Things to do on a Sunday in New York

As the Brooklyn Museum reaches a landmark birthday, it's celebrating with an exhibit called "Breaking the Mold: Brooklyn Museum at 200." The show is broken into three chapters featuring works that span time, geography and medium while highlighting Brooklyn's artistic communities.

The first chapter—Brooklyn Made—pays homage to the borough's artists and designers from the seventeenth century to today. This section features everything from a pair of Delaware Lenape youth moccasins to contemporary pieces by Duke Riley. The next section, titled Building the Museum and Its Collection features the history of the museum's famed building and explores how its collection has grown. Finally, Gifts of Art in Honor of the 200th showcases newly gifted pieces, including works by Robert Frank, Coco Fusco, Antony Gormley, Julie Mehretu, and Alex Katz.

The show will run for nearly a full year, from February 28, 2025–February 22, 2026.

Time travel may be impossible, but these train journeys with Hudson River Rail Excursions are the next best thing. You can board a beautifully restored 1940s train for a day trip along the majestic Hudson River as you take in scenic, historic sights. 

Here's the catch: If you want to try this bucket list experience, do it now because the excursions are soon going on an indefinite hiatus to accommodate Amtrak construction. Tours are now on sale for dates through March 2—and these will be the only day trips of 2025. Ticket prices range from $179-$399 depending on the date and other selections. 

Need a vacation? Head to The Bronx for The Orchid Show: Mexican Modernism at New York Botanical Garden. The sprawling floral exhibition, with its vibrant colors, flowing waterfalls and thousands of orchids, makes for a transportive tropical escape. 

This year's show, presented in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory, was inspired by the art of the Mexican modernist architect Luis Barragán. Throughout your floral adventure, you'll learn about the late artist's ethos as you stroll through meditative spaces, explore minimalist designs and notice contrasting details. The Orchid Show: Mexican Modernism is now open through April 27. Don't miss Orchid Nights, 21+ events on select nights that feature cumbia music, dancing, and drinks. 

UCBLK, an all-Black variety show held at the Upright Citizens Brigade in the East Village, is having a special Black History Month show on February 28 hosted by Justin Catchens, Shem Pennant, and Dominique Kaplowitz.

Expect a mix of improv, sketch comedy, and stand-up by the best of the best. Previous lineups have featured comedians whose credits include HBO, Late Night, Comedy Central, and more, so you know you're going to get some pretty funny people in the room. 

At this hilarious and educational show, comedian Brandon Collins and special guest co-host Charles McBee (Comedy Central) lead a booze-fueled lesson in Black history with the help of their friends. Their upcoming show in honor of Black History month will include appearances from Bomani Jones (ESPN), Sarah Cooper (Netflix), Onika McLean (Bravo), and other surprise guests.

It’s not your ordinary history retelling—you’ll hear from "comedians, experts, writers, and other professionals who are skunked out of their mind trying to recap the biography of a historical black figure or event that hasn't gotten the mainstream love they deserved." See this always unpredictable show at Littlefield in Brooklyn on Friday, February 28.

The Outsider Art Fair returns this year for its show concentrating on self-taught art, art brut and outsider art from around the world. Founded in New York in 1993, the show has become an annual can't-miss event. This year's Outsider Art Fair runs from February 27 to March 2 at Metropolitan Pavilion with 66 international exhibitors. The artists represent 40 cities spanning nine countries; 18 are showing work for the first time.

A few highlights include: Drawings of the North Korean subway by Allen Yu, an 1872 photo of a seance by John Beattie, embroidered portraits of female cult and religious leaders, paintings resembling enlarged scenes from comic books by the manga artist Takashi Nemoto, and one-of-a-kind pieces by unknown artists presented by Aarne Anton. Also see work by contemporary Inuit artists and pieces from Progressive Art Studio Collective, which is dedicated to supporting artists with developmental disabilities and mental health differences. 

This year's fair is a big one: It has the largest number of new exhibitors ever and the most geographically diverse collection of exhibitors.

On a February morning in the early aughts, an ambitious public art project called “The Gates” filled Central Park with flowing orange flags that visitors could walk beneath. It was open for just two weeks, bringing some much-needed levity to the city. More than 4 million people visited Central Park during the show's short run, and it generated an estimated $254 million in economic activity across the city.

Now, in celebration of these beloved artworks by the late artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude, a cutting-edge augmented reality experience on the Bloomberg Connects app will allow New Yorkers to discover The Gates once again. It's available to view in Central Park, along with a complementary exhibition at The Shed, through March 23.

To deliciously kick off Women’s History Month, an all-star lineup of chefs—including Tracy Chang from Boston’s PAGU, Cristina Martinez from Philadelphia’s South Philly Barbacoa, and pastry chef Ilma Lopez from Portland’s Cheval and Ugly Duckling Maine—will be putting on an celebratory collaborative, Dinner: Amplifying the Voices of Women Chefs. The event is on Saturday, March 1 at Platform by the James Beard Foundation.

Platform’s March programming invites food lovers to support the innovation and resilience of women shaping the future of food, and the March 1 event will do just that, with the trio of talented chefs designing a menu that showcases their individual cultures and culinary artistry.

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 March 2, April 6, May 4, June 1, July 6, August 3, September 7, October 5, November 2, and December 7 in 2025). Tickets cost just $5 plus a one-drink minimum. 

On Sunday mornings at 11am in Manhattan, GatherNYC creates the community and spiritual nourishment of a religious service, but the focus here is music. All are welcome at these hour-long performances of classical music by celebrated local artists. Coffee and pastries are included in the ticket price.

These upcoming events are held at the Museum of Arts and Design (MAD) in Columbus Circle. Shows are scheduled through June 2025. Here’s what’s on the calendar:

• March 2: Toomai Quintet and Maria Brea (narrator)
• March 16: Daedalus Quartet
• March 30: MATA
• April 13: Deborah Buck (violin) and Orli Shaham (piano)
• April 27: ETHEL and Layale Chaker (violin)
• May 11: Solomiya Ivakhiv (violin) and friends: Music from Ukraine
• May 25: Rupert Boyd (guitar)
• June 8: Orpheus and Boyd Meets Girl