December in NYC is unmatched — and there are plenty of holiday lights throughout the five boroughs to prove it.
Whether you’re wandering through an iconic Brooklyn neighborhood or zipping by your favorite attraction in Midtown — to name just a few options — dazzling lights are on hand to make the season all the more festive. And who are we to resist a few photo ops along the way?
If you’re looking to marvel at a few gorgeous scenes this holiday season, feast your eyes on a few of our favorite spots.
1. Dyker Heights
Dyker Heights needs no introduction: the holiday hotspot has been dazzling New Yorkers with over-the-top, see-it-to-believe-it Christmas displays for over 30 years.
Just after Thanksgiving, the Brooklyn neighborhood begins to transform with lights, candy canes, nutcrackers, reindeer, and every other possible decor that puts the North Pole to shame.
2. Rockefeller Center
The mother of all Christmas greenery, the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree is arguably NYC’s most well-known holiday tradition — and with good reason.
This year, the lighting ceremony will take place on Wednesday, December 3rd starting at 7pm. Reba McEntire will assume hosting duties, and guests can expect a stellar roster of festive performances until the 50,000 LED lights turn on, which will take place roughly around 10pm.
3. Saks Fifth Avenue
NYC felt the absence of Saks Fifth Avenue’s holiday light show in 2024.
After its abrupt cancellation last year, the tradition made a triumphant return on November 24th.
According to the Saks team, “The lights will dance to a curated medley of uplifting music, creating a luminous celebration of light and sound.” Six windows will be decked out as well, and this year, they will be NYC-centric: snowy Central Park, a fashionable, Saks’ take on the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, and so forth.”
4. Lightscape at Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Returning for its fifth year, Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s glittering Lightscape experience has officially arrived.
The vibrant outdoor light trail is once again transforming the gardens into an enchanted forest, welcoming visitors from November 21st through January 4th.
This year’s adventure will feature an array of brand-new light sculptures, brilliant water features, and colorful effects projected onto the trees of Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Get tickets now!
5. Shine Bright Hudson Yards
Hudson Yards’ annual holiday installation called “Shine Bright” is always stunning, taking over the West side neighborhood all holiday season.
The area gets decorated in more than 2 million twinkling lights and the shopping center’s interior gets decked out in 115 miles of shimmering string lights.
This year, For the first time, Hudson Yards’ iconic Vessel has officially lit up for the holidays, kicking off the milestone with a free celebration featuring live music, performances, and mesmerizing twinkling lights. (And, the star of the show: an appearance from Ellie the Elephant.)
6. Radio City Music Hall
Radio City Music Hall is an iconic NYC venue, especially during the holiday season when The Rockettes famously take it over for a month!
Make sure to check it out as the Christmas Spectacular rings in its 100th year!
7. Chelsea Market
Walk under multi-colored mylar fringe and ornaments when you visit Chelsea Market. You’ll find dazzling lights along the exterior of the market and decorative presents, lit up Christmas trees, and shiny ornaments on the inside.
8. 79th Street Holiday House
If you’re looking to get in the holiday spirit, but rather skip out on the crowds in Dyker Heights, this Bay Ridge house has decorations to rival the famous holiday neighborhood with one house only. Located at 635 79th Street in Brooklyn, Bay Ridge’s holiday house was created by Roy Jensen in 1989 and has grown considerably every year since.
Nowadays, the annual Christmas scene take about two and half weeks in total to put up and includes 50,000 lights. This involves taking down the decorations from the previous holiday (yes, the house gets decorated for all holidays year-round, not just Christmas), cleaning the front, prepping the new decorations and assembling everything.
9. Grand Army Plaza’s Menorah
Brooklyn’s largest menorah will once again shine bright at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn this year when Hanukkah kicks off on December 14th! Continuing through to the eighth night of Chanukah, the menorah lighting is accompanied with live music and hot food to celebrate—and it’s free for everyone see.
10. Central Park
NYC’s magical Central Park gets adorned with holiday lights every year, including the Charles A. Dana Discovery Center which gets lit up every night during the festive season. Its one-of-a-kind flotilla of lit Christmas trees on the Harlem Meer is a staple of their light display as well!
This year’s event takes place at 5:30pm on December 4th.
11. New York Lotte Palace
The New York Lotte Palace is one of the best Christmas hotels in NYC to book this year, and it’s because they go all out with their lights!
From the iconic Christmas tree in their courtyard to the stunning lobby lights, this place is a thing of dreams! The festive decor usually arrives sometime in late November / early December!
12. The Shops at Columbus Circle
The Shops at Columbus Circle are best known for their annual “Holiday Under the Stars” installation, which features 14-foot stars that illuminate the atrium and are synchronized to holiday music! The light show typically runs every half hour from 5 pm – 11 pm daily. They’re set to return this year on November 18th, debuting 44 new stars and more than 3,000 feet of glittering garland! Learn more about all of the festive programming happening at Columbus Circle here!
13. Neighborhood brownstones
Take a quaint stroll on the UWS to discover gorgeous facades, elegantly decorated in wreaths and garland. The sparkling lights will enchant you as ornaments are strung in bright shades of red and green along the perimeters.
Where: (zip codes) 10023, 10024, 10025, 10069
14. NYC’s festive restaurants
Of course many of NYC’s restaurants go all-out with decor for the holidays, and many of them take careful curation when it comes to lights. Whether it’s Rolf’s (pictured) or Oscar Wilde, there are many places across the city to get mesmerized by lights while enjoying a meal or a festive cocktail! Check out our full list of NYC restaurants that go crazy with festive decor here!