The Rockefeller Center tree, the Saks light show, Bryant Park's Winter Village, Macy's windows at Herald Square, and the Dyker Heights lights in Brooklyn. Here's the nearest station and line for each, when to go to avoid the worst crowds, and a one-evening walking route through Midtown.
2026 dates so far. Bryant Park's Winter Village opens Wednesday, October 28 (rink through February 28, 2027). The Rockefeller Center tree arrives Saturday, November 7 and is lit for the first time on Wednesday, December 2. Saks says its windows and light show return Monday, November 23. Tree viewing hours, Saks showtimes and the city's 2026 holiday street closures haven't been posted yet; we'll update this page when they are.
| Display | Nearest subway | Best time |
|---|---|---|
| Rockefeller Center tree 49th–50th St, 5th–6th Ave |
47–50 Sts–Rockefeller CtrB D F M (D F nights & weekends) | Weeknights. Skip lighting night unless you want the crowd. |
| Saks light show 5th Ave at 50th St |
47–50 Sts–Rockefeller Ctr · 5 Av/53 StB D F M · E (F weekdays) | After dark. Watch from the tree side of 5th Ave. |
| Bryant Park Winter Village 40th–42nd St, 5th–6th Ave |
42 St–Bryant Pk · 5 AvB D F M · 7 | Weekday late afternoon, before the after-work rush. |
| Macy's windows Broadway & 34th St |
34 St–Herald Sq · PATH 33 StB D F M N Q R W | Any evening; easy last stop before Penn Station or PATH. |
| Dyker Heights lights Brooklyn, around 84th St & 11th–13th Ave |
79 St · 86 StD · R, then a 15–20 min walk | Weeknight after dark. Allow about an hour each way. |
Lines from MTA Subway Stations data and MTA schedule data (fall 2026). Ride and walk times are our estimates from MTA schedules and station locations. Verified October 2026.
Know which trains run in the evening. On weekdays until about 9 p.m., the F runs along 53rd Street (stopping at 5 Av/53 St) and the M runs via 63rd Street and 57 St, and both stop at 47–50 Sts–Rockefeller Ctr along with the B and D. After about 9 p.m. and all weekend, the B and M don't run through Midtown, and the F goes via 57 St and 63rd Street instead of 53rd Street. The D and F stop at 47–50 Sts and 42 St–Bryant Pk at all hours. Station signs still show every letter, so check the train's sign before you board.
The tree stands over the rink at Rockefeller Plaza, between 49th and 50th Streets and 5th and 6th Avenues. Rockefeller Center says the classic street-level view is from 5th Avenue looking west, down the Channel Gardens toward the tree and the Prometheus statue. The tree stays lit nightly from the early-December lighting through early to mid January; Rockefeller Center posts the exact viewing hours and take-down date during the season.
Station tips. 47–50 Sts–Rockefeller Ctr is under 6th Avenue, about a block from the tree, and has elevators. It gets very crowded on peak nights. 5 Av/53 St (no elevators), 7 Av at 53rd Street and 51 St on the 6 at Lexington Avenue are each about a 10-minute walk and usually calmer.
2026: the tree arrives Saturday, November 7, and is lit for the first time on Wednesday, December 2, on NBC's live broadcast. Viewing hours and the take-down date aren't posted yet.
The Saks flagship faces the Channel Gardens across 5th Avenue, so you see the tree and the light show from the same corner. The show plays on the building's facade on a loop through the evening. The sidewalk right in front of the windows is the most crowded spot in Midtown, so the light show is often easier to watch from the Rockefeller Center side of 5th Avenue.
2026: Saks says the windows and light show return Monday, November 23 (Saks announcement). The light show runs in the evenings; Saks hasn't posted 2026 showtimes yet.
An outdoor rink plus the Holiday Shops by Urbanspace, set up through the park between 40th and 42nd Streets and 5th and 6th Avenues. Rink admission is free, but you need a timed ticket from Bryant Park's website. Rental skates, bag check and lockers cost extra, and bags aren't allowed on the ice.
Station tips. 42 St–Bryant Pk is under 6th Avenue at the park's west side, and 5 Av on the 7 is connected to it at the east end. Neither has elevators; Times Sq–42 St and Grand Central–42 St do. From Grand Central, it's about a 10-minute walk west on 42nd Street, or one stop on the 7.
2026–27 season: the rink is open daily October 28, 2026 to February 28, 2027, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., and until midnight from November 19 to January 3 (8 p.m. close on January 31). The Holiday Shops open October 28 at noon; Bryant Park hasn't posted their 2026 hours yet.
Macy's flagship at 151 West 34th Street puts up holiday windows along Broadway and 34th Street every season; check Macy's for this year's unveiling date. 34 St–Herald Sq is right underneath and has elevators. It's the most practical last stop of the night: PATH's 33rd St station is a block away on 6th Avenue, and Penn Station (LIRR, NJ Transit, Amtrak) is a short walk west.
If you're also going to the Thanksgiving parade, see our Macy's Parade route and subway guide.
Source: Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree · Bryant Park Winter Village · Bryant Park Holiday Shops · MTA Subway Stations data (lines and accessibility) · Verified October 2026
The tree, Saks and Bryant Park are within a half mile of each other. This route covers all three plus Herald Square in about two to three hours with crowds, with about a mile of walking (more if you continue up 5th Avenue).
1. Start at Bryant Park (around 5 p.m.). Get off at 42 St–Bryant Pk (B D F M) or 5 Av (7). Walk through the Holiday Shops and past the rink. From Grand Central, walk west on 42nd Street (about 10 minutes).
2. Walk north on 5th Avenue to 49th Street (about 10–15 minutes). It's seven blocks, longer on a crowded night. Stay on the east side of 5th Avenue as you get close, so you end up facing the Channel Gardens and the tree.
3. The tree and the Saks light show (49th–50th Streets). Look west down the Channel Gardens to the tree, then turn around for the light show on Saks. Cross 5th Avenue and walk through the Channel Gardens to the rink for the close-up view.
4. Optional: keep going north on 5th Avenue. The stretch from 50th to 57th Street is lined with decorated store windows. The city has made this stretch car-free on Sundays in December in recent years (see Crowds & Timing).
5. Finish at Herald Square. Walk back to 47–50 Sts–Rockefeller Ctr and take any B, D, F or M two stops south to 34 St–Herald Sq for the Macy's windows. Walking takes about 20 minutes instead. From Herald Square, PATH and Penn Station are right there for the trip home, or take the train back to Grand Central.
Dyker Heights is a residential neighborhood in southwest Brooklyn where homeowners cover their houses and lawns in lights, animated figures and music. NYC Tourism says more than 100,000 people visit each holiday season. The biggest displays are on the blocks around 84th Street between 11th and 13th Avenues. It isn't an organized event: there's no ticket, no opening date and no official hours. Most houses are lit from around Thanksgiving weekend through the new year.
Take the D toward Coney Island from 47–50 Sts, 42 St–Bryant Pk or 34 St–Herald Sq; it runs at all hours. 79 St is an elevated station on New Utrecht Avenue, about a 15–20 minute walk to 13th Avenue and 84th Street, the east end of the main blocks. 18 Av, the next stop, works too but is a little farther.
86 St at 4th Avenue has elevators, and the walk east along 86th Street reaches 11th Avenue, the west end of the main blocks, in about 15–20 minutes. The R makes every stop, so it's slow. To save 10 minutes or more, take the N from 34 St–Herald Sq or Times Sq to 59 St in Brooklyn (about 28 minutes) and switch to the R there for the last three stops.
Be a good guest. These are people's homes. Stay on the sidewalk, don't block driveways or walk onto lawns, keep the noise down, and don't stay late; there are no posted hours, so mid-evening is a considerate time to leave. Some homeowners collect donations for charity. Tour buses and traffic jam the side streets on weekends, so don't plan to drive or take a car right to the door.
Allow about an hour each way from Midtown. The scheduled ride is 40 to 50 minutes, plus the walk and the wait for a train. Brooklyn is colder and darker than Midtown once you're off the main avenues, so wear warm shoes and keep your phone charged for the walk back to the station.
Source: NYC Tourism: Dyker Heights · MTA Subway Stations data (station locations and accessibility) · Ride times from MTA weekday evening schedules (fall 2026); walk times are our estimates from station coordinates · Verified October 2026
Go on a weeknight. Weekends from Thanksgiving to Christmas are the busiest nights of the year around Rockefeller Center, and the weekend right before Christmas is the worst. It's dark before 5 p.m. in December, so a weeknight visit from 5 to 7 p.m. gets you the lights without staying out late.
Tree-lighting night is a different event. Rockefeller Center says anyone can watch the ceremony in person at Rockefeller Plaza, but viewing space fills hours before the broadcast, and in past years the NYPD has closed the cross streets around Rockefeller Center to traffic from the afternoon and kept backpacks and large bags out of viewing areas. If you just want to see the tree lit, come any other night.
Pedestrian-only blocks. In the 2025 season, NYC DOT made West 49th and West 50th Streets between 5th and 6th Avenues pedestrian-only from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. daily through January 4, and closed 5th Avenue from 48th to 57th Street to cars from noon to 6 p.m. on a December Sunday. Expect similar for 2026, but check DOT's announcements.
Keep moving on the sidewalk. On busy nights, expect barriers and directed foot traffic near the tree. Step aside (against a building, not the curb) to take photos, and agree on a meeting spot in case your group gets split up.
Use a quieter station. On peak nights, 47–50 Sts–Rockefeller Ctr is packed. 5 Av/53 St, 7 Av at 53rd Street and 51 St on the 6 are all about a 10-minute walk and much calmer. Going home, walking 15 minutes to Grand Central or two subway stops to Herald Square beats squeezing onto the platform right under the tree.
Source: NYC DOT: Holiday Open Streets, Dec 2025 · Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting · Verified October 2026
Every regional railroad lands within a short walk or subway ride of the Midtown displays. Railroads run special schedules on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, so check the holiday timetable in each railroad's app before you go.
Grand Central is the best starting point for the walking route above: Bryant Park is about 10 minutes west on 42nd Street, and the tree is about 15 minutes away up 5th Avenue. See our Metro-North guide.
Pick Grand Central Madison if you're starting with Bryant Park and the tree; it's under Grand Central. Pick Penn Station if you want to end at Macy's and head straight back. You can arrive at one and leave from the other. See LIRR at Penn Station.
The 33rd St terminal is under 6th Avenue at Herald Square, next to the Macy's windows. Ride the B, D, F or M from 34 St–Herald Sq two stops north to 47–50 Sts for the tree, or walk up 6th Avenue. Fare $3.25. See our PATH train guide.
Penn Station is a short walk west of Herald Square. Do the route in reverse: start at Macy's, ride up to Rockefeller Center, and walk down to Bryant Park, which is a short walk east of the Port Authority Bus Terminal if you came by bus. Buy your return ticket in the app before you leave so you skip the ticket-machine lines later. See NJ Transit at Penn Station.
New to the subway? Our NYC subway guide covers OMNY tap-to-pay ($3.00 a ride) and how to read the line signs.
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