New York holiday season 2026: from the Thanksgiving parade to New Year’s Eve

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade 2026 (Thursday 26 November)

The 100th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is on Thursday 26 November 2026, with a record 100 inflatables; it is free, and NBC, Peacock and Telemundo show it from 8:30am. It marches 2.5 miles to Macy’s Herald Square. In 2025 the route ran from 77th Street down Central Park West, east along Central Park South and down Sixth Avenue to 34th Street, finishing around noon; Macy’s has not yet published the 2026 route or viewing areas.

In 2025 the public could watch along Central Park West from about 75th to 61st Street, on the south side of Central Park South and on Sixth Avenue from 59th to 38th Street. Herald Square and Sixth Avenue below 38th Street are a television zone closed to the public, and the grandstand seats there are not sold. More than 3.5 million people line the route, and early risers arrive by 6am.

Leave large bags, backpacks, umbrellas and strollers behind; bags may be searched. The giant balloons fly lower, or not at all, in strong winds: the city’s limit since 1998 is sustained winds of 23 mph or gusts of 34 mph.

Balloon inflation (Wednesday 25 November)

The day before the parade, the balloons are inflated on the Upper West Side around the American Museum of Natural History, and in 2025 anyone could walk past them for free from 1pm to 6pm. Entry was at 72nd Street and Columbus Avenue, with security checks and no umbrellas, backpacks or large bags. Macy’s will confirm 2026 access later; expect long queues in the late afternoon.

Rockefeller Center Christmas tree 2026 (lit on Wednesday 2 December)

The tree arrives on Saturday 7 November 2026 and is lit on Wednesday 2 December during NBC’s live broadcast; seeing it costs nothing. In 2025 it was lit from 5am to midnight every day, all night on Christmas Eve and until 9pm on New Year’s Eve, and it came down on 10 January; 2026 hours have not been announced. The 2025 tree was 75 feet tall with more than 50,000 lights, under a 900-pound Swarovski star, and the 2026 tree will be given to Habitat for Humanity as timber afterwards.

On lighting night Midtown is packed for hours, so most visitors are better off watching on television and coming another evening. For a calmer look, go early in the morning or late at night on a weekday. In 2025 West 49th and 50th Streets beside the tree were closed to traffic every day from 11am to 1am for pedestrians.

Christmas lights, windows and markets

Fifth Avenue’s holiday decorations begin on 20 November 2026, and Saks Fifth Avenue unveils its windows and light show on Monday 23 November. Macy’s Herald Square windows were unveiled on 20 November in 2025, and Macy’s opens Santa visit reservations on 20 November 2026.

For the most extravagant lights, go to Dyker Heights in Brooklyn, where residents cover their houses in lights, giant Santas and toy soldiers from about Thanksgiving to New Year. The densest displays are on 11th to 13th Avenues between 83rd and 86th Streets, especially 84th Street. It is a residents’ tradition with no official dates; go after dark and remember that these are private homes.

Holiday markets: Bryant Park’s Winter Village shops open from 28 October 2026 to 3 January 2027, and the Grand Central Holiday Fair in Vanderbilt Hall runs from 9 November to 24 December. The Union Square and Columbus Circle markets return in 2026, but dates are not yet announced; in 2025 they ran from 13 November to 24 December and from 2 to 31 December.

Ice skating in New York for the holidays

Three rinks matter: Rockefeller Center for skating under the tree, Bryant Park for free skating if you bring your own skates, and Wollman in Central Park for the skyline.

• The Rink at Rockefeller Center: under the tree, daily 9am to midnight, from $22 with dated, timed tickets; everyone on the ice or rinkside needs a ticket.
• Bryant Park: free if you bring your own skates, but a reservation is required, released one week ahead. Skate rental costs $18.72 to $64.48 with fees. Open from 28 October 2026 to 28 February 2027, until midnight from 19 November to 3 January.
• Wollman Rink in Central Park: open from 24 October 2026 to 16 March 2027; adults pay $16 off-peak, $28 peak and $40 on prime dates (Thanksgiving weekend and most of December), plus $12 for skates. All sales are final and there is no re-entry.

Christmas Spectacular at Radio City (4 November – 4 January)

The Rockettes’ Christmas Spectacular runs from 4 November 2026 to 4 January 2027, with a record 230 performances and a new number this year. The show lasts 90 minutes without an interval, and doors open an hour before.

Times Square New Year’s Eve (Thursday 31 December)

Watching the ball drop in Times Square is free, with no tickets: you queue for a viewing pen and stay put until midnight. The 2026–27 rules are not out yet; these are the 2025–26 rules. Viewing areas opened at 3pm, entered from Sixth or Eighth Avenue at 45th, 49th, 52nd and 56th Streets, and filled from south to north. The best views are on Broadway between 43rd and 50th Streets.

There are no toilets and no food vendors, and if you leave your pen you cannot return. Backpacks, large bags, umbrellas, chairs, blankets, coolers and alcohol are banned, and every bag is searched. The ball is raised at 6pm and begins its 60-second descent at 11:59pm, followed by more than a ton of confetti. Beware of ‘all-access’ passes: the Times Square Alliance warns that they are sold by scalpers and some have been fake. Restaurant and hotel parties are ticketed separately.

Also worth knowing: the Holiday Train Show and Hanukkah

The New York Botanical Garden’s Holiday Train Show runs from 14 November 2026 to 10 January 2027, with evening openings on selected dates. Reserve a timed ticket for weekends and peak dates. Hanukkah begins at sundown on Friday 4 December and ends on Saturday 12 December 2026; a giant menorah is lit each night at Grand Army Plaza on Fifth Avenue at 59th Street.