NYC events in March 2023

One of the biggest events in March is the annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade, which marches along Fifth Avenue and passes by venerable New York attractions, including St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Central Park. 

NYC's parade is a really big deal. It's the oldest and largest St. Patrick’s Day Parade in the world. The first NYC parade was held in 1762, and it's been a time-honored tradition of Irish pride ever since.

From pipe and drum bands to dancers and performers in regalia, midtown Manhattan transforms into a big party with a sea of green revelers every year on March 17.

NYC offers a bevy of ways you can show solidarity for your sisters during Women’s History Month. New York ladies are getting in formation by hosting a series of cool events, from comedy shows to workshops and more.

The Orchid Show at The New York Botanical Garden this year explores the healing power of the natural world through dynamic designs by landscape artist Lily Kwong.

Your ticket will get you daytime access to The Orchid Show, plus all the rest of NYBG's outdoor gardens and collections. If you want to visit after dark, check out Orchid Nights where you can admire the flowers under the twinkling lights of the conservatory with music in the background and a cocktail in hand.

NYBG’s Orchid show runs through April 23, 2023.

Revel in forthcoming warm weather at the annual Macy’s Flower Show 2023. NYC will be budding with blooms all over, but nothing beats roaming the sweet-smelling foliage that suddenly appears at one of the city’s best department stores: Macy’s Herald Square.

This year's show runs from Sunday, March 26 through Sunday, April 10.

The 25th annual Kids’ Night on Broadway is back, giving kids a chance to attend some of Broadway’s best shows for free.

The event is officially happening on March 21, when children 18 and under are able to attend a show for free as long as they’re accompanied by a full-paying adult. To be clear, a pair of tickets is sold at 50% off each, effectively rendering one of them free of charge.

Tickets are now on sale for this year's Kids' Night on Broadway, scheduled for March 21 (except for Six, which will take place on March 20). Snag seats for the 21 participating shows right here. 

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. 

Got a wall to fill? This walk-around expo brings more than 70 galleries under one roof to display painting, sculpture, photography and other artistic media. It runs from March 22-26 at the Metropolitan Pavilion in Chelsea. 

Don’t let the name fool you: If you’re coming to buy, you should be prepared to spend in the range of three or four digits; to qualify as "affordable," the original artworks must be priced below $12,000. The least expensive works start at $100. Even if you can’t find something within your budget, you'll still get to check out pieces by a bunch of amazing artists.

Don't miss the Young Talent Exhibition, a special program showcasing emerging artistic talent from Brooklyn and the Greater New York Metro area. This season’s presentation features Effloresce, a site-specific installation by Khae "K" Haskell, an interdisciplinary visual artist, draftsperson, and illustrator. The installation will be accompanied by a series of mixed media collages representing different stages and details of the natural world. The artist's work references New York City, where they seek out unwanted and overlooked details such as rotting plant and animal matter, the texture of tree bark, or what grows between the cracks in the sidewalk.

If you're coming with children, take advantage of the fair's stroller hours on Saturday, March 25 when the show opens early for parents and their little ones. On the other end of the spectrum, the fair also offers Art After Dark on Thursday, March 23 (6-9pm). 

Passes start at $27, but Time Out readers can get discounted tickets with this link. Living up to its name, the fair will also give free admission to those who come on Friday, March 24 between 6 and 8pm.

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.

Kangol hats, Dapper Dan jackets and Timberland-inspired Manolos get the spotlight in this new exhibit about hip-hop style at The Museum at Fashion Institute of Technology. 

"Fresh, Fly, and Fabulous: Fifty Years of Hip Hop Style" is now open through April 23, 2023 in Chelsea. The free exhibit celebrates the birth of hip-hop and its influence on fashion over the past five decades. With more than 100 garments and accessories, it's the largest and most comprehensive exhibition to explore this revolutionary and influential style.

The free exhibit is open Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from noon to 8pm, and Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 5pm. 

The steady stream of Stephen Sondheim revivals continues as the estimable Josh Groban and Annaleigh Ashford headline the latest Broadway incarnation of Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s 1979 killer-cannibal musical. Directed by Hamilton's Thomas Kail, the production uses Jonathan Tunick's original 26-piece orchestrations to do justice to the show's razor-sharp score; the large cast includes Ruthie Ann Miles, Jordan Fisher, Maria Bilbao, Jamie Jackson and Stranger Things kiddo Gaten Matarazzo. 

Kings Theatre, the legendary theatre in Flatbush, Brooklyn, has re-launched historic tours of its opulent space.

During the 75-minute tour, you'll discover historical and architectural highlights, beginning in the majestic grand lobby from 1929. You'll also be ushered through ornate speakeasy lounges and both levels of the 3,055-seat auditorium and see the baroque stylings of this opulent theatre, the “Queen of Kings,” the Robert Morgan Wonder Organ and gaining insight into the daily workings of the theatre.

Here's the schedule: March 11 at 1pm and, for the first time ever, a weekday option on March 21 at 7pm. You can purchase your ticket right here.

Starting March 1, 2023, a new roving pop-up dubbed Karen's Diner is opening in the West Village. 

Already operating across 14 different cities in the United States, Australia and the United Kingdom, the diner will be managed by, you guessed it, a bunch of Karens and it will stay put through the very end of next year. 

According to the official website, folks can expect "an absurd, unique environment full of laughs, banter and top-notch American-diner style grub." Perhaps most importantly, the business warns that the "food is great [and] the service is ungrateful. But your experience will be unforgettable." You see what they're going for here.

You'll want to book your visit ahead of time right here (tickets will cost you $35). 

This winter, you can relax in a private red cedar sauna or soak in a hot tub while enjoying stunning views of the New York City skyline. 

Winter Spa at The William Vale hotel in Brooklyn is now open through March 2023 offering a cozy, Scandinavian-inspired wellness experience.

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.

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.

Step inside Wonderland Dreams, a stunningly detailed interactive exhibit inspired by Lewis Carroll's 1865 iconic English novel Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. 

The venue, which boasts 20 different rooms filled with eye-catching sights, is truly remarkable: Alexa Meade, the artist behind the Ariana Grande painting featured in the artist’s “God is a Woman” music video, has hand-painted the 26,000-square-foot space in Midtown.

The cultural offering is on view at 529 Fifth Avenue by 44th Street through late April 2023.

A pink glow emanates from Pier 15 where Valentine's grandeur has taken over for Watermark's Pink Pier, open all month. 

When you arrive, you'll walk through a tunnel of faux florals and then enter into a haven of pink—flowers, twinkly lights, photo opps and decor. This gloriously over-the-top venue drips in seasonal splendor with panoramic views of the skyline. The 10,000-square-foot outdoor bar and restaurant offers a variety of heated glasshouses, where you can reserve semi-private or private seating.

Reservations are available every day of the week, and you can score happy hour specials and off-peak pricing if you visit Monday-Friday.

Warning: You’re bound to feel hungry after exploring this exhibit at New-York Historical Society Museum & Library all about Jewish deli culture. Pastrami sandwiches, knishes, bagels, pickles and babka all get their due in “I'll Have What She's Having: The Jewish Deli," a show that's both delightfully fun and deeply meaningful.

The exhibition examines the important role of the Jewish deli through the immigrant experience, during World War II, as a refuge for Holocaust survivors, in pop culture and today. It's on view through April 2, 2023 at the historical society on the Upper West Side.

An international exhibit called Violins of Hope: Every Violin Has A Story is now on view in New York for the first time. The exhibit showcases a collection of violins and other string instruments that survived the Holocaust, all restored by Amnon and Avshalom (Avshi) Weinstein, an Israeli father-son duo of master violinmakers who lost over 400 of their own family in the Holocaust. These include the violin of a Jewish inmate member of the Auschwitz Orchestra; another that belonged to one of the last Jews to escape Nazi Europe; an instrument that a young Italian Jew clung to in a forced labor camp; and klezmer violins emblazoned with the Star of David. They now represent the sounds of defiance, resilience and faith. 

In addition to the violins, you can see a powerful series of photographs by Daniel Levin that document the masterful restoration processes for these instruments.

The violins and photographs are on display at the Herbert & Eileen Bernard Museum at Temple Emanu-El on the Upper East Side through March 28. Museum hours are Sunday through Thursday, 10am–4pm.  

Did you know that back in 2013 England-based street artist Banksy led a month-long residency in New York dubbed “Better Out Than In,” showcasing over 80 original works?

Through May 14, fans of the elusive artist will get to browse through some of that work in a new tribute to the residency set to open at 378 Broadway by White Street. 

Expect to dive into Banksy's relationship with New York while admiring some of his most recognizable pieces at "Banksy in New York: Defaced." Among the authenticated works on display will be “Girl with Balloon” from his stencil mural series and the giant sculpture “Mickey Snake.”

To untimely rip and paraphrase a line from Macbeth: Our eyes are made the fools of the other senses, or else worth all the rest. A multitude of searing sights crowd the spectator's gaze at the bedazzling and uncanny theater installation Sleep No More.

Your sense of space and depth—already compromised by the half mask that audience members must don—is further blurred as you wend through more than 90 discrete spaces, ranging from a cloistral chapel to a vast ballroom floor. The show is a true astonishment, turning six warehouse floors and approximately 100,000 square feet into a purgatorial maze that blends images from the Scottish play with ones derived from Hitchcock movies—all liberally doused in a distinctly Stanley Kubrick eau de dislocated menace.

On a typical tour of Manhattan, the big tourist attractions—Times Square, the Empire State Building, Central Park—get all the attention. But on these new walking tours by a local author, you'll see fascinating historical sites that you won't find in a typical guidebook. 

K. Krombie's Purefinder tours, "Death in New York," "The Psychiatric History of New York" and "Hell Gate," explore the city's darker side through meticulously researched and theatrically presented historical narratives.

Each tour covers about 2.5 miles in about two-and-a-half hours. “Death in New York” and “The Psychiatric History of New York” are offered weekly, while “Hell Gate” is offered twice per month. Tours cost $32-$34 per person; you can book one here.

The Rockaway Hotel in Queens just debuted a retro-looking, heavy-on-the-pink new Roller Rink inside its event space, complete with food and drink offerings, theme nights, live DJs and more. 

You can book your session right here, where you'll also be able to browse through the various highlighted themes (think country skate, disco skate and throwback skate, among others).

Hear comedians, songwriters and even clowns perform pieces of their upcoming solo shows at Tune Up, a monthly variety show. Performers have been featured on Comedy Central, Adult Swim, HBO, Netflix and more. 

The show runs at 9pm the second Wednesday of the month (that's March 8, April 12, May 10, June 14, July 12, August 9, and so on). Performers have included Natan Badalov (Adult Swim), Alexander Payne (Netflix), Jessica Levin (HBO), Stephen Sihelnik (NY Comedy Festival) and more.

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.