By Joseph Morales

      All year round in addition to being one of the largest transportation hubs in the city as well as the country, Grand Central Terminal hosts a plethora of special events and exhibitions for visitors in its Vanderbilt Hall. Vanderbilt Hall, which was once the main waiting room in Grand Central,is now a world-famous event space with a 6,000 foot raw space with five chandeliers that 200,000 people pass through daily when entering and exiting the terminal. Events at Vanderbilt Hall Make for amazing experiences to have upon entering and exiting the city or even when someone is not traveling and is looking for fun things to do and see. Such events have included art and historical exhibitions, professional squash tournaments and it’s Annual Holiday Fair.

               Believe it or not,  The Grand Central Holiday Fair is the longest running indoor holiday fair in New York City. This year’s 2022 Grand Central Holiday Fair included 36 unique vendors that offered a variety of products from clothing to holiday decor to jewelry and everything in between. In addition, many stores sold paintings and other forms of extraordinary artwork.  The businesses feature products developed throughout the NYC area as well as from throughout the United States that focus on skilled and high-quality artisanship. 

Patrons browse the numerous vendor stands at the Grand Central Holiday Fair on December 8th, 2022.

              

Clothes and holiday decorations on display at Margo Petitti, a luxury accessory company.

This is the first time the holiday fair has taken place in-person since the pre-pandemic, which is a great sign for New York City’s recovery especially since Manhattan office buildings are still not back at pre-pandemic occupancy levels. MTA Metro-North Railroad President and Long Island Rail Road(LIRR) Interim President Catherine Rinaldi told WNBC-TV(NBC 4 New York) “We are thrilled to bring back this enjoyable New York holiday tradition, which showcases the skilled craftsmanship of local vendors and is a sign of New York’s continuing retail recovery.”

               Given how successful the holiday fair has been, hopefully it is a sign for the future of Grand Central Terminal and New York City. With East Side Access bringing every LIRR branch into Grand Central come next year, even more riders will get to explore the plethora of restaurants, retail and events Grand Central has to offer. With the new terminal will also come 25 new retail storefronts, adding even more variety to the Grand Central shopping experience. This fair is only a sign of things to come for one of America’s most famous railroad stations.

If you want to host a public or private event at Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Terminal, use this link: https://www.grandcentralterminal.com/event-planning/#:~:text=To%20book%20an%20event%20in,memorable%20setting%20for%20any%20event.

If you want to attend the Holiday Fair, use this link for details: https://www.grandcentralterminal.com/event/the-2022-holiday-fair/

Works Cited 

Grand Central Terminal. “Event planning.” Grand Central Terminal, https://www.grandcentralterminal.com/event-planning/. Accessed 21 December 2022.

Grand Central Terminal. “The 2022 Holiday Fair.” Grand Central Terminal, https://www.grandcentralterminal.com/event/the-2022-holiday-fair/. Accessed 21 December 2022.

Perry, Brianna. “Midtown’s ‘Grand Central Madison’s’ Opening Has Been Delayed.” Secret NYC, https://secretnyc.co/midtown-lirr-grand-central-madison/. Accessed 21 December 2022.

Grand Central Terminal. “The 2022 Holiday Fair.” Grand Central Terminal, https://www.grandcentralterminal.com/event/the-2022-holiday-fair/. Accessed 21 December 2022.

Grand Central Terminal. “Event planning.” Grand Central Terminal, https://www.grandcentralterminal.com/event-planning/. Accessed 21 December 2022.

Perry, Brianna. “Midtown’s ‘Grand Central Madison’s’ Opening Has Been Delayed.” Secret NYC, https://secretnyc.co/midtown-lirr-grand-central-madison/. Accessed 21 December 2022.

  J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions – NYC, https://tocsquash.com/. Accessed 21 December 2022.
   “Transit Sketches” Exhibit. Grand Central Terminal, 2021, https://www.grandcentralterminal.com/event/transit-sketches-at-the-new-york-transit-museum-gallery-annex-store/. Accessed 21 December 2022.