The Holiday Almanac · Windows & Lights

NYC Holiday Windows & Lights, 2026

The Fifth Avenue windows, the Saks light show, the Rockefeller tree and Dyker Heights: when each one goes up in 2026, and how to see them in one walk.

Checked on the organizers’ own pages, October 15, 2026

The great department-store windows are free, open at all hours, and almost all within a few blocks of each other on Fifth Avenue. Most are unveiled in the week before Thanksgiving. Walk from Saks and the Rockefeller tree up to Tiffany and Bergdorf Goodman, then cross to Bloomingdale's on Lexington; Macy's is a detour south to Herald Square.

Only some stores have announced 2026 dates. We checked on October 15, 2026; where 2026 isn't out yet, we show last year's dates, labeled.

Midtown, ManhattanConfirmed for 2026

The Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree

The tree goes up in early November and is lit on live television on December 2. The ceremony area is first come, first served.

When: Arrives Sat Nov 7; lighting ceremony Wed Dec 2, 2026
Hours: 2026 viewing hours not yet posted (in 2025: daily 5am–midnight)
Cost: Free to view
Where: Center Plaza, Rockefeller Center (49th–50th Sts, Fifth–Sixth Aves)
Subway: B/D/F/M to 47–50 Sts–Rockefeller Center

See it late at night or early in the morning, when the plaza is quiet.

Source: Official site ↗

Midtown, ManhattanConfirmed for 2026

Saks Fifth Avenue Windows & Light Show

This year's campaign is "Main Character Energy": six animated windows and a facade light show facing the Rockefeller tree across Fifth Avenue.

When: From Mon Nov 23, 2026
Hours: 2026 show times not yet announced (in 2025: every 10 minutes, 5–11pm)
Cost: Free
Where: 611 Fifth Ave, between 49th & 50th Sts
Subway: B/D/F/M to 47–50 Sts–Rockefeller Center

Source: Press ↗

2026TBA

Midtown, Manhattan2026 not yet announced

Bergdorf Goodman Windows

Hand-built tableaux that many consider the most artful windows in the city, across the women's and men's stores.

When: 2026 dates not yet announced (in 2025: Nov 20 – Jan 5)
Cost: Free
Where: 754 Fifth Ave at W 58th St
Subway: N/R/W to 5 Av/59 St; F to 57 St

Source: Press ↗

2026TBA

Midtown, Manhattan2026 not yet announced

Tiffany & Co. The Landmark

A giant illuminated snowflake glows over the facade, one block south of Bergdorf.

When: 2026 date not yet announced (in 2025: unveiled mid-November)
Cost: Free
Where: 727 Fifth Ave at E 57th St
Subway: N/R/W to 5 Av/59 St; F to 57 St

Source: Press ↗

2026TBA

Upper East Side, Manhattan2026 not yet announced

Bloomingdale's 59th Street Windows

Each year Bloomingdale's partners with a designer or star on its windows and holds a concert-style unveiling.

When: 2026 campaign not yet announced (in 2025 it was announced Oct 27)
Cost: Free
Where: 1000 Third Ave at E 59th St
Subway: 4/5/6 to 59 St; N/R/W to Lexington Av/59 St

Source: Official site ↗

2026TBA

Herald Square, Manhattan2026 not yet announced

Macy's Herald Square Windows

In the year of the 100th Parade, Macy's says select stores will show parade-themed windows; Herald Square has a countdown clock to the Parade.

When: 2026 date not yet announced (in 2025: unveiled Nov 20, the week before Thanksgiving)
Cost: Free
Where: 151 W 34th St at Broadway
Subway: B/D/F/M/N/Q/R/W to 34 St–Herald Sq

Source: Official site ↗

2026TBA

Dyker Heights, Brooklyn2026 not yet announced

Dyker Heights Christmas Lights

Whole blocks of houses lit with professionally installed displays — the city's most over-the-top holiday tradition.

When: No official dates (there's no organizer): usually fully lit from the weekend after Thanksgiving to early January
Hours: Best from dusk to about 9pm; many displays switch off by 9–10pm
Cost: Free
Where: 11th to 13th Aves between 83rd and 86th Sts (84th St is the famous block)
Subway: D to 79 St, then about 15 minutes' walk

Don't drive: traffic locks up by about 5pm.

Source: Press ↗

Notes on the dates

The Saks date comes from trade coverage of its 2026 announcement; we couldn't find Saks' own release, so we label it press.