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NYC events in February 2020

The best NYC events in February 2020 range from things to on Valentine's Day to epic winter festivals

By Jennifer Picht and Time Out contributors |
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Photograph: Pixabay

After a money-sucking December and a resolution-filled January, it’s time to take the pressure off and enjoy yourself during the best NYC events in February. Our event calendar includes some of the best things to do in winter as well as some epic Valentine’s Day events (which you should totally still attend even if you're single). This month is also a good excuse to take advantage of our winter getaways list, so plan your escape from the city and keep your fingers crossed for a little bit of snow to add to the winter wonderland aesthetic.

RECOMMENDED: Full NYC events calendar

Featured events in February 2020

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 Quan Chen
Photograph: Courtesy Carnegie Hall
Things to do

Chinese New Year Spectacular at Carnegie Hall

Carnegie Hall, Midtown West

Carnegie Hall celebrates "Wealth and Surplus" in the Lunar New Year with a well-curated annual concert. This year's lineup includes Pianist Cong Bi and Kunqu performers Jiehua Shi, Min Cheng and Qinglin Cai, as well as featuring returning headliners including soprano Quan Chen, and American violinist Deni Bonet.

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Cupid's Undie Run 2013
Photograph: Eric H. Brown
Things to do, Quirky events

The Cupid’s Undie Run

Need a little help getting into the Valentine’s Day spirit? Sign up to dash through the streets in your skivvies at the annual Cupid’s Undie Run. Not only is this rowdy, raucous sprint one of the best things to do in winter, it also raises tons of money for the Children's Tumor Foundation. After the event, put some clothes on and head to one of the city's best bars with fireplaces to warm up. 

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Things to do

Harlem StorySLAM

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Harlem

For the first time, Harlemites will take the mic for the MOTH podcast’s popular storytelling show. Ten names will be chosen out of a hat to share their tales with the theme: “Only in Harlem.” Each speaker will have five minutes to prove they deserve the title of “champion.”

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Super Bowl Party Food
Things to do

Watching the Super Bowl in NYC

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.

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14th Annual Chinatown Lunar New Year Parade & Festival, 2013
Photograph: Filip Wolak
Things to do, Festivals

Chinese New Year Parade

This month, Chinatown gets stormed by dragons, dancers and some of the best Chinese food the city has to offer in celebration of the Lunar New Year. But before you get lost in the bang of firecrackers, check out some of the best things to do in Chinatown, NYC. Brace yourself for what’s sure to be a wild celebration with the Chinese New Year Parade!

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Photograph: Courtesy Jon Snyder
Things to do, Literary events

Pop-up Magazine

BAM Howard Gilman Opera House, Fort Greene

The “live magazine” show is back in Brooklyn for its Winter Issue show with stories about flying saucers and soap opera’s role in post-Soviet Russia, performances by comedian Catherine Cohen and Jinho “The Piper” Ferreira, and fascinating presentations from filmmakers, photographers and artists.

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Valentine's Day in NYC
Photograph: Shutterstock
Things to do

Valentine’s Day in NYC

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.

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Jumaane Williams, New York City Council Member (Brooklyn 45th District) - The Drum Major Instinct
Photograph: Courtesy David Andrako
Things to do

Black History Month

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. Take a tour through the historic neighborhood of Harlem followed by dininig at one of the best Harlem restaurants. You can also take a trolley tour through Green-Wood Cemetery where notables like Susan Smith McKinney Steward (the first female black doctor in New York State) are buried. 

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Photograph: Lauren Spinelli and Kelsey Dubinsky
Things to do, Exhibitions

The Westminster Dog Show

You’ll howl with joy at the Westminster Dog Show, at which hundreds of dog owners and all types of breeds (including brand-new ones) are primped and prepped to compete in agility challenges and for the highly coveted title of Best of Breed. 

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orchid show
Photograph: Courtesy New York Botanical Garden
Things to do, Exhibitions

The Orchid Show in NYC guide

A dreamy spray of orchids to enliven your winter bones is on the way to The New York Botanical Garden for its annual Orchid Show with designs by floral designer Jeff Leatham. If you’re not familiar, The New York Botanical Garden’s Orchid Show exhibits thousands of species of beautiful blossoming orchids, and it’s one of the best NYC events in February, and is one of the best things to do in The Bronx. While Macy's has its Flower Show, which is worth seeing in its own right, the NYBG's orchid show has been running for 18 years and has only gotten better. RECOMMENDED: See more of the best things to do in winter What is the Orchid Show NYC? The balmy and bountiful festival this year is titled The Orchid Show: Jeff Leatham’s Kaleidoscope. The display will transform the garden's conservatory into a tunnel of hypnotic floral designs reminiscent of a look through a kaleidoscope. "Color is the first and most important aspect of my work, always," Jeff Leatham says. "I want every gallery to be a different color experience for visitors as they move through them, like looking into a kaleidoscope. I loved kaleidoscopes as a child. You start dreaming as you look through one. People have seen the interiors of the Conservatory already, but with this exhibition, I want them to look through them like never before." And as usual, there will be special Orchid Evenings during which visitors can enjoy the attraction after dark and see the Supertrees, including a gorgeous display of lights

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