NYC events in February 2024

The legendary, if somewhat cheesy, rock ’n' rollers bid farewell to fans after 50+ years of rocking out. The 'Peace Out' tour sees them hit the road all over North America throughout the year and into 2025. So don your tightest pants and get your devil horns at the ready for a final hurrah with classics including 'Walk this Way' and 'Dude (Looks like a Lady)'. This Madison Square Garden date looks set to be a biggie.

Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz are more often associated with their musical artistry, but the NYC-native couple has also amassed an impressive visual art collection. This winter, you'll be able to see their collection at the Brooklyn Museum in a new exhibit called "Giants: Art from the Dean Collection of Swizz Beatz and Alicia Keys."

The exhibition will feature more than 100 major artworks by important Black American, African, and African diasporic artists including Gordon Parks, Kehinde Wiley, Hassan Hajjaj, Barkley L. Hendricks, Lorna Simpson, and Amy Sherald. The show featuring giants in the art world opens on February 10, 2024 and runs through July 7, 2024. 

"Giants" will be the first major showing of the world-class collection amassed by musical icons Swizz Beatz (Kasseem Dean) and Alicia Keys. The duo has a passion for collecting albums, musical equipment, and BMX bikes—all with the philosophy of "Black artists supporting Black artists," Brooklyn Museum explained in a press release. 

Chinatown’s annual Lunar (Chinese) New Year Parade is back on February 25, 2024 with dragon dancing, stunning outfits, martial art performers and more. Head to Chinatown for the Lunar New Year Parade, which celebrates the year of the dragon.

On parade day, visit festival booths in the heart of Chinatown on Bayard Street between Mott and Mulberry Streets.

Sixty years ago this February, the Beatles landed at JFK Airport and revolutionized contemporary music with their fresh new sound. Beatlemania began, and the craze hasn't faded in the decades since.

To celebrate the anniversary, Beatles aficionados gather every year for The Fest for Beatles Fans, which features Beatles yoga, karaoke, trivia, transcendental meditation, and, of course, plenty of music. This year, the fest, which runs from February 9-11 at the historic TWA Hotel at JFK Airport, celebrates 50 years. Expect a star-studded roster of Beatles-related special guests led by Micky Dolenz of the Monkees. Tickets start at $89 and go up to $299 for a three-day pass.

The three-day event will be packed with Beatles-related special guests, meet-and-greets, live music, a giant Beatles marketplace, a Beatles museum, an auction of rare items, an art gallery, and an impromptu "fan jam" in the hotel lobby all weekend.

A new exhibition coming to The Metropolitan Museum of Art will whisk visitors back in time a century. Titled "The Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism," the exhibit will present 160 works exploring how Black artists portrayed everyday modern life in the new Black cities that took shape in the 1920s-40s in New York City’s Harlem, Chicago’s South Side and nationwide amid the Great Migration.

The show will be the first survey of the subject in New York City since 1987. It will also establish the Harlem Renaissance as the first African-American-led movement of international modern art. The show runs from February 25 through July 28.

"The exhibition underscores the essential role of the Harlem Renaissance and its radically new modes of portraying the modern Black subject as central to the development of transatlantic modern art," curator-at-large Denise Murrell said in a press release. 

The Harlem Renaissance changed the trajectory of American culture, and no other artist encapsulates the spirit of that era better than poet Langston Hughes. He wrote unapologetically about Black life at a time when segregation was law and few Black artists were allowed into the American cultural zeitgeist.

Starting on February 1 — which just so happens to be Langston Hughes' birthday — The Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture is honoring Hughes and his friendship with photographer, filmmaker, and U.S. Foreign Service Officer Griffith J. Davis in its exhibit "The Ways of Langston Hughes." The free exhibit at the Schomburg Center's Latimer Gallery in Harlem will include photographs of Hughes and Davis, who met in Atlanta, as well as more of Hughes' friendships through letters, artwork and other memorabilia.

As Black History Month approaches, NYC's Paley Center for Media is planning a new exhibit to celebrate two pivotal civil rights leaders: Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. 

The new exhibit, titled "Paley Celebrates National Geographic’s Genius: MLK/X – Two Minds, One Movement," will run from February 1 through March 3 at 25 West 52nd Street. The exhibition draws from the National Geographic show about the two figures, the new season of which goes live on February 1. Admission costs $20.

Drawing from the TV show, the exhibit will feature costumes, props, and set pieces from the series, along with craft activities. Head to the big screen in The Paley Museum’s second-floor theater to see films from the Paley Archive celebrating the incredible lives of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X as well as the premiere episode of Genius: MLK/X. 

Slide around Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park with bumper cars on ice now through March 2. 

Make sure to reserve your passes in advance right here. Full disclosure: you can just show up and ask about availability but, given the popularity of the attraction, we recommend planning your excursion ahead of time.

Tickets start at $20 and the activity is geared towards those 7 years old and up.

The resplendent Morgan Library & Museum will celebrate the works of beloved English author Beatrix Potter. A new exhibit will bring together artwork, books, manuscripts, and artifacts that trace how Potter's blend of scientific observation and imaginative storytelling shaped some of the world’s most popular children's books. Potter created animal characters like Peter Rabbit, Mr. Jeremy Fisher, and Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle, all rooted in the natural world.

"Beatrix Potter: Drawn to Nature" runs from February 23 through June 9. 

Forget the gown, tux, and fancy shoes. For this new concert series at Carnegie Hall, stretchy pants, cozy sweaters, and comfy footwear is welcomed. 

The iconic venue is hosting five intimate concerts this winter that combine elements of mindfulness and meditation with world-class musical performances. These hour-long Well-Being Concerts cost between $15-$30 and run through April.

During the show, audience members are encouraged to get comfortable while reclining on floor mats and cushions. A host will share prompts, lead breathing exercises, and ask guests to share thoughts and reflections with their fellow audience members. Guest may even be encouraged to sing. 

This month, hear from Sean Jones and the NYO Jazz All-Star Quartet on February 4. On February 11, clarinetist Kinan Azmeh and his genre-crossing CityBand will perform. 

Because it doesn't happen often, it's always exciting when a new museum opens in New York, especially when taking over a pretty iconic location.

Mercer Labs, Museum of Art and Technology (MOAT) is a novel destination at 21 Dey Street, the bank building that used to be part of the now-nextdoor Century 21, currently welcoming guest previews. 

Dubbed the "first museum for New York where art and technology come together for an immersive experience," the cultural institute is scheduled to host a grand opening this February.

Nicholas Sparks's bestselling 1996 novel, which inspired a popular 2004 movie, is now also the source of an original musical by indie singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson and playwright Bekah Brunstetter. The show charts a romance that begins in the 1940s, and the central is played—in different chapters of their story—by Maryann Plunkett, Dorian Harewood, Joy Woods, Ryan Vasquez, Jordan Tyson and John Cardoza; the supporting cast includes Andréa Burns.

The production, directed by Michael Greif and Schele Williams, arrives on Broadway after a well-received 2022 run at Chicago Shakespeare Theater.

Comedy pros Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are bringing their Restless Leg tour to NYC for a multi-night run at the iconic Beacon Theatre in February.

Given that the duo are comedy icons, writers, producers, actresses and Saturday Night Live alumni, get ready for lots of laughs. So far, fans who attended the shows got to see the duo celebrate 30 years of friendship with an evening of jokes, never-heard-before stories and conversational entertainment. 

Miranda Priestly once famously said, "Florals? For spring? Groundbreaking." But at Color Factory, florals for spring are actually groundbreaking as the interactive art experience in Soho takes flowery themes to immersive new levels. 

Color Factory's "Colors in Bloom" experience opens on February 8—exactly at the time when we could all mercifully use a break from the gray landscapes and cold nights.

At this all-ages venue dedicated to the art and science of color, visitors can stroll through a variety of different rooms, all decked out for spring. For example, there's the Central Park Confetti Room, complete with larger-than-life pink cherry blossoms inspired by the city's first sign of spring.

Tickets start at $38/person for the experience, which runs through mid-May. 

If you've always dreamed of going to the Super Bowl but haven't found a good way to get there, the Paley Center for Media is now bringing the Super Bowl to the middle of Manhattan. Its latest exhibit, "Beyond the Big Game," includes a hefty collection of 57 team rings, uniforms from past Super Bowls, and Katy Perry's iconic halftime show outfit.

Sure, it's not the actual Super Bowl, but let's be really serious for a second: It's the closest thing many New Yorkers are going to get to experiencing the big game anytime soon.

If you're not the biggest football fan, don't stress — there's also an entire section that celebrates the best Super Bowl commercials, so those who are creatively and artistically inclined can also stay busy.

The exhibit will run Wednesday-Sunday from 12pm-6pm until March 3. Tickets can be bought in advance online and prices range from free for children to $20 for adults.  

Grant Gustin (The Flash) plays a young man who runs away to join the circus in an original musical based on Sara Gruen's 2006 bestseller. Adapted by Rick Elice (Peter and the Starcatcher) and featuring a score by the fanciful collective PigPen Theater Co., the show blends musical theater with puppetry and circus performance (overseen by Shana Carroll, of the exceptional Montreal neocirque troupe Les 7 Doigts de la Main). 

Jessica Stone (Kimberly Akimbo) directs a cast that also includes Isabelle McCalla, Paul Alexander Nolan, Stan Brown, Joe De Paul, Sara Gettelfinger, Wade McCollum and Broadway lifer Gregg Edelman.

Two New York City hotels are offering outdoor spa experiences this winter—The William Vale in Brooklyn and The Rockaway Hotel + Spa in Queens, so grab your swimwear and make a reservation. 

At The William Vale, enjoy the views while indulging in some much-needed stress relief. Bask in the heat of a barrel sauna with panoramic skyline views or soak in a cedar hot tub under the stars—or both! The experience makes for a special solo trip or a romantic date night. 

At The Rockaway Hotel, enjoy a resort-style escape not too far from Manhattan. For the winter, the hotel has transformed its patio area into a winter pool house with cedar saunas and cozy decor. Plus, the outdoor pool is open for a refreshing plunge. After your dip, you can slip into a buttery robe and relax with tabletop games.

"Hey sister, go sister, soul sister, go sister," there's a spicy new Moulin Rouge pop-up that's definitely worth going to. 

Moulin Rouge! The Musical has taken over the rooftop at M Social Hotel in Times Square with a Broadway karaoke experience this winter. Decked out in red decor and lit with chandeliers, this pop-up promises to heat up the colder days and makes an especially fun night out for Valentine's dates. Find the venue at 51st and Broadway, with the pop-up available through at least February 2024. 

If you need a little liquid courage, there’s a themed drink menu from M Social’s food and beverage partners, Tanduay Rum and Smoke Lab Vodka. Cocktails include The Rouge, Baby!, a twist on a rum punch, and The Sparkling Diamond, a take on a French martini.

Be sure to make a reservation to attend. Reservations can be made for an hour and 15 minutes, bookable on OpenTable. Tickets cost $50/person and include one complimentary themed cocktail.

For three months in the summer of 1921, Pablo Picasso worked out of a makeshift garage studio in Fontainebleau, France, where he created both cubist and classical masterpieces. Now, for the first time since then, the works are reunited in a sprawling new exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art. 

MoMA's "Picasso in Fontainebleau," on view through February 17, is the latest show in NYC presented as part of the international Picasso celebration marking 50 years since his death.

A garage space measuring in at 20 by 10 feet served as Picasso's studio that summer. Using the exact dimensions, MoMA created a room with the garage's footprint, so museum-goers can step inside and imagine creating such large paintings in a small space. 

In that garage, Picasso created the cubist "Three Musicians" with colorful geometric shapes as well as the classical "Three Women at the Spring" with references to Greco-Roman antiquity. For the first time in more than a century, MoMA has reunited these works.

A refreshing new fashion exhibit at The Met hands the mic to pioneering women designers who dress women of all shapes and sizes. The exhibition shows how female designers have reclaimed the body—and are reclaiming the message in fashion.

"Women Dressing Women" showcases 80 garments by 70 makers, from couture gowns by well-known designers like Donna Karan to political garments by Katharine Hamnett to plus-size outfits by Ester Manas. The exhibition, curated by The Costume Institute, is on view at the Upper East Side museum from through March 3, 2024, and is included with museum admission. It highlights rare pieces from the collection, many of which are on view at The Met for the first time. 

The exhibition explores the subject through four sections: anonymity, visibility, agency, and absence/omission. Focusing on the period between the early 1900s and today, the collection offers a snapshot of fashion history and fashion trends. 

When Komal Shah starting collecting art more than a decade ago, she noticed something startling: "The art world does not treat women artists equally" compared to male artists. 

She decided to do something about that by founding the Shah Garg Foundation with her husband, Gaurav Garg. The organization champions artwork by women and seeks to remedy the imbalances facing marginalized artists. Nearly 100 pieces of art from their collection are now on view in a powerful and diverse show called "Making Their Mark: Art by Women in the Shah Garg Collection" in Chelsea (548 West 22nd Street). It's free to visit through March 23, 2024; hours are Tuesday-Saturday, 11am-6pm.

The expansive exhibition fills two stories with stunning works by artists including Firelei Báez, Cecily Brown, Judy Chicago, Jaune Quick-to-See Smith, Mary Weatherford, Anicka Yi, and many others. The show features paintings, drawings, textile works, sculptures and mixed media pieces by significant artists from the last eight decades. 

As she donned the black robe for her role on the Supreme Court, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was known to adorn the traditional garment with a wide array of collars and necklaces. 

Now, her fashion is getting the spotlight in a new photography exhibit called "RBG Collars: Photographs by Elinor Carucci." See it at The Jewish Museum on the Upper East Side through May 27, 2024. 

The installation features two dozen photographs of the late justice’s collars and necklaces taken shortly after Ginsburg died in 2020. This is the first time the Carucci’s photographs are being shown at the Jewish Museum since the images were acquired in 2021.

Explore "The End of Fossil Fuel," the latest pop-up from the NYC Climate Museum. It's free to visit in Soho and offers a bevy of eye-opening activities for all ages.

Inside the gallery, a collection of maps will put climate change issues into perspective, alongside text panels about the history of the fossil fuel industry. The exhibits trace the origins of the climate and inequality crises and how we got to where we are today. Other activations include a sticker wall where visitors commit to specific climate actions and a kids' corner with books and drawing materials.

Find the pop-up at 105 Wooster Street in Soho through April 30. The museum is free to visit and open to all. It's open Wednesdays-Sundays from 1-6pm. 

Inside a venue dating back 100 years into the past, a new art show explores a question of the future: How can human creativity and artificial intelligence coexist?

ARTECHOUSE, located inside an old boiler room at Chelsea Market, has debuted its latest digital art exhibition, "World of AI·magination;" tickets are on sale here starting at $21/person. To create the exhibition, ARTECHOUSE Studio developed original visual elements with generative AI systems. Designers hope to inspire visitors to consider AI as a "creative associate rather than a mere tool for innovation." 

World of AI·magination centers around a 20-minute cinematic experience with six scenes. One scene, called the Library of Magical Portals, features colossal books brimming with dreams and algorithms. Another scene called Symphony of Illusions constantly morphs, while the Infinite Maze immerses visitors into multiple parallels.

Season after season, Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge sprinkles its special blend of hospitality pixie dust to transform its venue into an immersive spectacle. This winter is no different as the Garment District bar presents the saccharine Pink Winter Lodge: Neon Frost Edition.

Expect pink decor everywhere, plus a themed menu with pink drinks and pink sweet treats. Make a reservation here; walk-ins are welcome as well. Here’s what else to experience at this winter pop-up atop Moxy Hotel Times Square (7th Avenue and West 36th Street).

Stroll through a neon pink winter wonderland featuring metallic pink fringe, neon walls, and pink trees. The venue's iconic carousel is decked out in metallic pink, offering a unique dining experience. On the East Terrace, an interactive custom snow globe makes for a very Instagrammable experience.

The pun, that most democratic of jokes: At its best, it’s sublimely satisfying to the reptilian part of our brains that loves easy comedy. At its worst, it produces a groan so gut-deep, it’s almost as good as a belly laugh. The form is mined for all it’s worth at this monthly tournament, hosted by Rodney Dangerfield impersonator Fred Firestone and his daughter, Jo.

A fixture on the NYC comedy landscape for more than a decade, this show at Littlefield in Brooklyn is like a rap battle, only much nerdier. Hear pun pros face-off in the All-Star Tournament of Pun Champions where punsters deliver two-minute pun-stand-up routines, after only two minutes of preparation.

This month, the show's on February 28.

Just in time for Valentine's Day, Pink Pier is back at Pier 15 with over-the-top decor, photo opps, and themed food—all perfectly pink. Watermark, the 10,000-square-foot outdoor bar and restaurant along the East River, has been transformed into this pink paradise. 

Whether you're celebrating the season with a Valentine, a gal-entine, a pal-entine, or just your fabulous self, Pink Pier makes for a fun spot to go out. Tickets are on sale here.

The experience promises a romantic dining destination. You’ll enter through a floral hallway that sets the stage for what’s ahead. Pink and red flowers abound, twinkly lights illuminate the space, and heart installations make for excellent photo backdrops. Ribbons, bows, and garlands fill every spare space for the ultimate coquette aesthetic. 

There's something unusual "blooming" among Bella Abzug Park's natural fauna.

Part of a solo exhibition by Korean American artist Sui Park, this outdoor installation in Hudson Yards features the artist's biomorphic sculptures, which are shockingly made using plastic materials like zip ties and fishing line.

For Park, who trained as both an architect and in the ancient art of Korean basketry, "nature is a sacred space that allows her to slow down, consider her surroundings, acknowledge her thoughts, and find inspiration," reads a press release. "With this exhibition, she captures that sentiment using humble materials and reconstructs them into whimsical forms, awakening one’s senses and encouraging others to connect with their thoughts as well as their surroundings."

See the artwork now through fall 2024.

Battle your friends in a game of pétanque at Carreau Club in Industry City, the nation’s first pétanque bar. For the uninitiated, pétanque (pronounced puh-TONK) is a bocce-ball style French boules sport gaining popularity in the U.S., starting here in NYC.

This new indoor location with nine pétanque courts adds 6,000 square feet to the existing 2,000 square-foot outdoor space. 

Carreau Club also delivers with a full bar, craft beer, wine and cocktails. Plus, a small deli counter will serve French-inspired salads, crispy socca waffles, pissaladière (flatbreads), and sandwiches including lamb merguez “mitraillette,” jambon beurre, and pan bagnat. It’s a perfect place to stay inside all day and have fun.

One of the best things to do in February is celebrate Black History Month. NYC offers many ways you can show your appreciation for African-American culture. Art shows, musical performances and special dining events are on the list for this year.

New York City is full of free outdoor art that you don't even have to go to a museum to see. Sculptures, murals and photographs can be found in its parks, sidewalks and on its buildings!

Best of all, it costs you nothing to pay a visit. Below, find the best outdoor art in NYC to brighten up even the coldest winter day.

To help you have an enjoyable time on and around February 14, we’ve come up with Valentine’s Day ideas that should help you plan the Goldilocks of dates: one that’s not too cheap, not too expensive, not too over the top and not too uncaring—it’ll be just right.

No ticket to the shows? Don’t worry—feel like a fashion insider with our ultimate guide to NYFW. Tickets to the runway shows aren’t available to the general public, but newsflash: you don’t have to be part of the elite fashion world to feel like an insider. Maybe you don’t have a front-row seat to the shows or a spot reserved next to Anna Wintour, but don’t fret—we’ve got you covered.

From free New York Fashion Week events you can actually attend to tips on how to get noticed by street style photographers, we’ll make sure to keep you in the loop.

Throw on your shoulder pads, perform your weird football ritual and get into the game with our guide to the best bars in NYC to watch the Super Bowl, plus how to chow down like a champion. And if you couldn’t give a hoot about the game, fear not! We’ve put together a list of the best football movies (and overall sports movies) to watch instead. Plus we’ll take you on a trip down memory lane with the greatest Super Bowl commercials of all-time.