New York City Festivals And Special Events

Date	Name, Location, Contact Info	Description
Jan. 6	Three Kings Parade from 5th Ave. and 116th St.	The children of Spanish Harlem celebrate the Epiphany by parading through the streets in costume to festive Latin beats.
Late Jan. to early Feb.	Chinese Lunar New Year Chinatown	Chinatown celebrates the Lunar New Year, whose date varies from year to year, with fireworks, giant floats, and a lavish parade.
Late Jan.	Restaurant Week (☎212-484-1222; www.nycvisit.com)	For 1 week in late Jan. and mid-June, gourmet restaurants offer reduced-priced menus that are a great way to sample the city’s culinary best.
Early Feb.	Empire State Building Run-Up Empire State Building (☎212-860-4455; www.esbnyc.com)	Runners race to the top of the Empire State Building’s 1576 steps. The winner usually scales the skyscraper in under 11min.
Mid-Feb.	Westminster Dog Show Madison Square Garden (☎212-465-6741; www.westminsterkennelclub.org)	If you liked Best in Show, or if you just love dogs, then come watch the country’s perfectly trained and groomed pets preen.
Early Mar.	Art Expo New York Jacob K. Javits Convention Center (☎888-608-5300; www.artexpos.com)	With over 500 galleries and dealers, you’re sure to see lots of high quality art—and have ample choices if you’re in the market to buy.
Mar. 17	Saint Patrick’s Day Parade 5th Ave. from 44th to 86th St. (☎718-231-4401; www.nyc-st-patrick-day-parade.org)	One of the city’s biggest parties, the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, draws the green out of everyone’s closet and makes the city’s open-container laws seem like a joke.
Late Apr. to early May	TriBeCa Film Festival TriBeCa (☎212-941-2400; www.tribecafilmfestival.org)	Conceived by Robert De Niro as a way to revitalize the physically and emotionally scarred TriBeCa neighborhood in the wake of 9/11, this series of screenings at area cinemas has quickly garnered international fame.
Early May	Five Boro Bike Tour from Battery Park to Staten Island (☎212-932-2453; www.bikenewyork.org)	Billing itself as the largest recreational cycling event in the US, the ride covers 42 miles of traffic-free roads, snaking through all 5 boroughs.
June-August	Central Park SummerStage Central Park East, N. of 69th St. Rumsey Playfield (☎212-360-2756; www.summerstage.org)	An eclectic series of mostly free dramatic, musical, and dance performances in Central Park’s Rumsey Playfield.
Mid-June to mid-July	Shakespeare in the Park Central Park West, at 81st St. Delacorte Theater (☎212-539-8500; www.publictheater.org)	Shakespeare is lovely under the stars. Pick up free tickets at Central Park’s Delacorte Theater beginning at 1pm the day of the show or online.
Mid-June	Puerto Rican Day Parade 5th Ave. from 44th to 86th St. (☎718-401-0404)	This staggeringly patriotic festival draws huge crowds dotted with American and Puerto Rican flags to Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
Mid-June	Museum Mile Festival 5th Ave. from 82nd to 105th St. (☎212-606-2296; www.museummilefestival.org)	1 day a year, New York’s 95th Ave. museums, including the Guggenheim and the Met, open their doors for free and host a mile-long “block party.”
Mid-June	JVC Jazz Festival Sites throughout the city (☎212-533-7292; www.festivalproductions.net)	A 2-week festival that hosts big-name international jazz acts in venues ranging from major concert halls, to intimate clubs, to parks and schools.
Mid-June	Restaurant Week (see late Jan.)	A repeat of the gourmet deals offered in late Jan.
Late June	LGBT Pride Week Parade through Greenwich Village and Chelsea (☎212-80-PRIDE; www.hopinc.org)	One of the nation’s largest gay pride celebrations, the week entails many festive rallies and dances, and culminates in an enormous march celebrating New York’s myriad queer identities.
Late June	Mermaid Parade Coney Island (www.coneyisland.com)	Coney Island’s sea-themed parade is wacky, fun, and a favorite activity of the LGBT Pride participants.
July 4	Macy’s Fourth of July Fireworks Exploding on the East River at 34 St., the South Street Seaport, and the Upper NY Harbor (☎212-494-4495)	FDR Dr., Liberty State Park, the top of most Manhattan buildings, and Brooklyn Heights make great viewing areas. Bring a radio and listen to the Philharmonic’s musical accompaniment at 1010AM.
Mid-July	Philharmonic Concerts in the Parks P arks throughout the 5 boroughs (☎212-875-5709; www.nyphil.org)	Over the course of a week, the Philharmonic performs outdoor concerts in parks around the city. The concerts are free and are not ticketed. Check the website for dates and event locations.
Mid-Aug.	Fringe Festival (☎212-279-4488; www.fringenyc.org)	The Fringe Festival showcases offbeat, experimental performance art—more than 200 international companies participate, giving some 1300 performances in 20 venues throughout the city.
Late Aug. to early Sept.	U.S. Open Flushing Meadows, Queens (☎718-760-6200; www.usopen.org)	A 2-week tennis Grand Slam tournament hosting some of the greatest players in the world.
Mid-Sept.	Howl Festival Lower East Side (☎212-505-2225; www.howlfestival.com)	Named in honor of Allen Ginsberg’s poem, this festival celebrates the Lower East Side’s dance, film, music, painting, poetry, sculpture, theater, and food in 8 festive days.
Mid-Sept.	San Gennaro Festival Mulberry St. Little Italy (☎212-226-6427; www.sangennaro.org)	Little Italy at its most carnival-like: expect funnel cake, Italian sausage, cannoli-eating contests, and happy crowds of tourists and locals.
Mid-Sept. to mid-Oct.	New York Film Festival Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center (☎212-875-5050; www.filmlinc.com).	The TriBeCa festival’s older, more established cousin, this 17-day festival has screened cutting-edge films for nearly 45 years.
Mid-Oct.	D.U.M.B.O. Art Under the Bridge Festival Brooklyn (☎718-694-0831; www.dumboartscenter.org)	Brooklyn’s D.U.M.B.O. arts district is always a pleasure to visit, but the area is especially alive during this weekend of street exhibitions and open studios and galleries.
Oct. 31	Halloween Parade 6th Ave. from Broome St. to 23rd St. Greenwich Village (www.halloween-nyc.com)	If you can throw together a creative costume, you can be part of this crazy Greenwich Village parade. Costumes range from artsy, to scary, to sexy.
Early Nov.	NYC Marathon Staten Island to Central Park (☎212-423-2249; www.nycmarathon.org)	35,000 runners enter this 26.2mi. trek through all 5 boroughs, with throngs of spectators lining the entire course.
Late Nov.	Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Broadway from 72nd St. to Herald Square (☎212-494-4495)	The New York institution you probably watched on TV when you were a kid, with enormous, artful floats cutting right down Broadway.
Late Nov.	Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting (☎212-632-3975; www.rockefellercenter.com)	Throngs crowd the plaza of Rockefeller Center to ooh and ahh collectively as the 75ft. Norway spruce is lit for the first time.
Dec. 31	New Year’s Eve Ball Drop Times Square (☎212-768-1560; www.timessquarenyc.org)	New Year’s Eve doesn’t get any crazier than this. A quarter-million people swarm Times Square to watch the gleaming crystal ball ring in the New Year and to be showered by confetti.
Dec. 31	Midnight Run Central Park (☎212-860-4455; www.nyrr.org)	DJs, costumes, and fireworks enliven a 4mi. midnight run through Central Park.

Holidays And Festivals

New York City is already the biggest party in the USA. Still, there are several noteworthy celebrations throughout the year that make it even more of a ball. Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade ...more