Hi friends, welcome back! This past weekend we made the trek out to Dyker Heights in Brooklyn to see the most decked out homes in NYC. This neighborhood really goes all out and there are even organized tours to see it. I hadn’t been since 2022 and this was Jon’s first time. We drove, and finding street parking was a bit challenging, but we persevered and got to listen to Michael Buble’s Christmas album. I’d previously taken the subway and it takes about fifty minutes. We both agreed we’d take the subway next time because it ended up taking the same amount of time after parking.
The main area of the lights is from 85th to 82nd Street between 11th and 13th Avenue, but there are houses participating on nearby streets too. It seemed like more houses participated than I remembered. I took pictures of the most extravagant decorations, but there were a lot of classic lights and wreaths too.
This house had a little video in the upper windows and a sign that said “Christmas Lights by US!”. They must not be happy with their neighbors that hire it out…
I think you could spend hours looking at all these houses. It was a struggle narrowing down pictures for this post!
I used to go during the week so it wasn’t crowded. When we were there cops were patrolling the streets to move along traffic and deter people from being in the road by the popular houses.
I also saw a lot of people selling hot chocolate, snacks, and there were even a few Auntie Annes trucks. I don’t think Charlie Brown would like the commercialization of this.
This is the house that started it all in the 1980s by Lucy Spata. They had a fun fake snow machine, photo ops, and lots of treats for sale.
Despite the crowds and challenge finding parking, we had a great time! I’d recommend going right at dusk during the week for the optimal experience. What do you think of this festive neighborhood?