Christmas in New York 2026

Christmas in New York runs from the Macy's parade on 26 November 2026 to the tree's last day on 9 January 2027, and you can do all of it on the subway and on foot. On 8 November 2026 we measured the loop from Bryant Park to Times Square to Rockefeller Center and back at 1.64 miles, about 36 minutes of walking, with Radio City 3 minutes from the Rockefeller Center plaza. Base yourself near Midtown, walk Fifth Avenue between 49th and 59th Streets, and use the subway only to get in and out.

What we measured on 8 November 2026

We routed pedestrian paths between the Midtown sights on 8 November 2026, using street addresses placed on a map.

• Walk it. The longest leg is 13 minutes, and a subway ride with a walk to the station takes about as long.
• The $3 fare is $6 for a round trip between hotel and Midtown. The $35 weekly cap covers 12 rides, so a one-week trip with two rides a day costs $35, not $42.
• Radio City is 3 minutes from the tree. Plan them for the same evening.

So our pick is one evening on foot: Bryant Park, Times Square, the tree and Radio City, all inside 36 minutes of walking.

Christmas in New York 2026 dates in one table

Note: NYC Tourism's release is dated 25 August 2026. It lists a 30-foot snowflake and a holiday scent installation on Fifth Avenue, window displays, and Saks' light show as part of the program, with no Saks date. It gives the Radio City run as 4 November to 4 January with 230 performances. The Fifth Avenue Association lists a snowflake lighting ceremony on 18 November from 5 to 6:30 p.m. NYC Tourism calls Open Streets seven blocks, and the Association's page lists 48th to 57th Streets

Price: Bryant Park rink: free admission. Skate rental $18.72 to $64.48 including a $0.72 to $2.48 fee, and cheaper at off-peak times. Open daily 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., and 8 a.m. to midnight from 19 November to 3 January. The rink closes at 8 p.m. on 31 January. Skate time is booked online, and own-skate tickets open one week ahead

Hours: Bryant Park holiday shops: 28 October 2026 to 3 January 2027, Monday to Friday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Open daily, including holidays

Address: Bryant Park rink: 42nd Street and Sixth Avenue, Manhattan. The Rockefeller tree stands between 48th and 51st Streets and Fifth and Sixth Avenues

The Open Streets page lists the year as 2025 in one field but names Sunday, 13 December, which matches 2026. NYC Tourism also gives 13 December. Plan on 13 December.

So, the season runs from late October to early January, and the busiest stretch is 26 November to 2 December.

Use the subway and learn two stations

Midtown is easy to cover on foot, and the subway gets you in and out. The two stations to know are both on the B, D, F and M lines.

Subway: Bryant Park rink: 42 St-Bryant Park, on the B, D, F and M, with a free transfer to the 7. The M runs on weekdays only

Subway: Rockefeller Center and Radio City: 47-50 Sts-Rockefeller Center, with entrances on Sixth Avenue at West 47th, 48th, 49th and 50th Streets. It is on the B, D, F and M, and it is accessible. The M runs on weekdays only, and the other lines change on weekends and late nights, so check the MTA planner for your time

Subway: Times Square: the 1, 2, 3, 7, A, B, C, D, E, F, M, N, Q, R, W and the S shuttle serve the area, says the Times Square Alliance. On New Year's Eve the MTA asks people not to use the 42nd Street station, so use a nearby stop

Getting there: The fare is $3 on the subway and local bus. You get one free transfer within two hours on the same card or phone. With tap and ride, the 7-day cap is $35, or $67 if you add express buses. Express buses cost $7.25 a ride

If you arrive by train, our New York to Washington guide names Moynihan Train Hall as the New York station. Our New York guide covers the airports.

So, tap the same card or phone every ride, and the $35 cap keeps a busy week cheap.

Plan the week around the crowds

The crowds follow the dates. A short plan for a first visit:

1. Before 20 November: The Bryant Park rink and shops are open, the tree is on the plaza from 7 November, and the Fifth Avenue decor is not up yet.

2. 20 November to 1 December: The Fifth Avenue decor is up. The Macy's parade is on 26 November, and the Dyker Heights lights go up about 28 and 29 November. The tree is not lit yet.

3. 2 December: The tree lighting is a TV event with a security screening. Skip the plaza that evening unless you want the ceremony.

4. 13 December: Fifth Avenue's Open Streets day, with cars kept off from 48th to 57th Street from 12 to 6 p.m. This is the best car-free day.

5. Up to 9 January 2027: The lit tree stays on the plaza, says NY1.

Our guide to the tree lighting has the rules, the station and last year's pattern. The 2026 ceremony time is not announced yet.

So, for fewer people, go on a weekday evening in early December or after New Year.

Christmas Day and New Year

The MTA and the Times Square Alliance post their 2026 Christmas Day and New Year's Eve plans in December. Check mta.info for subway changes on 25 December, and the Times Square Alliance for New Year's Eve entry points and station closures.

Sources

Sources: NYC Tourism 2026 holiday release (25 August 2026) and its tree lighting listing, Bryant Park's rink page, holiday shops page and Winter Village page, the Fifth Avenue Association holidays page, the MTA fares page and B line map, NY1's tree report (26 October 2026), Macy's Inc., Time Out's Dyker Heights page and Rockefeller Center's holiday page, checked 4 to 8 Nov 2026; walking distances from pedestrian routing on OpenStreetMap data at routing.openstreetmap.de, with addresses placed by the US Census geocoder, 8 Nov 2026.