Things to do on a Sunday in New York

Clear your calendars, New Yorkers: The city’s most iconic brunch duo—bagels and lox—is getting its own festival. On Saturday, October 11, FultonFishMarket.com will host the first-ever Loxfest at Pier 16 in the South Street Seaport, a fitting homecoming for a celebration of cured fish and schmear. Just steps from the original Fulton Fish Market, the one-day event promises a city-sized love letter to the art of smoked salmon.

Two tasting sessions—morning (10 am–noon) and afternoon (1–3 pm)—will bring together some of the city’s most beloved bagel-and-lox purveyors. Expect appearances from Gertie, Tompkins Square Bagels, Zucker’s Bagels & Smoked Fish, Fan Fan Doughnuts, Grillo’s Pickles, 19 Cleveland, Cafecito Social and the Paris Café, among others. Even Chef Crystal Hammonds, private chef to NBA star Jalen Brunson, will make a cameo. Each ticket (starting at $40) comes with two food vouchers and a drink voucher—because every good lox deserves something bubbly to wash it down.

Grand Central Terminal has seen a lot in its 112 years—commuters, film shoots, flash mobs, the cast of Severance—but never this. For two weeks this fall, the landmark will transform into the city’s largest public art installation in decades, courtesy of Humans of New York creator Brandon Stanton.

Now through October 19 19, the project Dear New York will take over the entire terminal, clearing Grand Central of advertising for the first time in its history. Instead of shoe ads and train alerts, more than 150 digital screens will pulse with thousands of portraits and stories from Stanton’s 15-year archive, creating what organizers call a “visual love letter” to the city.

Lincoln Center is throwing a party for the bold and the brand-new—and you’re invited, no ticket required. Now through through October 23, the David Rubenstein Atrium is being taken over by the Festival of Firsts, a spree of free performances that spotlight artists making their U.S. and NYC debuts, launching albums, premiering works or stepping onto the Lincoln Center stage for the first time.

The fourth annual edition leans into the unexpected. One night you might catch a drag-fueled rock cabaret staged as a gothic Halloween fantasia; the next, an intimate multimedia theater piece straight from Chile.

With every performance free and first-come, first-served, the Festival of Firsts offers a rare chance to catch rising artists at turning points in their careers—all under one roof.

Celebrate the season with under-the-sea animals at the New York Aquarium's Ascarium. Kids can enjoy a marine-themed magic shows, Halloween crafts, a scavenger hunt, a costume parade, games and storytelling. Plus, visit with amazing aquatic animals including piranhas, wolf eels, bat sea stars and spider crabs to learn why they're not as "spooky" as you might think.

New activities this year include a hands-on shark fossil dig where kids can uncover shark teeth to keep. Plus, kids of all ages can add their personal touch to a huge mural the NY Aquarium community is making together to celebrate Halloween, the aquarium and ocean wildlife. 

Ascarium is included with aquarium admission and runs on October 11–13, 18–19, and 25–26 from 11am-4pm in Coney Island. See the whole list of events and the schedule here. 

The only thing better than the Bronx Zoo is the Bronx Zoo at night. The famed zoo's annual family-friendly celebration, Harvest Glow, is back and at its best. 

Every Thursday-Sunday until October 31, families are invited to explore this immersive jack-o'-lantern trail with its own spin: the 5,000 pumpkins are animal-themed, of course! Senses will be heightened as you explore illuminating ecosystems through the use of music, special effects and dramatic lighting to make sure that you really feel the spookiness. 

And if that wasn't enough, visitors will have the opportunity to live in the Mesozeric Era while walking amongst over 60 animatronic dinosaurs and pterosaurs at the event's Dinosaur Safari. Paired with the darkness, this prehistoric adventure is not to be missed.

Also expect pumpkin carving demos, games, face panting and tons of photo opps.

Move over, mezcal—New York is about to get a crash course in sotol, the earthy, complex spirit from northern Mexico that the New Yorker once dubbed “The Next Big Drink.” Through October 12, Sotol Week will take over the city with cocktail specials, tastings and events designed to spotlight this desert-born distillate and the people behind it.

More than 70 bars and restaurants will feature sotol-based creations throughout the week, from refreshing highballs to smoky stirred sippers. Expect to see Casa Lotos Sotol featured across the city at some of NYC’s most notable drinking destinations like Superbueno, Dante, Saga, the Wall Street Hotel, Cosme, Toloache and El Fish. Each will riff on the spirit’s versatility, from bracingly vegetal martinis to smoky-sweet riffs on classic margs.

A century ago this fall, Robert Rauschenberg was born in Texas. He went on to become a Pop art pioneer and one of the most renowned American artists of this era. Now, museums and galleries across the globe are planning shows that honor the artist's expansive creativity, spirit of curiosity and commitment to change.

For its part, NYC's Guggenheim Museum on the Upper East Side will host a major show called "Robert Rauschenberg: Life Can't Be Stopped," running from October 10, 2025–April 5, 2026. The show will feature more than a dozen historic pieces, including Rauschenberg's monumental painting "Barge," all which reflect the artist’s radical legacy. 

Move over truffle oil, there’s a new flavor bomb making the rounds.

Kayanoya USA is kicking off a two-week citywide celebration of dashi, the quietly powerful soup stock that gives Japanese cooking its signature depth. Timed to National Dashi Day on October 15, the series brings together some of New York’s most beloved Japanese spots for limited-edition dishes and drinks that spotlight the pure, savory essence of umami.

Now through October 15, five restaurants and bars—including Taku Sando, Bessou, Raku, Rice & Miso and Kato Sake Works—will debut specials using Kayanoya’s clean-label dashi powders. It’s a showcase of how the humble broth base can stretch far beyond soups. 

In the year 2025, how we dress is still the highest form of free self expression—and the role that gender plays in fashion has broken norms, especially in the last decade. In a new exhibit from The Museum at Fashion Institute of Technology, the road to this gender fluid fashion is examined, beginning in the 1900s. 

Explore body image, dreams, desires, sexuality and the unconscious in almost 100 items of dress as part of the new, free exhibition "Dress, Dreams and Desire: Fashion and Psychoanalysis" on view through January 4, 2026. This work explores the history of designers such as Azzedine Alaia, Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel, Willy Chavarria, Bella Freud, John Galliano for Christian Dior, Vivienne Westwood, Gianna and Donatella Versace, Alexander McQueen and more.