New York Events and Festivals

(New York, NY, USA)

The residents of New York like to party and there are many exciting events that are held throughout the year this famed city. The popular events in New York include numerous lively street fairs, carnivals, parades and sporting events. Many of the events in New York draw enormous crowds of both participants and spectators.

National Public Holidays

• 1st January - New Year's Day
• Third Monday in January - Martin Luther King Day
• 12th February - Lincoln's Birthday
• Third Monday in February - Washington's Birthday
• Third Monday in April - Patriot's Day (Massachusetts)
• Last Monday in May - Memorial Day
• 4th July - Independence Day
• First Monday in September - Labor Day
• Second Monday in October - Columbus Day
• 11th November - Veterans Day
• 4th Thursday in November - Thanksgiving
• 25th December - Christmas Day

New York Calendar of Festivals and Events 2014 / 2015

January

• Winter Antiques Fair - held at Park Avenue at East 66th Street, this is a major antiques fair
• National Boat Show - early January, this boat shows lasts for a week and is held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
• Chinese New Year - late January / early February - this popular gathering is celebrated in Chinatown and includes dragon dances and firecrackers

February

• Black History Month - featuring lectures and exhibitions on African-American themes throughout the city
• Valentine's Day Marriage Marathon - February 14th, every year over 100 people are married at the top of the city's tallest skyscrapers
• Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show - attracting 30,000 dog loves and over 2,500 dogs, this large event is held at the Madison Square Garden

March

• Manhattan Antique and Collectibles Triple Pier Expo - mid-March, this antiques show is the city's largest and most comprehensive and takes place over two consecutive weekends
• Greek Independence Day Parade - held on Fifth Avenue, between 59th and 79th streets, this parade honors the regaining of Greek independence in 1821
• St. Patrick's Day Parade - March 17th, with more than 150,000 marchers in the world's largest civilian parade, the event is held in Fifth Avenue, from 44th to 86th streets and dates back over 150 years

April

• Easter Parade - held along Fifth Avenue, beginning near St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York's Easter Parade is a popular event
• New York International Auto Show - sporty cars from all over the world drive to the largest auto show in America, held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center
• Japanese Cherry Blossom Festival - celebrating the arrival of spring, this festival is held in Central Park's Conservatory Garden and also at the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens

May

• Memorial Day Parades - celebrated in many locations around the city
• Bike New York - the Great Five Boro Bike Tour is the largest cycling event in America and attracts around 30,000 cyclists from all over the world and starts at Battery Park in Manhattan
• Martin Luther King Memorial Day Parade - this large parade is held along Fifth Avenue from 44th to 86th streets
• Ninth Avenue International Food Festival - this festival is a two-day feast of the city's ethnic cuisine and is held on Ninth Avenue between 37th and 57th streets
• SoHo Festival - this festival is held along Prince Street and is a popular event in the city
• Ukrainian Festival - held during the weekend closest to May 17th, this festival takes place in the East Village along 7th Street
• Washington Square Outdoor Arts Show - a large gathering of local New York artists exhibit and sell their works over three weekends
• Fleet Week - around 10,000 Navy and Coast Guard personnel attend this event and ships dock at the piers on the west side of Manhattan and are opened to the public

June

• Belmont Stakes - this racing event is held at the Belmont Park Race Track in Elmont, Long Island, close to the city
• Lesbian and Gay Pride Week and March - held along Fifth Avenue to Washington Street and around Greenwich Village, this is a major event for the local gay community
• Metropolitan Opera in the Parks - free evening opera performances are given in many of the city's parks
• Summer Stage - June to August, this summer-long festival of free or low-cost concerts is held in Central Park
• Shakespeare in the Park - the Delacorte Theater in Central Park is the setting for these excellent, free performances of Shakespeare plays
• Restaurant Week - late June, many of the city's finest restaurants offer lunch at reduced prices and reservations are often necessary
• American Crafts Festival - held at Lincoln Center over two successive weekends, this festival features exhibitors from all over America displaying their handmade jewelry, sculpture and art work
• Feast of St. Anthony of Padua - held in the Little Italy District, this feast has food stalls along Sullivan Street
• Museum Mile Celebration - the museums located in Fifth Avenue's Museum Mile hold special events and stay open later than usual

July

• Feast of O-Bon - Japanese music and dance in the Upper West Side's Riverside Park, marking the full moon
• Independence Day Celebrations - July 4th, the celebrations include Macy's popular firework display from barges moored on the Hudson River
• Mostly Mozart Festival - this musical extravaganza is held at the Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall
• Midsummer Night's Swing - romantic evening of big band ballroom dancing, held at the Lincoln Center Fountain Plaza, with dance lessons available

August

• Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors - August to September, this series of free music and dance performances is held outdoors at the Lincoln Center
• New York Fringe Festival - this popular arts festivals is held in a variety of small venues in the Lower East Side district of Manhattan
• US Open Tennis Championships - the final Grand Slam of the tennis season is held at Flushing Meadows Park in Queens and this is a major sporting event. Tickets are sold in late May or early June and the event sells out quickly
• Harlem Week - this event is a two-week celebration of Harlem's rich history and culture
• New York Philharmonic - open-air concerts are held in many of the city's parks, including Central Park

September

• Labor Day Parade - the parade is held along Fifth Avenue and celebrates the American worker and the end of summer
• New York Book Fair - held between 48th and 59th streets on Fifth Avenue, the large Book Fair is a major event for publishers and many famous authors attend
• New York Film Festival - this film festival is held at the city's Lincoln Center
• Feast of St. Gennaro - lasting ten days, this popular feast takes place along Little Italy's Mulberry Street where kitchens serve pizza, sausages and much more besides
• Washington Square Outdoor Art Show - this art show includes stands with local works of art
• Wigstock - many top city drag Queens, this event attracts large crowds at the 11th Street pier on the Hudson River
• Broadway on Broadway - early or mid-September, this free afternoon show features the songs and casts from virtually every Broadway production and the event is staged in the middle of Times Square

October

• Feast of St. Francis - first Sunday in October, animals are blessed at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and tickets should be purchased in advance for this unusual gathering
• Greenwich Village Halloween Parade - people dressed up in Halloween costumes parade along Sixth Avenue in this popular event
• Columbus Day Parade - celebrating America's heritage and culture, the Columbus Day Parade takes place along Fifth Avenue, between 44th and 72nd streets
• New York City Marathon - late October / early November, this enormous event attracts many thousands of athletes and spectators and the route runs from Verrazano-Narrows Bridge to Central Park's Tavern on the Green

November

• Radio City Music Hall Christmas Spectacular - mid-November to early January, starring the Radio City Rockettes and an enormous supporting cast
• Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade - with enormous helium filled balloons, the parade marches along Central Park West and Broadway and is a landmark event in the city
• Big Apple Circus - New York City's not-for-profit circus, with strict animal welfare policies, in held in Damrosch Park at Lincoln Square
• Manhattan Antique and Collectibles Triple Pier Expo - mid-November, this antiques show is the city's largest and most comprehensive and takes place over two consecutive weekends

December

• Rockefeller Center Christmas Festivities - the lighting of the Christmas tree at the Rockefeller Center is legendary in New York and marks the official start of Christmas festivities
• Holiday Trimmings - the city is filled with decorations, including large red ribbons, wreaths and some doormen along Fifth Avenue dress up in costume
• Lighting of the Hanukkah Menorah - in Manhattan's Grand Army Plaza, this tall menorah is 32 feet / 10 meters high
• New Year's Eve Celebrations - parties and general festivities take place throughout the city and in particular at Times Square, where the New Year is counted down