Things to do on a Sunday in New York

This new immersive art exhibit is like a bounce house on steroids—and you can visit, climb on it and snap some incredible photos for free. In a tongue-in-cheek nod to Jeff Koons' iconic balloon animal sculptures, the exhibition by artist Cj Hendry is titled "Keff Joons." 

Imagine if a tangled mess of balloon animals expanded in size to fill a warehouse. That's what Hendry has created with "Keff Joons." It's a wild sight to see—and experience—and you can see it for yourself from April 11–20 at 50 Gold Street in Brooklyn's Vinegar Hill neighborhood from 10am-5pm daily. Just be prepared to wait in line. 

Cherry blossoms tend to steal the spotlight this time of year—and deservedly so. But another pastel flower is worthy of our attention, too: the tulip. These colorful flowers are about to make their seasonal debut, emerging from bulbs deep underground that have survived the winter freeze.

One of the best spots to see these botanical marvels is at the West Side Community Garden, a hidden oasis of springtime splendor that is home to more than 10,000 tulips. The volunteer-run garden will host its 47th annual tulip festival from April 12–April 27. Best of all, the massive festival is free and open to all.

Enter through a wrought iron gate on West 89th Street between Amsterdam and Columbus Avenues to find the secret garden, open daily from dawn 'til dusk. Inside, weave through paths packed with plants. How many exactly? Well, volunteers plant about 13,000 tulip bulbs every year! 

Chinese food lovers, start prepping your stomach linings now: Dragon Fest, New York's largest Chinese food and cultural festival, is coming back this year for multiple days of limitless food and entertainment across Manhattan and Queens. 

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 2025 dates: April 13 – Astor Place (Panda Day); April 20 – 6th Ave (30th–31st St); May 10 – 6th Ave (30th–31st St); May 24 – Astor Place (Panda Day); July 20 – 7th Ave, 56th–57th St, (Panda Day); August 16 (night market) – Queens Blvd, Forest Hills (Panda Day); September 20 – Broadway (113th–114th St); October 4 – 4th Ave (12th–13th St); October 5 – 6th Ave (31st–32nd St); and October 12 – Broadway (81st–82nd St)

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

Midtown’s Garment District has been home to creativity and invention for decades and, now it's home to a massive metal sculpture that seems to be "growing" out of the cement.

Titled "New York Roots," the installation by Steve Tobin is the Garment District Alliance's latest public exhibit on the Broadway plazas between 39th and 40th Streets and 40th and 41st Streets. Seven sculptures invite you to weave in an out of their roots and "reflect on relationships, families and communities coming together for a shared purpose—just as roots intertwine to strengthen a tree," per the Alliance. 

See it through February 2026.

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. 

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.

His work reflected the complex history of Puerto Rico, encompassing elements of Taíno, Spanish, and African cultures as well as the rising tensions between tradition and modernity under the Luis Muñoz Marín government.

Only people in the know go to these secret jazz speakeasy shows, but don't worry, we're about to let you in on the secret. These undergound live jazz performances called Daddy Rabbit are the epitome of cool.

Musician extraordinaire Misha Piatigorsky launched Daddy Rabbit a few years ago, and the series has gained quite a following. Grab a ticket here for upcoming shows at LOULOU in Chelsea. Here's the lineup:

— Friday, April 11: Vocal diva Jackie Ribas, drummer Mauricio Zottarelli and guitarist Vinicius Gomes - all from São Paulo, Brazil, along with Bulgarian bassist Peter Slavov, MC Rahj Mason, and pianist and bandleader Misha Piatigorsky
— Friday, April 25: Vocalist Sofija Knesevic along with drummer Rudy Royston with the Misha Piatigorsky Trio

BTS member and Korean pop star Jung Kook, who was the first K-pop soloist to chart seven different songs on the Billboard Hot 100, is unveiling a new exhibition in NYC.

The immersive exhibition, “GOLDEN: The Moments,” celebrates Jung Kook’s solo career, his creative process, achievements and the emotions that shaped Golden, his first solo album, from April 11 to May 11 at 30 Wall Street. 

The team behind the lovely, Tony-winning musical The Band's Visit—book writer Itamar Moses, composer David Yazbek and director David Cromer, now joined by songwriter Erik Della Penna—reunites to tell the very weird story of Elmer McCurdy: a Wild West outlaw whose corpse toured the country for decades as a side-show mummy.

The show's Off Broadway premiere last year earned it multiple prizes, includes the Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Musical; the cast for the Broadway transfer has not yet been announced.

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:

• 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