Holiday Lights in Dyker Heights

Brendan and I went to see the Christmas lights in Dyker Heights last week and the experience did not disappoint, to put it mildly!

Front yards on 12th Avenue in all their holiday finery

The neighborhood’s reputation for fantastic holiday light displays stretches back to the 1980s. It gained momentum during the 1990’s as Dyker Heights became a destination for New Yorkers and Tourists during the season and today is justly famous as a New York City Holiday traditions.

While some homeowners put up their own decorations, others entrust the job to professionals. The results range from traditional

To retro funky.

Monochromatic cool,

too unabashedly bombastic.

All together, they create a unique experience that is joyful, exuberant and just plain fun!

Whatever your taste runs towards, I guarantee anyone will find something to delight them

Except maybe for this rabbit, left wondering why the neighborhood doesn’t go all as out for Easter as well

 The neighborhood is easily reached by car or by subway (and a ten or fifteen minute walk).  We took an Uber, it was less than 25 minutes from the West Village. Different companies offer tours of the neighborhood, some will ferry customers from Manhattan, others will meet them at a designated spot, but we found fun to just meander up and down the area’s streets on our own. 

Another note of caution is to remember that this is a residential neighborhood.  While you can find vendors selling cocoa and treats most of the area’s restaurants and amenities (ie public restrooms) are located near the local subway stations. Also please respect the fact that these are private homes, and try not to trample on lawns, go up private walkways, or onto porches, no matter how tempting, unless invited to by the homeowner.

A soldier watching guard over a private home

Some also collect money for local nonprofits - remember to give - it is the season!

Happy Holidays!