Grand Central Holiday Fair Opens for Shoppers

The MTA's seven-week holiday market in Vanderbilt Hall runs through Christmas Eve with more than 35 small vendors.

Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Seasonal Events

Gouache-painted editorial illustration of a wrapped holiday gift box with ribbon on a wooden market counter under a small awning, evoking festive holiday shopping. — The MTA opened its seven-week Grand Central Holiday Fair in Vanderbilt Hall on November 9, featuring more than 35 small vendors and Hennessy sponsorship through Christmas Eve. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Would you take a train to Grand Central for holiday shopping this year?

The MTA opened the Grand Central Holiday Fair to the public on November 9, 2026. The fair, sponsored this year by the cognac brand Hennessy, features more than 35 small vendors selling handmade jewelry, artwork, clothing, home goods, and holiday trinkets.

Why it matters

The fair gives New Yorkers a convenient holiday shopping option inside one of the city's busiest transit hubs. Its run through December 24 covers the peak gift-buying season.

More than 35 small vendors occupy three rows of stalls in Vanderbilt Hall over seven weeks. The source does not report attendance figures or sales totals for the fair.

The players

Hennessy

Hennessy is a French cognac brand that sponsors this year's Grand Central Holiday Fair and hosts the Hennessy Postal Club stall.

Ben Lenovitz

Ben Lenovitz is a vendor making custom pet paintings who is participating in the fair for the first time.

The details

Vendors sell handmade jewelry, artwork, clothing, home goods, and holiday-themed trinkets in Vanderbilt Hall, next to the main 42nd Street entrance. Hennessy's stall hosts the Hennessy Postal Club, where visitors write holiday cards and take part in live illustrating and engraving.

November 9, 2026: Fair opens to the public with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
November 24, 2026: Thanksgiving market held in the Biltmore Room near Metro-North's Track 42.
December 17 through December 23, 2026: Fair open 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
December 24, 2026: Final day, open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Seasonal Patterns

The fair continues Grand Central Terminal's tradition of hosting holiday vendor markets in Vanderbilt Hall during the winter shopping season. It places a small-vendor market inside a major transit terminal, a pattern the terminal has used for its own seasonal programming.

Shoppers can visit the fair daily through December 24 during the listed hours, with extended evening hours from December 17 to December 23. The LIRR will run holiday shopper express trains between Ronkonkoma and Grand Central Madison, making limited stops.

The takeaway

Holiday shoppers in New York City can combine a trip to Grand Central's fair with LIRR express service from Long Island, making the terminal a practical one-stop gift destination through the final week before Christmas.