NYC events in February 2025

The Orchid Show at The New York Botanical Garden exhibits thousands of species of beautiful blossoming orchids. The Orchid Show this year will whisk you to Mexico into a paradise of tropical beauty—without ever leaving the Bronx. The show is inspired by the bold, multicolored designs of Mexican modernist architect Luis Barragán.

Your ticket will get you daytime access to The Orchid Show, plus all the rest of NYBG's outdoor gardens and collections. If you want to visit after dark, check out Orchid Nights where you can admire the flowers under the twinkling lights of the conservatory with music in the background and a cocktail in hand.

The show runs from February 15 through April 27, 2025.

Chinatown’s annual Lunar (Chinese) New Year Parade is back on February 16, 2025 with dragon dancing, stunning outfits, martial art performers and more. Head to Chinatown for the Lunar New Year Parade, which celebrates the year of the dragon.

On parade day, visit festival booths in the heart of Chinatown on Bayard Street between Mott and Mulberry Streets.

The Lunar New Year parade in 2025 will start at 1pm on Mott and Canal Streets on Chatham Square and will continue through East Broadway before ending next to Sara D. Roosevelt Park.

The beloved Bombolone Festival will once again take over the city. Hosted by Unregular Bakery alongside Underground Donut Tour, the extravaganza will take place on February 8, 2025 at Essex Market between 10am and 4pm.

Tickets for the event are already on sale right here and they are split into different tiers: there are 500 free passes available and, once those are sold out, you can opt for $5 or $10 tickets instead.

Attendees will, of course, indulge in tons of bomboloni but they will also get to experience live competitions among professionals delivering their very own versions of the pastry.

The Westminster Dog Show its making its grand return to MSG on February 10 and 11 of 2025, bringing back the classic group judging phase of the event and the best in show ceremony while debuting smaller events across other venues, including the 12th annual masters agility championship at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.

The Westminster Dog Show involves seven group competitions across several categories including obedience, agility, dock diving and more. 

To learn more information about scheduling and stay up-to-date with announcements in the lead up to the 2025 show, visit the Westminster Dog Show's website or follow them on social media. 

Think pink at Watermark, the classic American restaurant on Pier 15 by the Seaport, which is turning into an immersive pink wonderland this month. It's just in time for the peak of New York winter and for Valentine's Day celebrations.

The 10,000 square-foot outdoor bar and restaurant will be lit up in pink hues and be decorated with red flowers, heart installations and mesmerizing twinkling lights. Pink Pier will be open from January 10 until mid-April.

Looking for that special someone this year? Cupid has taken up a residency at The Lodge at Bryant Park for a series of events called We Met at The Lodge.

The speed dating gurus from We Met IRL are hosting a series of speed dating events and singles mixers this February where you can meet meet new people in a fun, welcoming environment. 

Here's the full schedule: 

— Thursday, February 6: Speed Dating for Queer Women (7-9pm)
— Thursday, February 12: Speed Dating (7-9pm)
— Thursday, February 20: Singles Mixer (8-10pm)

Time Out tips: Dress like you would for a first date and come with an open mind and heart. Pre-registration is required and will be available online soon.

Swap your ice skates for dancing shoes during Bryant Park's Winter Dance at The Lodge this winter. Learn from New York City's best dance instructors, then take your skills to the dancefloor. 

Sessions run on Wednesday nights from January 15-February 19 (except February 5), from 6-8pm. Each week features a different theme, from salsa to bachata to west coast swing. It makes for a perfect date night if you have a plus-one to bring, but it's also a great spot if you're in the market to dance with someone new!

Find Winter Dance at The Lodge on the northwest corner of The Rink. Check the full schedule for weekly themes here.

Here's a winter-time must in NYC: a round of bumper cars on ice at Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park. 

Officially back for the season, the activity is, as usual, suitable for everyone who is 7 or older and looking to have some laugh-out-loud fun.

The program is open from 2pm to 10pm on Sundays through Fridays and 9:20am to 5:20pm on Saturdays. Given the popularity of the destination, we suggest you buy tickets in advance of your visit right here.

Perhaps your idea of "curling" in the winter involves curling up on the couch with a mug of hot cocoa and a good book. Honestly, same. But New Yorkers are now invited to shed their blanket cocoons and go curling at Edge in Hudson Yards.

The new pop-up for the winter sport, where players slide stones on a sheet of ice, welcomes all to get their adrenaline flowing from the game—and from the stunning views at the city's highest indoor/outdoor sky deck. In addition to curling, guests at Edge's Sky Chalet can enjoy specialty cocktails and seasonal treats at this wintry escape, which is open from January 17 through March 16.

Tickets, bookable here, include a 50-minute curling session on a private lane, plus access to Edge after your session. Whether you're a beginner or a curling pro, the team at Edge promises you'll pick up the game quickly.

It was only a matter of time until Flaco, NYC's fallen owl king, became the subject of his very own exhibit. The beloved Eurasian eagle-owl used to fly around the city after escaping from the zoo, until he passed away about a year ago. 

"The Year of Flaco," a new exhibit at The New-York Historical Society, is scheduled to run from February 7 through June 6. Featuring photos and videos "documenting Flaco's flight and his new life in the city, along with letters, drawings and objects left at a memorial beneath Flaco’s favorite oak tree following his death one year ago," the program will also examine "the dangers faced by birds in urban environments, legislation inspired by Flaco's legacy and practical steps for creating a safer city for wildlife."

Every year, the Seaport throws a family-friendly Lunar New Year celebration, and this year is no different. Head to the emblematic location in Downtown Manhattan at noon on February 1 to see a lion dance performance, or head to the Seaport Museum between 2pm and 4:45pm for calligraphy lessons. Since you'll already be in the area, make sure to check out House of the Red Pearl, a Chinese restaurant and speakeasy that was named a Forbes 2024 All-Star Eatery. You can RSVP to the Seaport's Lunar New Year events here. 

Sanaz Toossi's absorbing and thoughtful drama about adult students learning English in Iran won the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Now the Roundabout brings it to Broadway with the same terrific five-person cast as its Off Broadway debut at the Atlantic Theatre Company: Tala Ashe, Ava Lalezarzadeh, Pooya Mohseni, Marjan Neshat and Hadi Tabbal. Knud Adams (Paris) once again directs.

Experience a Lunar New Year cultural extravaganza like no other at the China Institute in Lower Manhattan, which is bringing reconstructions of Prince Kung’s Palace Museum—one of China’s most prestigious cultural treasures—to the heart of New York City on February 2. In addition to that, you'll be transported to the grandeur of Beijing with an authentic and dazzling celebration featuring interactive workshops, lion dances and other mesmerizing performances for all ages from 2pm until 5pm.

If you're looking for a thrilling event, the annual Cupid's Undie Run will surely deliver.

Every year, brave runners with a flair for exhibitionism hit the streets in dozens of cities for a one-mile run to raise money and awareness of neurofibromatosis (NF), a genetic disorder that causes tumors to grow on nerves throughout the body. 

The shenanigans begin at The DL (95 Delancey St.) in the Lower East Side, where participants meet before the one-mile(ish) course. The after-party also goes down at The DL. The date for the Cupid's Undie Run in NYC is Saturday, February 8.  Registration for Cupid’s Undie Run only sets you back $40! Register here.

Having taken the U.K. by storm in productions about the country, culminating in a well-received foray into the West End, this scrappy musical comedy about a wacky real-life British spy operation in World War II now invades New York City.

The entire original company of five re-ups for the Broadway production: co-authors David Cumming, Natasha Hodgson and Zoë Roberts—who wrote the show with Felix Hagan, their comrade in the comedy troupe SpitLip—as well as Claire-Marie Hall and Olivier Award winner Jak Malone. Robert Hastie directs the military mayhem. 

Coming off of his award-winning solo show "Connect the Dots," funnyman Natan Badalov will test out new material at Astoria's Tootles & French. The in-progress show will see Badalov try to wrench laughs out of tough subjects like empathy, family dynamics, and the Middle East.

The show's on the first Sunday of each month (that's February 2 for this month). Tickets cost just $5 plus a one-drink minimum. 

Heading to Madison Square Garden to watch the Knicks play is an iconic night out in NYC. The basketball team made the playoffs recently in the 2020-21 season led by forward Julius Randle and RJ Barrett. 

Catch them at MSG now!

Mercer Labs, Museum of Art and Technology is a unique new immersive museum created by Roy Nachum, the artist behind Rihanna’s famous 2016 “Anti” album cover, and his business partner Michael Cayre, a real estate developer. 

The 36,000-square-foot space is found at 21 Dey Street, inside the bank building that used to be part of the now-nextdoor Century 21. There are a total of 15 different rooms to explore, each one attacking all the senses upon entrance.

Some outstanding installations include the one that the staff refers to as "The Dragon," where a total of 500,000 individual LED lights hung on strings adorn a room and are lit up to created 3D videos, including one of a galloping horse, that will catch your attention.

If Netflix’s Squid Game is one of your favorite shows, you’ll want to try your hand at some of the challeneges at Squid Game: The Experience here in NYC.

Set within Manhattan Mall (100 West 33rd Street by Sixth Avenue), you get into teams of up to 24 people each to complete challenges across 60 minutes, including those that appeared on the TV show (yes, you’ll get to try your hand at the iconic Red Light Green Light) plus a number of brand-new ones built specifically for the experience. Once done playing, you can enjoy a night market offering a variety of Korean and international sweet and savory foods, plus drinks.

Queens Botanical Garden has a beautiful light show you’ll want to see. With over 1 million LED lights, this illuminated trail imitates a lush garden with giant lanterns—including 40 stunning lamp scenes crafted by 150 artisans using 120 tons of steel and 150,000 feet of silk—and brings it to life with acrobatic performers, stone-carving, an artisan market and ambient music.

In the 1950 film masterpiece Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood glamour is a dead-end street. Stalled there with no one coming to find her—except perhaps to use her car—is Norma Desmond: a former silent-screen goddess who is now all but forgotten. Secluded and deluded, she haunts her own house and plots her grand return to the pictures; blinded by the spotlight in her mind, she is unaware that what she imagines to be a hungry audience out there in the dark is really just the dark.

Get a new perspective at American Dream at the Paradox Experience, where you explore a collection of family-friendly exhibits where “nothing seems logical, yet all is utterly real,” including an Infinity Well, where you’ll “fly through an abyss.” The Paradox Sofa will have you questioning reality and the Paradox Tunnel will make it hard to walk a straight line. According to Fever, each exhibit inspires and challenges with ultimate creativity. Plus, it makes for trippy IG photos!

Battle your friends in a game of pétanque at Carreau Club in Industry City, the nation’s first pétanque bar. For the uninitiated, pétanque (pronounced puh-TONK) is a bocce-ball style French boules sport gaining popularity in the U.S., starting here in NYC.

This new indoor location with nine pétanque courts adds 6,000 square feet to the existing 2,000 square-foot outdoor space. 

Carreau Club also delivers with a full bar, craft beer, wine and cocktails. Plus, a small deli counter will serve French-inspired salads, crispy socca waffles, pissaladière (flatbreads), and sandwiches including lamb merguez “mitraillette,” jambon beurre, and pan bagnat. It’s a perfect place to stay inside all day and have fun.

New York City is full of free outdoor art that you don't even have to go to a museum to see. Sculptures, murals and photographs can be found in its parks, sidewalks and on its buildings!

Best of all, it costs you nothing to pay a visit. Below, find the best outdoor art in NYC to brighten up even the coldest winter day.

One of the best things to do in February is celebrate Black History Month. NYC offers many ways you can show your appreciation for African-American culture. Art shows, musical performances and special dining events are on the list for this year.

To help you have an enjoyable time on and around February 14, we’ve come up with Valentine’s Day ideas that should help you plan the Goldilocks of dates: one that’s not too cheap, not too expensive, not too over the top and not too uncaring—it’ll be just right.

No ticket to the shows? Don’t worry—feel like a fashion insider with our ultimate guide to NYFW. Tickets to the runway shows aren’t available to the general public, but newsflash: you don’t have to be part of the elite fashion world to feel like an insider. Maybe you don’t have a front-row seat to the shows or a spot reserved next to Anna Wintour, but don’t fret—we’ve got you covered.

From free New York Fashion Week events you can actually attend to tips on how to get noticed by street style photographers, we’ll make sure to keep you in the loop.

Throw on your shoulder pads, perform your weird football ritual and get into the game with our guide to the best bars in NYC to watch the Super Bowl, plus how to chow down like a champion. And if you couldn’t give a hoot about the game, fear not! We’ve put together a list of the best football movies (and overall sports movies) to watch instead. Plus we’ll take you on a trip down memory lane with the greatest Super Bowl commercials of all-time.