A giant carousel has been installed in the middle of Times Square

Times Square’s carnival-like atmosphere has been taken up a notch this month with the addition of a whimsical carousel smack dab in the middle of The Crossroads of the World. (Don’t let any of the costumed superheroes try to sell you a ticket, though. You can’t take a ride on this pop-up attraction.)

The spinning installation is a part of the Design Pavilion in Times Square, an annual component of the citywide design festival NYC x Design. The work’s full name is “Chairs that inspire on the Chairousel” and it features inventive sculptures placed on a restored '60s-era carousel all topped with a giant—you guessed it—chair. The entire work is almost three stories tall and is spinning away now through May 22.

A trip to see the “chairousel” is worth it just to see the inventive takes on common objects that have resulted in the inspired chairs. Turns out, you can sit on pretty much anything if you’re creative enough. There are chairs inspired by architecture, food, a classic New York coffee cup, a rocket ship, found objects and more, all of which were designed by students from the School for Visual Art’s BFA design and BFA interior design departments.  

While you’re in Times Square, be sure to check out the other installations that have taken over the space as a part of this year’s Design Pavilion. Some highlights include a tiny house, sound booths, an interactive, futurists space pod and even an Eastern European bloc kiosk shown in the US for the very first time.