NYC’s Only Holiday Parade Of Lights- Harlem Holiday Lights

The holiday season kicks off in Harlem with the 125^th Street Business Improvement District (125^th St. BID).

Which has been revitalizing Harlem’s cultural scene by promoting the arts, entertainment, dining, and business community for over 30 years, hosting New York City’s only parade of holiday lights, Harlem Holiday Lights, a free public event on Tuesday, November 19, 2024 (rain date Tuesday, November 26, 2024) beginning at 6 p.m.

The parade, which has evolved from simple street decorations to a moving illuminated showcase that ‘brightens’ the whole neighborhood, is the biggest and best parade yet. The parade, which will integrate local businesses, cultural staples and community members, welcoming New Yorkers and visitors from all over the globe to experience the vibrancy, culture and sounds of Harlem, has several new aspects this year including:

• A record 20 magically lit up floats, including a firetruck, assembling at 125^th Street and Broadway, traveling throughout the neighborhood. The parade route and map can be viewed here.

• More than 40 watch areas, providing holiday fun for the whole family.

• Newly designed light streamers illuminate 125th Street signaling the countdown to the highly anticipated Parade of Lights and the start of the Harlem Holiday Lights celebration.

• Dozens of community activations, including two toy giveaways for local youth, a canned food drive to serve those in need, live musical entertainment and dance performances, Seniors on the Boulevard and so much more.

• Enhancing the parade route that fully connects the heart of Harlem’s 125^th St. business corridor and integrates local businesses like never before.

This year’s Harlem Holiday Lights theme will also celebrate “Dance! Harlem’s Heartbeat,” which will pay tribute to Harlem’s storied history of dance and highlight its global influence and unparalleled contributions to the arts, culture and history through this year’s Grand Marshal, Misty Copeland, Principal Dancer at American Ballet Theatre and Founder of the Misty Copeland Foundation and Legacy Award Recipient George Faison, Founder of the Faison Firehouse Theater and the first African American to win a Tony Award for Choreography for the Wiz (1975).

Community partners and sponsors of the parade of lights and activation festivities include Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, MMPCIA, CB9, CB10, CB11, Apollo Theater, Foxworth Realty, WABC-TV, Columbia University, Settepani Restaurant, M&T Bank, Verizon, UFT, Metro Plus Health, Toys of Hope, Ryan Health, ARC XVI A. Philip Randolph Senior Center, Industrial Bank, Anheuser-Busch, Dance Theatre of Harlem, ABC 7 NY, Hope Center, Wendy Hilliard Gymnastics Foundation, Mushtari, Harlem-Dowling West Side Center, Harlem Community Development Corporation, Central Harlem Senior Citizen’s Centers, Inc, American Giving Project, Miss Jessie’s, Thurgood Marshall Academy, W. 135^th St. Apartments Tenant Association, Inc., Harlem Advocates for Seniors, Uptown Dance Academy, Fata Realty, MAC Cosmetics, United House of Prayer, FDNY, NYPD, Situation Group and others.

“For more than 30 years, Harlem Holiday Lights has evolved into a community-wide holiday celebration representing the historical and cultural flavors of our neighborhood and draws thousands of visitors from all over the region,” said Barbara Askins, President and CEO of the 125^th St. BID. “The parade and our activations are an opportunity to further shine a spotlight on 125^th St. and the iconic neighborhood as a growing arts, culture and entertainment destination while also encouraging locals and visitors to support the economic fabric of the corridor, our small businesses. We look forward to such a warm and uplifting start to the holiday season to celebrate this year’s theme of Dance! Harlem’s Heartbeat and the vibrancy of Harlem.”

For more information on the holiday festivities including a full list of activations, please visit https://www.harlemlightitup.com/ and follow on Instagram at HarlemHolidayLights. For more on the 125^th St. BID, visit www.harlembid.com and following on Instagram 125thstreetbid, as well as Facebook at 125thBID.

125^th St. BID

Established in 1993, the 125^th St. BID is a not-for-profit comprised of property and business owners, community and government leaders, residents and staff, who work closely and collaboratively together to improve the experience of those who live, work, visit and invest in the Harlem community. The 125^th St. BID is also committed to creating a high-quality urban environment that represents the cultural identity of Harlem, along with increasing visitation to the neighborhood, enhancing the public realm, and showcasing the corridor as a premier arts, culture and entertainment destination. For more information on the 125^th St. BID, visit www.harlembid.com.

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