Saks Fifth Avenue Misses Famous Christmas Light Show: “Challenging Year”

It’s time for a beloved holiday tradition in Manhattan.

Saks Fifth Avenue’s annual holiday light show at its flagship location has been canceled after nearly two decades of holiday spectaculars — apparently due to cost concerns, The Post has learned.

“For many years, Saks Fifth Avenue has featured a holiday light show at our flagship store, and for some time we have been thinking about changing our approach,” a Saks Fifth Avenue representative told The Post on Monday.

In lieu of the luminous spectacle, “in our 100th year, which also marks the flagship’s anniversary, we celebrate the season by honoring the architectural significance of this iconic building by elegantly illuminating the façade and also framing the holiday windows,” highlighting the Fashion that Saks Fifth Avenue is known for,” the representative said.

The department store chain “acknowledged that it has been a challenging year for the luxury sector and, like others, we are managing our business carefully to ensure the company is well positioned for the future.”

It appears the decision to cancel the light show only came in the last few weeks.

In an October press release, it was announced that Saks’ holiday campaign will continue this year and will be presented by MasterCard for the 15th consecutive year.

With the light show now discontinued, this year’s Christmas windows will instead feature “standout pieces from the top names in luxury” alongside colorful snowflakes, silver harlequin flooring and dichroic vinyl, the representative said.

The Nixed Free Winter tradition has been held annually since 2004 at the flagship store at 611 Fifth Ave. and took place every few minutes in the evening from late November to early January.

The event — near the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree — easily drew hundreds of people at Christmastime.

According to Vice, the first year’s production began modestly with 50 giant snowflakes flashing to “Carol of the Bells” before moving to digital projections in 2010 and then a mix of physical and digital effects in 2015.

Last year’s show, a collaboration with luxury brand Dior titled “Dior’s Carousel of Dreams at Saks,” premiered to fanfare and fireworks. The light show itself utilized a whopping 300,000 LED lights across the ten floors of the building, synchronized to Christmas carols.