New York City Tourism + Conventions expects about 8.1 million visitors this holiday season, up from the 8 million it projected for 2025. The agency’s own holiday guide pushes part of that traffic beyond Midtown, toward a lantern festival in Queens, a Chevy Chase appearance on Staten Island and a tree lighting off Arthur Avenue in the Bronx.
Key Takeaways
- NYC Tourism + Conventions forecasts approximately 8.1 million visitors for the 2026 holiday season in its August 25 holiday release.
- The agency’s holiday forecasts have risen from about 7 million in 2023 to 7.5 million in 2024 and 8 million in 2025.
- Tourism generated $84.7 billion in total economic impact for New York City in 2025, including $55.6 billion in direct spending and $7.5 billion in local and state taxes.
- Illuminate the Farm runs November 19, 2026, through January 3, 2027, at Queens County Farm Museum in Glen Oaks.
- St. George Theatre hosts a live conversation with Chevy Chase after a screening of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation on Sunday, November 22, at 5 p.m.
- Bronx Little Italy lights its holiday tree on Saturday, December 5, in Ciccarone Park.
The 8.1 Million Forecast Extends A Four-Year Climb
The 2026 number is the latest step in a steady run. NYC Tourism + Conventions projected nearly 7 million holiday visitors in 2023, roughly 7.5 million in 2024 and 8 million in 2025. Each of those earlier forecasts covered Thanksgiving through New Year’s. The 2026 release describes its figure only as “this holiday season” and builds its calendar from Diwali in October to New Year’s Day, so the year-over-year gain reads as a direction rather than an exact comparison.
Scale helps explain why the season matters. The city projects 66.3 million visitors for all of 2026, which makes the holiday forecast equal to roughly one in eight of the year’s expected travelers. The base of that traffic is close to home. Domestic travelers account for 80% of New York City’s visitation, and the tristate area is the city’s top feeder market, a regional audience that can reach a Queens farm or a Staten Island theater as easily as a Fifth Avenue window.
Holiday Spending Reaches Beyond Hotels And Midtown Retail
Photo Credit: Unsplash.com
NYC Tourism + Conventions President and CEO Julie Coker framed the 2026 season around visitors “driving meaningful spending at local businesses across all five boroughs.” The agency’s 2025 annual report puts numbers behind that idea. Visitor spending flowed into hotels, restaurants, cultural institutions, retail and small businesses, and the tourism sector accounts for 397,000 jobs.
Hotels remain the clearest barometer. Citywide occupancy averaged 84.2% in 2025, and the average daily rate rose 5% to $334. Neither release breaks out holiday spending by borough, so the guide itself is the best available map of where the agency hopes visitors will go. The season also has a built-in tail: NYC Hotel Week returns as part of NYC Winter Outing, with discounted stays at more than 100 hotels going live in January 2027.
Staten Island Builds A Holiday Night Out Around St. George
St. George Theatre anchors Staten Island’s slate. The historic venue on Hyatt Street screens National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation on November 22, followed by a live conversation with Chevy Chase, and later stages a Rock’n Holiday Spectacular with rock, doo-wop and pop performers. A few miles south, Historic Richmond Town runs its Community Tree Lighting, Christmas in Historic Richmond Town and Candlelight Tours, with living history demonstrations, holiday shopping and horse-drawn carriage rides.
Queens Pairs A Lantern Festival With A One-Hour Nutcracker
Queens County Farm Museum turns its Glen Oaks grounds into Illuminate the Farm from November 19 through January 3, opening on select evenings before shifting to a daily schedule later in December. The farm also holds its annual Christmas Tree Lighting on December 5. In Flushing, Kupferberg Center for the Arts presents New York Theatre Ballet’s one-hour Nutcracker on December 4, with Keith Michael’s choreography in an art nouveau-inspired setting, a shorter format suited to families with young children.
Bronx Little Italy Lights Its Tree In Ciccarone Park
Bronx Little Italy holds its annual tree lighting on December 5 in Ciccarone Park, followed by caroling and Santa appearances around the Belmont neighborhood through December. The tourism guide pitches the area as a place to shop and dine along Arthur Avenue, where a holiday visit puts traffic directly into the family-run bakeries, delis and restaurants that define the corridor.
Brooklyn Leans On Local Makers And An Accessible Circus At BAM
Brooklyn’s draw is built around local goods. The Brooklyn Borough Hall Holiday Market in Downtown Brooklyn features 100 vendors selling locally made products, part of a citywide network of markets that also includes six Made in NYC makers taking turns in a weekly booth at the Union Square Holiday Market. In Fort Greene, Omnium Circus brings I’mPossible Holiday Wonders to BAM’s Howard Gilman Opera House from December 10 to 13. Every performance is presented in American Sign Language and English, led by Deaf ringmaster Malik Paris, with captions, audio description and sensory-friendly accommodations.
FAQs
How Many Visitors Is New York City Expecting This Holiday Season?
NYC Tourism + Conventions expects approximately 8.1 million visitors this holiday season. The agency projected 8 million for the 2025 season between Thanksgiving and New Year’s.
How Much Does Tourism Contribute To New York City’s Economy?
Tourism generated $84.7 billion in total economic impact in 2025, including $55.6 billion in direct spending and $7.5 billion in local and state taxes. The sector accounts for 397,000 jobs.
When Does Illuminate The Farm Open In Queens?
Illuminate the Farm opens November 19, 2026, at Queens County Farm Museum in Glen Oaks and runs through January 3, 2027.
When Is The Chevy Chase Event At St. George Theatre?
St. George Theatre hosts a screening of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation followed by a live conversation with Chevy Chase on Sunday, November 22, 2026, at 5 p.m.
