Things to do on a Sunday in New York

Hundreds of food and craft vendors and multiple stages close down a busy Brooklyn artery for Atlantic Antic each fall. Spanning 10 blocks and cutting through four neighborhoods, it's billed as Brooklyn's largest street fair, so there’s more to see than stands hawking pashminas and MozzArepas. The eclectic musical lineup brings together diverse local talent and you can graze on grub from a delicious variety of artisanal vendors—washed down with some fab locally brewed ale, of course.

The annual affair, hosted by the Atlantic Avenue Local Development Corporation, has been happening since 1974. Activities run along Atlantic Avenue from Fourth to the Waterfront. This year, it's on Sunday, October 5 from 12-6pm, rain or shine. The 1.5-mile festival stretches through Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, Brooklyn Heights, and Downtown Brooklyn.

CultureCon transorms Brooklyn's Duggal Greenhouse from an industrial shipyard into a cultural homecoming for creatives of color. It welcomes more than 10,000 attendees across two days to hear from more than a hundred speakers, visit hands-on workshops, attend a career fair and check out immersive activations. Event organizers call it "the nation's leading gathering for creatives of color."

This year's speakers include Taraji P. Henson, Kerry Washington, Jennifer Hudson, Jesse Williams, Michael Ealy, and more. The theme for 2025 is "Take Space: The New Frontier," which reimagines a world where Black creativity is foundational across industries.

This year's event is on October 4–5. Single-day admission tickets cost $105, and weekend tickets cost $199. 

Get outside for the fourth annual City of Forest Day on October 4 with over 100 events across all five boroughs. City of Forest Day is an annual day offering activities across the city to raise awareness for the importance of the NYC urban forest. The goal is for New Yorkers to understand the essential role they play every day in caring for the "lungs" of the city. 

Venues for the day include dozens of outdoor and indoor spots over the city including parks, libraries, community gardens and more. The free events run from 8am to 8pm. It's presented by Forest for All NYC in partnership with the Parks and Open Space Partners coalition and NYC Parks.

The full schedule for the day is live now on their site here. 

The New York Film Festival is back and offering up a promising slate of movies you can see before the big awards. The fun begins on September 26 and runs through October 13 at several theaters within Lincoln Center. 

The lineup is long, but we scoured the list for our top picks, detailed here. A few include the already-controversial After the Hunt, directed by Luca Guadagnino with actors Julia Roberts, Ayo Edebiri and Andrew Garfield; Bradley Cooper's Is This Thing On?; and thriller A House of Dynamite directed by Kathryn Bigelow. If your favorites sell out, a standby line will form outside the box office before every screening—and some seats always open up, even for the most popular titles (just be sure to arrive early).

Want to see some stars? There's a good chance you could. Just make sure you stick around after the lights come up. Many of the screenings include post-show Q&As with the director and members of the cast.

Tickets are on sale here for $20 and $30, with a discount for Film at Lincoln Center members and students. 

Want to get out of the city this fall? You're in luck: Classic Harbor Line offers scenic fall foliage sails aboard gorgeous vintage vessels with a front-row seat to the picturesque changing of the seasons stretching from the Hudson River to the Palisades. Cruises run daily from October 4 through November 16.

Enjoy the chance to admire the spectactular fall foliage in a completely new way: By boat! Plus, these elegant 1920s-style yachts make the experience extra special. In addition to gawking at the leaves, you'll also get to see iconic landmarks such as the George Washington Bridge, the Cloisters, the Palisades and the Little Red Light House.

Plus, Classic Habor Line offers several more unique options, including the Urban Naturalist Tour: Fall Foliage of the Grand Palisades, which offers a light lunch and narration from an expert on history and nature facts. There's also the Grand Palisades Fall Foliage Schooner Sail if you're looking to travel largely by wind alone, with more time to contemplate the beautiful surroundings.

Shop 'til you drop at FAD Market, a curated fashion, art and design pop-up marketplace, which is back for 2025. Expect to see your favorite makers plus brand new creatives to help you live smarter, gift better and support local businesses. 

FAD—which stands for Fashion, Art and Design—takes over different venues with a horde of independent vendors and creators. Admission is free and dogs are welcome!

Here's the upcoming schedule:

• October 4-5: Fall pop-up at Empire Stores in Dumbo
• October 18-19: Market at Brooklyn Brewery
• October 25-26: Fall pop-up at St. Paul in Cobble Hill
• November 8-9: Fall pop-up at Empire Stores in Dumbo
• December 6-7: Holiday pop-up at Empire Stores in Dumbo; holiday pop-up at St. Paul in Cobble Hill 
• December 13-14: Holiday pop-up at Empire Stores in Dumbo; holiday pop-up at St. Paul in Cobble Hill 
• December 20-21: Holiday pop-up at Empire Stores in Dumbo; holiday pop-up at St. Paul in Cobble Hill 

The first flat track roller derby league in the metropolitan New York area, Gotham Roller Derby is celebrating its 21st year with a season of hard-hitting games featuring the league's four home teams: the Manhattan Mayhem, the Queens of Pain, the Brooklyn Bombshells and the Bronx Gridlock. On one Saturday night each month (October 4 for this weekend), you can head to the Lefrak Center at Lakeside Prospect Park for back-to-back match-ups of rockin,' rollin' fun courtesy of some of NYC's best up-and-coming derby talent. ️

Gotham Roller Derby, New York City's only skater-operated roller derby league for cisgender, transgender and intersex women and gender non-conforming participants.

One of the top things to do in New York this fall includes drinking some of the best beer in NYC during Oktoberfest. Take in the beautiful fall foliage while drinking at one of the best beer gardens and German eateries in New York City. 

This year’s events include weeks-long waterside parties, brewery bashes and boozy feasts—all with plenty of German (and local!) beer. Prost!

Chinese food lovers, start prepping your stomach linings now: Dragon Fest, New York's largest Chinese food and cultural festival, is coming back this year for multiple days of limitless food and entertainment across Manhattan and Queens. 

Every year, Dragon Fest brings Chinese vendors, chefs, artists and culture to one place. Here's the schedule for October:

• October 4 – 4th Ave (12th–13th St)
• October 5 – 6th Ave (31st–32nd St)
• October 12 – Broadway (81st–82nd St)

Encountering a sea of taillights in New York City typically isn't a good thing. That usually means traffic, gridlock and frustration. But this weekend on Governors Island, those red and white lights will be a welcome sight during the immersive art installation Firebird. 

Firebird, described as a "hypnotic, genre-defying visual arts performance" uses 500 recycled car taillights to create an orchestra of light. The open-air light experience will blend with music inspired by Stravinsky’s Firebird Suite. The project by Amsterdam-based artist collective Touki Delphine is making its New York City debut on October 3-4 at the Governors Island Parade Ground. Tickets are on sale now for $20 (plus ferry transit, which you've got to coordinate on your own).