Visiting New York at Christmas time is on a lot of peoples bucket lists, for good reason! We were lucky enough to visit just after Christmas and witness the magic of the city. We’ve put together a list of some of our favourite Christmas decorations in New York City. If you’re lucky, it might snow and really add to that incredible Christmas vibe.

1. 5th Avenue and Rockefeller Centre
2. 6th Avenue
3. Lotte New York Palace
4. Bryant Park Christmas Market
5. Wall Street
6. Dyker Heights Christmas Lights

Even though any New Yorker will avoid this area at all cost, especially during the Christmas period, it’s somewhere every tourist has to go at least once. The midtown area of New York begins just under Central Park and stops above Greenwich Village. Most of the amazing Christmas decorations in New York can be found at the top of Midtown.

You’ll want to start at the top of 5th Avenue, at the corner of central park and walk south. A lot of the shops will have festive window displays and decorations. Make sure to keep an eye out for Bergdorf Goodman’s display in particular! You’ll eventually reach Saks. The luxury clothing brand is known for their decorated windows and holiday light show. When we visited we were lucky enough to see their collaboration with Dior, but it changes every year.

Just across from Saks is Rockefeller Center, which really is the pinnacle of Christmas decorations in New York. Here you will find the famous Rockefeller tree, whose presence has been an annual Christmas tradition since 1933. The roughly 23 meter tall tree holds 50,000 lights on 8km of wire. On top of the tree there is a 408 kilogram star with over 3 million Swarovski crystals. It is usually on display from mid November to mid January. The lighting usually happens in late November and the whole tree truly is a sight to behold. In front of the tree you’ll also find the ice skating rink, which is open from October to April. Prices vary depending on when you visit and if you have your own skates. It’s a small rink though, so it’s maybe better to just watch!

After Rockefeller, walk across to 6th Avenue to see the great Christmas decorations there. The best place to start is Radio City Music Hall for the big tree on top of the marquee. Of course, not a decoration but this is also where you can see the Christmas Spectacular show with the Rockettes. This runs from early November to early January every year and tickets costs anywhere from $80 US to over $500 US. From there, walk south down to Bryant Park at 42nd street. Along the way there will be lots of oversized Christmas decorations, such as the giant Christmas baubles just across the road from Radio City Music Hall.

The Lotte New York Palace is an incredible place to visit during the Christmas Period. Located in the back courtyard of the Lotte New York Palace hotel, it’s easy to get to right in the city. The entrance to the courtyard is off Madison Avenue between 50th and 51st Streets just behind St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The courtyard is open to the street so you don’t have to worry about anyone asking if you’re staying at the hotel.

The tree is put up the week before Thanksgiving which is in late November and stays up into January. Aside from the big tree there’s also lights on the trees in the courtyard and present decorations. As for when to visit, before Christmas would be very busy and as it’s not the largest courtyard it would feel very cramped. We visited on January 4th and as you can see by the photo below, it was completely empty. We definitely think this is one of the lesser known Christmas decorations in New York. Definitely worth a visit while you’re in the city!

Voted the best Christmas Market in the world by Planet Cruise in 2023, the Bryant Park Christmas Market is a must see. The award was given based on online reviews and ratings as well as number of stalls and days open. This market has an incredible 170-180 stalls and is open for around 68 days every year, more than anywhere else in the world. The market opens at the end of October and runs through to early January, open every day from 10 or 11am until 8pm.

In the various stalls you will find handmade items that make perfect gifts, lots of food including a stall dedicated to s’mores, and delicious hot drinks. Walking around and exploring them all will take a while as there are so many. The area can also get quite cramped, especially close to Christmas, as it’s not the biggest space and it does attract a lot of visitors. In the middle of all the stalls, there is also a huge ice skating rink. While you need to book a session, it is actually free to use if you bring your own skates, or you can rent some there for a fee.

This is absolutely something worth seeing if you’re in New York while it’s open, and hopefully you will be as it’s open for so long! Being in the city too means it’s easy to find and it truly is just such a bucket list moment.

Another great place to see Christmas decorations in New York is on Wall Street in the south of Manhattan. There’s a lighting ceremony for the tree usually held in late November or early December. The beautiful tree is decorated with thousands of lights and festive decorations. At the ceremony there’s musical performances to keep everyone entertained, as well as food, and a bell that listed companies on the stock exchange ring as a symbolic celebration.

The ceremony is held at the New York Stock Exchange which is not actually on Wall street, but the nearby Broad Street. Unfortunately its held on the same night as the Rockefeller tree lighting but would be much less busy so may be a good alternative.

This is one of the most INSANE Christmas things to do in New York City. Dyker Heights has now become one of the most well known and iconic places to see Christmas Lights in the city. Started in the 1980s by Lucy Spata when she moved to the neighbourhood, the lights now span seven streets. You’ll find them from 11th to 13th avenue, between 83rd and 86th streets in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn. There’s no doubt that this is the biggest area of community Christmas decorations in New York.

They turn on from the weekend after Thanksgiving, so late November, and run through till early January. Each day they’ll turn on from when it’s dark and most of them turn off around 9pm, so make sure you’re not visiting too late. The easiest way to get there is from 79th street station on the D line, or from 86th street on the R line. It’s then about a 20 minute walk to the lights. You could also get a taxi to a spot nearby or get a tour from Manhattan with Get Your Guide.

Of course, not every house on these streets participates or some do but don’t have many lights up. There are also houses not on these streets that put lights up and some also take donations for charities. But as you can see by the photos below, some go super hard and are amazing to look at. It’s estimated there are multiple millions of lights used for the Dyker Heights Christmas Lights. Not only that but it is all free to wander around so this is definitely something that should be on your list while in New York!

So there you have it! A list of some of the most memorable Christmas Decorations in New York! This list is no where near all the amazing Christmassy things you can see in the city, but are some of our favourites. We hope you have the most incredible time in New York, it is such a special place to be, especially during Christmas time. So just enjoy it, take lots of photos, eat lots of great food and have a great time!

If you want to see our Christmas in New York, check out our vlog:

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