The best Christmas window displays in the world

The festive season begins in earnest when the world’s most talked-about department stores unveil their Christmas windows. These crowd-pulling spectacles combine theatrical storytelling, unapologetic maximalism and an intoxicating dose of merry magic. In London, Fortnum & Mason’s advent-inspired façade and Liberty’s timber-framed exterior attract camera-wielding tourists and wide-eyed children alike. Across the Atlantic, the New York institution Bergdorf Goodman stages showstopping, exhibition-worthy displays that capture the city’s cultural spirit. Read on to discover the Christmas window displays worth travelling for.

Fortnum & Mason

London, UK

Dart down Piccadilly and you’ll find crowds swooning over this landmark, its glittering advent-inspired frontage framed by foliage-festooned windows. Red uplighting adds sparkle, while passing red buses and black cabs make the quintessential London Christmas shot. This year, its theatrical window displays celebrate the traditions of Christmas at home. One nostalgic scene reveals an elegant dining room, complete with red-panelled walls, a lavishly decorated tree and a candlelit table dressed with enough crackers to throw a stocking at. Another showcases a Christmas kitchen, where Fortnum’s signature fairies and mice share surfaces laden with pudding ingredients. Step inside for memorable stocking fillers including joyful musical tins, branded baubles and bursting hampers. fortnumandmason.com

Bergdorf Goodman

New York City, US

Fifth Avenue’s best-loved department store is renowned for its traffic-stopping Christmas takeover: elaborate installations that window dresser David Hoey has conceived for two decades. While its 2026 displays are yet to be unveiled, the previous theme, The Bergdorf Soiré, celebrated the city’s festive nightlife through a series of spectacular holiday scenes. Among the highlights was a dazzling composition of clocks and crystals, inspired by the excitement of a New Year’s Eve countdown. Expect maximalism in all its glory: a riot of colour, texture and craftsmanship, from intricate paper creations and hand-painted neon signage to sculptural pieces, set against the luxury labels inside. Head to the seventh-floor shop, a full-blown winter wonderland decked out with twinkling trees, nutcrackers and snow-capped garlands. bergdorfgoodman.com

Galeries Lafayette Haussmann

Paris, France

Galeries Lafayette Haussmann brings a burst of imagination to Paris with playful windows by French fashion designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac. The 2026 theme, The Heart of Christmas, is colourful yet whimsy. Look out for fanciful characters, hand-drawn illustrations and animated scenes, from angels on a quest for a lost star to nativity figures strutting down the runway. Step inside and the spectacle continues beneath the store’s spectacular Art Nouveau stained-glass dome, where a towering Chrismtas tree takes centre stage. Its exuberant decorations mix clashing ribbons, silver stripes, oversized florals, gold flowers and a giant red bow. Perhaps most impressive is the craftsmanship behind the windows: each intricate scene began as a simple chalk-and-cardboard sketch. haussmann.galerieslafayette.com

Saks

New York City, US

Directly opposite the Rockefeller’s glittering Norway spruce, Saks’ holiday takeover extends well beyond its windows with a top-to-bottom light installation. Its spectacular light show returns on 23 November, synchronising music and colour across its front in a free, crowd-drawing display. The latest theme, Main Character Energy, follows a group of friends on a festive shopping adventure through the store, brought to life in eye-popping, animated window scenes. Previous years showcased an illuminated castle, oversized baubles, dazzling zodiac motifs and a statement clock. The Christmas shop is equally impressive – the sort of place where you accidentally spend an entire afternoon – with musical snowglobes, plush stockings, tree skirts, wreaths and keepsake ornaments you’ll be eager to whip out each year. saksfifthavenue.com

Brown Thomas

Dublin, Ireland

Brown Thomas has five locations across Ireland, but its flagship on Grafton Street in Dublin merits a festive visit. Windows are framed by greenery wrapped in fairy lights, each revealing a distinct seasonal tableau. One lavish, all-red Art Deco scene features a hotel trolley buried beneath ribbon-strewn garlands; another takes a darker, cinematic turn, with a tweed-suited mannequin standing amid a candlelit woodland of silver birches and crystal chandeliers. Elsewhere, a feather-skirted model poses in an intimate dressing room, complete with a ribbon-draped Christmas tree and a robin perched on a snow-dusted windowsill. Discover an expertly curated edit of gifts spanning beauty, skincare, partywear, designer labels and luxury hampers, and don’t miss the dedicated Christmas shop on the third floor for handcrafted wreaths and ornate baubles. brownthomas.com

Liberty

London, UK

Liberty draws visitors year-round for its timber façade marking the gateway to Soho. At Christmas, its balconies are dressed with towering, softly illuminated spruce trees, while the 2026 windows follow The Christmas Chronicles – celebrating its new gifting curator service. One playful window shows a paper figure cycling against green townhouses, its basket brimming with Mulberry bags, baubles and gift boxes in signature Liberty purple. In another, a bathtub overflowing with presents points shoppers to skincare. For a different perspective, climb to the top-floor Christmas shop, which offers a sweeping view of the central atrium and its towering tree. Here you’ll find London-themed baubles – from black cabs and postboxes to Beefeaters – alongside ornate tree toppers, decorations and crackers. libertylondon.com

La Samaritaine

Paris, France

La Samaritaine’s 2026 Christmas theme, Ribbon, celebrates the art of gift-giving, with the French visual artist Elsa Tomkowiak transforming the store into a colourful, festive dreamland. Oversized ribbons wrap around its striking Art Nouveau façade, wind through the windows and curl up the grand staircase in immersive, multisensory installations. The iconic peacock, lifted from the store’s celebrated fresco, keeps watch over the gifts, while beneath the soaring glass roof a giant advent calendar reveals a daily surprise. The Gift Wrapping Studio is worth a visit for precious papers and bespoke ribbons that feel too special to unwrap. Make an afternoon of it and head along the Seine to the nearby Tuileries Christmas market, where alpine-style chalets selling seasonal food and handcrafted gifts sit alongside carnival rides and an ice-skating rink. samaritaine.com

Magasin du Nord

Kongens Nytorv, Copenhagen

Copenhagen’s favourite department store makes a festive statement, with a giant swan presiding over the balcony above its glittering signage. Soft white lights trace the building’s architectural details from top to bottom, illuminating its arched windows and ornate spire, while delicate stars scattered across the glass lend the façade a quietly magical feel. At street level, hulking candy canes frame the doors and introduce nostalgic windows – think bauble-clad walls with head-turning partywear and stripped-back scenes such as a tree built from gift boxes. Tick off your shopping list, then take your pick from a swathe of nearby Christmas markets including High Bridge Square and Tivoli – fluffy Danish pancakes, mandatory. magasin.dk

KaDeWe

Berlin, Germany

A Berlin institution since 1907, KaDeWe makes headlines for its grand Wittenbergplatz façade with gold uplighting and trees dressed in twinkling lights. The 2026 windows haven’t been revealed, but if past years are any guide, expect bold displays honouring the season’s culture-rich traditions. Inside, sculptural staircases connect eight floors. Follow beaming tourists and loyal locals to the legendary sixth-floor Food Hall, where counters piled high with festive delicacies, patisserie and specialities make an irresistible case for lingering over lunch. kadewe.de