The Holiday Train Show opens at the New York Botanical Garden on Saturday, November 14, and its newest building is one of the newest in Manhattan. A plant-made replica of One Vanderbilt, the tower beside Grand Central that houses the SUMMIT One Vanderbilt observatory, joins the city of miniature landmarks under the glass of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory in the Bronx. The show runs through Sunday, January 10, 2027, with a members-only preview on Friday, November 13.

A skyscraper made from plants

Every structure in the show is built from natural materials. The garden describes the models as assembled from plant parts such as palm fronds, pinecones and cinnamon sticks, and this year there are nearly 200 of them, lit up while model trains run over bridges and past familiar city scenes. The One Vanderbilt model recreates the tower's tapered shape and the signature features of SUMMIT using a composition of natural materials, turning a glass-and-steel building into botanical work. Special funding for the model comes from SL Green Realty Corp., which developed the tower, and the Summit OV Foundation. The garden says the 2026 edition has other new surprises as well, without listing them in advance.

Outside the conservatory, a lit mountain landscape carries more trains, and the show has been running in some form for more than three decades.

Evenings with live music

On fifteen dates the conservatory stays open until 8 p.m., with last entry at 7:15 p.m., and programming runs from 5 to 8 p.m.: November 27, 28 and 29; December 5, 11, 12, 18, 19, 20 and 26 through 30; and January 2. Two jazz groups split those nights, each playing sets at 5:15, 6:15 and 7:15 p.m. The Samantha Louise Trio, a Manhattan group that plays jazz, the American Songbook and seasonal music, is booked for November 27 through 29 and December 5, 18, 19 and 27 through 30. The Skyler Floe Trio, a group of younger musicians who play holiday songs in the bebop and swing tradition, plays December 11, 12, 20 and 26 and January 2. NYBG train conductors are on hand for photos.

For children, and for a quieter visit

Evergreen Express runs daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Everett Children's Adventure Garden. Children walk a story trail built around the book Snow Birds, climb the Tree Top Walk to see evergreens up close, make a small evergreen swag to take home, and take a turn running the large outdoor toy trains.

Two Sensory Friendly Mornings, on Saturday, November 21, and Saturday, January 9, open the show from 9 to 11 a.m. without videos or music. The trains and waterfalls keep running, staff are present at the entrance, and a quiet room and a separate exit from the conservatory are available. Those tickets include the All-Garden Pass.

What comes after the trains

The garden has also announced its next two years of exhibitions. A garden-wide exhibition by the artist KAWS, which NYBG calls the largest presentation of his work to date, is scheduled to open May 22, 2027, and a summer show by the artist Cj Hendry is also on the 2027 calendar. The Orchid Show returns with work by the landscape artists Andy Cao and Xavier Perrot. Meanwhile, the traveling pop-up exhibition Before New York, about the ecology of the land before the city, is on view through January 10.

How to go

The New York Botanical Garden is at 2900 Southern Boulevard in the Bronx, across the road from the Botanical Garden station on Metro-North's Harlem Line. The Holiday Train Show is included in the All-Garden Pass, and timed tickets are sold on the garden's website. Members get free admission every day of the run, with the number of tickets set by membership level; advance reservations are recommended but optional for them on non-peak weekdays. For the evening music, book one of the fifteen extended-hours dates.

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