Despite the weather and season, there’s no bad time to visit New York City if you’re looking for fun and interesting events to go to. Here you can find something to suit your interests every single day of the year because there’s never a dull moment in the Big Apple. If you’re looking to plan a trip to NYC in the upcoming year, consider scheduling your visit around one of these top 10 annual events to join in the local fun.
NYC Restaurant Week
New York City is one of the best places to be in the world if you’re a foodie, no matter what time of the year it is. However, this is an especially ideal place to visit during January and July for the city’s twice-yearly NYC Restaurant Weeks. Hundreds of restaurants feature three-course menus for both lunch and dinner in the city during these foodie-centric weeks. The city’s top chefs create their very best masterpieces and make it possible to eat better than you ever have before.
New York Fashion Week
Another fun New York City event that happens every year is New York Fashion Week. There are actually fashion weeks in New York City for the fall/winter season and the spring/summer season. This is when the fashion design industry debuts the latest styles for the upcoming seasons and enlists the help of top models to show off cutting-edge designs.
Tribeca Film Festival
Each April, the Tribeca Film Festival comes to New York City to celebrate filmmaking, music, and culture. This is a red-carpet affair with hundreds of screenings of films from around the world. It also gives you the opportunity to see up-and-coming films before the rest of the world does. The festival was founded by actor Robert De Niro and producer Jane Rosenthal, and it features various awards to support independent films, shorts, and documentaries.
Pride Week
LGBT culture is celebrated every day in New York City, but the biggest annual event of the community is Pride Week in June. The event features the famous parade that goes down Fifth Avenue and lots of other exciting entertainment acts and parties too. There are typically well over 100 floats in the parade and hundreds of groups marching for their causes, to show off their best costumes, and to express themselves and their rights. It’s one of the best and largest pride celebrations in the entire world and definitely worth traveling to.
Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest
If you flip on the television on the 4th of July pretty much anywhere in America, you can watch Nathan’s Famous Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest on your screen. But if you’re in New York on the 4th, you can attend the exciting annual tradition in-person! Expect to be awed by skilled eaters from near and far, as well as lots of excited fans to cheer them on to championship glory. It’s a fun way to kick off your own personal pig-out session to celebrate America’s birthday and be fascinated by this quirky attraction that has fascinated multiple generations.
New York International Fringe Festival
The International Fringe Festival in New York is a celebration of arts and culture that takes place in September and October each year. Attend festival events to be inspired by everything from musicals to comedies, performance art, and other artistic innovations. The event features dozens of shows that take place in various venues in all five boroughs to attract diverse and curious audiences of all types.
U.S. Open
In August and September each year, the U.S. Open tennis tournament comes to New York City. This is a big tournament that has determined the fate of many tennis players’ careers throughout history, and it’s an exciting event to watch from the stands. The U.S. Open takes place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, which is located in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. You can buy tickets to just one session or get multi-session packages to see the matches, depending on how big of a tennis fan you are and how much you want to spend.
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
While many people’s Thanksgiving traditions involve sitting around the dinner table with family and delicious comfort food, New York City offers another iconic option on Thanksgiving morning. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade features huge balloons that make their way through the skyscraper-lined streets, as well as marching bands from around the country, and millions of cheering spectators. At the end of the parade, spectators will get a visit from Santa Claus, which signals the start of the exciting Christmas season ahead in New York City.
Rockefeller Christmas Tree Lighting
Christmastime is a wonderful time to plan a trip to New York City to experience all of the festive lights and decorations, not to mention all of the wonderful shopping opportunities for all your gift-giving needs. The lighting of the large and famous Rockefeller Christmas Tree is what kicks off the holiday season in the city, a tradition that is broadcast on live television and with a history that dates back to the 1930s. Other annual winter holiday events to look forward to in New York City include the lighting of the world’s largest Hanukkah menorahs, the holiday train shows at the New York Botanical Garden and Grand Central Terminal, and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular production.
New Year’s Eve at Times Square
If you’re looking for the ultimate New Year’s Eve experience to ring in the new year, then look no further than Times Square in New York City. It wouldn’t be New Year’s Eve in America without seeing the crystal ball drop here at midnight on January 1 each year. There are designated viewing areas to see the ball drop, but of course, they fill up very quickly with locals and tourists who want to be part of the celebration. Yet people have been flocking to Times Square on New Year’s Eve for well over 100 years, so it’s definitely an experience worth having at least once in a lifetime!
