Bryant Park Webcam – Watch the Lawn and Winter Village

The Bryant Park Webcam looks west down the length of the park’s central lawn in Midtown Manhattan, from a high point at the eastern end beside the New York Public Library. The stone balustrade and steps of the upper terrace run across the foreground, rows of London plane trees line both sides of the lawn, and office towers on Sixth Avenue close off the far end. The view changes with the seasons. In the warmer months the lawn is open grass. In October it typically turns into a building site of forklifts, timber pallets and lighting towers, and from late October to the end of February it holds the ice rink of the Bank of America Winter Village.

About Bryant Park

Bryant Park covers 9.6 acres (3.9 hectares) between Fifth and Sixth Avenues and 40th and 42nd Streets. The library’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building takes up the eastern side, and the camera is at that end looking away from it, so the building itself stays out of the frame. The ground was once Reservoir Square, after the Croton Distributing Reservoir that stood on the library’s site, and in 1853 it hosted New York’s Crystal Palace for the Exhibition of the Industry of All Nations. That glass hall burned down in 1858. In 1884 the square was renamed for William Cullen Bryant, a journalist and abolitionist.

The park in the frame today is the result of a restoration that closed it on July 11, 1988 and reopened it on April 21, 1992, designed by Hanna/Olin with Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates. During the work the library built storage under the lawn: 84 miles (135 kilometers) of shelving with room for 3.2 million books, covered by just 2.5 to 6 feet (0.76 to 1.83 meters) of earth. The grass at the center of the shot is, in practice, the roof of a book vault.

The Winter Village arrived in 2005, and its rink covers 17,000 square feet (about 1,580 square meters) of the lawn, with holiday shops set up alongside. The plane trees along the side walkways frame the view in every season: full and green in summer, yellowing in autumn and bare in winter, when more of the Sixth Avenue facades show through. One of those buildings carries a large Salesforce sign at the right of the frame.

Weather and Climate in Bryant Park

Midtown has four clear seasons. Ten years of Open-Meteo data for the park, 2016 to 2025, put January highs at about 4 C (40 F) and lows near -3 C (26 F), the coldest stretch of the year and the heart of the skating season. February is only slightly milder, with highs around 7 C (44 F). Spring warms fast: April highs average 16 C (60 F) and May reaches 21 C (70 F), when the plane trees come back into leaf.

Summer is hot. July highs average about 30 C (86 F) with nights around 21 C (70 F), and August is barely cooler at 28 C (83 F). Autumn eases off gently, with October highs near 19 C (66 F) and lows of 11 C (51 F), the month the rink usually goes in, while November averages 12 C (54 F) by day. Rain falls in every month, from about 78 millimeters (3.1 inches) in November to 144 millimeters (5.7 inches) in July.

Things to Do Near Bryant Park

The rink is the main attraction from late October to the end of February. Admission is free, though skate times must be reserved and rental skates cost extra. The rest of the park is worth a slow lap at any time of year: the carousel installed in 2002, the outdoor Reading Room, revived in 2003 after the original ended in 1944, the Josephine Shaw Lowell Memorial Fountain from 1913, and the Bryant Park Grill, open since 1995.

Walk around the library to Fifth Avenue to find the marble lions Patience and Fortitude flanking the entrance steps. The building opened on May 23, 1911, to a design by Carrere and Hastings, and its Rose Main Reading Room measures 78 by 297 feet (24 by 91 meters) under a ceiling 52 feet (16 meters) high. Times Square is one block west of the park along 42nd Street, and a few minutes east on the same street are Grand Central Terminal and the SUMMIT One Vanderbilt observation deck.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

These cameras cover more of Midtown and the rest of New York City.

• Times Square Webcam
• SUMMIT One Vanderbilt Webcam
• East River Ferry Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

What can you see on the Bryant Park Webcam?

The camera faces west from the park’s eastern end, across the upper terrace and down the whole central lawn to Sixth Avenue. Stone balustrades and walkways fill the foreground, plane trees line both sides and office buildings close off the background. The lawn is grass in the warmer months and holds the Winter Village ice rink in winter.

Where is Bryant Park located?

Bryant Park is in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues and 40th and 42nd Streets. The New York Public Library’s main building forms its eastern edge, and Times Square is one block to the west.

Does the Bryant Park Webcam show ice skating?

Yes, during the skating season. The Winter Village rink is built on the lawn this camera looks across, so skaters are in view from late October to the end of February. The park also runs a separate SkateCam aimed at the rink on bryantpark.org.

When does the Bryant Park ice rink open?

For the 2026 to 2027 season the rink opens on October 28, 2026 and closes on February 28, 2027. It is open daily from 8 am to 10 pm, with hours extended to midnight from November 19 to January 3. Construction starts weeks earlier, so through October the camera shows the rink being assembled.

Is ice skating at Bryant Park free?

Admission to the rink is free. Skaters still need to reserve a time slot in advance on wintervillage.org, and rental skates are charged separately.

Can you see Times Square or the library from this camera?

No. Times Square lies a block beyond Sixth Avenue, hidden behind the buildings at the far end of the shot, and the library is behind the camera at the park’s eastern end. Neither the library’s facade nor its Fifth Avenue lions appear in the frame.

What is the weather like in Bryant Park?

Expect four distinct seasons. January highs average about 4 C (40 F) with lows near -3 C (26 F), July highs reach about 30 C (86 F) with nights around 21 C (70 F), and October is mild at around 19 C (66 F). Rain falls in every month, most heavily in July.

Source: Bryant Park NYC