NYC events in April 2023

Enjoy the warmer weather by checking out these great things to do for Easter. NYC offers a range of things to do outside, from egg hunts—yes, even for adults—to a silly Easter Bonnet Parade and a boozy brunch cruise. In case the weather is lousy, head indoors to one of the city’s best New York attractions for the annual Orchid Show at the New York Botanical Garden. 

If you're looking for a visually-appealing adventure on this contemporary holiday, we know just the places to elevate your roll. If you're feeling inspired from watching the best stoner movies, head to these excellent comedy shows, dazzling concerts and trippy museum exhibitions to keep the buzz going. 

Every spring, sweet-smelling foliage suddenly appears at one of the city’s best department stores: Macy’s Herald Square.

New Yorkers and out-of-towners alike flock to this floral-filled exhibition, where jaw-dropping arrangements decorated to fit a specific theme are on display for two weeks. This year’s installment at the megachain’s Herald Square location will feature a “dreamscape of fluffy clouds and whimsical floral landscapes” in partnership with Dior. 

The Flower Show is being held from Sunday, March 26 through Monday, April 10, and it's free to attend. 

Many museums start with some kind of orientation, like a map or remarks from a docent. But not The House of Cannabis (a.k.a. THC NYC), the new weed museum opening in Soho on Friday, April 7. Instead, this museum starts, quite fittingly, with a trippy “Disorientation Room.”

While the museum boasts plenty of mind-bending multi-sensory bells and whistles, it also showcases art, highlights science and confronts the social justice issues baked into cannabis prosecution. The museum, the first of its kind at this scale, packs every inch of its four-story, 25,000-square-foot space at 427 Broadway with fascinating facts and delightful immersive experiences fit to entertain both tokers and non-smokers alike. Tickets ($45/adult) are on sale now in advance of the opening. Here's a sneak peek at what to expect from NYC's newest museum.

The popular Luna Park in Coney Island is officially opening to the public for the season on March 31—a sign that summer is, finally, near! Starting Friday at noon, the amusement park will welcome guests every weekend through Memorial Day, then it’ll be open daily for the season. (There will also be an official celebration to honor the start of the season on April 2.)

As usual, New Yorkers will get to experience thrilling rides, including two new ones that made their debut last summer.

Starting April 15 through May, the New York Restoration Project—a local non-profit that plants trees, renovates gardens and takes care of green spaces around town—is giving out 3,500 free trees to New Yorkers across all five boroughs.

Just in time for Earth Month, the popular and impressive event has been happening regularly since 2010, handing out a variety of native tree species, including American Persimmon, American Plum, Black Cherry, Eastern Redbud, Elderberry, Flowering Dogwood, Highbush Blueberry, Sweetbay Magnolia, Sycamore, Willow Oak, Winged Sumac and Witchhazel, among many others. 

To get your hands on 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.

Flipper's Roller Boogie Palace is coming back to Rockefeller Center from April 14 through October. 

The rink offers smooth ride with plenty of space to get around other skaters. Being able to glide by Prometheus and in front of spectators visiting Rockefeller Center is quite a thrill. Before Flipper’s first opened last year, the last time anyone roller-skated here was in 1940!

Tickets start at just over $20 for a one-hour rink time.

For anyone who ever dreamed of becoming an astronaut, this new exhibit in Lower Manhattan is the next best thing. This immersive experience blasts off into an exploration of our galaxy and beyond with stunning visuals and real-life videos courtesy of NASA.

“Destination Cosmos: The Immersive Space Experience” is now open at the historic Hall des Lumières through June 4. Tickets for “Destination Cosmos” start at $25 for adults.

The hip-hop we know today—the kind that sells out arenas, racks up Grammy awards and gets major radio airtime—grew from DJing and breakdancing in New York City. 

A new exhibition at Fotografiska, the photography museum in the Flatiron District, traces the genre’s evolution from its early days to today through 200 powerful photos by 57 photographers. "Hip-Hop: Conscious, Unconscious" runs through May 21 celebrating hip-hop as the influential genre turns 50 years old.

The pickleball craze is continuing, as CityPickle is coming to Central Park's Wollman Rink in April. It'll be the largest pickleball installation in the Northeast.

Courts will be open from 7am-9pm daily from April 7 through October 9 and all skill levels are welcome to experience its 14 courts. 

If you're new to the sport, don't worry. You don't need any existing knowledge of the game to have fun playing. Plus, lessons and clinics will be available at the Central Park location. Pickleball is also lauded for its inclusiveness, as it's accessible for many ages and physical capabilities. 

The red Solo cup: A symbol of beer pong, parties, hyperconsumerism, America. The ubiquitous humble plastic cup is now cast in bronze in front of Rockefeller Center, crushed as if it endured a stomp from a frat bro's Nikes. 

The artwork is a part of an exhibit by artist Paula Crown called “Solo Together,” which alludes to the human urge to transfer energy onto inanimate objects and the environmental impacts of single-use plastic. You can see this new piece of free public art through May 21 near Rockefeller Center’s Channel Gardens. 

Wild Rabbit Coffee is a new coffee shop at 110 East 7th Street by Avenue A in the East Village that pairs top-notch java options with Asian-inspired treats that are as culinarily exciting as they are visually striking.

Take the Hong Kong-style black sesame egg waffles, for example. A play on the traditional form of the food, this version is made in-house by pouring the batter into a waffle maker while on a skewer. Once ready, the "ball treats" are separated, layered with cream and a bunch of fruits in a cup and served to patrons.

The combination of a black beret, black leather jacket, black pants, black shoes and exposed weaponry formed the military-style uniform for the Black Panther Party in the late 1960s, and that look became an enduring symbol that lives on today. A new exhibit at Poster House explores how the Black Panther Party powerfully branded its work through clothing, posters and newspapers. 

The show, “Black Power to Black People: Branding the Black Panther Party,” is now on view at the museum in Chelsea through September 10 featuring 37 works dating from 1932 to 1980. You’ll see heroic images of party members, printed materials like The Black Panther newspaper, political campaign posters and powerful photographs by artists including Emory Douglas, Dorothy Hayes and Danny Lyon.

The traveling Museum of Failure, which "brings together over 159 products and services that were a total flop but also paved the way for other great inventions," is officially opening in New York on March 17 and tickets to the experience are already available right here.

The destination will stay open at 220 36th Street in Industry City through May 9. 

Walking through the space will take you about an hour, during which you'll come face-to-face with the toothpaste brand Colgate's (pretty hilarious!) beef lasagna frozen TV dinner, Donald Trump's board game, a Harley Davidson perfume and a bottle of Coca-Cola BlāK (the coffee-flavored coke that launched in 2006), among other products. 

Peek inside this new, teeny-tiny shop in Harlem to find some fun gifts for someone on your list or for yourself.

MoonLab 42 measures in at just under 5 feet wide, but the store manages to house zines, books, records, incense, prints, candles, decorative objects, ceramics, jewelry, accessories, clothing and more. “It feels like a Mary Poppins bag,” Ruso Margishvili, the concept store’s co-owner tells us. 

When walking around The Plaza at 300 Ashland in downtown Brooklyn, you'll notice a colorful new public art installation that you're actually encouraged to play around with. 

"Common Ground" by Cheryl Wing-Zi Wong was just unveiled by the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership and the Van Alen Institute and it is expected to be on display through May 1.

The installation is a highly interactive one, featuring color-changing lighting displays and sensors that register environmental audio—think footsteps, human voices, the noise of traffic—and then shimmer accordingly. Expect performances to ignite the system and make use of the space throughout the residency.

On select Friday nights from April to September, the Intrepid Museum opens its doors for free (tickets are usually $36), allowing visitors to explore the Museum and enjoy free after-hours programming. Free Fridays run on the last Friday of the month (April 28, June 30, July 28, August 25, September 29).

The fun kicks off this month on Friday, April 28 with a panel discussion about space featuring a former NASA astronaut, a holographic art exhibit and a chance to gaze through high-powered telescopes. Museum educators will be on hand with interactive demonstrations and hands-on activities. Local astronomers will be on the flight deck to help visitors navigate the night sky and answer questions about astronomy and stargazing. 

Check the program schedule at intrepidmuseum.org.

Find the Intrepid Museum located at Pier 86 (46th Street and 12th Avenue). Events begin at 5pm, with free general admission for all visitors through 9pm.

Crowds flock to this delicious pop-up, which runs from spring through the fall, transforming parts of NYC into a sliver of Japan. This massive festival attracts more than 250,000 people every year. This year, it'll be held 20 times during the season running through October 28, making it the biggest JAPAN Fes yet. Locations include Chelsea, Astoria, NoMad, Park Slope, the East Village and more. 

Snack on treats from 750 vendors inspired by Japanese and East Asian street food like takoyaki (octopus balls), sushi, gyoza, Korean-style rice hot dogs, Taiwanese popcorn chicken and much more. After you're full, shop for Japanese crafts and gifts featured at the event.

Here's the April JAPAN Fes schedule:

— April 15 in Chelsea
— April 29 in Chelsea
— April 30 in Astoria

Statues of nine men from history and religion perch atop the courthouse near Madison Square Park. Now, for the first time, the representation of a woman has joined their noble rooftop plinths. 

"Havah…to breathe, air, life," an exhibition by artist Shahzia Sikander focusing on themes of justice, has brought stunning golden sculptures to Madison Square Park and the nearby courthouse at 27 Madison Avenue (officially called the Courthouse of the Appellate Division, First Department of the Supreme Court of the State of New York). The statues will be on view through June 4, 2023. 

The color of the year for 2023: Pantone's Viva Magenta, a hue evoking bravery, optimistic celebration and self-expression without restraint. 

Now you can immersive yourself in the energy of that purply-pinkish-red tone at ARTECHOUSE's newest technology-driven experiential art experience called MAGENTAVERSE. The multi-sensory exhibit is open in Chelsea through May 29.

Can musical comedy help heal America's cultural divide? We're all ears. Tony-winning book writer Robert Horn (Tootsie) and Grammy-winning Nashville songwriters Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally collaborate on this modern American fable about an insular farming community that turns to a city slicker for help in a time of crisis. Veteran stager Jack O'Brien (Hairspray) directs; the cast includes John Behlmann, Alex Newell, Kevin Cahoon, Caroline Innerbichler, Andrew Durand, Grey Henson and Ashley D. Kelley.

Smorgasburg is the food bazaar spectacular that unofficially announces summer in New York City every year. Founded by Brooklyn Flea’s Eric Demby and Jonathan Butler, the culinary extravaganza typically spotlights about 100 vendors across its locations. Smorg has three spots in 2023, two in Brooklyn (in Williamsburg and Prospect Park) and one at the World Trade Center. 

The World Trade Center outpost opens on Friday, March 31, 2023. Williamsburg and Prospect Park will follow on April 1 and 2. 

A new immersive experience taking over the Lower Eat Side is part walking tour, part theatrical character monologue and an overall commentary on current celebrity worship culture.

A Gaga Guide to the Lower East Side runs through April and May. The experience, which is about 75 minutes long and covers approximately 14 blocks, whisks visitors through the Lower East Side "with an emphasis on the exploits of [the tour guide's] favorite pop star and downtown denizen Lady Gaga."