When the Dyker Heights Christmas lights glow brightest

From Thanksgiving to about New Year

Most houses light up around Thanksgiving and keep going until New Year or the first days of January. Nobody sets official dates, because the displays belong to private homeowners and not to any organizer.

That means the start is gradual. In the last days of November some houses glow while their neighbors are still unpacking, and by early December nearly every big display is up and running.

The end is gradual too. Some homes switch off soon after Christmas, others stay lit into early January. If your trip falls after New Year, go early in your stay and expect fewer houses.

Which hours to go

Most displays switch on around dusk, which in New York in December comes at roughly 4:30 pm. The evening hours are the time to go, from full dark into the late evening.

On a tour the operator sets the timing, so you arrive when the bus does. Going alone lets you choose the hour, which is the main advantage of taking the subway.

Arriving just after dark gives you the lights at full strength and the crowds before their peak. Later in the evening the sidewalks fill, and a few houses may dim earlier than others as the night goes on.

Keep voices down if you stay late, since people live behind every display. Our guide to visiting without annoying the neighbors covers the unwritten rules.

Thanksgiving weekend

The long Thanksgiving weekend brings the first rush of visitors, many of them in town for the holiday. Not every house is lit yet, though some of the bigger displays may already be up.

If late November is your only chance, go anyway. Just expect a work in progress. Later in December you would see more lights, but you would also meet more people.

Weeknights against weekends

Weeknights early in December are the calmest. You can stop in front of a house to take your photos, then move on without being carried along by the crowd.

Saturdays before Christmas are the busiest of all. Tour buses arrive alongside families and locals from across the city, and the sidewalks on 84th Street can slow to a shuffle.

The week between Christmas and New Year sits in the middle. Many visitors are in town on holiday, but some displays begin to switch off. Crowds and lights both thin a little.

What the weather does

New York in December has daytime highs around 44 °F (7 °C), and the nights sit near freezing. Rain and sleet are as likely as snow, and wind off the harbor makes the cold feel sharper.

Wind makes the biggest difference to how long you can stand outside. On a still night near freezing an hour passes easily, while a gusty evening makes the same hour feel far longer.

Snow is the bonus. A fresh layer on the lawns and roofs makes the displays brighter in photos and quietens the streets, though slushy sidewalks slow the walk.

Rain is the real spoiler, since it puts umbrellas in every frame and soaks shoes. Our guide to what to wear explains why a hood beats an umbrella on a crowded sidewalk.

Book with free cancellation, then watch the forecast

All the tours on our site cancel free up to 24 hours before departure. Book the night you want, check the forecast two days out and move or cancel if heavy rain is coming.

The bus tours run rain or shine, so they will not cancel for you. The decision is yours, and the 24-hour window is your safety net. Our price comparison lists the cancellation terms for each tour.

Short stay in New York

With only two or three nights in the city, one evening for Dyker Heights and another for Midtown's lights can feel like too much. One tour folds both into a single night.

ExperienceNYC's holiday lights bus from ~$75 passes the Fifth Avenue windows and, when traffic allows, the Rockefeller Center tree. It then crosses to Dyker Heights for a walk and stops in DUMBO for the skyline before heading back to Midtown.

The catch is that Manhattan is seen from the bus and the time in Dyker Heights is shorter than on our pick. It rates 4.8 from 70+ reviews on Viator. Our Rockefeller tree and Dyker Heights guide compares it with doing the Midtown part on foot.

With a longer stay, splitting the two over separate evenings gives each more time. The Manhattan windows and the tree are easy to see on foot on any night of the holidays.

A night that fits your trip

• Early December weeknight: calm sidewalks, nearly every display lit
• Mid-December weekend: the fullest displays and the biggest crowds
• Between Christmas and New Year: lively, with a few houses dark
• After New Year: only some houses still lit, so check before you go

Once you have a date, read which blocks to walk first. If you are travelling with children, our family guide suggests starting right at dusk.