Madison Square Park Holiday Lights
✓ Verified 2025-2026
Where: Madison Square Park, Northern Reflecting Pool, Manhattan, New York, New York
When: Tree lighting December 9 at 5pm
Hours: typically dusk – 10 PM
Cost: free
tree-lightingmusicwalk-throughattraction
One of the city's oldest tree-lighting traditions, marking its 113th year, centered on a 42-foot concolor fir at the park's Northern Reflecting Pool. The park's mature trees are wrapped in warm lights, and the surrounding streets add festive storefronts.
Best time to arrive. Sunset in New York is around 4:29 PM in mid-December, fully dark by about 5:00 PM. A typical December night here bottoms out near 26°F, so dress for standing around outside.
Other displays nearby
There are 22 other displays within 5 miles of this one, and 31 within 15 miles. Most people make a loop of it rather than driving out for a single house.
- Avenue of the Americas Holiday Decorations
- Central Park Holiday Lights & Wollman Rink
- East 73rd Street Holiday Lights
- Fifth Avenue & 59th Street Menorah
- Fifth Avenue Christmas Lights
- Lotte New York Palace Holiday Decorations
- Saks Fifth Avenue Holiday Light Show
- Stoop and the City
Make a night of it. This is stop 16 on our 22-stop New York lights loop — about 21.7 miles and 140 minutes of driving in total.