America's Most Crowded Holiday Attraction Is An East Coast Icon Full Of Long Lines And Festivity

'Tis the season for holiday travel. December brings surges of tourists, as people journey to celebrate with their families, enjoy warmer weather, or see holiday attractions like the most show-stopping Christmas light shows in America. New York City is known for being a winter destination, filled with exciting treats, shops, and activities, and people flock to the city to experience a picture-perfect holiday. In fact, the ice skating rink at Rockefeller Center was identified as the most overcrowded Christmas attraction in the world (and thus the U.S.) based on customer reviews in a 2025 study by the eSIM company Holafly.

The study analyzed English-language Tripadvisor reviews from November, December, and January, seeking out comments with crowd-related terms such as "overcrowded," "busy," "chaotic," and "hectic." Each location was given a "crowded score" based on the percentage of reviews that mentioned these keywords. The Rink had the highest crowded score by far, with 41.2% of reviewers mentioning the crowds. According to the study, "Reviews mention long queues, limited skating space, and a constant stream of spectators lining the rink's edges making it difficult to access the rink. However the rink creates a setting that few attractions can match and even with the hustle and bustle, it is worth it for an unforgettable experience."

Popular Christmas holiday movies like "Elf" show the Rink as a center of festive cheer, with ice skaters gliding under the iconic Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, one of the most breathtaking Christmas trees around the world. But these movies don't show the extent of the crowds. According to NBC New York, the Rink draws over a quarter-million skaters per year, not to mention the around 750,000 daily visitors wanting to glimpse the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree (via NYCTourism).

There are also many other popular NYC holiday attractions within a few blocks that add to the crowds. Just down the street, Radio City Music Hall hosts the Rockettes' Christmas Spectacular, which performs two to five times a day throughout the month of December. Nearby St. Patrick's Cathedral is covered in holiday decor and features both special holiday religious services and guided architecture tours. Finally, retailers such as Saks Fifth Avenue put up Christmas displays to attract holiday shoppers.

A quick look at Tripadvisor shows why the Rink's crowded score is so high. One reviewer wrote in early 2025, "Either be on the rink skating or watching from a tiny area. Our reservation was for 10:20 PM. We weren't allowed to scan in until just a minute or so before that. We still needed to get skates, find a bench in the crowded room to put them on, and look for an empty locker for shoes. That all took several minutes into our hour time ... It was very, very crowded." However, others say that the legendary festive experience is worth dealing with crowds: an enthusiastic visitor stated in late 2024, "This was my lifelong dream, which had perfected itself even more here ... I was on the ice for so long and I was so charmed by this magical atmosphere."