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Christmas lights at night in New York City
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Christmas lights · New York City, NY

Christmas lights in New York City

In New York the question isn't where to park — it's which train. Dyker Heights is free but at the far end of Brooklyn; the tree at Rockefeller Center is free and mobbed; the zoo and the two botanical gardens are ticketed and timed, so book ahead.

6 displays · 3 free · 5 with 2026 dates announced

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Where to see them

Where to go: with kids, on a date, with friends

With kids

Short walks, Santa, rides and something to do besides looking.

For a date

Somewhere to walk slowly, a drink in hand, and look good in the photos.

With friends

Cheap by the carload, or a long evening with food and music.

Free neighborhoods

No ticket, but the best-known ones get very crowded. Go on a weeknight if you can, and read the card for how to get in.

Dyker Lights 02Photo: Amaury Laporte · CC BY 2.0
Dyker Heights Christmas Lights 2019Dyker Heights Christmas Lights 2019

Photos: Steph Gray · CC BY-SA 2.0

Neighborhood·BrooklynFree

Dyker Heights

The most famous house lights in the country: whole blocks of Brooklyn homes buried in lights, giant toy soldiers, nutcrackers, inflatable Santas and music, each block with its own themes. It's free and best on foot, drifting from house to house with the crowd.

🧒 With kids🎉 With friends✨ Date night

What's there

  • Free
  • Houses between 11th–13th Ave and 83rd–86th St
  • Giant figures and music
  • Bus tours from Midtown if you'd rather not take the subway

What visitors sayGoogle 4.7 ★ · 3,181 reviews

Visitors say it feels like walking into a holiday movie — over-the-top, generous and full of neighborhood pride, and every block different. Several say you don't need a paid tour: one drove in from Long Island and parked a block away. Those who took a bus tour praised the guides.

An absolute must in December, and free. Take the subway, go on a weeknight, and walk the blocks between 11th and 13th Avenue.

2025 season
Late November or early December – Christmas, some into early January
Last year's dates — this year's aren't out yet.
Cost
Free
Start at
83rd to 86th Street, between 10th and 13th Avenues

Getting in and parking

  • Take the R to 86th Street or the D to 79th Street, then walk 10–15 minutes.
  • Parking is scarce and traffic heavy on peak nights — the subway is the better plan.
  • Stay on the sidewalk, don't block driveways, keep the noise down and take your trash with you: people live here.

On the map

Worth knowing

  • Weekend evenings from 5 to 9 pm in mid-December are the busiest. Weeknights are far calmer.
  • Bus tours from Midtown exist if you'd rather not do the subway at night.

Checked 2026-09-23 · Brooklyn Paper (2025)

Full 2026 guide

Walk-through: gardens, zoo, parks

Mostly ticketed per person, and on foot. Check the hours before you set out.

Rockefeller Center Christmas TreePhoto: Salon NYC · CC BY-SA 2.0
The 2012 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree LightingChristmas at Rockefeller

Photos: Anthony Quintano · CC BY 2.0 · Photos: Fraser Mummery · CC BY 2.0

Walk-through·Midtown ManhattanFree

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

The tree everyone pictures when they think of New York at Christmas: a giant spruce over the skating rink, framed by the Channel Gardens angels and the tower above. It's free to see, lit from early morning until midnight, and part of a Midtown walk with the Fifth Avenue windows.

✨ Date night🧒 With kids🎉 With friends

What's there

  • Free
  • Skating rink beneath the tree
  • Lit 5 am to midnight
  • Fifth Avenue windows nearby

What visitors sayGoogle 4.7 ★ · 202,255 reviews

Visitors say Rockefeller Center peaks at Christmas, when the tree goes up — mid-December is the full New York holiday experience, with enormous decorations and a buzzing crowd. The crowd is also the catch: it's shoulder to shoulder in the evenings.

Go at least once — early in the morning or late at night if you want to actually see it without the crush.

2026 season
Tree arrives Nov 7; lit Dec 2, 2026 until mid-January
Lit daily 5 am – midnight
Cost
Free
Where
Rockefeller Center, Midtown Manhattan

Getting in and parking

  • Take the subway: B, D, F or M to 47–50 Sts–Rockefeller Center. Don't drive — Midtown garages are expensive and the streets are closed to traffic on busy nights.
  • On weekends and in the week before Christmas the NYPD runs one-way pedestrian corrals along Fifth and Sixth Avenues; enter from 49th or 50th Street.

On the map

Worth knowing

  • It stays lit from 5 am to midnight, so you don't have to go at peak evening hours.

Checked 2026-09-23 · rockefellercenter.com

Full 2026 guideOfficial site
Holiday Lights at the Bronx Zoo — illustrationIllustration
Zoo·The Bronx

Holiday Lights at the Bronx Zoo

Lantern trails and light displays through one of the biggest zoos in the country. The ticket covers the afternoon too, so you can see the snow leopards and tigers from 1 pm and stay for the lights at 4:30.

🧒 With kids

What's there

  • Lantern trails after dark
  • Animals from 1 pm on the same ticket
  • Children's Zoo farmyard new for 2026
  • Cheaper deal days

What visitors sayGoogle 4.6 ★ · 40,065 reviews

The Bronx Zoo itself is loved as one of New York's best days out — people spend five hours or more and still don't see everything.

The best-value family day in the city in December: animals in the afternoon, lights after dark, on one ticket.

2026 season
Nov 21, 2026 – Jan 3, 2027, select nights
1 – 9 pm; lights on at 4:30, last entry 8 pm
Cost
Adult $37.95, child 3–12 $22.95 on a set date; $29.95 / $14.95 on deal days (Dec 3, 10, 17); any-night ticket $42.95 / $27.95. Under-3s free. Non-refundable. (2026)
Where
Bronx Zoo, the Bronx

Getting in and parking

  • Only the Bronx River and Southern Boulevard gates are open for Holiday Lights — Asia and Fordham Road are closed.
  • Parking is $22 a car, first come first served.
  • By subway: 2 train to Pelham Parkway, walk west to the Bronx River entrance (Gate B). The BxM11 express bus runs from Madison Avenue straight to the Bronx River entrance.

On the map

Worth knowing

  • Allow two to three hours. Tickets must be booked in advance.

Checked 2026-09-23 · bronxzoo.com

Official site
Lightscape — illustrationIllustration
Garden·Brooklyn Botanic Garden

Lightscape

An after-dark trail of light installations through the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, with 21+ nights, family nights and cheaper value nights.

✨ Date night🎉 With friends

What's there

  • Light installations along a garden trail
  • 21+ nights
  • Value-night tickets
  • Timed entry

What visitors sayGoogle 4.7 ★ · 15,478 reviews

The garden is one of Brooklyn's best-loved places, and one regular simply calls Lightscape the best of its evening events.

A lovely date night in Brooklyn — book a 21+ night for grown-ups or a value night to save money.

2026 season
Nov 20, 2026 – Jan 3, 2027
Entry 6:15 – 9 pm, closes 10 pm
Cost
Peak, off-peak, value-night, family and 21+ tickets. Public sale opens Sept 29, 2026, 10 am.
Where
Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn

Getting in and parking

  • Subway 2 or 3 to Eastern Parkway–Brooklyn Museum, or B/Q to Prospect Park (no B on weekends) for the Flatbush Avenue entrance.
  • Attended parking at 900 Washington Avenue is $25, paid on entry, most evenings.

On the map

Worth knowing

  • No pets or emotional-support animals; service animals only.
  • The trail is wheelchair-accessible and strollers are allowed.
  • Value nights and off-peak nights are the cheapest; 21+ nights skip the kids.

Checked 2026-09-23 · bbg.org

Full 2026 guideOfficial site
NY Botanical Garden Holiday Model Train show - January -Photo: LostplanetKD73 · CC0
New York Botanical Garden Holiday Train Show Manhattan diorama014_11A1-Bronx Botanical Gardens Holiday Train Show

Photos: Reconrabbit · CC0 · Photos: Gail Frederick · CC BY 2.0

Garden·New York Botanical Garden, the Bronx

Holiday Train Show

Model trains running through nearly 200 replicas of New York landmarks — Brooklyn Bridge, Statue of Liberty, Rockefeller Center — all built from bark, leaves and seeds, under the glass of the Haupt Conservatory. On select evenings it's lit up for night visits.

🧒 With kids✨ Date night

What's there

  • ~200 landmark replicas made from plants
  • Trains of many gauges and eras
  • Indoor — fine in any weather
  • Evening sessions on select nights

What visitors sayGoogle 4.6 ★ · 214 reviews

Reviewers are almost unanimous: the detail and craftsmanship are astonishing and it works for every age, from toddlers to grandparents. The last timed slot of the evening is quieter. One reviewer listed prices of $35 for adults and $25 for children in 2024.

A must for anyone with a child who loves trains — and a surprisingly good date if you go in the evening.

2026 season
Nov 14, 2026 – Jan 10, 2027 (members' preview Nov 13)
Where
New York Botanical Garden, the Bronx

Getting in and parking

  • Metro-North Harlem local from Grand Central to Botanical Garden station, across the street from the Mosholu entrance. The station is under renovation through 2026 — allow 10–15 extra minutes for the detour.
  • The garage is at 401 Bedford Park Blvd. Validate your ticket at a garden ticket window, or you pay the event rate.

On the map

Worth knowing

  • Members get in free; the number of tickets depends on the membership level.
  • Evening hours run on select nights through the show — the trains look best after dark.
  • Wheelchair-route guides are available on request and all restrooms are accessible.

Checked 2026-09-23 · nybg.org

Official site
Shine Bright at Hudson Yards — illustrationIllustration
Walk-through·West Side, ManhattanFree

Shine Bright at Hudson Yards

More than two million lights, 725 decorated evergreens and a 32-foot light-up hot air balloon around the Hudson Yards shops, with free Santa photos and live performances.

✨ Date night🎉 With friends

What's there

  • 2 million lights
  • 32-foot light-up hot air balloon
  • Free Santa photos
  • Warm shopping mall next door

An easy, free add-on if you're walking the High Line or going to the Vessel.

2026 season
Nov 16, 2026 – Jan 7, 2027 (Vessel lighting ceremony Nov 16, 6 pm)
Cost
Free
Where
Hudson Yards, New York, NY

Getting in and parking

  • Take the 7 train to 34 St–Hudson Yards; the station exit drops you in the plaza.

On the map

Worth knowing

  • Free to walk around. Combine it with the High Line, which starts right there.

Checked 2026-09-23 · hudsonyardsnewyork.com

Official site

Before you go

Why some dates say 2025

Most displays announce the season in October or November. Until they do, we show last year's dates and say so, rather than guess this year's. Every card shows the day we last checked it and where the facts came from.

Santa services in the USChristmas markets in New York City

Christmas lights in other cities

Questions

Which Christmas lights in New York City are free?
Dyker Heights (Brooklyn), Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree (Midtown Manhattan), Shine Bright at Hudson Yards (West Side, Manhattan). None of them sell tickets, but some charge for parking and the busiest neighborhoods have long lines, so check each card and go on a weeknight.
When do the New York City light displays open this year?
So far Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree (Tree arrives Nov 7; lit Dec 2, 2026 until mid-January) and Holiday Lights at the Bronx Zoo (Nov 21, 2026 – Jan 3, 2027, select nights) and Lightscape (Nov 20, 2026 – Jan 3, 2027) and Holiday Train Show (Nov 14, 2026 – Jan 10, 2027 (members' preview Nov 13)) and Shine Bright at Hudson Yards (Nov 16, 2026 – Jan 7, 2027 (Vessel lighting ceremony Nov 16, 6 pm)) have announced their 2026 dates. The rest publish in October and November; until then this page shows last year's dates, marked as such.