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Houses are decorated to the max in Brooklyn's Dyker Heights neighborhood. Photo by the author

Neighborhood Christmas Lights in NYC

1. Dyker Lights – Dyker Heights, Brooklyn

Dyker Heights is famous for its Christmas light displays. There's even a PBS documentary called Dyker Lights and countless videos on YouTube. Check out our full Dyker Lights review for details on this over-the-top display that carries on for blocks and blocks.

How to get there: Displays can be seen throughout the neighborhood, but the hot spot is 11th to 13th Avenues between 83rd and 86th Streets. Be prepared for serious gridlock or take the subway. The D train to 79th Street is the closest stop, but it's still quite a walk.

2. 79th Street Holiday House – Bay Ridge, Brooklyn

635 79th Street
This family house in Bay Ridge gets fully decked out every season in glittering lights and fun displays. This year's display features Disney and Nutcracker figurines and is a perfect spot for photo-ops. This house is a must-visit on other holidays too, and dogs are highly welcome here!

How to get here: This house is located just off Fort Hamilton Parkway and the Gowanus Expressway. You can also reach it via the B16 and B70 or from the 77 Street R train station.

3. Brooklyn's Home for the Holidays – Canarsie, Brooklyn

1102 East 72nd Street
This beautiful home puts up decorations for every holiday, and it always goes all out. The large house dances with lights, and the spectacular sight draws crowds every year. Visitors are typically welcome from 5-11pm, weather permitting. There are even some hidden interactive elements—last year's display had a Santa letter-writing station and a scavenger hunt!

How to get here: This is a tough area to get to by train alone, but you can reach it via the B47 or B82 bus, which takes you close to the Q train.

Get festive and support the local fire department at the Modafferri home. Photo courtesy of the family

4. Modafferi Home – Howard Beach, Queens

97-03 165th Avenue
Tony Modafferi has been lighting up his corner lot for more than 30 years. The lights are on full display nightly from 5-10pm. Bring some extra cash to donate to the local volunteer fire department.

How to get there: Tony Modafferi's home is on the corner of 97th Street and 165th Avenue in Howard Beach. It's best reached by car, though the A train to the Howard Beach/JFK station is about a 20-minute walk from Modafferi's home.

The Little North Pole was created to spread holiday cheer in Rockaway and raise funds for Juvenile Diabetes Research. Photo courtesy of the Mure Family

5. Little North Pole – Rockaway, Queens

144-03 Neponsit Avenue
The home of Joe Mure turns into a sight fit for Santa annually, with a charitable mission to boot. Updates about this year's display are posted on its Instagram account. Usually, the Little North Pole's over-the-top decor stays on through the holiday season with two missions: to put a smile on visitors' faces, and, thanks to a collection box out front, to raise money for children with juvenile diabetes. In the past, there's also been live entertainment, tasty food donated by local vendors, and toys for every kid. Keep checking Instagram for current updates.

How to get there: Located at Neponsit Avenue and West 144th Street, a car is your only option.

6. 73rd Street – Upper East Side

East 73rd Street between Second and Third Avenues
While not a traditional holiday lights display, this is still an enchanting sight that's more convenient than other destinations on our list. Take a twinkly stroll along East 73rd Street, where neighbors band together each year to adorn the street's 22 trees with thousands of white lights. Afterward, wander the neighborhood to see other festively decorated houses.

How to get there: Take the Q train to the 72nd Street stop.

7. Stoop and the City – Upper East Side

East 78th Street between Second and Third Avenues
This Upper East Side townhouse gets decked out for Christmas—it's already mounted two displays this season—and every other holiday, too. In addition to bringing joy through its decor—and encouraging people to stop and snap pics—it invites guests to support the Salvation Army through pop-up Red Kettle days or via an online link.

How to get there: Take the 6 train to 77th Street.

In Staten Island, the DiMartino house, dubbed Lights for Life, raises funds to fight children's cancer. Photo courtesy of Lights for Life

8. Lights for Life – Charleston, Staten Island

107 Sharrotts Road
Joe DiMartino and his family transform their house into a Christmas wonderland annually in honor of DiMartino's wife, Debra Ann, who was killed on 9/11. The display covers every square inch of the property and allows revelers to gawk at tableaus like Mrs. Claus baking gingerbread, a nativity scene, and more. Donations are collected for Staten Island University Hospital's pediatric cancer ward. Santa plans to visit on Saturday, December 13 and Sunday, December 14, 2025, from 7-8pm each evening.

How to get there: While a car is the optimal transportation on the island, the X22 bus drops you about 4 minutes from the house.

Insider Tips for Seeing Christmas Lights in NYC

Before you head out on a Christmas lights adventure, there are a couple of ways you can prepare. Plan ahead for the best experience!

• Best times to go: The houses above light up around Thanksgiving, and displays come down around New Year's Day. Lights go on (and are best seen) after dark. Some of the most popular locations can get crowded—especially Dyker Heights, which is an extremely well-known location. The crowds tend to be the worst late nights on weekends, so visit earlier in the night, during the week.
• Avoid traffic: The locations above are mostly reachable by public transit, so make use of those trains and buses to avoid traffic! Arriving by bus also frees up more time for exploration that might otherwise be spent looking for parking. If you are driving in, you might have to park along the outside of the neighborhoods you're visiting and walk in, so plan accordingly.
• Plan ahead: Check the area before you go for potential restaurants and pit stops along your route in case the family needs a break or a bite to eat, or just wants a sweet treat. (I recommend Tasty Pastry Shoppe and Grandma's Bakery in Dyker Heights!)
• Stay warm and comfortable: Remember that you'll be spending a lot of time outside on a winter evening, so be prepared for the cold. Dress warm, pack extra blankets for the little ones (especially ones in strollers), and consider bringing thermoses with hot tea or cocoa.
• Be courteous: If you're traveling on foot, please respect the homeowners' property and other visitors' space. Remember, people live here!

Neighborhood Christmas & Holiday Lights in NYC FAQ

Where are the best Christmas lights in NYC?
Though all the locations listed in this post are great to visit, Dyker Heights is the best known for having the biggest collection of the most spectacular lights in one place. Some other popular NYC Christmas light displays include Bay Ridge in Brooklyn and Rockaway in Queens.

Are there FREE Christmas light displays in NYC?
All the locations in this post are completely free! But these are just the beginning. Try walking around the residential part of your neighborhood in the evening, and you might get to see some twinkling light displays and figurines. Beyond the holiday houses listed above, New York City's streets twinkle annually. Some of our favorite displays include the windows along Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, the holiday windows at Bloomingdale's, Bergdorf's, Macy's, and Saks, (which also reintroduces its holiday light show this season), and Holidays Under the Stars at Columbus Circle. All are completely FREE.

When do Christmas lights start in NYC?
NYC's Christmas displays usually go up mid-November and generally stay up through New Year's Day.

Are NYC holiday lights kid-friendly?
Absolutely! Many families make outings to explore Christmas lights together. It's a free and fun way to discover new neighborhoods.

Where can you see more Christmas lights near NYC?
Got a car and looking for fun seasonal outings? Find the most decked-out holiday houses on Long Island, in Westchester and the Hudson Valley, and in New Jersey.

Originally published in December 2009.