Manhattan’s Holiday Windows 2025: A Spectacular Return to Glamour

Manhattan’s department store holiday windows have returned with breathtaking grandeur for the 2025 season, transforming Midtown into a dazzling winter wonderland from Herald Square to 57th Street. The most exciting news this year is Saks Fifth Avenue’s triumphant return after remaining dark in 2024. Their comeback celebration featured the iconic Rockettes, decked in their red “New York at Christmas” costumes with custom “Saks”-blinged hairpieces, high-stepping onto Fifth Avenue to illuminate a jaw-dropping display that includes twinkling two-story ornaments and enough LED wattage “to make Times Square blush.” This spectacular light show follows the theme “Holiday Your Way,” combining visual choreography with an uplifting cross-generational soundtrack. Saks’ windows pay tribute to the Rockettes’ 100th birthday with an archive of iconic costumes and original sketches, while their main Fifth Avenue displays transform New York City into a fairy tale dreamscape featuring an Enchanted Atrium, oversized bakery sweets, gift-laden taxis, and a townhouse advent calendar straight from a Christmas movie.

Bloomingdale’s has wrapped its 59th and Lexington landmark in a giant glowing Burberry scarf for an unmissable holiday statement. Their windows, created in collaboration with the British luxury label, feature playful Burberry Knights caught in festive activities—trimming trees, shopping, and spreading tartan cheer throughout a colorful English cottage setting. Set designer Stefan Beckman explained they wanted to incorporate “a sense of humor and a fun wink” in their storytelling. Inside, Bloomingdale’s “Happy Together” theme continues with a complete Burberry takeover of their rotating Carousel pop-up, offering exclusive capsule collections throughout the store featuring signature checks, polished outerwear, and British-inspired accessories that exude sophistication and charm. Meanwhile, Bergdorf Goodman unveiled “The Bergdorf Soirée,” a nine-window saga celebrating New York’s chic holiday party scene across both their women’s and men’s stores. The reveal featured a brass band, Santa working the crowd, and style queen Linda Fargo leading a countdown. The women’s displays offer a Technicolor journey through holiday party fantasies—from a Mad Hatters after-hours event with oversized accessories to a masquerade scene with delicate paper sculptures honoring poets and clockmakers, all dressed in designs from fashion powerhouses like Tom Ford, Givenchy, Balmain, and Valentino.

Macy’s Herald Square windows celebrate 160 years of holiday history with their theme “The Most Wonderful Stories Start Here.” Their block-long display offers a greatest-hits tour of Macy’s legendary “firsts”: their first Santa, first window displays from 1874, the inaugural Thanksgiving Day Parade from 1924, and nods to “Miracle on 34th Street.” Manny Urquizo, Macy’s director of Storewide Visual Campaigns & Windows, revealed that planning begins almost a year in advance, with each season challenging the team to outdo themselves. This year’s displays function as a glittering time machine, mining the store’s rich history “from 1861 to today” to create scenes that feel both nostalgic and fresh. The windows aim to rekindle cherished memories for lifelong New Yorkers while establishing new traditions for first-time visitors, creating “a moment of holiday magic in the heart of New York City.”

Nordstrom has transformed its NYC flagship into an interactive holiday playground called “Oh, What Funhouse!”—a hands-on experience celebrating childhood wonder and gift-giving. Visitors enter through the main 57th Street entrance, greeted by a tunnel of twinkling LED lights, suspended metallic letters spelling “OH, WHAT FUN!”, and a marquee-lit gateway. Olivia Kim, SVP of Creative at Nordstrom, explained that this year’s concept focuses on “joy, playfulness, and a sense of unexpected fun,” reimagining traditional holiday experiences into something “immersive and energizing.” Every corner of the store contains holiday surprises designed to spark curiosity, with decorations that “engage multiple senses” to create a multi-dimensional experience where “guests can discover something new at every turn.”

These magnificent displays represent more than mere decoration—they’re immersive art installations that have become essential to New York’s holiday identity. Behind the scenes, armies of designers, craftspeople, and visual merchandisers spend months conceptualizing and constructing these fantasy worlds. At Bergdorf Goodman alone, a team of 100 artisans worked meticulously over nine months to create hand-crafted “cinematic portraits” celebrating holiday soirées, even repurposing materials from past displays to demonstrate that sustainability can sparkle too. Linda Fargo described their windows as “a love letter to the creative process itself,” incorporating various artistic mediums from paper sculpture to mosaic. This attention to detail and craftsmanship elevates the displays beyond commercial promotion into cultural phenomena that draw crowds from around the world.

Whether you’re a harried local dodging commuters, a tourist capturing Instagram-worthy moments, or someone who simply appreciates festive glamour with your hot chocolate, Manhattan’s holiday windows offer something magical for everyone. These displays aren’t just for looking—they’re for experiencing, posing in front of, and getting lost in. They transform ordinary city blocks into extraordinary winter wonderlands where everyday worries momentarily fade against the backdrop of twinkling lights, fantastic tableaux, and imaginative storytelling. While the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree may get most of the publicity, this season proves there’s plenty of holiday magic happening right at street level. From Saks Fifth Avenue’s ornament explosions to Bloomingdale’s British charm, from Bergdorf’s fashionable soirées to Macy’s nostalgic journey, and Nordstrom’s interactive funhouse, Manhattan has once again outdone itself—confirming that when it comes to holiday spectacle, these department store windows remain the brightest stars in New York’s festive firmament.