Fifth Avenue is back for another season of spreading holiday cheer and they truly have outdone themselves!
First, was the unveiling of dazzling Bloomingdale’s holiday windows, which was shortly followed by Saks Fifth Avenue’s windows and light show presented alongside Sir Elton John. And with the upcoming Rockefeller Center tree lighting on Tuesday, November 30th, a new car-free initiative called “Fifth Avenue for All,” and the return of the beloved toy installations, this season is going to be bigger and brighter than ever.
New Yorkers can catch their favorite childhood toys reimagined in larger-than-life displays lighting up Fifth Avenue through January 7th. The adorable displays were first introduced in 2020, but became so popular that they are now a “permanent holiday fixture along the avenue,” says the Fifth Avenue Association.
A “special community giveback” will be possible this season with QR codes available at each toy to provide scanners with the chance to directly donate to Food Bank For New York City, the state’s largest hunger-relief organization and Fifth Avenue’s partner for the season.
Alongside the toys will be the return of the massive red mailbox that collects letters for Santa. You’ll be able to find it on Fifth Avenue and 51st Street to ensure your letter makes it to the North Pole.
Last year, animal sculptures leaped, jumped, & skated around the Pulitzer fountain that was decked out in 5,000 feet of lights. Though it’s unclear whether last year’s polar playground will reoccur, Fifth Avenue has announced an entirely new open streets program this December, better known as “Fifth Avenue for All.”
The program will shut down Fifth Avenue from 48th Street to 57th Street on select Sundays in December from vehicular traffic. This will give New Yorkers a greater opportunity to explore all the holiday decorations across the avenue without having to think about the complications of car traffic.
“We are excited to welcome our visitors this year with a fun and engaging way to appreciate all that the Avenue has to offer, with plenty of space to stroll and take photos, and to enjoy the live entertainment, world class restaurants, cultural institutions and our prime retailers who put on undoubtedly the best holiday window displays in the world,” said Ed Hogan, Board Chair of Fifth Avenue Association.
Stay up to date on all their holiday announcements on their website here.