Christmas Day basketball starts at Madison Square Garden. On Friday 25 December 2026 the San Antonio Spurs visit the New York Knicks in the opening game of the NBA’s five game Christmas Day slate, a rematch of the 2026 NBA Finals.
If you are flying in for the game, this post covers the matchup itself, the ride in from the airport, where to stay, and how the first hour in New York works on a holiday game day.
What is happening
The NBA plays five games on Christmas Day for the 19th consecutive year, all of them on ABC and ESPN, and the slate opens in New York. The Spurs and Victor Wembanyama, the league’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year in the NBA and ESPN announcement, visit the defending NBA champion Knicks and Finals MVP Jalen Brunson. It is the first meeting between the two teams since the 2026 NBA Finals, which is why this fixture, and not another, gets the noon window.
The game also carries the day’s alternate broadcast: Disney, ESPN and the NBA present the third Dunk the Halls animated presentation of this same game, on ESPN2, Disney+, Disney Channel and the ESPN App, while the traditional telecast runs on ABC and ESPN. At the Garden itself, the venue’s own advice is simple: plan to arrive early, have your mobile tickets ready on your device before you reach the door, and travel light, because bags must fit comfortably under your seat and oversized bags are prohibited.
Christmas Day is a holiday schedule in the city around the game, so build the day around the noon tip: land the day before if you can, and let the Garden be the plan, not an addition to it.
Getting there after you land
Madison Square Garden stands directly above Penn Station, so almost every airport route ends with a short walk to the arena doors. See our JFK to Manhattan transfer guide for every option, priced and compared.
AirTrain and subwayCheapest
The default for most arrivals: ride the AirTrain to Jamaica for the E train to Midtown, or to Howard Beach for the A train. Cheap, frequent, and the subway it connects to runs 24 hours a day, Christmas included.
Taxi, flat rate
One flat price from JFK to any Manhattan address, from the official rank outside every terminal. Worth it with heavy bags or three or more people. Ignore anyone offering a ride inside the terminal.
Pre-booked transfer
A driver waits in arrivals with your name on a sign, and a delayed flight does not change the price, the settled option on a holiday travel day.
The full first hour: New York City guide
The ride in, the first ticket and the first meal, plus where to stay in New York City.
Where to stay, and getting back
For a Splurge, The Plaza, at 768 Fifth Avenue, is the grande dame at Central Park’s corner, with the Palm Court, the Champagne Bar and old New York glamour fully intact. For Sweet spot, Arlo SoHo, at 231 Hudson Street, has a rooftop bar with skyline views and compact smart rooms, downtown style without the SoHo prices. For Budget, HI New York City Hostel, at 891 Amsterdam Avenue on the Upper West Side, is a historic Gothic building with clean dorms and privates, the best value in Manhattan.
Any of the three reaches the Garden by subway, which is the right way to move on Christmas Day: no road traffic, no surge, and the trains run around the clock. For getting back to the airport, the AirTrain and subway and the flat rate taxi both run at about 45 minutes in normal traffic.
The first hour, sorted
Get connected before you fly: the guide names an Airalo eSIM for the US, and free Wi-Fi is standard in cafes, with LinkNYC kiosks offering free public Wi-Fi on sidewalks. You will want your mobile ticket and your ride plan on the phone on game day.
Cards work everywhere, including the subway: tap your phone or contactless card at OMNY readers at $2.90 per ride, with a $34 weekly cap after 12 rides. Keep cash useful for food carts and tips. Hotel tax runs about 14.75 percent plus $3.50 per night.
For a first meal, the guide sends you to Joe’s Pizza on Carmine Street for the classic New York slice, folded and eaten walking, or to Katz’s Delicatessen on East Houston for pastrami on rye. Book Empire State Building and 9/11 Museum tickets before you fly, as the guide directs, for the days either side of the game.
A Christmas Day game at the Garden is a once a season ticket, and it anchors a holiday weekend in the city better than any other single plan. Browse the events calendar for what else is on while you are in town, and use plan your trip to line up the days around it.
The skyline at dusk, the food and DUMBO, for the days around the game.
Get the New York City first hour checklist by email
The ride in, the first ticket and the first meal, in the New York City guide PDF you can read on the plane.
The checklist, free, from After You Land.
What else is on
The events calendar tracks every guided city, strikes and stoppages included.
Events calendarLine up the rest
Plan your trip pulls the guide, the stays and the bookings for this trip into one place.
Plan your trip