Dyker Heights Christmas Lights 2026: Dates and Subway

Dyker Heights Christmas lights go up the weekend after Thanksgiving, so about 28 and 29 November 2026, and are fullest from mid-December. The lights are free to see. Take the D train to 79 St or the R train to 86 St. We measured both walks on 8 November 2026: 25 minutes from the D stop and 17 minutes from the R stop.

How far the walk is: we measured it on 8 November 2026

We took the corner of 84th Street and 11th Avenue as the middle of the lights. On 8 November 2026 we routed the walk from two subway stops on a pedestrian map built on OpenStreetMap data.

• The D stop is the one Time Out and the MTA name. Our walk is 10 minutes longer than the 15 minutes Time Out gives.
• The R stop on 4th Avenue is 650 meters closer, about 9 minutes less on foot.
• Walking from 84th Street and 11th Avenue to 84th Street and 13th Avenue, the far end of the lit avenues, is 530 meters, or 7 minutes. So the lit avenues take about 7 minutes to cross.

Our verdict: use the R train if it fits your start point, and give yourself 25 minutes if you take the D. Both walks are long, and the D walk is about 2.4 miles round trip, so wear comfortable shoes.

Dyker Heights Christmas lights 2026 dates

So, plan a weeknight between mid-December and 31 December for the full display.

When the lights go up and when to go

Note: Time Out (page dated 29 Sep 2025): homeowners and decorating companies "hang their Christmas lights and decorations the weekend after Thanksgiving". "The best time to see the lights is mid-December through New Year's Eve." The decor "usually stays up until the end of the first week of January"

Note: The MTA's visitor site (page dated 1 Nov 2023, updated for 2024): "Most are decorated after Thanksgiving"

Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday of November. In 2026 that is 26 November, so the weekend after is 28 and 29 November.

No official 2026 schedule exists. Homeowners choose their own dates, so some houses may be lit earlier or later than the pattern above. Check a local news report in late November for this year.

Brooklyn Magazine (9 Dec 2025) says thousands of people come to the normally quiet streets, and that you could "opt for a weeknight visit" for a calmer time. The magazine gives no crowd count. Our verdict: go on a weeknight in mid-December, early in the evening, when the lights are on and the crowd is smaller.

Hours: Time Out: "We suggest going anytime between dusk and 9pm if you plan to travel by foot." "Most of the houses turn their displays off after 9pm but some leave theirs on later" (page dated 29 Sep 2025)

So, go between dusk and 9 p.m., and pick a weeknight for a calmer walk.

How to get to Dyker Heights by subway

Getting there: D train: Time Out says "take the D Train to 79th St and New Utrecht Ave, Brooklyn," then walk about 15 minutes, and "the terrain is a bit hilly" (page dated 29 Sep 2025). Brooklyn Magazine also gives "an easy 15-minute walk from the D train station at 79th Street" (9 Dec 2025). The MTA's visitor site lists the D train and a "6-minute rideshare from the 79th Street station in Brooklyn"

Getting there: R train: the MTA's visitor article shows both the R and the D trains, and says the lights are "about a 20 minute walk from the nearest subway stations." The MTA's station list shows the R stopping at 86 St on the 4th Av line in Brooklyn

The 2 subway routes, with the walks we measured:

1. D train to 79 St (New Utrecht Ave), then walk 1.2 miles, about 25 minutes, uphill to the lights. A taxi or rideshare from the station is the short option.

2. R train to 86 St (4th Avenue, Bay Ridge), then walk east along 86th Street. We measured 0.8 miles, about 17 minutes, to 84th Street and 11th Avenue.

The MTA article also says you can change to a bus for a shorter walk, but it names no route, so we give none. Use the MTA trip planner for your start point and for December weekend and night service changes.

So, take the D or the R, and plan on a 17 to 25 minute walk at the end. The R is the shorter walk.

The best streets

Note: Time Out: "from 11th to 13th Avenues (also known as Dyker Heights Blvd) from 83rd to 86th St in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn." The MTA's visitor site: "on 11th Avenue to 13th Avenue and from 83rd to 86th Street." Brooklyn Magazine: the most concentrated experience is "between 82nd and 85th Streets, and 11th and 13th Avenues"

There is no official map. Use this as your map of the Dyker Heights Christmas lights:

• Avenues: 11th Avenue to 13th Avenue (13th Avenue is also called Dyker Heights Boulevard).

• Streets: 83rd to 86th Street, per Time Out and the MTA.

• Densest stretch: 82nd to 85th Street, per Brooklyn Magazine.

The three sources agree on the avenues and differ by one street on the edges. No source ranks individual blocks or houses, so pick a street by what you see.

So, start at 84th Street and 11th Avenue, walk toward 13th Avenue, and cover the grid from 82nd to 86th Street.

Tours

Time Out mentions bus tours, and Brooklyn Magazine says tour groups of 30 or more are an increasingly common sight. Each operator sets its own prices, start points and dates. Read the operator's own page for the meeting point and the cancellation terms before you book.

So, a tour is optional, because the walk from the subway is free.

Crowds, parking and bathrooms

Note: Time Out: "Traffic, as well as parking, is generally lousy, so you might want to leave your car at home, or leave enough time to sort the car." "It's a very residential neighborhood, meaning it's tough to find bathrooms nearby, so prepare accordingly." (page dated 29 Sep 2025)

People live in these houses. Keep to the sidewalk and keep your voice down. That is our advice, and no city rule says it. The NYPD and the city have published no 2026 street closures, crowd rules or parking rules for the area, so we list none. Look for a local report in late November.

So, leave the car at home, and use a restroom before you go.

Sources

Sources: Time Out's Dyker Heights page (dated 29 September 2025), the MTA's Dyker Heights visitor article (1 November 2023, updated for 2024) and the MTA's subway station list, checked 5 Nov 2026; Brooklyn Magazine's 2025 photo story (9 December 2025), checked 14 Oct 2026; walking times from pedestrian routing on OpenStreetMap data at routing.openstreetmap.de, with the 84th Street and 11th Avenue point from the US Census geocoder, 8 Nov 2026.