New York Botanical Garden’s Holiday Train Show
Photo by Robert Benson Photography
By Taylor Smith
Experience the season at New York Botanical Garden’s (NYBG) Holiday Train Show, now through Sunday, January 6, 2020. Natural materials such as fruit, seeds, pine cones, twigs, bark, stems, fungus, acorns, lotus pods, and cinnamon recreate a sweeping metropolis designed by Paul Busse of Applied Imagination.
According to NYBG’s website, “replicas debuting this year include the Belvedere Castle, the Dairy, the Naumburg Bandshell, Bethesda Terrace, and two graceful pedestrian bridges. The new Central Park replicas will share the spotlight with old favorites, including the Statue of Liberty, the original Pennsylvania Station, and Radio City Music Hall.”
New York poet, NYBG Poet Laureate and former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins returns to NYBG for “The Poetry of Trains: Billy Collins and Young Poets” on Sunday, December 15 at 2 p.m. Part of the Young Poets Contest and in partnership with the Poetry Society of America, Collins will select 12 winning poems to be displayed at NYBG during the Holiday Train Show. The selected student authors will share their work on December 15 and deliver a live reading.
NYBG’s annual Holiday Tree and Menorah Lighting Ceremony, a high point of the winter season in New York, features a dramatic conifer display, carolers, and special guests on Sunday, December 8 from 4 to 5:15 p.m.
Finally, the lively Bar Car Nights return to NYBG on select Fridays and Saturdays. Exclusively for adults 21 and older, an after-dark viewing of the Holiday Train Show is complemented by artistic ice carving, contortionists and acrobats from American Circus Theatre, the Bronx Night Market Holiday Pop-up, spiked hot chocolate (or a specialty cocktail), dueling pianos, and handcrafted fire pits in the Leon Levy Visitor Center. Tickets are $38 for non-members and $28 for members. Advance purchase is recommended at nybg.org.
All-Garden Pass tickets start at $23 for adults and $10 for children (ages 2-12). Members and children under 2 are free. Advance timed tickets are strongly recommended and available at nybg.org. Discounts may be purchased for groups of 15 or more.
The New York Botanical Garden is a museum of plants located at Bronx River Parkway (Exit 7W) and Fordham Road. It is easily accessed by Metro-North Railroad, bus or subway.
