The close of winter means a burst of activity in New York City. From parades, food festivals, art shows, sporting events, and more, energy and joy will be soaring through the streets of NYC all season long. Enjoy this handpicked list of the best events and festivities happening throughout New York City this spring.
Click Here for the Full NYC Spring Events Guide
Holiday Celebrations
Annual Easter Egg Hunt
March 27-28 and April 3, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum
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Rain or shine, children ages 2-12 are welcome to the formal garden of the Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum to hunt for eggs and take photos with the Easter Bunny. Bring your favorite basket to collect your eggs and join in the beloved festivities and traditions of this special holiday.
Easter Parade & Bonnet Festival
April 17, 10:00 am – 4:00 pm
Fifth Avenue from 49th to 57th Street
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Celebrate Easter Sunday and show off your best bonnet along Fifth Avenue at the Easter Parade & Bonnet Festival. Dating back to the 1870s, this annual tradition celebrates Easter by marching down the streets in festive attire or enjoying the parade from the best view around St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
NYC Earth Day Bazaar
April 21, 10:00 am – 5:30 pm
100 West 77th Street (at Columbus Avenue)
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Discover shops, local artists, and antique dealers who creatively recycle materials to make beautiful and one of a kind jewelry, fashion pieces, furniture, art, home accessories, and more at this Earth Day Bazaar. Vendors also include beauty and skincare products that use sustainable and fair-trade materials. Come to the event to learn from participants about environmental solutions and how you can play a part in making the world a healthier place. On top of all these great intentions, profits from the event are donated to local public schools, benefitting over 4,000 children in NYC.
Earth Love Festival
April 23, 12:00 pm – 8:00 pm
99 Scott Avenue
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The Earth Love Festival celebrates the creative collaboration between musicians, artists, ocean conservationists, sustainability fashion experts, and more coming together with the shared mission of saving the planet. Enjoy the art installations, imaginative soundscapes, educational workshops, eco-friendly shopping markets, and a fun dance party designed to inspire visitors to change the world. This year’s festival will be raising money for Oceanic Global with the goal of promoting reusable foodware.
Fleet Week
May 26th – May 31st, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
New York Harbor from the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge (Views to watch available along the New York Harbor, Battery Park, and Hudson River Park)
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Fleet Week, New York’s annual, week-long tradition, promotes the Marine Corps, U.S. Navy, and Coast Guard. Throughout Fleet Week, you can have the opportunity to wave to the sailors and marine members milling about the city, visit and tour military ships, watch military demonstrations and air shows, and enjoy the parade of ships that mark the beginning of the celebration.
Memorial Day Parades
May 30
Little Neck- Douglaston Parade: 9:30 am, Begins at 1 Jayson Avenue
Brooklyn Parade: 11:00 am, Begins at 7509 3rd Avenue
Manhattan Parade: 10:00 am, Begins at Riverside Drive and 89th Street
The city honors those citizens who have served in times of war with the Memorial Day Parade all over the five boroughs. The Little Neck-Douglaston parade in Queens is known to be the largest of them all. The Brooklyn and Manhattan parades are also great celebrations and make for a perfect way to spend the weekend.
Food and Markets
Smorgasburg
Starting April 7, 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
90 Kent Avenue, Williamsburg and Breeze Hill, Prospect Park
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Try out the city’s very best local food vendors at one of the largest open-air food markets in America! Attracting millions of visitors, Smorgasburg has over 100 vendors participating in the delicious fair including wowfulls, Wood Fired Edibles, Noodle Lane, Rooster Boy NYC, and more. As a bonus to sampling a diverse range of delectable cuisine, your participation contributes toward creating a more sustainable and equitable food system.
Bronx Night Market
Opening on April 30, 1:00 pm
1 Fordham Plaza
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Enjoy over two dozen of your favorite food and beverage vendors at the Bronx Night Market! The curated vendor lineup is filled with fresh and delicious food representing cuisines from over 20 countries and specifically spotlights small start-ups to help promote their business through this local experience. The Bronx Night Market will also have live entertainment providing a space for local artists to perform, art installations, a kid zone, food education booths, an Instagram Wall-O-Fame, and more.
Arts & Culture
The Orchid Show
February 26–May 1, 10 am – 5 pm
Enid. A. Haupt Conservatory at the New York Botanical Garden
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Famous artistic director of the Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris, Jeff Leatham’s dazzling floral creations are showcased at the 19th annual Orchid Show. His colorful and bold vision shines through captivating designs and installations turning the historic Enid. A. Haupt Conservatory into an experience like no other. Orange, yellow, green, purple, and white orchids will tower over you through this artistic tunnel of color and light.
Asia Week New York
March 16 – 25
Museums and Auction Houses all around NYC
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Asia Week is a collaboration between top-tier Asian art specialists, museums, major auction houses, and cultural institutions with the mission to promote Asian art in New York City. The non-stop, event-filled week attracts people around the world with the intention of affirming the importance of Asian art in the cultural scene nationwide and spreading knowledge and appreciation.
Affordable Art Fair
March 23 – 27
Metropolitan Pavilion, 125 West 18th Street
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The Affordable Art Fair showcases original contemporary art and welcomes local, national, and international exhibitors. Returning to the Metropolitan Pavilion in Chelsea, the fair will present over 1,000 works of art from over 70 artists ranging in price from $100 to $1000.
Pillow Fight NYC
April 7, 3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
Washington Square Park
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The annual pillow fight in Washington Square Park gathers together thousands of locals and tourists for one of the most unique and fun spring events in New York. Taking place on International Pillow Fight Day, this famous Greenwich Village park will be filled with feathers and joy. Don’t forget to BYO pillow!
First All-Black Classical Symphony Orchestra
April 24
Carnegie Hall
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The Gateways Music Festival Orchestra is breaking history with its first all-Black classical symphony orchestra at Carnegie Hall in its 130-year history. The concert will conclude the 6-day festival happening throughout New York City and Rochester. Enjoy the performances of musicians participating in several chamber recitals, open rehearsals, lectures, activities, film screenings, and more!
Macy’s Flower Show
May 2 – May 16
Macy’s Herald Square
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Macy’s Herald Square in New York City will be transformed into a breathtaking floral extravaganza for a two-week exhibition of exotic plants and flowers from all around the world. The 2022 show will be taking a voyage to oceanum, a colorful odyssey under the sea, featuring deep sea florals and colors.
Frieze New York
May 18 – 22
The Shed, 545 West 30th Street
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Founder Sarah Elizabeth Lewis honors the work of The Vision & Justice Project at Frieze New York. The project is dedicated to exploring and understanding the relationship between citizenship and race in the United States through the arts and creative expression.
Annual Dance Parade
May 21
Ending at Tompkins Square Park
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Over 10,000 dancers, DJs, and live bands will light up New York City at the Annual Dance Parade, the largest display of cultural diversity in the world! This year will mark the 16th annual parade and will feature over 100 different styles of dance.
Tribeca Film Festival
June 8 – June 19
Locations across NYC
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The Tribeca Film Festival provides artists with unique platforms and opportunities to expand the audiences for their work and for viewers to enjoy new independent films, storytelling, and media. The films that premiered at last year’s festival include Jon M. Chu’s “In the Heights,” Chappelle’s “This Time This Place,” and Steven Soderbergh’s “No Sudden Move.” Don’t miss what this year’s festival has in store!
Sports and Fitness
Five Boro Bike Tour
May 1, begins at 7:30 am
The route starts at Franklin Street in Tribeca and ends in Manhattan at the Third Avenue Bridge
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The Five Boro Bike Tour will bring together cyclists of all skill levels from all around the world to ride through the streets of every borough of NYC. The charitable ride funds free bike education programs in New York, teaching over 30,000 people how to ride. Ride with Bike New York, or watch the tour and cheer for the participants, to help empower New Yorkers with safety and confidence to ride the streets of the city.
Volunteer Opportunities
NYSoM Park Cleanup
March 20, 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm
Maria Hernandez Park in Bushwick, Playground
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What better way to enjoy the spring in New York than by cleaning up a beloved park? Join NYSoM in their spring park cleanup project in Brooklyn. Light refreshments will be served.
