave the Cathedral describes as "one of Long Island's most resonant and beautiful spaces."
Then the Cathedral Hands Over the Score
The Messiah Sing changes the arrangement. The Cathedral's listing calls it an "all-welcome sing-along of Handel's Messiah." The Cathedral Choir and professional soloists lead, and the invitation is plain: "Bring your voice and experience this masterpiece from the inside."
The listing marks it "New this season," so 2026 is its first year. It's the only date this December where the choir and the people in the pews take the same part. The tree lighting has performers and spectators. Lessons and Carols has a choir and a congregation. The Messiah Sing has one group singing together, backed by trained soloists.
It also comes at the close of a season that has been working up to it. The Cathedral's Fall 2026 lineup for Music in the Cathedral has been concerts you sit and hear:
| Date | Program | Who led it |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday, October 4 | Salute to American Music, marking the 250th anniversary of the birth of America | The North Shore Symphony Orchestra |
| Sunday, October 11 | Espresso Organ Recital, paired with an espresso bar and conversation | Canon Martin Green, Associate Director of Music David Preston, and Artist-in-Residence Raphael Attila Vogl |
| Sunday, November 1 | Requiem by Maurice Duruflé, for All Saints' Day | The Cathedral Choir, with David Preston on organ and Martin Green conducting |
| Sunday, December 13 | A Festival of Lessons and Carols | The Cathedral |
| Saturday, December 19 | Messiah Sing | The Cathedral Choir and professional soloists, with everyone who comes |
Four of those five programs ask the room to listen. The last one asks it to sing. The espresso recital in October showed the series trying a more social format, with coffee and conversation alongside the organ. December goes further and gives the audience the music itself.
The Messiah Sing is also on a Saturday at 3:00 p.m. Every other program in the fall series falls on a Sunday afternoon. For anyone whose Sundays are already full in December, it's the one Cathedral date this season that doesn't land on a Sunday.
Before you go, check the Cathedral's concerts page for the latest event details.
The Encore Circle, for Those Who Want More Than a Seat
The series also offers a way to get closer to the music. The Cathedral Encore Circle is its sponsorship program, starting at a minimum gift of $50 a year. Members get VIP access to concerts during the season, invitations to talks, receptions and members-only gatherings, and behind-the-scenes time with visiting artists and Cathedral musicians.
The Encore Circle has already gone beyond the listed program. Before the October 11 organ recital, its members were invited to a special organ tour at 3:00 p.m. If the Messiah Sing appeals because it puts you inside the music, the Encore Circle offers more of that over a whole season. Membership details are on the Encore Circle page.
The Night Before the Sing Is for Pajamas
The evening before the Messiah Sing, the Cradle of Aviation Museum holds A Very Grinchy Pajama Party on Friday, December 18. Guests are asked to wear their favorite pajamas. The evening includes holiday activities and a meet-and-greet with the Grinch, followed by a screening of the 2018 film The Grinch in the theater, with nut-free hot chocolate and cookies.
The schedule on the Cradle of Aviation Museum's event page:
- 5:30 p.m. Doors open
- 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. Activities and meet the Grinch
- 7:00 p.m. The Grinch screening
Tickets are $25 for adults ages 13 to 62 and $23 for children ages 2 to 12 and seniors 62 and up. Museum members get $5 off each ticket with the code memb5off, and need a membership card or photo ID at check-in. News12 Long Island is the media sponsor.
The party is ticketed and runs on a set evening schedule. It also adds a second participatory event to the end of the season. Kids come in pajamas and meet the character, and the next afternoon the adults can take a turn with Handel.
Planning the Run
For a household trying to catch the whole season, the calendar sorts into three parts:
- The opener: Sunday, December 6 at 3:30 p.m. on the Village Green. Hosted by the Village and the Chamber, with the Broadway Bund Dancers, the Garden City High School Vocal Jazz Ensemble, hot chocolate and Santa.
- The listening Sunday: December 13 at 4:00 p.m. in the Cathedral for Lessons and Carols.
- The participation weekend: the Grinch party Friday evening, December 18, then the Messiah Sing Saturday at 3:00 p.m. on December 19.
The tree lighting and Lessons and Carols are the village's long-standing December traditions. The Messiah Sing is new this season, and it's the one date where anyone who comes can sing with the Cathedral Choir.
If you'd like a local's help putting together your Garden City December, from the Village Green to the Cathedral nave, The Legacy Team at Yadlynd Cherubin is happy to share what we know about the village we work in every day. Schedule a free consultation, and we'll be glad to talk Garden City with you this season.
