NYC is definitely the city that doesn’t sleep in February. Fashion Week, Antiques, Dogs, Film Festivals, Snow Days, Food, Broadway Discounts and More brighten those chilly days. Romance is in the air and so is adventures galore if you chose to accept.
2/ 1 (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.): Enjoy free skiing, snowshoeing, sledding, ice bowling, curling, and dodgeball during Winter Jam, when Rumsey Playfield in Central Park is covered with blown-in snow. Bring equipment or borrow it free. Bring photo ID for sports or a legal guardian if under age 18. Food and drinks for sale.
2/ 1 – 2: FrostFest has ice skating, bumper cars on ice, and food for sale, plus special events: skating in kilts (Feb. 1) at Bryant Park. Mostly free.
2/ 1 – 2: Shop for exceptional antiques ranging from ancient Roman glass to mid-century modern from 70 exhibitors at The Winter Show at Park Avenue Armory. See the schedule for special events. No baby strollers on weekends.
2/ 1 – 2 (also Jan.): The famous Big Apple Circus has high-wire aerialists, acrobats, jugglers, clowns, contortionists, rescue animals, and a band in a heated tent at Lincoln Center.
2/ 1 – 9: Get a special deal on a 2-course lunch or a 3-course dinner at 364 restaurants during NYC Restaurant Week. Saturdays excluded, Sundays included at some restaurants. Held in winter and summer.
2/ 1 – 9: Get 2-for-1 deals on select theater shows during NYC Broadway Week.
2/ 2 (4 to 6 p.m.): Celebrate Beethoven’s 250th birthday hearing a discussion about Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5, the full performance by American Symphony Orchestra, and a question-and-answer session at Symphony Space.
2/ 5 – 13 (4 to 9 p.m.): Buy a flight of five beers from different local breweries on tap each week and then vote for your favorite at Best Brews of New York, with food for sale in the Winter Garden at Brookfield Place for age 21+. Open Wednesday and Thursday. Free admission.
2/ 5 – 22: The Marriage of Figaro is a popular comic opera by Mozart, which is sung in Italian with multi-language subtitles at the Metropolitan Opera House.
2/ 6 (8 p.m.) Harlem Gospel Choir performs a foot-stomping, hand-clapping, joyous gospel show at Sony Hall.
2/ 6 – 11: Get in shape at a different event each day during Sweat Fest in the neighborhood surrounding Union Square.
2/ 7 – 12: Top models, photographers, and designers attend invitation-only events unveiling fall collections during New York Fashion Week.
2/ 8 (10 p.m.): Disney Valentine’s Ball is a “rock ‘n roll sing along” featuring Disney cover band The Little Mermen dressed as characters from Disney films at The Cutting Room for age 21+.
2/ 8 (1:30 to 5 p.m.): A $159 ticket to One Day University includes three classes taught by expert professors from different schools at 92nd Street Y.
The Scientific Genius of Marie Curie
The Remarkable Genius of Einstein
The Political Genius of Frederick Douglass
2/ 8 (1:30 to 3:30 p.m.): Skate to soul music at family-friendly Winter Skating Party, which has ice skating demonstrations, music, and a bake sale at Lasker Rink in Central Park. Your ticket includes skate rental.
2/ 8 (12 to 4 p.m.) Run through the streets without pants at 2 p.m. to support charity in Cupid’s Undie Run, with a party before and after at The DL for age 21+.
2/ 8 – 9: FanfaireNYC features 125 artists and vendors selling comics, prints and swag, plus award-winning guest speakers, costume contests, panel discussions, workshops, and portfolio reviews at the High School of Art & Design.
Westminster Dog Show
2/ 8 – 11: Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show has daytime events at Piers 92/94, with evening events including best-in-show at Madison Square Garden.
2/ 9 (1 p.m.): See colorful floats, marching bands, lion and dragon dancers, antique cars, beauty queens, and performers at Chinatown Lunar New Year Parade & Festival in lower Manhattan. Free.
2/ 10 – 13: Big Apple Film Festival (BAFF) showcases independent filmmaking and presents awards at Cinépolis Chelsea. 2/ 13 (6 to 8 p.m.): Enjoy chocolate, appetizers, wine tasting (optional), live music, and a silent auction at Chocoholic Frolic: a Valentine’s Gala for Ripple Effect Artists at People’s United Bank on Park Avenue.
2/ 14: Valentine Tours begin with a candlelit reception, including wine and hors d’oeuvres, followed by a special group tour after closing time at The Museum of Modern Art.
Mandy Gonzalez, Carrie Manolakos, and Alex Newell
2/14 8:00 p.m: The New York Pops will be joined by guest artists Mandy Gonzalez, Carrie Manolakos, and Alex Newell for I’m Every Woman: Divas On Stage.
2/ 14: Register to renew your marriage vows at Love in Times Square on the red glass steps at 6 p.m., or take a photo together in front of the winning entry in the Times Square Valentine Heart Design Competition on 7th Avenue (between W. 46th & W. 47th). Free.
2/ 14: Enjoy food, champagne or sparkling cider, dessert, and dance performances at Valentine’s Day Champagne Salon Soiree at The Ailey Studios, with dramatic views of Manhattan.
2/ 14 (5:30 to 6:30 p.m.): Register as a couple for the Valentine’s Day Tango Workshop for a beginner’s tango lesson, sparkling apple cider, chocolate-covered strawberries, and a rose at Triangulo. The $149 ticket includes two people.
2/ 14 (7 p.m.): Hear lush, romantic vocal music from 19th-century composers in the Greek-revival double parlors of the Merchant’s House Museum at Love in the Parlors.
2/ 15: The Amazing Valentine’s Day Scavenger Huntbegins at Slattery’s Midtown Pub, and then you follow a series of clues around the city performing physical and mental challenges.
2/ 15 (9:30 p.m.): Paris After Dark: Valentines Ball includes a bar and entertainment “with a hedonistic twist” at Capitale for age 21+. Dress code.
2/ 15 – 4/ 19: The Orchid Show fills the conservatory at the New York Botanical Garden with thousands of orchids in an amazing array of colors, shapes, sizes, and textures. Closed on Mondays.
2/ 16 – 17: Harlem Globetrotters perform ball handling wizardry, rim-rattling dunks, trick shots, and comedy bits in their entertaining show.
Feb. 16 – Barclays Center
Feb. 17 – Madison Square Garden
2/ 17: Eat kosher food and sample from 60 kosher wineries at Kosher Food & Wine Experience, which includes a live band at Chelsea Piers (Pier 60) for age 21+.
2/ 21 – 2/ 15: New York International Children’s Film Festival shows new, inspiring, and thought-provoking films about youth from around the world, suitable for families.
2/ 26: The Tibet House Benefit Concert at Carnegie Hall raises funds for Tibetan culture. Optional gala dinner.
2/ 27 (7 p.m.): The NYC Pancakes & Booze Art Show is a traveling exhibition by 100 artists, with free pancakes, DJ music, live body painting, and a bar at M1-5 Lounge for age 21+.
2/ 27 – 3/ 1: Order reserved seats for ballroom, Latin, rhythm, and smooth dance heats at New York Dance Festival in ballrooms at the Roosevelt Hotel.
2/ 27 – 3/ 1: New York Wild Film Festival screens 32 films about wildlife and wild places at The Explorers Club
2/ 27 – 3/ 1: Athena Film Festival “showcases films about strong and courageous women leaders in real life and the fictional world” at Barnard College.
Suzanna, co-owns and publishes the newspaper Times Square Chronicles or T2C. At one point a working actress, she has performed in numerous productions in film, TV, cabaret, opera and theatre. She has performed at The New Orleans Jazz festival, The United Nations and Carnegie Hall. She has a screenplay and a TV show in the works, which she developed with her mentor and friend the late Arthur Herzog. She is a proud member of the Drama Desk and the Outer Critics Circle and was a nominator. Email: suzanna@t2conline.com
Photograph: Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for Macy’s, Inc.
Join the Judy Garland and Fred Astaire tradition with the Easter Bonnet Parade on Fifth Avenue. There is also the Orchid Show at the New York Botanical Garden or right at home the flower show at Macy’s. On select Fridays every month, you can enjoy Free Admission to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum between 5 pm and 9 pm.
Until 4/9: Macy’s Flower Show. The show includes beautiful, bright floral arrangements, special events including live music, and kids’ activities.
until 4/23: This is The Orchid Show‘s 20th year. Reconnect with nature while experiencing the picture-perfect beauty of the orchids. On select nights, adults can experience the exhibition through Orchid Nights, with music, cash bars, and food available for purchase.
4/1-30: Sakura Matsuri Cherry Blossom Festival. The festival, hosted by the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, celebrates Japanese culture and the arrival of spring. It features a variety of cultural performances and activities, as well as a small flea market, tea ceremonies, and crafts. The highlight is the magnificent display of cherry blossom trees, with over 200 trees in full bloom. Visitors can admire the pink and white blooms and enjoy a traditional Japanese atmosphere. Tickets are usually around $40 for adults, though seniors and students get a reduced rate of $35.
4/7-16th: The New York International Auto Show. The first new york Auto Show took place in 1900, for over 120 years now they have been sharing what’s new and interesting in the auto industry.
4/9: The Easter Parade starts near St. Patrick’s Cathedral at 10am. The tradition dates back to the 1870s, where elaborate bonnets and fashion galore is full frontal.
4/15: The Tartan Day Parade is an NYC tradition that offers attendees a unique way to celebrate and honor Scottish culture. For the 25th year, there will be bagpipes, dancers, and even Scottish dogs marching in the parade. Attendance is free and open to the public. In addition to the parade, expect a whole week of Scottish-themed events and festivities.
4/15: The New York Restoration Project is giving out 3,500 free trees to New Yorkers across all five boroughs. To get one of the 3,500 free trees that will be given away, register in advance on this website, where you’ll also get to browse through the current list of distribution dates, times and locations.
4/15 and 29: f the likes of udon, yakitori, ramen, and taiyaki make your mouth water, then mark your calendar for Japan Fes in Chelsea. The event will be held from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM and is considered a paradise for Japanese foodies and cultural enthusiasts.
4/16: Holi in The City demands food, music, dance, and fun while embracing people and organizations from all ethnic and religious backgrounds.
4/22: Earth Daycelebrated in NYC with a festive, family-friendly outdoor fair in Union Square. There will be dozens of exhibitors, interactive displays, a green-vehicle show, family activities, music, and entertainment. 12-6pm.
4/27- 30: Antiquarian Book Fairnow in its 63rd year, this festival for book collectors at Park Avenue Armory for a full weekend of first editions, maps, manuscripts and other treasures from literary epochs past from nearly 200 exhibitors.
On Sunday, March 19, 2023, Hadestowncelebrated the first day of spring and the show’s recently-achieved milestone of 1,000 performances at Broadway’s Walter Kerr Theatre.
The handsome artist with Anais Mitchell
On hand were songwriter Anaïs Mitchell and director Rachel Chavkin, Tony Award winner Lillias White, original Broadway cast member Jewelle Blackman as Persephone, Grammy Award winner Reeve Carney as Orpheus, Tony Award nominee Tom Hewitt as Hades, and two-time Tony Award nominee Eva Noblezada as Eurydice. were joined by Amelia Cormack, Shea Renne, and Soara-Joye Ross as the Fates. The chorus of Workers is played by Emily Afton, Malcolm Armwood, Alex Puette, Trent Saunders, and Grace Yoo.
The winner of eight 2019 Tony Awards including Best New Musical and the 2020 Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album, Hadestown is the most honored show of the 2018-2019 Broadway season. In addition to the Tony and Grammy Awards, it has been honored with four Drama Desk Awards, six Outer Critics Circle Awards, including Outstanding New Broadway Musical, and the Drama League Award for Outstanding Production of a Musical.
Following two intertwining love stories — that of young dreamers Orpheus and Eurydice, and that of King Hades and his wife Persephone — Hadestown invites audiences on a hell-raising journey to the underworld and back. Mitchell’s beguiling melodies and Chavkin’s poetic imagination pit industry against nature, doubt against faith and fear against love. Performed by a vibrant ensemble of actors, dancers, and singers, Hadestown delivers a deeply resonant and defiantly hopeful theatrical experience.
In the summer of 1941, Walt Disney’s top animator led hundreds of Disney artists out on strike, nearly breaking the studio. This is the true story of those two creative geniuses, plus a corrupt advisor and a mafia gangster, who collided to cause the greatest battle in Hollywood history.
An essential piece of Disney history has been unreported for eighty years.
Soon after the birth of Mickey Mouse, one animator raised the Disney Studio far beyond Walt’s expectations. That animator also led a union war that almost destroyed it. Art Babbitt animated for the Disney studio throughout the 1930s and through 1941, years in which he and Walt were jointly driven to elevate animation as an art form, up through Snow White, Pinocchio, and Fantasia.
But as America prepared for World War II, labor unions spread across Hollywood. Disney fought the unions while Babbitt embraced them. Soon, angry Disney cartoon characters graced picket signs as hundreds of animation artists went out on strike. Adding fuel to the fire was Willie Bioff, one of Al Capone’s wise guys who was seizing control of Hollywood workers and vied for the animators’ union.
Using never-before-seen research from previously lost records, including conversation transcriptions from within the studio walls, author and historian Jake S. Friedman reveals the details behind the labor dispute that changed animation and Hollywood forever.
Join a book talk with the author Jake S. Friedman on March 21 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm, at The Lambs, 3 West 51st, 5th floor. RSVP@The-Lambs.org. The book will be available to be purchased and signed by the author.
Jake S. Friedman is a New York–based writer, teacher, and artist. He is a longtime contributor to Animation Magazine, and has also written for American History Magazine, The Huffington Post, Animation World Network, Animation Mentor, and The Philadelphia Daily News. For ten years he was an animation artist for films and television as seen on Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, and Saturday Night Live. He currently teaches History of Animation at the Fashion Institute of Technology and at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts. The rest of his time he specializes in mental health for the creative psyche.
The moderator will be honorary Lamb Foster Hirsch, aprofessor film at Brooklyn College and the author of 16 books on film and theater, including The Dark Side of the Screen:Film Noir, A Method to Their Madness: The History of the Actors Studio, and Kurt Weill on Stage: From Berlin to Broadway.
