Christmas in New York: The Insider's Guide to the Holiday Season

From the morning Santa rides down Central Park West at the end of the Thanksgiving parade until the ball drops in Times Square, New York puts on the biggest holiday show on Earth. It’s also the busiest time of year, and a little inside knowledge goes a long way. This guide covers the classics, the stories behind them, and the timing tips our guides share with guests every December.

Planning the full season? Our Christmas in New York page brings together our holiday tours and experiences in one place.

Rockefeller Center Christmas tree lit up in NYC — The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree, a New York tradition since the Depression.

The Rockefeller Center tree: from workers’ fir to world icon

The most famous Christmas tree in America began as a modest gesture. In December 1931, in the depths of the Depression, construction workers building Rockefeller Center pooled their money for a small fir and decorated it with strings of cranberries, paper garlands and, by some accounts, tin cans. Two years later, in 1933, the center held its first official tree lighting, and the tradition has continued ever since.

Today’s tree is usually a Norway spruce, often 70 to 90 feet tall, chosen after a search of backyards and farms across the Northeast. It wears tens of thousands of multicolored LED lights and is crowned by a Swarovski crystal star. After the season, the tree’s lumber has in recent years been donated to Habitat for Humanity to help build homes.

Insider tips for seeing the tree

The lighting ceremony takes place on a Wednesday evening soon after Thanksgiving. Crowds are enormous and viewing areas fill hours ahead; most locals watch it on TV and visit another night.
The tree typically stays lit until early or mid January. Late evenings and weekday mornings are far calmer than weekend afternoons.
Walk up through the Channel Gardens from Fifth Avenue for the classic approach, with the tree framed by illuminated angels.

People ice skating near the Prometheus Statue in Rockefeller Plaza — Skaters beneath Paul Manship’s golden Prometheus at Rockefeller Plaza.

Ice skating: pick your rink

New York has several very different places to skate:

The Rink at Rockefeller Center, open since 1936, is small, iconic and sits right below the tree and Prometheus. Sessions are timed and priced at a premium in December, so book ahead.
Bryant Park offers a larger rink at the heart of the Winter Village, with free admission if you bring your own skates (rentals cost extra).
Wollman Rink in Central Park has arguably the best backdrop in the city, with the skyline of Central Park South rising above the trees.

Check current hours and ticketing for each rink before you go.

The windows on Fifth Avenue and beyond

Holiday window displays are a New York art form, and department stores compete to outdo each other. Most are unveiled in mid to late November and stay up through the end of December.

Saks Fifth Avenue, across from Rockefeller Center, pairs its windows with a light show projected across its facade after dark.
Bergdorf Goodman, at Fifth Avenue and 58th Street, is known for windows that feel more like gallery installations, packed with handcrafted detail.
Macy’s Herald Square, on 34th Street, leans into storytelling and nostalgia, and its in-store Santaland is a family favorite.

Don’t miss the giant red ornaments in the fountains along Sixth Avenue near 50th Street, a favorite photo stop just a block west of the tree. On Park Avenue, the median is lined with lit evergreens each season, a tradition dating back to the end of World War II that honors those who died in service.

Insider tip

Walk the windows after 9 p.m. on a weeknight. The displays stay lit, the sidewalks empty out, and you can actually stand still long enough to see the details.

Giant Christmas Balls on Display over Water Fountain in NYC

People walking on the street in Fifth Avenue New York

Holiday markets

New York’s holiday markets are clusters of small glass-walled kiosks selling gifts, crafts and warming food. Each has its own personality:

Bryant Park Winter Village

The biggest and most atmospheric, set around the skating rink behind the New York Public Library. It usually opens in late October, before any other market, with the shops running into early January. Come hungry: the food stalls are as popular as the gifts.

Union Square Holiday Market

One of the longest-running markets in the city, with a strong focus on local makers, artists and designers. It typically runs from mid-November until Christmas Eve, and it’s a great place for one-of-a-kind presents.

Columbus Circle Holiday Market

Set at the southwest corner of Central Park, this smaller market combines gift shopping with an easy stroll into the park afterward. It usually runs from late November to Christmas Eve.

Dates and hours change each year, so check the current schedule before you plan your day around a market.

Market stall in Union Square Christmas Market in New York City — A stall at the Union Square Holiday Market. Credit: Mack Male / CC BY-SA 2.0

Radio City Music Hall sign in New York City — Radio City Music Hall, home of the Rockettes.

The Rockettes at Radio City

The Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall has been a holiday staple since the 1930s, and the Rockettes’ precision kick line is the star. The Art Deco hall itself, opened in 1932, is worth the ticket: look up at the proscenium arch, designed to evoke a sunset. There are several performances a day in peak season, and weekday matinees are usually the easiest to book.

Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, where homeowners go all out every December.

Dyker Heights: Brooklyn goes big

If Manhattan’s holiday displays are polished, Brooklyn’s are exuberant. In Dyker Heights, residents cover their homes in extraordinary light displays, from giant Santas to life-size nutcrackers, drawing visitors from around the world. It’s free, it’s joyful and it’s a genuinely local tradition. Read our guide to the Dyker Heights Christmas lights for the best blocks and timing, or let us handle the trip on our Dyker Heights Christmas Lights Tour.

New Year’s Eve: Times Square and the alternatives

The Times Square ball drop has been a tradition since 1907. Watching it in person is a true endurance event: spectators are directed into pens along Broadway and Seventh Avenue, many arrive by mid-afternoon, there are no public restrooms, and once you leave your spot you can’t get back in. Many locals prefer to celebrate elsewhere, from a riverside view of midnight fireworks to a restaurant with a countdown and a view.

If you want to see Times Square decked out without the crowds, visit on the evening of December 30, or on New Year’s Day, when the confetti is still being swept up. Our private Broadway and Times Square tour tells the story of the ball drop and the square’s transformation.

November: the season begins

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, a tradition since 1924, officially welcomes Santa to town.
Bryant Park Winter Village is already open; other markets open in mid to late November.
Store windows are unveiled, usually in the week or two before Thanksgiving.
The Rockefeller Center tree lighting follows soon after Thanksgiving.
Hotel prices climb steeply around Thanksgiving weekend; book early.

December: peak season

Everything is open, lit and at its busiest, especially on weekends.
Book skating sessions, Radio City tickets and observation deck sunset slots well ahead.
See the big sights on weekday mornings or late evenings.
Most holiday markets close on Christmas Eve.
Many restaurants close or run special menus on Christmas Day; reserve early.

January: the local secret

The Rockefeller tree usually stays up until early or mid January.
Crowds and hotel prices drop sharply after New Year’s Day.
Ice rinks stay open well into winter.
Bryant Park’s shops typically close in early January, but the rink runs longer.
Dress for real cold: January is usually the chilliest month of the year.

a group of people walking near Grand Central Terminal during winter — Walking past Grand Central Terminal on a winter evening.

See the season with a local

The holidays are when a good guide earns their keep: knowing which corner to stand on, which block to skip and which stories make the lights mean something. Our Rockefeller Center tour with Top of the Rock puts the tree, the rink and the Art Deco history in context before you rise above it all.

New York Experience is run by ExperienceFirst, a New York tour company founded in 2009. December is our favorite month of the year.

Christmas in New York FAQs

The first two weeks of December offer the full holiday atmosphere with slightly smaller crowds than the week before Christmas. For lower prices with the decorations still up, the first week of January is a great option.

The lighting ceremony takes place on a Wednesday evening soon after Thanksgiving, and the tree usually stays lit until early or mid January. Check the official date each year.

Bryant Park Winter Village is the biggest and has a skating rink, Union Square is best for local makers and unique gifts, and Columbus Circle is the easiest to pair with a walk in Central Park.

It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience for some, but it means standing for many hours in the cold without restrooms. Many visitors prefer to see Times Square decorated on another night and celebrate midnight elsewhere.

Take the R train to 86th Street or the D train to 79th Street and walk about 20 to 25 minutes, or join a guided tour that includes transportation from Manhattan.

A warm, windproof coat, hat, gloves and comfortable waterproof shoes. You’ll spend far more time outdoors and on foot than you expect.