See the legendary holiday window displays of Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, and Cartier for 2025
New York, N.Y. — For six hours this Sunday, a famed stretch of Manhattan’s iconic boulevard will belong solely to pedestrians, carolers, and the spirit of the season. The relentless heartbeat of New York City—the gridlock, the honking, the metallic river of taxis and trucks—will fall silent on one of its most prestigious thoroughfares.
This Sunday, December 14, a transformative urban ritual returns as a segment of Fifth Avenue sheds its identity as a major arterial route and is reborn as a sprawling, pedestrian-only holiday promenade. From 12 p.m. to 6 p.m., the avenue between 48th and 57th Streets will belong not to engines, but to people, hosting the city’s annual Holiday Open Streets event.
Now in its fourth year, the initiative, spearheaded by the New York City Department of Transportation (D.O.T.), represents a conscious urban recalibration. The closure extends beyond Fifth Avenue itself, with cross streets from 49th to 56th Streets also going car-free between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, creating a massive pedestrian plaza in the heart of Midtown Manhattan.
Drivers are advised to seek alternate routes from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., ceding the glittering canyon to a different kind of traffic: the flow of families, tourists, and locals savoring a rare moment of spacious tranquility.
A Strategic Vision for Festive Foot Traffic
The closure is far from a simple street fair; it is a calculated piece of urban planning with economic and experiential dividends. Ydanis Rodriguez, the D.O.T. Commissioner, framed the event as essential to the season’s ecosystem.
“Midtown Manhattan is one of the best places in the world to celebrate the holiday season, and we’re bringing some car-free holiday cheer to Fifth Avenue,” Rodriguez stated. “Providing a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone who visits iconic locations like Rockefeller Plaza, Radio City Music Hall, and Central Park during the holiday season is not only a cause for celebration for pedestrians, but also for local businesses that will see additional foot traffic.”
This perspective is shared by the Fifth Avenue Association, the premier advocacy organization for the corridor. Its president, Edward Pincar, Jr., highlighted the curated experience. “Open Streets create a unique opportunity for visitors to experience the holiday magic on the city’s most iconic retail corridor while enjoying live musical performances, immersive shopping pop-ups and festive holiday décor and window displays,” Pincar said.
The Association promises a full suite of amenities, from holiday décor and live entertainment to bespoke food and drink offerings, transforming the asphalt into a stage for the season.
The Sensory Symphony of a Street Transformed
To walk a car-free Fifth Avenue during the holidays is to engage with the city through a new sensory lens. The usual olfactory cocktail of exhaust fumes is replaced by the sweet scent of roasted nuts and steaming cocoa.
The auditory landscape shifts from a dissonant cacophony to a layered symphony: the distant carols of a brass quintet, the laughter of children, the crisp crunch of snow (or more likely, salt) underfoot, and the appreciative murmurs of crowds before the legendary holiday window displays of Saks Fifth Avenue, Bergdorf Goodman, and Cartier.
The visual spectacle is magnified tenfold. Without the visual clutter of moving vehicles, the architecture soars, the twinkle lights glimmer more distinctly, and the grand Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center becomes a true north star, visible for blocks.
The experience of crossing the street becomes an act of leisure, not a calculated sprint. One can stand in the very center of Fifth Avenue, gaze up at the Empire State Building, and snap a photo without a yellow cab blurring through the frame—a small but profound urban luxury.
An Extended Pedestrian Realm for the Season
Notably, the Holiday Open Streets event is merely the centerpiece of a broader seasonal pedestrianization effort. The D.O.T. has announced that, through January 4, 2026, West 49th and West 50th Streets will be closed to cars and open to pedestrians between Fifth and Sixth Avenues daily from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. This creates a permanent, day-long pedestrian nexus flanking Rockefeller Center, easing the notorious foot-traffic jams and providing safer, more enjoyable access to the Rockefeller Center ice rink, the Radio City Christmas Spectacular, and the plaza’s iconic golden Prometheus statue.
This extended closure reflects a growing, data-informed trend in global city management. Studies of similar programs, from London’s work on “tactical urbanism” to Paris’s ambitious “15-Minute City” concept, show that temporarily reclaiming streets from vehicles boosts local retail spending, improves air quality, and enhances public safety. In a post-pandemic era that revalued outdoor public space, these initiatives have moved from experimental to expected.
The Future of Festive Urban Space
The success of the Fifth Avenue Holiday Open Streets begs the question of its future. Could this six-hour annual event evolve into a weekly winter weekend tradition, or even inform permanent design changes?
While the logistical challenges for a route as critical as Fifth Avenue are immense, the public’s enthusiastic response each year provides a compelling case study. It demonstrates that the city’s most famous streets are not just conduits for commerce but are themselves the city’s living room, its stage, and its grand hall—especially during the holidays.
As dusk falls on Sunday and the lights of the avenue shine brighter against the darkening sky, the temporary promenade will offer a glimpse of a different Manhattan. It is a vision where the scale of the city is made human, where community takes precedence over commute, and where the simple, joyous act of a stroll is elevated to a celebration. For six hours, Fifth Avenue won’t just be a street; it will be a gift to the city itself.
Summary
This Sunday, a stretch of New York’s famed Fifth Avenue transforms into a pedestrian paradise for the Holiday Open Streets event. From 48th to 57th Street, from noon to six p.m., the corridor will be free of cars, filled instead with live music, festive displays, and seasonal cheer. The initiative, now in its fourth year, aims to provide a safer, more enjoyable experience for visitors and a boost to local Midtown businesses during the bustling holiday season.
Social Media
Facebook: This Sunday, experience the magic of Fifth Avenue as you never have before—without a car in sight! 🎄 The Holiday Open Streets event returns, turning Midtown into a pedestrian wonderland from 12-6 p.m. Enjoy live music, festive pop-ups, and iconic window displays in a safe, spacious setting. A perfect family-friendly start to the holiday season. #NYCOpenStreets #FifthAvenue #HolidayNYC
Instagram: 🎁 A gift to NYC: Car-free Fifth Avenue. This Sunday, 12-6pm. ✨
Stroll, sip, and savor the season without traffic. From Saks to Bergdorf’s, the iconic windows await your gaze. Live music & holiday cheer from 48th to 57th. Tap link in bio for details. 🎄
X/Twitter: NYC’s Fifth Ave goes car-free this Sunday for Holiday Open Streets. 12pm-6pm, 48th-57th St. Pedestrian paradise, live music, festive pop-ups. A boost for safety, experience & local biz. Extended pedestrian zones on W 49th/50th St thru Jan 4. #NYCOpenStreets #FifthAvenue #NYC
LinkedIn: The NYC Department of Transportation’s Holiday Open Streets on Fifth Avenue represents strategic placemaking at its finest. By temporarily converting key corridors to pedestrian-only use, the city enhances public safety, stimulates local economic activity, and improves the visitor experience during the critical holiday season. A case study in tactical urbanism with measurable benefits. #UrbanPlanning #Placemaking #EconomicDevelopment #NYCDOT #FifthAvenue #PublicSpace
BlueSky: NYC’s annual experiment in urban tranquility returns. Fifth Avenue, car-free, this Sunday 12-6pm. A radical notion: that a city’s most famous street is for people, not just vehicles. Experience the holiday lights without the traffic noise. #OpenStreets #FifthAvenue #NYC