The 34th NYBG Holiday Train Show^® runs until Jan 11, 2026

The 34th NYBG Holiday Train Show^® opened November 15, 2025 to fanfare, excitement and large crowds with families and delighted children eagerly moving through the galleries of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. The exquisite botanical train theater shines its way into the New Year and closes on Sunday, January 11, 2026.

The enchanting train displays reflect beloved seasonal traditions. The show offers something for everyone—with two ways to experience it: day or night. In the daytime, families are welcome. More than 30 G-scale model locomotives and trolleys whizz and hurtle through a showcase of nearly 200 twinkling replicas of renowned New York architecture. During select evenings Holiday Train Nights invites visitors to see lighted, celebratory show one through a different lens. Sparkling nighttime at the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory is extraordinary.

So The Holiday Train Show^® ties the past with the present and history with modernity in the exhibits which center around thematic locations. Look for exhibits featuring landmarks in the Bronx, Brooklyn’s Coney Island, Queens and Staten Island. Look for the New York City bridges that connect the boroughs with Manhattan. Look for replicas featuring famous landmarks in the lower Hudson River Valley, as well as downtown Manhattan.

In the Central Park displays there is the new addition, the Delacorte Theatre. The Delacorte was recently refurbished to expand its offerings of the Public Theater’s Free Shakespeare in the Park. Applied Imagination celebrated the completion of the Theater with this replica.

In the Palms of the World Gallery, check carefully and you will see the Oculus, One World Trade Center, the Statue of Liberty, St. Bartholomew’s Church, the Woolworth Building and another new addition, the Whitney Museum in the display featuring historic structures old and new.

To see the real magic which defies your imagination, get up close to view the construction of the artistically crafted masterpieces. Each one has been configured to scale painstakingly and ingeniously assembled from plant parts. The roof of a building might be shelf fungi.

There are leaves, palm fronds, pinecones, cinnamon sticks, seed pods, acorns, twigs used for fine details as larger pieces are shaped into cornices, columns and stone blocks. It’s mind-blowing when you discover that a pistachio shell was used to meticulously detail an angelic statue.

All of the incredible building designs of the miniatures created by Applied Imagination, highlight the immense importance of plants in our world. Indeed, nature’s flora inspires some of the finest, most uplifting of architectural designs that comfort and support humanity. Plants are vital not only to our physical well being (the rain forests are the lungs of the planet), they are vital to our psychic and emotional well being.

In this outside exhibit, trains chug along with their heavy loads (i.e. acorns, seed pods) around mountains and fanciful, gigantic toadstools and fungi adding an outdoor wonderland to the indoor wonderland of magic. Notice the whimsical train car, and the mushroms out of Alice in Wonderland. And look for the woodland creatures tucked away in a mountain or peering down at you from a train trestle.

Whether young or old the NYBG Holiday Train Show^® continues to spark wonder in generations of visitors. It’s one of the City’s best way to celebrate the season with all your loved ones.

For the evenings you can enjoy seasonal beverages as you stroll through the twinkling lights of the exhibition,. And don’t forget to stop in at the NYBG Shop to pick up that gift for that hard to buy friend or family member. Not only does the NYBG Shop have lovely and unique gifts, if you are a member, show your card for the discount.

As you enjoy the Garden at night dance to the holiday classics and sing along with performers as they croon the Christmas pop favorites. You can also enjoy sweet and savory bites for purchase, or stop at the “Bar Car” which features a 21+ bar at the Hudson Garden Grill Patio. 

Holiday Train Nights offer their unique experiences from 7 to 10 p.m. on November 22, 28, and 29, 2025; December 6, 12, 13, 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28, and 29, 2025; and January 2, 3, and 10, 2026; 7 to 10 p.m. Holiday Train Nights are ticketed through NYBG’s presenting partner Fever. Tickets start at $39 for Non-Members purchasing for groups of four or more, with 20% off for NYBG Members, and free entry for children under the age of 2. For more information, visit https://www.nybg.org/holiday-train-nights/.

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