NYC events in May 2025

What's better than a walking tour of New York City? A free walking tour of New York City—and more than 200 of them will be available this May as part of Jane's Walk NYC festival hosted by the Municipal Art Society.

This beloved annual event, named after famed activist Jane Jacobs, invites New Yorkers to lead walks that celebrate urban life, culture, hidden gems, street art and more. Any New Yorker can lead a walk—and anyone can attend. 

At last, night market season has arrived. A bevy of open-air night markets will pop up around town this summer, from the upper reaches of the Bronx to Queens. We've rounded up details on all of them, so grab some cash and make plans to eat locally—and deliciously. 

Vincent van Gogh's deep blue lilies, vibrant sunflowers, and golden wheat fields leap from the canvas as if they're living flowers. This spring, they will be. 

New York Botanical Garden is hosting a massive floral show called Van Gogh's Flowers, inspired by the genius of the iconic artist Vincent van Gogh. It will run at the botanical garden in the Bronx from May 24 through October 26, 2025.

The art-infused flower show will encourage visitors to revel in the color and beauty of the natural world with botanical displays and large-scale art. You'll get a chance to roam through a breathtaking lawn adorned with vibrant, monumental sunflowers that sounds positively Instagram-worthy. Plus, see how the floral pros at NYBG used real flowers to make spectacular re-creations of the artist's museum-level masterpieces.

Described as "a huge 'Arigato!' from the Japanese community to New York City," the Japan Parade brings dance performances, musicians, marching bands, martial arts and traditional costumes to Manhattan.

The parade marches along Central Park West between 81st Street and 67th Street (heading south toward 67th Street) on Saturday, May 10 starting at 11am.

The Family Style Food Festival, a family friendly extravaganza is set to combine the best of local cuisine with the vibrant streetwear scene. It will be hosted by critic Keith Lee.

The new event will debut at Industry City in Brooklyn on Saturday, May 17, at 1pm, featuring a stellar lineup of top chefs from around the country—including many famous New York destinations. Attendees will get to grab fare from beloved Cantonese restaurant Bonnie's, for example, finger foods from Double Chicken Please, all sorts of delicacies from Katz's, treats from Kith, pizza from L'Industrie and Lucali. Win Son, Russ & Daughters, Scarr's Pizza and Cosme are also setting up shop on site!

Tickets for the event are on sale right here. The general admission pass will cost you a little over $40.

Get ready to shop 'til you drop because Urbanspace is about to unveil its largest, longest market ever. More than 175 local vendors will showcase their handcrafted products, including art, jewelry, food, and more, in Bryant Park this spring as part of the Makers Market by Urbanspace. 

The pop-up market opens on Friday, April 18, and runs on weekends through June 1; the market will be open on Fridays-Sundays from 11am-7pm, as well as Memorial Day, Monday, May 26. Expect to find new vendors—including sellers of eco-friendly personal care products, handcrafted mosaic art, and chic home decor—along with longtime favorites.

Take a moment away from reading the political headlines and instead get involved writing some historic political activism. Described as "activism for introverts," all are invited to a free event called Handwriting the Constitution at The Old Stone House in Brooklyn. Quite fittingly, the venue is the site of the first—and largest—Revolutionary War Battle, the Battle of Brooklyn on August 27, 1776.

This social art project will be hosted on the first Monday of the month for the rest of the year. RSVPs are requested here, but walk-ins are welcome. The event offers a calm, quiet gathering where writing the words of the Constitution encourages attendees to connect and reflect on them. 

Those who lived through the Cold War era will remember the horrors of the time: Wearing identification tags to school, practicing duck-and-cover drills and facing the constant threat of nuclear war. Though we’re only a few decades removed from that generation, it can be hard for younger people to wrap their minds around those terrors. 

A new exhibit at NYC’s Poster House titled “Fallout: Atoms for War & Peace” sheds light on the Nuclear Age, exploring its potential for scientific innovation and its use as a dangerous weapon. The exhibit chronicles the past through a visually stunning collection of 60 posters, including artwork by General Dynamics as well as activist pieces protesting nuclear war; it also offers important lessons for our future.

“Fallout” is the debut point-counterpoint exhibition at Poster House, which is the first museum in the U.S. dedicated to the history of posters. Find the exhibit in the Flatiron District museum through September 7, 2025.

The Brooklyn Museum is celebrating a big birthday. As the museum turns 200, it’s marking the occasion with a sprawling exhibition that celebrates the museum's history, showcases artists from the borough and highlights new gifts in the collection. The massive show highlights hundreds of paintings, sculptures, and photographs pulled from the impressive museum’s full collection of 140,000 items. 

“Breaking the Mold: Brooklyn Museum at 200” is now open through February 22, 2026.

Grab your paddles, pickleball fans, because the popular sport is back in Central Park all spring and summer long. CityPickle is now open at the park's Wollman Rink through the early fall. 

This is the third season for pickleball on 14 courts in the center of Manhattan—the largest pickleball offering in the Northeast. This tennis/ping-pong/badminton hybrid has become the country's fastest-growing sport, with more than 130,000 New Yorkers flocking to Wollman Rink's courts in past years. All skill levels are welcome for court rentals, clinics, open play, and private events from 8am to 9pm daily. Plus, expect summer camps, events, and special free programming. 

It's hard to imagine now in our globalized world, but many of the young American soldiers who headed onto massive ships like the USS Intrepid during World War II had never even seen the ocean before. They’d soon be navigating the Pacific, launching planes off of aircraft carriers and battling Axis enemies. 

Now, the stories of those military members are on display in a new permanent exhibit at the Intrepid Museum, the historic aircraft carrier docked along the Hudson River in Hell’s Kitchen, which served from 1943 to 1974. The new 10,000-square-foot exhibit, which opens today, includes 50 never-before-seen artifacts, crew member oral histories, videos, and photos showcasing the ship's history. Plus, you’ll get to see the museum’s newest WWII aircraft acquisition, a legendary fighter-bomber called the FG-1D Corsair. Planes just like it often flew off of Intrepid’s flight deck during the war.

Walk in the footsteps of the Astors, Vanderbilts and other elite New Yorkers who lived during the Gilded Age on this new walking tour. Titled “Fifth Avenue in the Gilded Age: Address to Impress,” the tour will whisk visitors back to the late 1800s for a stroll along Manhattan's most prestigious avenue. 

Tours, bookable here for $49/person, run on May 10 and 24. Events are run by New York Historical Tours in partnership with the Fifth Avenue Association.

Revel in warmer weather at the annual Macy’s Flower Show. NYC will be budding with blooms all over, but nothing beats roaming the sweet-smelling foliage that suddenly appears at one of the city’s best department stores: Macy’s Herald Square.

This year's theme hasn't been announced yet, but Macy's says the show will transform the store's main floor, balcony and windows. Expect "a whimsical oasis featuring the beauty and fragrance of spring as thousands of plants, flowers and trees bloom on the iconic store's main floor," Macy's officials said in a press release.

The Flower Show runs from Sunday, April 27 to Sunday May 11, 2025. 

Every year, Dragon Fest brings Chinese vendors, chefs, artists and culture to one place. Last year, the festival drew over half a million New Yorkers. In addition to six designated "Dragon Fest" days, the festival added four "Panda Days," which will bring adorable panda-themed food, art and photo-ops.

Here are the May 2025 dates: May 10 – 6th Ave (30th–31st St) and May 24 – Astor Place (Panda Day).

For a full slate of events, visit Dragon Fest's Instagram or website.

Even if you don't know how to play music, it’s practically impossible not to reach out and strum or pluck the strings when an instrument appears in front of you—or at the very least, expect that a musician will appear to play it. That’s what makes these new abstract artworks by Jennie C. Jones so mind-bending. 

Three massive instrument sculptures now sit on the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s rooftop in Jones’ latest work titled “Ensemble.” But only one of the instruments makes sound when it’s activated by the wind. The other two don’t make sound at all, even though they’re capable of doing so. That's exactly the point. Instead, their potential for sound and the tension between dormancy and activation is where they hold power. Go see these cool sculptures on the Met’s gorgeous rooftop through October 19.

Portraits of American First Ladies typically don't tell us much about the personality of the person. Maybe we can see a steely determination in her eyes or get a sense of her style, but we don’t learn much about who she is. Amy Sherald’s portrait of Michelle Obama changed all of that by focusing on the essence of the subject.

You can now see this iconic portrait and many other renowned works by Sherald in a new exhibit at the Whitney Museum of American Art located in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District. The exhibition, titled “Amy Sherald: American Sublime” is open April 9-August 10, 2025. With nearly 50 paintings, it’s the most comprehensive exhibition of the American artist’s work, which includes a portrait of Breonna Taylor, as well as paintings that center everyday Black Americans. 

Officially, Holi takes place on March 14 this year, but the Brooklyn Children's Museum is keeping the colorful celebrations going well into spring with a Saturday, May 3 celebration of springtime, renewal and joy. Held in three sessions (10am-12:30pm, 1pm-3:30pm, 4pm-6:30pm), the high-energy Holi Festival from BCM, Ajna Dance Company and The Culture Tree will be a full day of Bollywood dancing, colorful puppet shows, delicious treats, art-making, music, and more.

Of course, there will be pounds of color powder for the ultimate color toss—families are encouraged to wear white and get messy as the festival will travel to neighboring Brower Park. 

Show Brooklyn Some Love Fest is back for the second year at City Point, with a special Mother’s Day weekend edition on Saturday, May 10. From 11am to 2pm, join Brooklyn Org, Brooklyn Bridge Parents, the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership and City Point as they unite the community and bring the borough’s spirit to life with a family-friendly afternoon of activities including hip hop workshops, music making, face painting and outdoor performances.

Along with all of that free fun, the annual event invites Brooklynites to learn about, engage with and support Brooklyn-based nonprofit organizations. 

This massive festival offers more than 30 events throughout Greenwich Village and brings together an all-star lineup of literary luminaries from across the globe—as well as some home-grown ones—to contemplate change, international politics and the value of free speech.

This year's event runs from Wednesday, April 30 through Saturday, May 4. Highlights this year include Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Pulitzer Prize-winner Jennifer Egan, both of whom will be participating in the festival's opening night convening The PEN and the State: The Role of Novelists in Times of Crisis, as well as events ranging from the fun and free (ArtLords Public Mural Day, the return of the House of Speakeasy Bookmobile) to the more serious, with panels exploring gender discrimination in fiction and media erasure in authoritarian times (the latter featuring the great public intellectual M. Gessen). 

For a full list of events, visit pen.org/festival.

After a sold-out first year, the Paragon Sports comedy festival hosted by Underground Overground is back from Wednesday, April 30 through Friday, May 2. Taking over New York’s oldest sports-good store after normal business hours, the three-night event will see 12 shows across three separate floors featuring some of the best comics in NYC—and, as usual, you won’t know exactly who is performing until the performance itself. (To give you an idea, last year’s proceedings featured famous funnymen like Chris Distefano and Saturday Night Live breakout Marcello Hernández.)

Along with the comedy sets, tickets will get you unlimited drinks thanks to Gran Coramino, free after-show burgers courtesy Shake Shack, as well as mini games and competitions to win cash prizes and giveaways. (Hint hint: come wearing your best sports jersey!)

Treat your eyes 46 botanical drawings by the Swedish artist Hilma af Klint (1862–1944), which will be on display for the first time at The Museum of Modern Art. "Hilma af Klint: What Stands Behind Flowers" explores the artist's engagement with the natural world. Created during the spring and summer of 1919 and 1920, this portfolio presents the wonders of Sweden's flora and showcases the artist's keen botanical eye.

Look for ways the artist combines abstraction with botanical drawing, like a sunflower paired with concentric circles or a narcissus crowned by a pinwheel of primary colors. Through these forms, af Klint seeks to reveal, in her words, "what stands behind the flowers," reflecting her belief that studying nature uncovers truths about the human condition.

The show will be on view from May 11–September 27, 2025, 

Back in the 1970s, there was a common rallying cry at early LGBTQ+ marches: "Out of the closets! Into the streets!" An exhibit at The Hispanic Society Museum & Library borrows that refrain for its title as it brings together 18 photographs by Francisco Alvarado-Juárez that highlight the chaotic and colorful vitality of this first iteration of Pride.

The photographs of the 1975 and 1976 marches showcase the racial and ethnic diversity of the movement and reveal the nuanced bonds of kinship formed among marchers from disparate backgrounds. In these early days, Pride was a local effort in New York City known as the Christopher Street Liberation Day March or the Gay Liberation Parade. Held as a direct response to the Stonewall Uprising of 1969, the events were a call for increased queer visibility at a time when New York still enforced so-called "sodomy" laws that facilitated the repression of the LGBTQ+ community.

See the exhibition at the Hispanic Society Museum & Library in Washington Heights from May 8–August 31, 2025. It's free to visit.

In the four years since it opened, Little Island has become one of New York's primo warm-weather destinations: an elevated oasis of trees and knolls and winding paths that rises—as though suspended on a bed of coupe cocktail glasses—above Pier 55 in the Hudson, just west of the Meatpacking District. In the same brief period, it has established itself as one of the city's most vital sources of low-cost high culture in the summer. 

Concerts, plays, dance shows, operas: These and more can be found on Little Island all summer long, whether at its 687-seat open-air amphitheater (the Amph), its smaller performance stage (the Glade) or at pop-up locations throughout the space. Performances have been part of Little Island's mission from the start, but the offerings have gotten more and more ambitious. Last year, the park upped its game to present a sold-out season of world premieres.

Building on that success, Little Island's 2025 season includes many new works by major artists. Many of the shows are free, and those that aren't cost just $25; to buy tickets to them, visit Little Island's ticketing page on TodayTix.  

Hitting a Yankees game couldn’t be more quintessentially New York. The Major League Baseball team, which won the World Series in 1978, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2009, made it to the World Series again in 2024! To date, the Yankees have won 27 World Series in 42 appearances, the most in the MLB in addition to major North American professional sports leagues. Through 2024, their all-time regular season winning percentage is .569 (a 10,778 – 8,148 record)—the best of any team in MLB history.

Grab your tickets now to see NYC in action!

How is she? Ever since it was confirmed that Audra McDonald would star in the latest revival of Gypsy, Broadway fans have speculated about how Audra would be as Mama Rose—or, more nervously, whether Audra could be Mama Rose, the implacable stage mother who sacrifices everything to make her two daughters into stars. So let’s get that question out of the way up front. How is Audra as Rose? She’s a revelation. 

So, too, is the rest of George C. Wolfe’s deeply intelligent and beautifully mounted production, which comes as a happy surprise.

The temperatures are increasing, the flowers are blooming, it’s officially spring in New York City! And with the new season comes the return of BAMkids SpringFest returns, which will paint Brooklyn with vibrant colors and lively sounds on Saturday, May 3 from 10:30am to 4pm at the Plaza at 300 Ashland.

The fun-filled afternoon will feature exciting performances and hands-on activities like West African movement workshops, mommy-and-me yoga sessions, live music by Sugartone Brass Band and Hila the Earth, step presentations by Alpha Phi Alpha and more.

Not even Charli xcx could have predicted the massive success of Brat last year, when she sold out Madison Square Garden on her joint tour with Troye Sivan. Now she's coming to Brooklyn for four consecutive nights from April 30 to May 4—this time by herself—for any of us who might have missed her the go around. The impact of Brat will likely be felt in the music industry for years to come, and we're excited to catch Charli perform our favorite songs in her post-Grammys glow.

Clear your calendars and dust off your dance shoes: Hudson River Park just unveiled its spring and summer event lineup, and it’s packed tighter than the West Side Highway at rush hour.

Now through September, the four-mile-long waterfront park will host hundreds of free events ranging from Broadway By The Boardwalk to sunset salsa, science parties and one of NYC’s longest-running barbecue blowouts. Whether you’re a fitness fanatic, jazz junkie, science nerd or just someone who enjoys a good sunset and a picnic blanket, there’s something here for you, day or night, weekday or weekend.

Find the full schedule and details at Hudson River Park’s website.

Rooftop Cinema Club takes movie-going to a whole new level—literally. This rooftop film series at a midtown skyscraper offers stunning views and an impressive lineup of films. 

In addition to the movie magic, the venue also offers movie snacks, a full bar and cute photo opps. This season features movies that will appeal to ‘90s kids, a Grease sing-along, Pride films, Wine Wednesdays and lots more when the 2025 calendar opens in May. Here’s the full list of what’s coming to Rooftop Cinema Club’s big screen.

Shop 'til you drop at FAD Market, a curated fashion, art and design pop-up marketplace. Expect to see your favorite makers plus brand new creatives to help you live smarter, gift better and support local businesses. Peruse handmade jewelry, apparel, skincare products, tableware, artisanal packaged food, and more. 

FAD—which stands for Fashion, Art and Design—takes over different venues with a horde of independent vendors and creators. Here's the full list of upcoming events. Admission is free and dogs are welcome!

Sometimes you want to soar above it all, sipping effervescent libations among the clouds like some kind of fancy bird with an expense account. You want to be uplifted. 

In the city that never stops sprawling, upward expansion has also reached great heights. Many incredible eating and drinking destinations are poised in the sky like treehouses with cover charges. Among these rooftop bars are old New York throwbacks, party destinations and seaside terraces practically fashioned for Instagram. They each offer booze, some kind of view and an invitation for you to get high. Keep reading for our favorites.

To relaunch its summer exhibition program, Japan Society will present Susumu Shingu’s first solo institutional show in the United States this spring, highlighting the acclaimed “Sculptor of the Wind’s” works in various sizes, including the artist’s site-specific projects in New York. Spanning five decades across art, design, and architecture, the exhibit will showcase Shingu’s abstract organic shapes, which recall insects, birds, and plants, as well as installations that respond to Japan Society’s architecture and invite audiences into meditative encounters.

Find the exhibit at Japan Society in Midtown East from June 18 through August 10.

Smorgasburg, the food bazaar spectacular, is back with dozens of great local vendors across three locations. Smorgasburg WTC runs on Fridays; Williamsburg is on Saturdays; and Prospect Park is on Sundays. Each location is open weekly through October. 

For its 15th year of outdoor food and fun, Smorgasburg will showcase more than 70 vendors. The food festival will be filled with fragrant Ethiopian stews, Hawaii-style street comforts, explosive pani puri, potato puff poutine and lots more.

Step into the vibrant world of Lorenzo Homar, a pioneering printmaker, poster designer, calligrapher, painter, illustrator, caricaturist, and theatrical set designer. Homar's poster work is the subject of an exhibit at Poster House titled "Puerto Rico in Print: The Posters of Lorenzo Homar" on view through September 7, 2025. 

Es-pranza Humphrey, assistant curator of collections at Poster House, describes Homar as "the father of the Puerto Rican poster." Homar was active from the 1950s through the 1990s, and few artists equal his impact and influence as a teacher of poster design and printmaking in Latin America.

In the exhibition, you'll see the artist's use of non-traditional colors at complements and the way he plays with silk-screening, typography, and calligraphy. The exhibition showcases the breadth of Homar's work, featuring posters for jazz performances, ballet shows, jazz concerts, and political causes. 

On Saturday, May 10, a spectacular procession of visual art, mobile sculptures, larger-than-life puppets, outrageous costumes and more will take to the streets of the Lower East Side to raise awareness for a giant issue: Climate solutions. From 11am to 5pm, the "Ecological City: Procession for Climate Solutions" will see marchers stop at more than a dozen community gardens and along the East River waterfront to spotlight the city’s vital green spaces and natural resources, showcasing music, dance, theater and poetry along the way. 

Volunteers are welcome to join in as puppet operators, procession marshals, and more. Sign up to volunteer here. New Yorkers are invited to stop by the route and learn about the environment while enjoying the artwork.

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

Need a laugh? The Second City—the renowned comedy club with locations in Chicago and Toronto—is now open in Brooklyn, and you will definitely laugh out loud there. 

Some of the funniest names in comedy got their start at Second City. Just a few Second City alumni include: Bill Murray, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Amber Ruffin, Keegan-Michael Key, Chris Farley, Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, and Aidy Bryant. You might just see the next comedy star on this stage.

The venue offers sketch shows and improv performances, along with a great restaurant and no drink minimums in a beautiful venue. Tickets start at $39.

You can do better than a dozen carnations for Mother’s Day (Sunday, May 11) this year to show Mom how much you love her and how well you know her.

After all, she brought you into the world, so the least you can do is show your appreciation. Check out this list of things to do on Mother’s Day including the best restaurants in NYC to take her to, the best shops in NYC for gifts, spas in NYC for a relaxing day, flower shops for the perfect bouquet—basically, how to spoil the most important lady you know.

Ahoy, sailors! Fleet Week NYC is a celebration in New York City honoring the members of the United States Navy, Coast Guard and Marine Corps. From May 21-27, the weeklong party includes discussions, ship tours, performances and military fun.

Every year on Memorial Day, NYC kicks off the start to summer with tons of events. Memorial Day isn’t just about day-drinking and savoring the long weekend—it’s also about honoring the men and women who have died while serving in our armed forces.

So before you chow down on the best BBQ in the city and line up for the best Memorial Day sample sales, remember the sacrifices made for the red, white and blue.