The Best NYC Christmas Decorations and Where to See Them

The NYC Christmas decorations are really something special to see. They are so extravagant and guaranteed to get you into the festive spirit. Each year, New York City comes alive with glittering lights, enormous Christmas trees, beautifully decorated shop windows, and elaborate displays that make simply walking around the city feel magical. To make it even better, most of them are completely free to see!

From the famous Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree and Fifth Avenue’s spectacular department store windows to elegant hotel lobbies and the extravagant homes of the Upper East Side, there are Christmas decorations to discover all across New York City.

In this guide, I’ve rounded up the best Christmas decorations in New York City and where to see them. including some of the city’s most famous displays as well as a few lesser-known spots. I’ve also included a free map of all the locations to help you plan your festive walks around the city.

So grab a hot chocolate and get ready to explore some of the best NYC Christmas decorations!

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When Does NYC Decorate for Christmas?

If you’re wondering when NYC puts up its Christmas decorations, there isn’t one specific date. Different shops, hotels, attractions and neighbourhoods begin decorating at different times, but you can generally expect New York City to start looking festive from early to mid-November. Most major Christmas decorations are in place by late November, after Thanksgiving.

For the full NYC Christmas experience, I’d recommend visiting from late November through December. By then, most of the city’s major decorations and window displays should be in place, while the Christmas trees and festive attractions are also underway.

The Best NYC Christmas Decorations

In this section, I’ll share all the most magical Christmas decorations in NYC. If it’s your first time visiting New York, or you only have a few days in the city, these are the festive displays I’d prioritise.

If you’re planning a family trip to New York at Christmas, you might also like my NYC at Christmas with kids guide. This covers the best things to do, places to visit and festive experiences across the city.

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree is one of the most famous Christmas trees in the world. Seeing it in person is a highlight of any Christmas trip to New York City. The enormous tree stands in Rockefeller Plaza and is covered in thousands of twinkling lights, making it particularly spectacular after dark. However, it is beautiful to see during the day too!

Ice skating at the Rockefeller Center Rink beneath the Christmas tree is one of the most iconic Christmas activities in New York. Even if you don’t fancy skating, watching the skaters with the illuminated tree behind them makes for a wonderful festive experience.

Radio City Music Hall

Just around the corner from Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall. This is another great place in New York City to see lots of impressive Christmas decorations. The area is decorated with giant candy canes, Christmas trees and other festive displays, making it a lovely place to stop for photos.

The decorations can vary from year to year, but the area around Radio City and Rockefeller Center is reliably festive throughout the holiday season.

Fifth Avenue

Possibly the most famous shopping street in New York City, Fifth Avenue is particularly spectacular at Christmas. The luxury stores along this part of Manhattan go all out with their festive decorations and window displays.

The stretch of Fifth Avenue between The Plaza Hotel and Saks Fifth Avenue is especially beautiful, with Bergdorf Goodman, Dior, Cartier, Tiffany & Co., Louis Vuitton and other designer stores putting on elaborate displays.

Fifth Avenue also has its own seasonal decorations, which change from year to year. Every year I set aside a day to get out early and walk this stretch of the avenue before it gets too crowded, as there are plenty of beautiful details to spot along the way.

The Best NYC Christmas Window Displays

Another of my favourite things about Christmas in New York is seeing the beautifully decorated department stores and flagship shops.

The displays change every year, so there’s always something new to discover, but the stores that display them are usually the same. So, here are some of the best NYC Christmas window displays to look out for during your visit.

Macy’s Herald Square

Macy’s Herald Square is one of the most famous department stores in New York. Its Christmas decorations are worth seeing both inside and out.

The exterior is decorated with large festive wreaths and seasonal displays, while inside you’ll find plenty of Christmas decorations and a huge holiday shopping area. The Christmas window displays change every year but often include interactive elements, making them particularly fun for families visiting New York. Coming to Macy’s to see the store windows and visit Santa was always a favourite Christmas activity for my kids.

Saks Fifth Avenue

Saks Fifth Avenue is another must-see when you’re exploring New York at Christmas. Its Fifth Avenue façade is famous for its spectacular holiday light display, while the store’s windows are filled with elaborate festive designs.

The light show is set to return this year, taking place every 10 minutes, daily from 5 pm-11 pm. The schedule has changed over the year, so it’s worth checking the current schedule before your visit. You’ll also want to get a close-up look at the store windows, particularly if you enjoy fashion and beautifully designed displays.

Bergdorf Goodman

Just a short walk along Fifth Avenue, you’ll find another department store, Bergdorf Goodman. This one is known for its creative Christmas window displays.

The windows here tend to be more fashion-focused, making them particularly interesting if you enjoy fashion, interiors and design.

Ralph Lauren

The Ralph Lauren Women and Home flagship store on Madison Avenue is another lovely stop for Christmas decorations. The windows are beautifully styled for the festive season, and the garland around the entrance makes a particularly pretty backdrop for photographs.

The store is on Madison Avenue rather than Fifth Avenue, so it’s worth adding to your itinerary if you’re exploring the Upper East Side.

NYC Hotels that Decorate for Christmas

New York’s hotels really embrace the festive season, with grand Christmas trees, beautiful wreaths, garlands and elegant decorations transforming their lobbies and entrances.

The good news is that you don’t need to be staying at these hotels to enjoy many of their Christmas displays. They make lovely places to just pop in for a look.

Here are some of the best NYC hotels to visit at Christmas.

The Peninsula New York 

The Peninsula is one of my favourite NYC hotels to visit over the festive period. The main decorations are inside, and they welcome you to come in and look around!

The grand entrance hall is dressed with a giant Christmas tree, nutcrackers and ornaments. You can also go upstairs for even more festive decorations.

Address: 700 5th Avenue

Lotte New York Palace 

The courtyard at the Lotte New York Palace has the most beautiful Christmas display. An amazing Christmas tree takes centre stage.

This is also home to The Van der Woodsens in Series 1. (If any Gossip Girl fans are reading this, check my guide to all the Gossip Girl filming locations in NYC!)

Address: 455 Madison Avenue

The Plaza, New York

The Plaza is quite possibly the most luxury hotel in New York. Of course, it is extra special at Christmas time, even decorating all of its hotel rooms! Inside, it is adorned with many Christmas trees, and its marble stairs make the perfect photo spot.

During busy periods, the Plaza is only open to guests or those with a restaurant/ bar reservation. One Christmas, we went in without a booking, and another time, they weren’t letting people in without a reservation for the hotel or bar. I think it depends how busy they are.

Address: 768 5th Avenue

The Mark

Located in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, The Mark Hotel is another hotel that does lovely Christmas decorations! They have different decorations each year and often collaborate with designers such as Swarovski.

Address: 25 East 77th Street

NYC Shopping Centers with Amazing Christmas Decorations

If you’re planning to do some shopping during your Christmas trip to New York, there are some shopping destinations where you can combine a little retail therapy with some spectacular festive decorations.

Hudson Yards

Hudson Yards goes all out with its Christmas decorations. During the festive season, the entrance is traditionally filled with enormous lit-up hot-air-balloon displays that make a wonderful photo opportunity.

The decorations continue throughout the shopping centre, with festive garlands, Christmas lights and other seasonal displays. Outside, you’ll find even more decorations around The Vessel, making Hudson Yards worth visiting even if you aren’t planning to shop.

The Oculus

The Oculus in Downtown Manhattan is another impressive place to see Christmas decorations. Every year, the vast central space inside the shopping centre is transformed with a spectacular festive display.

One of the best things about the Oculus is that you can see the decorations from several different levels, giving you a great view from above as well as when you’re standing in the main concourse.

It’s particularly beautiful when viewed from the upper levels, so don’t just admire the decorations from the ground floor before moving on.

The Best Christmas Trees in NYC

New York City is home to some spectacular Christmas trees; the Rockefeller Centre Christmas Tree is undoubtedly the most famous. I’ve already covered it above, but there are plenty of other beautiful Christmas trees to discover around the city.

I’ve also mentioned some of the impressive hotel trees, including those at Lotte New York Palace, The Peninsula and The Plaza. Here are a few more Christmas trees worth adding to your NYC itinerary.

Bryant Park Winter Village Christmas Tree

Bryant Park is one of the best places to visit when spending Christmas in New York. The park is transformed for the festive season with its popular holiday market, ice-skating rink and plenty of Christmas decorations. There’s also a large Christmas tree, which makes a lovely backdrop to the skating rink.

If you’re visiting NYC with children, Bryant Park is particularly worth adding to your itinerary. My son really loved the ice skating, and I enjoyed browsing the Christmas market stalls.

The New York Public Library Christmas Tree

I didnt know this until we moved to New York, but the New York Public Library is free to visit and is well worth stopping by, even if you’re not in NYC for Christmas.

During the festive season, it is extra pretty, as decorations, including a large Christmas tree, are installed inside the building. The tree is traditionally decorated with woodland birds and animals, giving it a slightly different feel from the grand, glittering trees you’ll find elsewhere in the city.

The library is right next to Bryant Park, so the two are easy to visit together.

South Street Seaport Christmas Tree

Down in Lower Manhattan, South Street Seaport is home to another large Christmas tree. The historic waterfront area is particularly pretty during the festive season, with its cobbled streets, old buildings and seasonal decorations.

I wouldn’t make a special trip across the city just to see the tree, but if you’re exploring Lower Manhattan, it’s a lovely festive stop to add to your route.

Wall Street’s Christmas Tree

Also in Lower Manhattan, you’ll find the Wall Street Christmas Tree. The Financial District is particularly atmospheric around Christmas, and the tree is an easy addition if you’re already visiting the nearby 9/11 Memorial, One World Observatory or the Oculus.

The Best Christmas Decorations on the Upper East Side

Some of the most memorable Christmas decorations in New York aren’t found at the city’s famous department stores or attractions. Head into the residential neighbourhoods, and you’ll find beautifully decorated townhouses and homes that go all out for the festive season.

We were lucky enough to spend three years living on The Upper East Side. There are some wonderful townhouses that put up particularly elaborate Christmas displays each year.

These streets are a little away from the main tourist sights, so you probably wouldn’t come across them by chance. However, they’re close enough to Fifth Avenue and Central Park to be worth adding to your itinerary if you have the time.

The decorations usually return each year, although the displays can change. These houses also do incredible Halloween decorations; see more in this guide.

East 64TH Street – Between Fifth and Madison Avenues

This townhouse on East 64th Street is one of my favourite places to see Christmas decorations in NYC. The display changes slightly each year, but it is always beautifully decorated with an impressive collection of festive decorations.

It’s also not far from The Plaza, making it relatively easy to add to a Christmas walk along Fifth Avenue and through the Upper East Side.

East 76TH Street – Between Fifth and Madison Avenues

Another Upper East Side townhouse puts on a spectacular Christmas display, including giant Nutcracker decorations alongside other festive displays.

This is one of my favourite Christmas photo spots in New York. We would make sure to go here for a family photo each year.

Dyker Heights Christmas Decorations

Dyker Heights is perhaps the most famous neighbourhood in New York for extravagant Christmas decorations. Unlike the other locations in this guide, Dyker Heights is in Brooklyn, rather than Manhattan, so you’ll need to allow more time to visit.

I haven’t personally visited Dyker Heights, but it is well known for its spectacular displays. Entire homes covered in Christmas lights, decorations and enormous festive figures.

You can visit independently, but if you’d prefer someone else to take care of the logistics, there are also guided Dyker Heights Christmas tours available during the festive season.

If you’re visiting New York with children, this could be a particularly memorable evening activity. The scale of some of the displays is incredible.

Map of All the Best NYC Christmas Decorations and Lights to See

Below is a Google Map of all the NYC Christmas decorations that I have talked about in this guide. Simply click on the top right-hand corner to open it in Google Maps and use it to help you plan your route.

Frequently Asked Questions About NYC’s Christmas Decorations

Final Thoughts on The Best Christmas Decorations in New York City

New York City really comes to life during the festive season, and one of the best things about visiting at Christmas is simply walking around and taking in the decorations. From the iconic Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree and Fifth Avenue to beautiful department store windows, elegant hotels and elaborately decorated homes, there are festive displays all over the city.

Whether you’re visiting New York for the first time or returning for another Christmas, I hope this guide has given you plenty of ideas for where to see the best NYC Christmas decorations.

Don’t forget to use my free map of NYC Christmas decorations to help plan your route. You can easily combine several of these locations into one festive walk, making it a great way to explore New York without spending a fortune.

If you’re planning a Christmas trip to New York, take a look at my guide to NYC at Christmas, where you’ll find even more ideas for things to do, places to visit and ways to enjoy the city during the holiday season.

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Thank you for reading our guide on all the NYC Christmas decorations and lights to see while you’re in New York. I hope you have an amazing time.

Happy Exploring,