New York City is a multicultural hub with dozens of museums, hundreds of parks and millions of people. The number of potential things to see and do can feel overwhelming, but NY1 has you covered with some of the highlights taking place this weekend across the five boroughs.
37th Annual Phagwah Parade
- Saturday, March 23 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
- Liberty Avenue and 133rd Street, Queens
- Free and open to the public
The celebration of Phagwah, or Holi — the Hindu festival commemorating the arrival of spring — continues Saturday at the 37th annual Phagwah Parade in Richmond Hill.
The route will head west on Liberty Avenue, north on 124th Street to 97th Avenue, east to 125th Street, and end at Phil "Scooter" Rizzuto Park.
Music, cultural performances and, of course, colored powder throwing will be part of the post-parade festivities in the park.
Mark your calendars for Sunday, March 23, 2025—the Phagwah/Holi Parade is coming to Richmond Hill, Queens! We invite all of our fraternal organizations and unions to come out, march alongside us, and celebrate the "Festival of Colors" with us in unity. See you there! #Holi pic.twitter.com/rzirIH8Unq
— NYCD Desi Society (@NYCDDesiSociety) February 26, 2025
Brooklyn Botanic Garden 'loved.' Sound Exhibit
- Playing hourly from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through March 30
- Brooklyn Botanic Garden
- Ticket information here
A special audio composition lasting five minutes and 31 seconds plays hourly during the day at the cherry esplanade in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
The sounds of seven vibraphones, put together by local composer Michael Gordon, are meant to honor loved ones lost during the pandemic as the city marks five years since it began.
On March 22 from noon to 4 p.m., a 42-piece ensemble will be in the park to play the sounds live on the hour.
Fashioning Wonder: A Cabinet of Curiosities
- Open through April 20
- The Museum at FIT, Manhattan
- Free and open to the public
Nearly 200 garments and accessories are on display at the Fashion Institute of Technology's museum in Chelsea.
Many are being showcased for the first time from the museum's permanent collection, selected for their "rarity, beauty, or originality."
Learn more here.
New Exhibit on Intrepid's History
- Now open permanently
- Intrepid Museum, Manhattan
- Ticket information here
A fully intact World War II FG-1D Corsair fighter-bomber is the centerpiece of a new permanent exhibit at the Intrepid Museum.
The 10,500-square-foot space featuring never-before-seen artifacts takes visitors through the aircraft carrier's history during World War II, the Cold War, the Space Race and the Vietnam War.
Read more here.
Months of hard work have led to this moment. Our newly renovated 10,500-square-foot permanent exhibition, featuring a restored World War II Corsair, is officially open to the public! #IntrepidMuseum
— Intrepid Museum (@IntrepidMuseum) March 21, 2025
This aircraft is on loan courtesy of the National Naval Aviation Museum at… pic.twitter.com/OM9wwkZM6O
'The Gates' Augmented Reality Experience
- Active until April 16
- Central Park, Manhattan
- Free and open to the public
It's been 20 years since "The Gates," 16-foot-tall archways draped with orange fabric, were installed in Central Park for 16 days in February 2005.
As part of the anniversary, the Bloomberg Connects app now allows visitors to experience "The Gates" yet again. Read more about it here.
Additionally, The Shed in Hudson Yards is reflecting back on the art project with an exhibit featuring drawings done by Christo, one of the artists behind "The Gates."
Millions of people flocked to Central Park in 2005 to experience @ChristoandJC’s The Gates—a public art installation that offered joy, warmth, & reflection. Starting today, you can experience a portion of it again through augmented reality. Learn more: https://t.co/jeAZflNkoZ pic.twitter.com/b8ckjhlIry
— Central Park (@CentralParkNYC) February 12, 2025
NYBG Orchid Show
- Open from Feb. 15 to April 27
- New York Botanical Garden, the Bronx
- Ticket information here
New Yorkers are invited to experience all things orchid at the New York Botanical Garden's 22nd edition of its annual orchid show.
This year's theme is "Mexican Modernism," with the orchids displayed in "settings inspired by the bold, multicolored designs of architect Luis Barragán."
The exhibit will also be open on select nights for dance parties. More information here.
'Wish You Were Here'
The Grolier Club, the nation's oldest and largest society for book lovers, known as bibliophiles, is hosting an exhibit featuring items documenting New York City's evolution from 1807 to 1940.
There are guidebooks, viewbooks, photobooks, maps and postcards, among other items, all from the collection of Mark Tomasko, who began gathering them in 1969. Learn more here.
A Century of 'The New Yorker'
- Opened Feb. 22
- New York Public Library, Manhattan
- Free and open to the public
An exhibit at the New York Public Library is celebrating 100 years of "The New Yorker" magazine.
The display will feature cover art throughout the decades, documents from the publication's founding, historical photographs and rare manuscripts.
For more, Julie Carlsen, the exhibit's co-creator, joined NY1 to discuss how they put it together.
In this new major exhibition opening Feb 22, NYPL brings to life the people, stories, and ideas that made The @NewYorker. Opening to coincide with the 100th birthday of the magazine, "A Century of The New Yorker" draws on the Library's collections, which include The New Yorker's… pic.twitter.com/5fiD0oVa5B
— NY Public Library (@nypl) February 13, 2025
The Rink at Rockefeller Center
- Open through March 30
- Rockefeller Plaza, Manhattan
- Ticket information here
Ice skating is open for the season at The Rink at Rockefeller Center. The center's website calls it one of the city's "quintessential winter activities."
The Rink officially opens this Saturday! Who are you taking skating this season? Pick up your tickets here: https://t.co/FmLpoZt5Am
— Rockefeller Center (@rockcenternyc) October 9, 2024
(📸: @lizyoshikoschmidt) pic.twitter.com/6i9cCRkmXz