Events & Things To Do

April 26, 2023

Lincoln Center to host public celebration of Harry Belafonte’s life

New Yorkers will come together this week to remember one of their own. Harlem native Harry Belafonte, who died Tuesday at the age of 96, was not only a legendary performer and EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony) winner but a political activist who befriended and supported Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. during the Civil Rights Movement. At 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Lincoln Center will host a public celebration of Belafonte's life and his influence.
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April 20, 2023

7 ways to celebrate Earth Day in NYC

New Yorkers have been celebrating Earth Day ever since the holiday was created over 50 years ago. During the first observation on April 22, 1970, the city closed Fifth Avenue to traffic from Union Square to Central Park as part of an "ecological carnival." For the last several decades, New York City has marked Earth Day with environment-focused events, volunteer opportunities, and educational workshops. This year, honor Mother Nature by attending the city's largest-ever car-free celebration, taking in artwork that explores our relationship with Earth, learning about NYC's edible plants, shopping sustainably, volunteering at a park clean-up, and more.
Our picks here
April 20, 2023

80+ free outdoor performances happening in Times Square this summer

New York City's annual celebration of its diverse creative community returns to Times Square this May. Hosted by the Times Square Alliance, TSQ Live will offer over 80 free, open-air performances at plazas throughout the neighborhood, allowing performers to show their craft on one of the world's most public stages. Running through September, TSQ Live features a variety of events, including live DJ sets, concerts, and dance performances from NYC institutions like Carnegie Hall, Pioneer Works, and Jazz at Lincoln Center.
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April 19, 2023

Ancient Egypt and South Central L.A. meet in monumental installation on the Met’s roof

The Metropolitan Museum of Art's latest rooftop commission brings to life the history of South Central Los Angeles with the use of ancient Egyptian architecture. Created by artist and activist Lauren Halsey, "the eastside of south central los angeles hieroglyph prototype architecture (I)" consists of a cube-like structure that rises 22 feet tall and has more than 750 glass-fiber-reinforced concrete tiles, surrounded by four columns and four sphinxes.  Located on the museum's Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden, the towering structure provides a new perspective of Central Park and the city skyline through an open ceiling and large entryways.
Learn more here
April 19, 2023

Rockefeller Center plans to fill vacant office space with its first luxury hotel

Rockefeller Center has announced a deal with Aspen Hospitality to open a luxury hotel at the iconic Midtown campus. Aspen plans to open the second location of its Colorado-based Little Nell Hotel on 10 floors of vacant office space above the NBC "Today" show studios, the Wall Street Journal reports. The proposed conversion of unused office space is the latest move to address the substantial shift away from full-time office work since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
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April 17, 2023

Lincoln Center’s summer arts festival to feature free events and garden-like outdoor spaces

A three-month-long arts festival will return to Lincoln Center this summer, with its iconic campus transformed into a botanical-inspired oasis. After a successful debut season last year, the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts announced on Monday the second annual "Summer for the City" festival, which will feature hundreds of free events and thousands of artists across 16 acres of outdoor space from June to August. And for the first time in its history, Lincoln Center's outdoor spaces will be reimagined by a single designer: Creative director and designer Clint Ramos.
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April 17, 2023

Knicks, Nets, Devils, Islanders, and Rangers all in playoffs for the first time since 1994

New York-area sports fans rejoice: All five local hockey and basketball teams made the playoffs this year for the first time in nearly 30 years. The Knicks, Nets, Devils, Rangers, and Islanders are kicking off their postseasons, the first time all teams have been in the playoffs together since 1994 when the Rangers won the Stanley Cup and the Knicks lost to the Houston Rockets in a seven-game series in the NBA Finals.
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April 14, 2023

Brooklyn’s borough-wide ‘bookstore crawl’ is back

The beloved Brooklyn Bookstore Crawl is returning to the borough for its largest outing yet. The event, which kicks off on April 22 and runs through Independent Bookstore Day on April 29, invites bookworms to visit the 25 book shops participating in this year's crawl for a chance to win prizes while supporting local businesses.
Bookworms, this way
April 13, 2023

Art installation offers rare look inside Bushwick’s historic William Ulmer Brewery

A new immersive art installation in Brooklyn lets visitors inside New York City's first landmarked brewery building before it undergoes a major restoration. Located in the abandoned William Ulmer Brewery in Bushwick, the experience by artist  Aaron Asis, dubbed Ulmer: Conveyance, invites guests to tour the "raw and dormant state" of the brewery through several installations and performances both on the upper levels and the rarely accessed basement levels. The event, which is free and open to the public, takes place on April 15, 16, and 22 from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m.
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April 12, 2023

See inside NYC’s first Virgin Hotel, now open in Nomad

Nomad is becoming a hot spot for boutique hotels, from the newly reopened Ned Nomad to the new Ritz-Carlton New York, Nomad and the Ace Hotel. And this tiny neighborhood north of Madison Square Park is where Sir Richard Branson has opened his first New York City hotel. It joins Virgin’s U.S. hotels in major cities like Chicago, Dallas, and Las Vegas. The Virgin Hotels New York City property occupies the entire block between 29th and 30th streets and Broadway.
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April 11, 2023

8 best spots to roller skate in New York City

Once the winter months melt away and spring rolls around, New Yorkers swap ice skates for roller skates. New York City is home to lots of fun spots to roller skate, from funky roller discos to chill, laid-back rinks perfect for practice laps. Ahead, find some of the city's best roller skating rinks, from the retro-themed Flipper's Roller Boogie Palace at Rockefeller Center to scenic skating in Prospect Park.
Let's skate
April 11, 2023

‘Miss Subways’ contest returns to NYC for first time since 2019

After years of hiatus due to the pandemic, the Miss Subways contest is returning to New York City. Hosted by the City Reliquary Museum, the event is an adaptation of the historic beauty contest hosted by the city from 1941 to 1976, and a rejection of traditional beauty standards associated with the original competition. Taking place in Coney Island this year, the event features underground talent who will present a performance portraying their relationship with the NYC subway system. The pageant will take place at Coney Island USA's Sideshows by the Seashore Theater on Friday, April 28.
Who will be crowned Miss Subways 2023?
April 7, 2023

This art installation makes it look like visitors are climbing a four-story NYC brownstone

In celebration of its 30th anniversary, Jersey City's Liberty Science Center is launching one of its most ambitious exhibitions yet. The center is kicking off its Big Art initiative, a new art program with two inaugural installations by Argentine conceptual artist Leandro Erlich and Brooklyn-based artist and Pioneer Works founder Dustin Yellin. Titled The Building, Erlich's interactive installation features a model of a New York City brownstone on the ground, allowing visitors to climb across its facade and pretend to hang from the fire escapes. A giant mirror reflects the scene, creating an optical illusion.
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April 7, 2023

What you need to know about the 2023 Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival in NYC

A procession of marchers wearing vibrantly over-the-top bonnets will take over Fifth Avenue on Sunday.  Hosted by the Fifth Avenue Association, New York City's annual Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival takes place on April 9 between East 49th to East 57th Street. New Yorkers are invited to watch as revelers march up Fifth Avenue while showing off their most intricate bonnets and outfits. Here is everything you need to know about one of NYC's age-old traditions, the Easter Parade.
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April 6, 2023

Rockefeller Center unveils 193 new flags inspired by NYC food

Normally representing the 193 nations recognized by the United Nations, the flags around the plaza at Rockefeller Center will look a little different this month. Rockefeller Center collaborated with City Harvest, the city's largest food rescue organization, on its fourth annual Flag Project, an art installation that transforms the flags around the Rink at Rockefeller Center with designs submitted by the public. This year's theme celebrates the global food culture of New York City, with new flags displaying iconic scenes of neighborhood bodegas, food markets, favorite restaurants, and iconic city grub like hot dogs and pizza.
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April 5, 2023

10 underrated NYC parks to visit this spring

Everyone knows how gorgeous Central Park and Prospect Park are but the concrete jungle is actually much greener than just those big, famous parks. Throughout New York City, peaceful parks and gardens, both big and small, beautify neighborhoods and provide a taste of nature in the big city. Ahead, find 10 of them to check out on one of those perfect New York spring afternoons.
Discover your new favorite park
April 5, 2023

NYC to host largest-ever car-free Earth Day celebration

New York City is marking Earth Day with its largest car-free celebration yet. The city's Department of Transportation's annual Open Streets: Car-Free Earth Day event connects 100 open streets across the city, 22 plazas, and over 1,000 miles of the five borough's bike network to promote environmental activism and sustainable forms of transportation. This year's celebration will be held on Saturday, April 22 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and include seven separate signature event locations and 23 community-produced locations featuring live performances, fitness instruction, giveaways, and educational programming.
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March 31, 2023

A Queens-themed photo installation is now on view at JFK Airport

A new digital art installation in JFK Airport's Terminal 4 explores what "home" means to New Yorkers. The T4 Arts & Culture program partnered with the Museum of the City of New York to bring New York Now: Home, the first installation of an ongoing photography series at the museum that debuted this month, to the terminal. The 15 images now on display throughout Terminal 4 were either created by an artist with a connection to Queens or who make the borough the subject of their work.
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March 30, 2023

Coney Island opens for the season this weekend

Coney Island's beachfront amusement parks are opening for the 2023 season this weekend. Starting on March 31, Luna Park, home to the famous Cyclone rollercoaster, is hosting its traditional opening weekend ceremonies, which include the egg-cream christening and first ride of the Cyclone. To celebrate the iconic rollercoaster's 96th birthday, the first 96 riders get a free ride and an egg cream. And Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park will celebrate its 103rd birthday with its annual "Blessing of the Rides" and free rides on its historic Ferris wheel on Sunday, April 2.
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March 30, 2023

Ride a vintage subway car to Yankee Stadium for the home opener

Yankee fans headed to the team's home opener on Thursday can arrive in the Bronx in style. The New York Transit Museum will run its historic 1917 IRT Lo-V train and the beloved Train of Many Colors from Grand Central-42nd Street to 161st-Street Yankee Stadium. The trains will depart at 11 a.m. sharp, giving eager baseball fanatics plenty of time before the first pitch at 1:05 p.m.
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March 29, 2023

A new stinky corpse flower will soon bloom at the New York Botanical Garden

New York City's famed foul-smelling flower is preparing to bloom. The Amorphophallus titanum, known as the "corpse flower" for the rancid odor it emits, is expected to bloom in the "next week or so" at the New York Botanical Garden. The unique flower, the largest unbranched inflorescence in the plant kingdom, takes years to form flower buds and has a bloom life cycle of just one or two days.
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March 28, 2023

Macy’s Flower Show returns for a dream-like 48th year

The 48th annual Macy's Flower Show returned to Midtown on Sunday, once again transforming Macy's Herald Square flagship store into a dream-like, floral landscape that beckons in the spring. As part of the yearly exhibition, thousands of live flowers, plants, and trees adorn the window displays, countertops, and sprout from the architecture across the famed department store's main floor. The Macy's Flower Show is free and open to the public at the Herald Square store through April 10.
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March 24, 2023

Brooklyn’s refugee-run restaurant Emma’s Torch opening at Citi Field this season

Emma's Torch, the Brooklyn restaurant-nonprofit that provides refugees with culinary training, will operate at Citi Field this season. The Carroll Gardens-based eatery will be one of the newest vendors at the New York Mets home stadium this season, offering sliders, black-eyed pea hummus wraps, and tamarind barbecue wings.
Details here
March 23, 2023

Take a journey through space at Tribeca’s Hall des Lumières

Interactive art museum Hall des Lumières promises to take visitors out of this world. Produced by Culturespaces in collaboration with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the National Center for Space Studies, the exhibition, dubbed, Destination Cosmos: The Immersive Space Experience, transports guests through the universe with 13 visual sequences and a prologue that starts on Earth and brings viewers over Martian canyons, into the heart of Jupiter, across the rings of Saturn, and more. Destination Cosmos will be open at Tribeca's Hall des Lumières on April 7 and run through June 4.
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March 23, 2023

Pickleball is coming to Central Park’s Wollman Rink

Central Park will soon be home to the largest pickleball offering in the Northeast. The park's Wollman Rink will turn into CityPickle, a 14-court pickleball installation opening in April. Presented by Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, Related Companies, and Equinox, CityPickle will offer lessons, clinics, leagues, open-play sessions, tournaments, and other activities for players of all levels.
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