Saks Fifth Avenue will flip the switch on its famous holiday light show on November 23, bringing synchronized lights and music back to the 10-story flagship at 611 Fifth Avenue between East 49th and East 50th Streets. The display is free to watch and anchors a broader “Main Character Energy” holiday campaign that follows a group of friends on a shopping adventure through the store, as reported by Time Out.
This marks the second straight year the show has lit up Midtown after a rocky stretch for the retailer. Saks canceled the tradition in 2024 for the first time in 20 years, according to National Jeweler. That year, the store leaned on subtler façade lighting and window framing instead of the full production.
A Spectacle Two Decades in the Making
The production designer first worked on the show in 2004, 4Wall says. The 2025 installation used 94,180 total LED Bullets and four miles of control cabling spread across all 10 stories of the building, according to 4Wall Entertainment, which produces the show alongside commercial holiday decorator American Christmas. The same production notes the show has typically run nightly from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. through early January.
Saks revived the show in 2025 with a splashy relaunch on November 24, partnering with Mastercard on its “Holiday Your Way” campaign and bringing the Radio City Rockettes to perform live on Fifth Avenue, as the dance troupe also featured in window displays marking its 100th anniversary, 4Wall's reporting and DesignRush both note. That comeback drew large crowds to the sidewalk outside the store.
What's Changed Behind the Scenes
The retailer's corporate picture looks very different this year. Parent company Saks Global filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January amid debt problems following its heavily borrowed acquisition of Neiman Marcus, then emerged in June as Exemplar Luxury Group with its funded debt cut by nearly 75%, according to Retail TouchPoints. Hoodline covered the filing in detail in a January bankruptcy report. Lenders took majority ownership of the reorganized company, which now operates 49 luxury stores.
This year's “Main Character Energy” campaign is the first holiday season under Exemplar Luxury Group since that restructuring, and Retail Dive frames it as a key test of a recovery strategy targeting a 7% compound annual revenue growth rate through fiscal 2030. The campaign is part of the retailer's broader recovery push.
Windows, Market, and a New Snow Globe
Beyond the façade lights, the flagship's six central windows will feature an animated holiday journey through New York City, while gallery windows showcase fashion alongside scenes of festive discoveries and seasonal memories, per Time Out's rundown of this year's plans. The Saks holiday market returns with a life-size Santa, dancing penguins, and decorations and gifts sourced from around the world, along with an exclusive Saks snow globe. New this year is the Saks Epicure program, offering gourmet treats in keepsake tins celebrating New York City icons.
As of Time Out's report, Saks had not revealed the light show's specific visual design or musical lineup, nor had it announced exact 2026 showtimes or confirmed a closing date. The flagship itself carries its own historical weight: it opened on September 15, 1924.
A Crowded Fifth Avenue Holiday Scene
Saks sits directly across Fifth Avenue from Rockefeller Center, putting it at the heart of Midtown's holiday foot traffic.
But Saks' holiday spectacle is part of a crowded Midtown holiday scene.
