Christmas Markets in NYC With Kids: The Big Ones and Small Ones
The big Manhattan holiday markets and the small neighborhood fairs most visitors miss, with 2026 dates, subway stops and how to keep a six-year-old interested in a row of candle stalls.
The short answer
The best Christmas markets in NYC with kids are the Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park (October 28, 2026 to February 28, 2027, with a free-admission rink), the Grand Central Holiday Fair (November 9 to December 24, indoors), and the Union Square and Columbus Circle markets, which open in mid November and early December. For smaller, calmer fairs, try the Danish Christmas Fair in Brooklyn Heights, Christmas in Historic Richmond Town on Staten Island (December 5 and 6) and Queens County Farm Museum.
The Christmas markets in NYC with kids come in two flavors. There are the big Manhattan ones, wooden huts in a park, a million fairy lights, a lot of mulled things, and a crowd that moves at the speed of a toddler holding a hot chocolate. Then there are the small neighborhood fairs in church halls, farm barns and old villages, where the line for Santa is short enough that nobody cries (well, fewer people cry).
This guide covers both. Bryant Park's Winter Village opens first, on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, and the rest follow through November and December. I've checked every date and price below on the organizer's own page on the day this was written, and where a 2026 date was not posted yet I've said so and given last year's pattern instead. Markets love to announce late. Check the link before you set off.
A word on expectations. These are shopping markets. Children do not, as a rule, enjoy watching a grown-up deliberate between two nearly identical candles. The trick is to treat the market as the backdrop and build the trip around the things kids actually like: a rink, a carousel, a tree, a pretzel, a train, an animal. Each pick below says what that thing is.
Rule one of a Christmas market with a six-year-old: buy the snack first. Rule two: there is no rule two, because you are now holding the snack.
The big Christmas markets in NYC with kids: Manhattan
Four markets do the heavy lifting in Manhattan, and three of them sit on top of accessible subway stations, which is more than most of us manage in life. They are busiest on weekend afternoons and in the evenings from Thanksgiving onward. If your children are under seven and you value your toes, go on a weekday morning, or go on a school holiday morning right at opening.
Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park
The big one, and the one to do first if you only do one. It runs from October 28, 2026 to February 28, 2027: a free-admission ice rink, the Holiday Shops (open October 28 to January 3), and the Lodge, a food hall and bar beside the ice. The rink is open daily from 8am to 10pm, and until midnight between November 19 and January 3. The shops open 11am to 8pm on weekdays and 10am to 8pm on weekends.
The ice is free only if you bring your own skates, and even then you need a free timed ticket, released a week ahead. Rental packages cost from $18.72 up to $64.48 depending on the day and time, helmets are free, and the skate aids (penguins and snowmen for small skaters) cost $26 but are free before 10:30am if any are left. Most sessions are 50 minutes, and your ice time starts 20 minutes after your ticket time, which is just long enough for someone to announce they need the bathroom. Under-14s must have an adult with them.
The smart move with small children: book the earliest skate of the day, use the free penguin, then wander the shops while the crowds arrive. You leave as everyone else lines up. Smug, but warm.
Practical
- Subway
- B/D/F/M to 42 St-Bryant Pk and 7 to 5 Av (neither is accessible); 4/5/6/7/S to Grand Central-42 St (accessible) is a two-block walk. Check elevator status on the MTA site
- Stroller
- Fine on the paths between the shops, a squeeze on weekend evenings; not on the ice
- Restrooms
- Bryant Park has public restrooms; check bryantpark.org for location and hours
- Cost
- Market and rink entry free; own-skate tickets free but timed; rentals from $18.72
- Time
- 1.5 to 2 hours with skating
- Check first
- Book skate tickets a week ahead; the 2026 shop directory was still marked coming soon
Union Square Holiday Market
The biggest of the outdoor markets by stall count. In 2025 it ran from November 13 to Christmas Eve with 185 vendors at the south end of Union Square Park, open 11am to 9pm on weekdays, 10am to 9pm on Saturdays and 11am to 7pm on Sundays. Urbanspace, which runs it, had not posted 2026 dates when I checked on October 13, so treat those as the pattern, not a promise.
It is all aisles and gifts, with hot food dotted through, so it is the one I'd do with a plan rather than a wander. Go in at one corner, set a limit (one ornament each, say), and come out the other end. The square has a playground at the north end of the park, which is your bargaining chip for good behavior in the aisles.
Practical
- Subway
- N/Q/R/W and L to 14 St-Union Sq (accessible); the 4/5/6 platforms there are not accessible. Check elevator status first
- Stroller
- Fine on weekday mornings; the aisles are narrow at busy times
- Restrooms
- None listed by the market; plan a stop before you go
- Cost
- Free entry
- Time
- 45 minutes to an hour
- Check first
- 2026 dates and hours at urbanspacemarkets.com
Columbus Circle Holiday Market
The smallest and latest of the Urbanspace trio, set at the southwest corner of Central Park. In 2025 it ran from December 2 to December 31 with more than 100 artisans and designers, open 11am to 7pm Sunday to Thursday and 10am to 8pm on Fridays and Saturdays, closed Christmas Day and closing at 4pm on New Year's Eve. Hot food included bureks, tacos and doughnuts. The 2026 dates were not posted at the time of writing.
The reason to pick this one with kids is what is behind it: Central Park. Do a lap of the stalls, then walk into the park for squirrels, rocks to climb and space to run. A 20-minute market with an hour of park attached is a good ratio for a five-year-old.
Practical
- Subway
- A/C/B/D and 1 to 59 St-Columbus Circle (accessible); check elevator status first
- Stroller
- Fine
- Restrooms
- The Central Park comfort station at West 61st Street is nearby
- Cost
- Free entry
- Time
- 30 to 45 minutes, plus the park
- Check first
- 2026 dates at urbanspacemarkets.com
Grand Central Holiday Fair
The indoor one, which makes it the rainy-day pick and the sleet pick and the 'it is 28 degrees and the baby has opinions' pick. It runs from November 9 to December 24, 2026 in Vanderbilt Hall, a 6,000-square-foot artisan market inside the station at 89 East 42nd Street. Hours are 10am to 7pm Monday to Saturday and 11am to 6pm on Sundays until December 16, then 10am to 8pm from December 17 to 23, and 10am to 6pm on Christmas Eve. It is closed on Thanksgiving Day.
It is small enough to see in half an hour. The bigger treat for kids is the station itself: the Main Concourse ceiling with its painted constellations, the trains, and the general sense of being somewhere important. Grand Central also lists a Thanksgiving Market on Tuesday, November 24.
Practical
- Subway
- 4/5/6, 7 and S to Grand Central-42 St (accessible); check elevator status first
- Stroller
- Fine, though Vanderbilt Hall gets tight at lunchtime
- Restrooms
- In the station; ask staff for the nearest
- Cost
- Free entry
- Time
- 30 minutes, longer if you count train-spotting
- Check first
- The page lists two different sets of hours, so check the day before
See also Skating is half the fun at Bryant Park. Our guide to every rink in the city →
The smaller holiday markets families miss
Here is where I get excited. The big markets are lovely, but they are also the same experience for everyone in Midtown that afternoon. These smaller ones are run by a church, a farm, a historic village or a school, they are cheaper to get around, and the kids get to do something other than look at things they cannot touch. Most run for a weekend or a few weeks, so dates matter even more.
Danish Christmas Fair at the Danish Seamen's Church
A proper Scandinavian julemarked in a Brooklyn Heights church, and the closest thing in the city to the small Christmas fairs you get in northern Europe. In 2025 it ran on the weekend before Thanksgiving, Saturday and Sunday, November 22 and 23, from 10am to 4pm, with Scandinavian design, knitwear, ornaments and Danish candy at the church at 102 Willow Street, and Santa there for photos. On the Saturday the food moved around the corner to Plymouth Church (entry at 66 Hicks Street): aebleskiver (puffed pancake balls), hot dogs with remoulade, pastries and risalamande, the rice pudding with cherry sauce.
The 2026 dates were not posted when I checked, so watch the church's page in late October. If it follows the pattern, pair it with the Brooklyn Heights Promenade for the skyline view, a five-minute walk away.
Practical
- Subway
- 2/3 to Clark St (not accessible); 2/3 and 4/5 to Borough Hall (accessible, about 10 minutes' walk). Check elevator status first
- Stroller
- Church spaces get crowded; a small stroller or a carrier is easier
- Restrooms
- Ask at the church
- Cost
- Free entry in 2025; bring cash and cards for food
- Time
- An hour, two with the Promenade
- Check first
- 2026 dates on dskny.org
Christmas in Historic Richmond Town
A whole restored village dressed for the holidays, which beats a row of huts. On Saturday and Sunday, December 5 and 6, 2026, Richmond Town opens its old buildings with living history demonstrations, gifts and crafts from the tinsmith, the carpenter and the general store, a horse-drawn carriage, local food, and a visit from Santa and his helpers. The village's own tree lighting is the evening before, Friday, December 4, and candlelight tours follow on December 11 and 12.
It is a trek, I won't pretend otherwise: the Staten Island Ferry, then a bus. But the ferry is free and is itself a treat (Statue of Liberty views at no charge), so the journey becomes part of the day out rather than a tax on it. Event tickets and prices were not listed on the page when I checked; the site notes that admission is for special events only at this time of year, at special event prices.
Practical
- Subway
- Staten Island Ferry to St. George, then the S74 bus along Richmond Road; St. George's Staten Island Railway station is accessible
- Stroller
- Uneven ground and old buildings with steps; bring a sturdy one or a carrier
- Restrooms
- On site; ask at the visitor center
- Cost
- Special event pricing; check the ticket link
- Time
- Half a day including the ferry
- Check first
- Event hours and tickets at historicrichmondtown.org
Queens County Farm Museum: Illuminate the Farm and Holiday Trees
Not a market in the craft-stall sense, but a working farm in Queens that turns festive, and the animals do a lot of the entertaining for you. The farm's calendar lists Illuminate the Farm from November 27, 2026 to January 7, 2027, Holiday Trees and Wreaths from November 28 to December 23, and a Tree Lighting Ceremony on Saturday, December 5. Details were still marked under construction when I checked, so prices and times are not out yet.
General admission to the farm is free most days of the year (not on ticketed event days), with the grounds and Farm Store open 10am to 5pm. Strollers are allowed and the grounds and restrooms are accessible. If you want a tree and a goat in the same afternoon, this is your place.
Practical
- Subway
- No subway nearby; E/F to Kew Gardens-Union Tpke (accessible), then the Q46 bus east toward Little Neck Parkway. Check elevator status and bus times first
- Stroller
- Allowed; no stroller parking
- Restrooms
- Yes, accessible
- Cost
- Grounds free most days; holiday events may be ticketed
- Time
- 1.5 to 2 hours
- Check first
- Illuminate the Farm prices and times on queensfarm.org
Grand Bazaar NYC
Every Sunday, all year, from 10am to 5pm, at 100 West 77th Street on Columbus Avenue. It is a market with more than 100 antique and vintage dealers, artists, makers and food sellers, indoors and outdoors, and the profits go to four local public schools serving more than 2,000 children. It is not a Christmas market as such, so don't expect huts and carols, but on a December Sunday it is a good place for presents that nobody else will turn up with.
The location is the real selling point: it is right behind the American Museum of Natural History. Do the dinosaurs in the morning, the bazaar after lunch, and let the market's profits go toward some other children's art supplies. That is a Christmas story I can get behind.
Practical
- Subway
- B/C to 81 St-Museum of Natural History and 1 to 79 St (neither is accessible); 1 and A/C/B/D to 59 St-Columbus Circle (accessible) is further. Check elevator status first
- Stroller
- Fine outdoors; tighter indoors
- Restrooms
- Not listed; the museum next door has them for visitors
- Cost
- Free entry
- Time
- 45 minutes
- Check first
- Special themed Sundays on the bazaar's site
Wave Hill Gratitude Weekend and Museum Store Sunday
The calmest holiday shopping in this guide, on a garden above the Hudson. Over Thanksgiving weekend, Saturday and Sunday, November 28 and 29, 2026, Wave Hill runs Gratitude Weekend: a family art project making canvas bags in honor of trees (10am to 1pm both days), garden walks, and on the Sunday, Museum Store Sunday at The Shop, with gifts inspired by nature. You can bring nonperishable food for a community food drive.
Admission is $10 for adults, $6 for students and seniors and $4 for children 6 and over (the list gives no price for under-6s, so ask), and the grounds are free all day on Thursdays. The grounds open 10am to 5:30pm, Tuesday to Sunday, with the shop open 10:30am to 4:30pm. It is the antidote to Midtown, and the views across to the Palisades in late fall are worth the bus.
Practical
- Subway
- 1 to 231 St (accessible), then the Bx7 or Bx10 bus; check elevator status first
- Stroller
- Paths are fine, but some areas have steps and slopes
- Restrooms
- On site
- Cost
- $10 adults, $4 children 6 and up; free on Thursdays
- Time
- 2 hours
- Check first
- Event pricing on premium weekends can differ
How to do a Christmas market in NYC with kids without a meltdown
I have a theory that every family has the same argument at a Christmas market, roughly 40 minutes in, about whether a second hot chocolate counts as dinner. You can't avoid it, but you can make it shorter.
- Go early. Weekday mornings are the sweet spot at every Manhattan market. Bryant Park's skate aids are free before 10:30am if any are left.
- Give each child a budget. Cash in an envelope works better than 'we'll see', because 'we'll see' is heard as 'yes'.
- Pick one anchor thing per trip: the rink, the tree, the farm animals, the trains. The market is the bit in between.
- Dress for standing still. Walking keeps you warm; browsing does not. Hats, gloves, a spare pair of socks in the bag.
- Agree a meeting point the moment you arrive (a named stall, a lamp post, the rink entrance). Crowds are thick on December weekends and small people disappear behind big coats fast.
- Check the MTA weekend service changes before any trip. Weekend work on the subway is a year-round hobby.
See also The full plan for the season, from the tree to the windows →
When do the Christmas markets open in NYC?
Here is the season as it stands on October 13, 2026, from the organizers' pages. Bryant Park's Winter Village opens Wednesday, October 28 and the shops stay until January 3, with the rink until February 28, 2027. Grand Central's Holiday Fair runs November 9 to December 24. Union Square opened November 13 in 2025 and Columbus Circle on December 2, and both ran into the last week of December; their 2026 dates were still to come. The Danish fair was the weekend before Thanksgiving last year. Queens Farm lights up from November 27, Wave Hill's Gratitude Weekend is November 28 and 29, and Historic Richmond Town's Christmas weekend is December 5 and 6.
For a visit timed around the school calendar: New York City public schools are closed for Thanksgiving recess on Thursday and Friday, November 26 and 27, and for winter recess from December 24 to January 1. Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, is a remote learning day. Those days are when the markets are busiest with local families, so if you are visiting from out of town, a normal weekday in early December is calmer.
Which is the best Christmas market in NYC for kids?
For a first visit, Bryant Park, because the rink turns shopping into an activity and the timed skate tickets give the day a shape. For a rainy day or a baby in a carrier, Grand Central. For the most stalls, Union Square. For something that feels like a European Christmas fair, the Danish one in Brooklyn Heights. For animals and a tree, Queens Farm. And for the full storybook village with Santa, Historic Richmond Town, if you can give it half a day.
My honest pick for a family with a five and a seven-year-old? An early skate at Bryant Park on a weekday, 20 minutes in the shops, then the walk east to Grand Central for the fair and the ceiling. Two markets, one rink, one very large clock, and everyone indoors before their fingers go numb. Add the Rockefeller Center tree after it is lit on December 2 if your legs are still speaking to you.
See also Need a restroom near the markets? Our Manhattan restroom map →
See also Getting around with a stroller: which stations have elevators →
Checked October 13, 2026. Markets publish their dates late and change hours in peak weeks, so tap through to each organizer's page before you set off.
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Questions people ask
When does the Bryant Park Winter Village open?
The Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park opens on Wednesday, October 28, 2026. The rink runs until February 28, 2027 and the Holiday Shops until January 3, 2027.
Is the Bryant Park ice rink free?
Admission is free if you bring your own skates, but you still need a free timed ticket, released a week ahead. Skate rental packages cost from $18.72, and helmets are free.
What is the best Christmas market in NYC for kids?
Bryant Park's Winter Village is the best all-round pick for kids because the rink gives them something to do between the stalls. Grand Central's Holiday Fair is the best indoor option for bad weather or babies.
Are there Christmas markets in Brooklyn?
Yes. The Danish Christmas Fair at the Danish Seamen's Church in Brooklyn Heights is a traditional Scandinavian fair with Santa; in 2025 it ran on the weekend before Thanksgiving. Check dskny.org for the 2026 dates.
When is the Union Square Holiday Market open?
In 2025 it ran from November 13 to December 24, open 11am to 9pm on weekdays, 10am to 9pm on Saturdays and 11am to 7pm on Sundays. The 2026 dates had not been posted on October 13, 2026.
Is the Bryant Park Winter Village crowded on weekends?
Yes, especially on weekend afternoons and evenings from Thanksgiving to New Year. Weekday mornings are much quieter, and the first skate session of the day is the easiest with small children.
Is there an indoor Christmas market in NYC?
The Grand Central Holiday Fair is indoors, in Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central Terminal, from November 9 to December 24, 2026. It is closed on Thanksgiving Day.
Sources and further reading
Facts checked against 14 pages on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. Opening times and prices change, so confirm with the venue.
Show the sources
- Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park (Bryant Park Corporation)
- Urbanspace holiday markets
- Union Square Holiday Market returns for 2025 (amNY)
- Columbus Circle Holiday Market 2025 (CentralPark.com)
- Grand Central Holiday Fair 2026
- Danish Christmas Fair (Danish Seamen's Church)
- Christmas in Historic Richmond Town
- Queens County Farm Museum events calendar
- Queens County Farm Museum visitor information
- Grand Bazaar NYC
- Wave Hill Gratitude Weekend 2026
- Wave Hill visitor information
- NYC Public Schools 2026-27 calendar
- MTA accessible stations
