If you’ve been to Bryant Park’s Winter Village, you know you’ll come across tourists who don’t know about the concept of personal space. It’s still a New York holiday staple, though, despite being crowded, because until now, Bryant Park was considered pretty safe for families. But that took a hit on Sunday when a 6-year-old boy was slapped in the face in what police say was an unprovoked attack.
The incident happened around 4:51 pm, which is in the thick of weekend shopping when the Bank of America Winter Village turns into a pit. According to authorities, the boy was walking through the market with his father when a man approached and slapped him with no apparent reason. They didn’t have an argument or any interaction at all. It was just a random act of aggression, it seems.
The father saw everything firsthand and took no time to report it to the police. The boy was later treated at a precinct and wasn’t physically injured. But if you’ve raised a child, you know a moment like this can turn a holiday into one ‘we’re staying home.” Police took a person of interest into custody after the incident, though, and last we checked, no charges had been filed.
6-year-old slapped in face during unprovoked assault at Bryant Park winter market https://t.co/BrrDCVdhfi pic.twitter.com/BIvu8YXv8V
— New York Post (@nypost) December 1, 2025
The investigation is going on, and the city is watching as well, because if a 6-year-old can be assaulted in a holiday market, what does that say about crowd safety at New York’s biggest events? Then again, the slap wasn’t a singular safety headline for this season. Bryant Park’s Winter Village also made news when a fire tore through part of the market last December, per TimeOut. After that, several booths had to be temporarily closed. Thankfully, nobody was hurt either, and most shops reopened the same day. But is Bryant Park cursed?
The parents of New York are frustrated. Winter markets are supposed to be where families can enjoy the season without worrying about strangers hitting their kids. And when NYC parents get loud, the city listens, especially when tourism dollars are at stake, right? Mostly, as of now, it is business as usual, but parent groups are calling for more police to be present inside the markets, and that there should be designated family-safety zones, better crowd management, and faster security comms.
City officials haven’t announced any policy changes yet, but with the Bank of America Winter Village running through March 2, 2025 (and the holiday market through January 5), pressure is mounting. Bryant Park remains one of the most beloved destinations of the season. Shoppers will still shop, skaters will still wipe out gracefully at The Rink, and food stalls will continue selling empanadas that are worth waiting 40 minutes for.
But families may think twice about visiting during peak hours!
