New York Holiday Season 2026: Events and Where to Stay

If you’re thinking about New York around Thanksgiving or the new year, it’s worth knowing what’s on before you book, because the city gets busy and hotel prices follow. The Rockefeller Center tree is lit on 2 December, the Thanksgiving parade comes first on 26 November, and the markets and light shows stay open through the end of the year. At the end are four hotels near the events, taken from our other New York guides.

What’s on from November to January

The dates below were checked on 30 October 2026. Where we could only find a date in a secondary source, or only last year’s date, we say so, and it’s worth a look at the organizer’s page before you plan around it.

Midtown at Christmas

Most of the famous things sit within a few blocks of each other around Rockefeller Center, which makes this the easiest part to see in one evening.

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, 2 December

The 76-foot Norway spruce from West Edmeston, New York, arrives on 7 November. Rockefeller Center’s tree page says it will be lit during the Tree Lighting Ceremony on Wednesday 2 December, 7 to 10 p.m., with more than 50,000 LED lights and a Swarovski star, and stays up until mid-January 2027. It says to check back for visiting hours. Time Out points out that you don’t need to brave the lighting ceremony to see the tree. The nearest station is 47-50 Streets-Rockefeller Center (B, D, F, M).

The Rink at Rockefeller Center, from 10 October to 27 March

The rink’s own guide says it’s celebrating its 90th season, with a new Skate House opening on 14 November. Sessions last 60 minutes and General Skate tickets start at US$22, not including skate rental. It recommends booking ahead, especially on weekends and over the holidays, and says you can see the tree from the steps beside the rink.

Radio City Christmas Spectacular, early November to early January

The Rockettes’ site shows tickets on sale, with prices only in its calendar. TicketNews reports a run from 4 November to 4 January, and that’s the only source we found for those dates, so check the calendar before you plan around one.

Bryant Park Winter Village, to 3 January for the shops

The Bryant Park page lists the rink and the Lodge until 28 February and the holiday shops until 3 January. Skating is free if you bring your own skates, but you still need a free reserved ticket, which it releases daily a week ahead. Rentals run from US$18.72 to US$64.48 before tax. The page says weekday mornings, the weeks before Thanksgiving and the days after New Year’s are the least crowded. The rink is open until midnight from 19 November to 3 January, and the nearest station is 42 St-Bryant Park (B, D, F, M).

Grand Central Holiday Fair, 9 November to 24 December

An indoor artisan market in Vanderbilt Hall, at 89 East 42nd Street. Grand Central’s page says it’s open Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. until 16 December, with longer hours the week of Christmas, and it’s closed on Thanksgiving Day.

Fifth Avenue windows

The department store windows, including Saks Fifth Avenue, Macy’s and Bergdorf Goodman, are free to look at. We could only find last year’s details, and 2026 dates weren’t announced when we checked, so we can’t give you a start day. Time Out’s guide says to go late at night, after the crowds have gone, for an up-close view.

Beyond Midtown

New York Botanical Garden Holiday Train Show, 14 November to 10 January

In the Bronx, with model trains running through miniature landmarks. The garden’s page lists the dates and extended evening hours on a handful of nights, including 27 to 29 November, and recommends advance reservations. We couldn’t find a separate train show price, so check the page when you book.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden Lightscape, 20 November to 3 January

A lit evening trail through the garden. Its page lists adult tickets at US$29, US$39 or US$44 depending on the date, with fees included, and says it sells out, so book early. The garden closes at 3:30 p.m. and the trail runs in evening entry windows.

New York City Ballet’s The Nutcracker, 27 November to 2 January

At the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center. New York City Ballet lists the run, and we couldn’t load ticket prices.

The two dates to plan around

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, 26 November

This year is the 100th parade, according to Macy’s parade site. It’s on Thursday 26 November, a 2.5-mile march that ends at the Macy’s flagship at Herald Square. The public can watch along designated parts of the route, which the NYPD manages, and Macy’s says grandstand seats aren’t sold to the general public. When we looked on 2 November, Macy’s still had route and viewing details marked as coming soon.

The Dutch travel site NewYork.nl says the parade usually starts around 8:30 a.m. on Central Park West at 77th Street and comes down Sixth Avenue. It says people start claiming spots at 6 a.m., suggests Central Park West between 60th and 75th Streets for a better view, and says to skip 34th to 38th Street, where the TV cameras and trucks block the view. Those details come from a travel site, so check Macy’s for the 2026 route before you go.

The big balloons are prepared on Wednesday 25 November on the Upper West Side, according to Macy’s, which said details on public access would come later. NewYork.nl says people usually line up around the American Museum of Natural History.

New Year’s Eve in Times Square

The ball descends at One Times Square toward midnight on 31 December, and the Times Square Alliance streams it free. Its FAQ says no tickets are needed for the outdoor celebration, viewing areas open at 3 p.m. and fill first come, first served, and that tickets are only needed for parties at restaurants and hotels. That page still mentions the 2025 celebration in places, so read it again closer to the date.

We left out a few things we couldn’t confirm for 2026, including the Union Square Holiday Market and the Dyker Heights lights in Brooklyn, which has no official schedule.

Where to book

Rates in New York change a lot from one night to the next, and we didn’t find a 2026 source for which weeks cost the most. Our Midtown East guide found most hotels adding a mandatory daily fee of roughly US$20 to US$42, which Booking.com includes in the price you see, so compare totals instead of the headline rate. These four hotels come from our other New York guides, and the cards below list their details.

• For Rockefeller Center, Radio City and Bryant Park, Hyatt Centric Times Square is about four minutes from both 42nd Street-Bryant Park and 47-50 Streets-Rockefeller Center, according to Booking.com’s distances in our Times Square guide. It adds a destination fee of US$40 a night.
• For the Grand Central Holiday Fair and Bryant Park, Pestana Park Avenue is about 420 meters from Grand Central and rates 9.0 on Booking.com from 858 reviews, in our Midtown East guide.
• For the parade finish at Herald Square, Broadway Plaza Hotel is on Broadway at West 27th Street, with 28 St station (R, W) about 130 meters away. It rates 9.3 on Booking.com from 1,474 reviews, in our Chelsea and Flatiron guide.
• Also in the Chelsea and Flatiron area, Innside by Melia New York NoMad rates 8.8 on Booking.com from 1,300 reviews, with 28 St station (1) about 210 meters away, and has the largest daily fee in that guide, about US$43.

We don’t have a hotel on the list near the Brooklyn or Bronx events, and both gardens are outside Midtown, so allow travel time if you’re staying there.