Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park is one of those New York City spots that feels like a full holiday postcard in a single city block. You get a big outdoor ice rink, rows of glassy “jewel box” shops, a huge tree, and a warm rinkside lodge, all tucked between Fifth and Sixth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan.
Everything sits in and around Bryant Park, behind the New York Public Library. The park turns into a small winter town, but you are still right in the middle of the city.
Where Winter Village Sits In The City
Bryant Park stretches from 40th to 42nd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenue. Winter Village fills those paths and plazas with the rink, the holiday market, and The Lodge. There are accessible entrances mid-block on 40th and 42nd Streets, which makes it easier for people using wheelchairs, strollers, or mobility aids.
For the 2025–2026 season, Winter Village runs from late October through March 1, 2026, so it lasts far beyond December. The holiday shops have a shorter run and are scheduled to close on January 4, which keeps the market focused on the core holiday period.
This means December gives you the full package. You see the tree, the open-air market, and the ice rink all running at once.
The Rink: Free-Admission Skating Under The Skyline
The rink is the heart of Winter Village. It is New York City’s only large outdoor rink with free admission. If you bring your own skates, you can skate without paying an entry fee. You still need a timed reservation, but you do not pay to get through the gate.
If you need to rent skates, you pay a rental fee for each session. Prices change with date and time, and booking online ahead of time is strongly encouraged, because prime December slots sell out and lines form fast.
The rink usually opens in the morning and runs into the evening, with lighting that makes the ice glow under the towers around the park. City guides for the 2025 season describe it as a key holiday activity and highlight that the ice stays open even after the market closes for the season.
Holiday Shops: A European-Style Open-Air Market
Around the edges of the park, rows of small glass kiosks create a full open-air market. The Holiday Shops are curated by Urbanspace and draw artisans, small food makers, and designers from New York City and around the world. The stalls sit along the park’s allées, terraces, and plazas, and each kiosk looks like a tiny lit-up greenhouse.
For 2025, city guides note more than 180 kiosks, with everything from handmade jewelry and art to candles, knitwear, and small-batch snacks.
Typical hours for the market sit around late morning to evening, with weekdays often running 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. and weekends starting earlier. Recent seasons listed 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Because the kiosks are small and the aisles are narrow, the market feels cozy and bright. You can browse gifts, grab a drink, and be back out on the ice or in the park within a few steps.
The Lodge: Rinkside Food Hall And Bar
On one side of the rink, you find The Lodge bar and food hall. It is open-air but covered, with heaters and a direct view over the ice. The Lodge brings together a large bar, food counters, and seating so you can warm up and still enjoy the view.
The main bar, currently run as the Rinkside Bar by Stout NYC, serves hot drinks, cocktails, and simple pub-style food like smash burgers. Menus change a bit each year, but the theme stays the same: warm, easy comfort food and festive drinks.
Alongside the bar, food stands sell things like raclette sandwiches, grilled cheese, sweet crepes, and torched marshmallow hot chocolate. Food writers list Bryant Park’s market as one of the city’s essential holiday food spots because of this mix.
You can sit at communal tables, warm your hands around a mug, and watch skaters circle the rink while the city rises around you.
Cozy Igloos, Club Santa, And Extras
Winter Village is more than a rink and market. Bryant Park layers on extra activities to turn a simple visit into a longer day.
Cozy Igloos are clear domes set near the rink. You reserve them for a set time and enjoy private seating, food, and drinks in a warm, enclosed space. They sit close to the ice and feel like tiny living rooms with skyline views. In early 2026, the park plans to shift them into “Rosy Igloos” for a late-season love theme.
The park also offers Bumper Cars on Ice, Club Santa events, and Santa’s Corner meet-and-greets for kids. These extras appear on the Winter Village activity list and give families, couples, and friend groups more ways to fill the day.
Because many of these experiences need reservations, checking times and booking ahead helps, especially during December weekends.
Tree Lighting And December Atmosphere
The large Bryant Park tree stands at the edge of the rink, with the New York Public Library as a backdrop. For the 2025 season, the tree lighting is scheduled for December 2, with entry starting mid-afternoon and the lighting itself around early evening.
This event brings performances, music, and a full crowd of locals and visitors. The lights stay on for the rest of the season, so you can enjoy the scene any evening after that.
December in the park feels busy but warm. Holiday markets across the city help spread out crowds, yet Bryant Park stays high on many lists because it puts the rink, shops, and tree all together.
How To Plan Your Visit
Because Winter Village mixes free and paid parts, a little planning makes the day smoother.
You can walk into the park and the Holiday Shops without a ticket. Browsing, people-watching, and enjoying the tree cost nothing. The main costs come from skating, rentals, food, drinks, and any booked extras like Igloos or bumper cars.
If you want to skate, reserving your rink entry online before you arrive is the most important step. Admission is free if you bring your own skates, but every skater needs a timed booking. Rental packages fold the skate cost into the ticket for people without skates.
For the market, crowds grow as the day goes on. Weekday mornings and early afternoons are calmer. Evenings and weekends feel more packed but also more electric, with stronger energy and more people.
Visiting With Kids, Friends, Or On A Budget
Winter Village works for many kinds of trips.
With kids, the free entry to the park, the carousel nearby, and the chance to simply watch the skaters can fill a gentle afternoon. Shorter skates on the rink, a hot chocolate from the Lodge, and a visit to Santa’s Corner can turn into a full family day.
With friends, you can book an Igloo, share food and drinks, and skate in a group. Many people pair a visit here with a walk to other Midtown displays, like the nearby Fifth Avenue holiday windows and Rockefeller Center tree.
On a budget, the best move is to lean into the free parts. You can bring your own skates, pack a thermos, and treat the market more like a gallery than a shopping list. Even without buying much, the lights, music, and crowd energy feel rich.
Safety, Accessibility, And Comfort
The park and city agencies work together to keep Winter Village safe and comfortable. The event is listed on New York City’s official event calendar as Manhattan’s winter wonderland and as a major public activity, which means it sits within the broader city safety and permit system.
After a small fire damaged several kiosks in December 2024, officials and organizers emphasized support for vendors and reviewed safety steps. No injuries were reported, the rink reopened quickly, and the market continued to operate with repairs.
Entrances, paths, and many kiosks are designed with accessibility in mind, and the park posts information about accessible routes, drop-off points, and support contacts. The Holiday Shops directory notes a phone line for help accessing kiosks, and Bryant Park’s site lists accessibility details for the grounds.
Staying warm is simple but important. December can bring cold, damp weather, and you spend a lot of time standing still as you browse or wait. Layers, gloves, and warm socks make the whole visit more pleasant.
Making A Full Midtown Day Around The Park
Because Bryant Park sits in the middle of Midtown, it is easy to fold Winter Village into a larger city day.
Right next door, the main branch of the New York Public Library offers historic reading rooms, exhibits, and a quiet break from the cold. A short walk away, you reach Grand Central Terminal, Times Square, or the Fifth Avenue shopping corridor, all of which run their own lights and displays in December.
Many visitors move in a simple loop. They arrive in the late morning, explore the shops as they open, warm up in The Lodge, take a mid-afternoon skate, then walk up toward Rockefeller Center and Fifth Avenue lights as evening arrives. This keeps most of the day on foot and under the glow of holiday decorations.
Skates, Lights, And Midtown Glow
Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park blends a lot into a small, walkable space. You get city towers and tree branches wrapped in lights. You get a big free-admission rink, a holiday market full of small makers, and a warm lodge that looks right out over the ice. The whole scene feels like a small town square planted in the center of Manhattan.
When we plan even a short stop here in December, we step into that mix of sound, steam, and sparkle. Skates trace circles on the ice. Vendors pass out hot drinks. The tree shines against the library façade. It is busy, bright, and very New York, and it gives us an easy way to feel the season without leaving the heart of the city.
