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Take A Stroll Through The Dazzling Dyker Heights Christmas Lights
By
Jen Carlson
Published Dec 14, 2018
Modified Dec 14, 2018
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Photo by Navid Baraty / Gothamist
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Dec 14, 2018
Modified Dec 14, 2018
Share
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The Dyker Heights Holiday lights are back on, in all their high-wattage, twinkling glory.
If you don't know, here's a little background: Every year since sometime in the 1980s, the Dyker Heights community has gone all out to transform their neighborhood into a Clark Griswold-esque tableau of holiday insanity. There are traditional nativity scenes, massive Santas, and your usual cast of winter wonderland characters. There are often some non-traditional figures making cameos throughout—in the past, these have included Star Wars characters and blown-up Marvel superheroes.
As one woman once said, "It is a twinklin' freakin' wonderland over here... this is drippin' with class. Who lives here, the Pope?"
(Photo by Navid Baraty / Gothamist)
You wanna catch this "twinklin' freakin' wonderland" in person? Here's how...
Where is Dyker Heights? Brooklyn. Located between Bensonhurst and Bay Ridge, with the Verrazano-Narrows in the distance.
How do I get there? If you want to use mass transit, the closest train is the D at 18th Avenue, but note you'll have a 20 minute walk up and down some hills to and from.
There's a $58 option that will bring you there on a bus. Plan for around 3.5 hours for the full tour.
And if you take an Uber or Lyft, walk a little bit away from the light attractions when you're getting picked up.
Where are the lights, exactly? The best lights are on 11th Avenue to 13th Avenue and from 83rd to 86th Street. Not every house is lit up—they range from dark to subtle to Christmas AF, and the larger displays will have crowds and lines so you can take photos.
Can I... drink? You can bring a thermos filled with whiskey, no one will stop you.
Are there bathrooms? The lights are in a residential area, but you will find local businesses nearby on 7th Avenue and other surrounding commercial streets—just be sure to buy something in exchange for using their bathrooms.
To fill out your holiday light experience, be sure to head to Garabedian Christmas House in the Bronx, too... if they ever turn their lights back on.
Tagged
christmas
dyker heights
holiday
lights
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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