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Early Addition
With Christmas less than two weeks away, the annual holiday light display is raging through the nights in Dyker Heights, home of TV’s Scott Baio. Every year tens of thousands of people from around the world flock to the outer-borough Brooklyn neighborhood to gawk at the private homes decked out with millions of dazzling lights.
It’s an epic spectacle that has to be seen to be believed, and it doesn’t stop at the lights – most homeowners sink major cash into 30-foot animatronic Christmas characters, armies of giant toy soldiers and live performers. Some even sync up their light display live to broadcast radio, posting signs on the lawn telling people what station to tune into.
Most of the heavyweight displays are located in the area between 80th and 86th Streets and 10th and 13th Avenues; the main drag is 84th Street. (Here’s a map.) If you can’t find a ride out there, tour guide Tony Muia is running a bus that picks up riders in Union Square and takes them on a three and a half hour tour. You should also TiVo the hilarious PBS documentary about the phenomenon, Dyker Lights, which airs Christmas Eve.
Brooklyn Paper has their top 4 light displays and tells you the addresses, the Post has some video of this year’s excess, and Gowanus Lounge has tips on other Christmas light hotspots Brooklyn.
Photos by Richard Carey. If you've gone or plan to go and use Flickr, tag them Gothamist and Dyker Heights – we want to see them!
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What a gaudy waste of electricity.
"What a gaudy waste of electricity."
Yes, but what a pisser.
You should go one year and see if you still think it's a gaudy waste of electricity.
I'm a pretty cynical, rotten New Yorker, but the Dyker Heights lights even put a smile on my face. Yes, they are gaudi, but so over the top they are fun and beautiful, much like a Gaudi.
Agreed. This is definitely worth the trip to Dyker Heights! It's the holidays TimSPC, lighten up.
I hope PBS re-runs the Dyker Lights special. They interview the owners of the houses and everything. I've never laughed so much in my life. It's amazing.
Definitely go and see the lights, but go via public transit if you can - the traffic is unimaginable.
It's suburban keeping up with the Joneses one-upsmanship pure and simple.
TimSPC: Baa, humbug. And I'm Jewish.
All of it is making ConEd very happy.
Funny that we don't hear anything from the global warming crowd about this stuff...
and then there's...
http://forgotten-ny.com/bronxxmas/pelhamxmas.html
Christmas in the Bronx!
That's sort of where I was going.
I'll bet $10 bucks that 90% of the houses doing this have an SUV in the driveway.
Also check out Mill Basin. Their lights rival Dyker Heights for some of the most outrageously insane!! One guy there actually lives in the house NEXT DOOR and just uses that one house for all his "decorations"..
As for global warming, at least we don't have to pay their electric bill, so be happy.
heh, speaking of the global warming crowd, one contingent actually leads a bike ride to, er, enjoy the lights:
http://times-up.org/index.php?page=lights-in-the-heights
As Gaudi as the lights are is as amazing as they are. I moved out of Brooklyn too long ago and I find myself looking at these lights and smiling. Keep it up Dyker Heights. And for those who have never seen 84th st, please don't comment.
Here's a Dyker Heights Flickr (I don't really get the whole tagging thing: http://www.flickr.com/photos/11511341@N07/show/.
Oh, and for a heartwarming holiday story of community activism, Montana-style, I offer: http://www.patricksauer.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=135&Itemid=1
Hi - does anyone know how much longer the Dyker Heights light will be lit this year? Do they stay lit for the 12 days of Christmas? I was thinking about heading out there this Saturday, but wanted to know if the houses would still be decorated and lit.
Thanks
Mike