The Best Holiday Lights in NYC
Looking for the best holiday light displays in NYC this season? From drive-thru shows to neighborhood traditions, these spots in and around the city bring serious winter cheer. Whether you're in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, or headed to Long Island, here’s where to find the brightest lights near you. Grab some hot chocolate, your camera, and let the festivities begin!
Eisenhower Park | Long Island
Photo: LuminoCity
LuminoCity Festival, the outdoor light art installation, returns this year from November to January at Eisenhower Park with a brand new Fantasy Winter Fairyland theme. Each exhibition illuminates the night with dazzling light art, towering sculptures, and immersive installations. Grab tickets today.
Jones Beach State Park | Long Island
PNC Bank Arts Center | Holmdel, NJ
Photo: Magic Of Lights
Pack the car and head to Long Island or New Jersey this holiday season. Cruise through more than 40 classic scenes, a glowing 200-foot tunnel, and new, larger-than-life displays featuring a monster truck, life-sized dinosaurs, and a Holiday Barbie. One ticket covers the whole car.
83rd-86th St btw 11th-13th Ave | Brooklyn
Photo: Dyker Heights Holiday Lights
It’s not Christmas in Brooklyn without a walk through Dyker Heights, where dozens of homes go all-out for the holidays with twinkling lights, inflatable nutcrackers, and lawn displays your HOA would cry over. Want the VIP version? Book a guided tour that picks you up in Manhattan and drops you inside the sparkle.
The Bronx Zoo
Photo: Bronx Zoo
Now through January, Holiday Lights transform the Bronx Zoo into a glowing wonderland! Explore their six lantern trails filled with hundreds of illuminated animals, light tunnels, and returning favorites like ice carving demos, a Holiday Train, and the Enchanted Sea. Plus, new this year: snow tube slides, a glowing ice throne, and virtual snowball fights!
Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Photo: Lightscape
Now through January, Lightscape is back for its 5th year at Brooklyn Botanic Garden with new displays highlighting the beauty of Gardens in winter. Grab a drink at the Lightscape Bar, warm up at the Lodge, and swing by on a 21+ or value night if you're feeling festive and thrifty.
Whitestone | Queens
PHOTO: @ISITGRAMMABLE
Whitestone, Queens, is home to the renowned Santa's Corner, a house transformed into a spectacular holiday display. With other nearby homes also decked out in extravagant lights and decorations, this neighborhood becomes a must-visit winter wonderland in NYC!
Hudson Yards
Kill two birds with one stone! Do some holiday shopping and check out Shine Bright at Hudson Yards! They’ve got over 2 million lights, 725 decorated trees, and giant hot air balloons throughout! Plus, free pics with Santa, tons of shopping, and it’s all up from now through January 7th.
30 Warren Pl | Mount Vernon
PHOTO: Christmas in America
We’re thrilled to announce Christmas in America's new Holiday Experience. Think free entry to 12,000 sq. ft. of festive lights, themed rooms, and plenty of photo ops for the fam. Plus, 10% of all sales support local organizations.
Updated November 2025
