Make Memories by Day or Night at NYBG’s Holiday Train Show® ~ One of Gotham’s Most Beloved Holiday Experiences
If you’ve been mulling over when to kick off the Holiday season, today would be the day to circle the date on your calendar. Why? Because The Holiday Train Show®, at the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG), opens for its 34th year of enchanting train displays and immersive, cherished seasonal traditions. Back with more magic, more memories, the Holiday Train Show offers something for everyone—with two ways to experience it: day or night.
After more than three decades, the Holiday Train Show continues to delight, as New York City’s favorite winter tradition and a can’t-miss adventure. The timeless magic of rail travel fills NYBG with seasonal cheer as model trains travel over famous bridges and through familiar City settings, bringing nearly 200 twinkling landmark replicas—including new surprises for 2025/2026—to life under the glass of the warm and welcoming Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. Get up close to see these miniature masterpieces, each one meticulously crafted from plant parts such as palm fronds, pinecones, and cinnamon sticks, fusing horticulture with design throughout the exhibition. This is a tradition you can enjoy with your family, out-of-town guests, and loved ones ~ on multiple visits. Day or night.
A most welcoming tradition ~ you have to see it for yourself. But I hope you enjoy these sneak preview, charming glimpses to get you planning your visits…
Whoot, Whoot. Whooo doesn’t love an adorable owl?
Outside, explore a glowing mountainscape brimming with even more trains and picture-perfect moments. Journey through the exhibition with friends and loved ones after dark and see the show in a charming new light on select evenings during Holiday Train Nights.
The Holiday Train Show has sparked wonder in generations of visitors—and it’s the City’s best way to celebrate the season.
Two New Replicas This Year
A new miniature masterpiece joins this year’s Holiday Train Show lineup: a botanical replica of the recently reopened and renovated Delacorte Theater, longtime home to The Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park. It appears alongside a Central Park tableau that includes the Gothic Arch, Belvedere Castle, the Music Pavilion, the Angel of the Waters Bethesda Fountain, the Dairy, and Cop Cot. The model was constructed using bark from a variety of trees including ash, locust, and hickory, all sustainably gathered in the forests near the Applied Imagination studio in Kentucky. Special funding for The Delacorte model is made possible by Larry E. Condon.
Another striking new addition to this year’s exhibition is a botanical recreation of the
Whitney Museum of American Art Leonard A. Lauder Building, an architectural icon of
modern design. The intricate model captures the museum’s distinctive asymmetrical façade and tiered terraces, crafted entirely from natural materials including polished horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum) bark, reeds (Phragmites sp.) and winged euonymus (Euonymus sp.).
The Holiday Train Show is renowned for its vignettes of G-scale model trains enlivening
botanical replicas of famous New York landmarks in miniature—some no longer standing, like the first Yankee Stadium or the original Penn Station—each delightfully re-created from natural materials such as leaves, seeds, twigs, bark, and acorns by the creative team at Applied Imagination in Alexandria, Kentucky. American steam engines, streetcars from the late 1800s, and modern freight and passenger trains travel indoors in the Conservatory’s galleries along overhead trestles, through tunnels, across soaring structures such as the Brooklyn Bridge, and in an enchanting woodland outdoor display over towering mountains with forest animals, winter-interest plants, and fungi on the Conservatory Lawn, providing merriment for young and old alike.
St. Patrick’s Cathedral
The Holiday Train Show offers much-loved replicas of Rockefeller Center, Radio City Music Hall, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and Macy’s flagship store to name a few, all made of plant materials.
Admission also includes access to NYBG’s historic landscape and gardens, perfect for family-friendly fun, casual holiday strolls, and budget-savvy seasonal memories.
From the warmth of NYBG’s landmark glasshouse to the picture-perfect outdoor display,
witness by day or night a meticulously crafted world brimming with the lively energy of
New York City during the holidays. Whether reliving favorite memories and traditions or
creating new ones, the Holiday Train Show at NYBG invites everyone to discover the joyful spirit of the season.
You can’t help but marvel that all these New York City replicas are made from plant parts! How do they do it. Here, is Applied Imagination’s Founder, Paul Busse’s daughter Paul’s daughter, Laura Busse Dolan, President / CEO, who works alongside a team of 15 full-time artisans, fabricators, and model train experts, explaiming. In Paul’s own words ‘They are taking my vision farther than I ever dreamed possible.explaining.
Laura Busse Dolan, Applied Imagination
For those looking for a dreamy kind of holiday magic, Holiday Train Nights on select evenings offer a premium, elevated nighttime experience. Visitors of all ages are welcome, but these special evenings are designed for those who want a more atmospheric, after-dark celebration.
Sip seasonal beverages, stroll the illuminated exhibition, and shop for everyone on your list, while enjoying the festive setting under twinkling lights. It’s the perfect night out, whether planning a date, gathering friends, or seeking a more elegant experience.
The warm glow of the Haupt Conservatory with colorful lighting brings the holiday spirit
under glass. Marvel at multiple beautifully lit Conservatory scenes, from the cactus-filled desert to the lush rainforest galleries, which offer truly card-worthy holiday photo opportunities at every turn, including holiday classics and Christmas pop favorites sung by performers. The night is made complete with sweet and savory bites and spiked cider cocktails and mocktails for purchase. The “Bar Car” is back with a 21+ only bar at the Hudson Garden Grill Patio. Holiday Train Nights take place on select evenings from 7 to 10 p.m. Holiday Train Nights are ticketed through NYBG’s presenting partner Fever.
For more information about the Holiday Train Show, please visit:
The Holiday Train Show is presented by Bank of America.
The Holiday Train Show at NYBG is sure to be unforgettable, offering endless discoveries while creating new memories and traditions for visitors of all ages and runs through Sunday, January 11, 2026,. For more information, visit nybg.org
And a very special Thank you to my crack “sleepy but happy” crackerjack reporter~photographer~videographer, Michael Alexander Konstantinidis, (aka Mike/“Jimmy Olsen” - a fitting Superman reference!) who jumped in to cover the NYBG Press Preview because I had to be at our country house in the Garden State for a LIVE Les Dames d’Escoffier International Zoom presentation on Holiday Celebrations. I was asked to do the Tablescapes. (More on that later.) I hated to have to miss this annual tradition at the Garden in order to bring the news to you ~ and then I thought of Michael! I so appreciate your time and excellent reporting. I could’ve used every photo and video. You really give us a feel for the magic awaiting our visit to the Holiday Train Show at NYBG.
About The New York Botanical Garden
For more than 130 years, NYBG has been rooted in the cultural fabric of New York City, in the heart of the Bronx, its greenest borough. NYBG has invited millions of visitors to make the Garden a part of their lives, exploring the joy, beauty, and respite of nature. NYBG’s 250 acres are home to renowned exhibitions, immersive botanical experiences, art and music, and events with some of the most influential figures in plant and fungal science, horticulture, and the humanities. NYBG is also a steward of globally significant research collections, from the LuEsther T. Mertz Library collection to the plant and fungal specimens in the William and Lynda Steere Herbarium, the largest such collection in the Western Hemisphere.
The plant people of NYBG—dedicated horticulturists, enthusiastic educators, and scientific adventurers—are committed to helping nature thrive so that humanity can thrive. They believe in their ability to make things better, teaching tens of thousands of kids and families each year about the importance of safeguarding the environment and healthy eating. Expert scientists work across the city, the nation, and the globe to document the plants and fungi of the world—and find actionable, nature-based solutions to the planet’s dual climate and biodiversity crises. With eyes always looking forward, they train the next generation of botanists, gardeners, landscape designers, and environmental stewards, ensuring a green future for all.
