Stand in Ciccarone Park as the Lights Come On
The afternoon dark comes early over Arthur Avenue in December, and by four o'clock the park at East 187th Street is filling with people in scarves. Strings of lights switch on above a crowd gathered for the Bronx Little Italy Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony, held on Saturday, December 5, 2026, from 4:00 to 6:00 pm at Ciccarone Park. Santa arrives for the children. Carols carry across the park. Volunteers hand out Italian cookies and hot chocolate from neighborhood small businesses, and the whole thing runs in partnership with a children's cancer organization. This is a ceremony in a park, not a parade, so you can drift in, warm your hands around a cup, and stay for the singing.
Eat and Shop Your Way Down Arthur Avenue
The tree lighting is the anchor of a month-long Christmas season in Belmont, and the neighborhood's Italian specialty shops and eateries are the reason to come early and leave late. Throughout December, holiday light displays run across the streets, and the merchants keep special holiday hours and offerings alongside their regular trade. Build the day around the market counters and bakery cases along Arthur Avenue and East 187th Street, then let the evening carry you to the park.
- Pick up Italian cookies and pastries from the neighborhood bakeries to eat on the walk to Ciccarone Park.
- Browse the Italian specialty shops for holiday provisions and gifts while the December displays are up.
- Plan a sit-down meal at one of the local eateries before or after the ceremony, since December dining is part of the season here.
Time Your Trip to the Rest of the Belmont Calendar
If December 5 doesn't fit your schedule, the neighborhood runs events across the year, which tells you a lot about how Belmont likes to gather. The Feast of Saint Anthony takes over June 10–14, 2026, hosted by Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, with live music, entertainment, amusements, rides, and food; Holy Mass in honor of Saint Anthony falls on Saturday, June 13, with further observances on Sunday, June 14. Summer evenings bring The Belmont 4, an a cappella doo-wop group from Arthur Avenue, performing 6:30–8:30 pm on dates including May 2, 9, 15, and 16. Ferragosto, the street festival held on Arthur Avenue at East 187th Street for more than 25 years, runs Sunday, September 13, 2026, from 12:00 to 6:00 pm, rain or shine.
- Feast of Saint Anthony: June 10–14, 2026, at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church.
- The Belmont 4: summer evenings, 6:30–8:30 pm, on dates including May 2, 9, 15, and 16.
- Ferragosto: Sunday, September 13, 2026, 12:00–6:00 pm, Arthur Avenue at East 187th Street.
- Italian Heritage Month Celebration: October 12, 2026, 12:30–3:30 pm, with live music by Pane E Cioccolato.
Make a Day of the Neighborhood
The Belmont Business Improvement District organizes the tree lighting and keeps the neighborhood's history, merchant directory, attractions, directions, and maps on its site, so you can plan a route before you arrive. Pair the ceremony with a walk past the December light displays and a stop at the Belmont New York Public Library & Enrico Fermi Cultural Center, which hosts neighborhood programming of its own. Come for the park at four, and give yourself the rest of the afternoon for the avenue.
Start With December 5 on the Calendar
Mark Saturday, December 5, 2026, from 4:00 to 6:00 pm, and build the trip around it: an afternoon on Arthur Avenue, a cup of hot chocolate in Ciccarone Park, carols in the cold, and the lights coming on over Belmont. Check the Belmont BID's event listings as the date approaches, book your table, and let the neighborhood's December season do the rest.