Are people who FaceTime while walking down the street literally insane?

What does American art look like right now? According to the 2026 Whitney Biennial: complicated. Opening on March 8 at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the exhibition gathers 56 artists navigating everything from AI belief systems to climate grief and geopolitical power.

Co-organized by Marcela Guerrero and Drew Sawyer, the exhibition spans most of the museum’s galleries and extends into performance and public programming. The curators resisted the urge to build the show around a tidy thesis. “Rather than coming to our research for the Biennial with a preconceived container, Marcela and I let our conversations with artists guide us,” Sawyer said during an official preview. 

The participant list reflects that breadth. In addition to artists working across 25 states, the Biennial includes artists from Afghanistan, Chile, Iraq, Okinawa, the Philippines, Puerto Rico and Vietnam—“places marked by the reach of U.S. power,” as the museum noted. The definition of “American art” here feels elastic and deliberately complicated.

The ultimate blonde bombshell and a movie star like no other, Marilyn Monroe is the subject of a new film series at the Museum of Modern Art, in celebration of the actress's 100th year. From March 12 through 25, "Marilyn Monroe: Celluloid Dream" will spotlight some of the performer's most indelible roles—including the 1953 Howard Hawks classic Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, the 1955 Billy Wilder-directed comedy The Seven Year Itch, and her final completed film role, 1961's The Misfits—as well as titles that drew direct influence from her iconography, including David Lynch's Mulholland Drive. Check out the full screening schedule here. 

Stone Street's St. Patrick's Day celebration is pretty legendary—outside of the official parade itself, it's New York's biggest annual Paddy's party. And this year, the spirited street festival is spanning Friday, March 13 through Tuesday, 17 with live Irish bands, traditional bagpipers, DJ sets and more, keeping the fun going from noon to 10pm daily. A dozen outdoor bars will be set up along the block and selling both food (classic Irish pub specials, Mexican street food, Caribbean treats and more) and drinks, including beer on draft (Guinness, duh), green “Shamrock” margaritas, green jello shots and other specialty drinks, as well as non-alcoholic options.

New York’s ongoing matcha obsession is getting a serious carb-forward upgrade this spring. Starting March 5 through the end of the month, Breads Bakery is rolling out a limited-time, matcha-packed menu that leans just as heavily into pastries and desserts as on cafe classics.

The brewed lineup includes a classic matcha latte, available hot or iced and made with your milk of choice, plus a straight-up whisked matcha for purists who want the full grassy, bold flavor without distractions. The real headline, though, is the baked menu. There's now a playful green twist on some of the bakery’s signature formats, including the Matchalach, a flaky laminated take on rugelach filled with creamy matcha, as well as matcha brioche buns stuffed with smooth pastry cream. A velvety matcha pound cake brings understated sweetness and crisp shortbread cookies with dark chocolate chips lean into the tea’s slightly bitter edge.

The limited-time lineup will be available at Breads Bakery locations across Manhattan—including Union Square, Bryant Park, Rockefeller Center, the Upper West Side and the Upper East Side—so consider this your cue to lean fully into green tea season while it lasts.

A new pop-up photo exhibition at the St. George Ferry Terminal is turning the transit hub into an open-air gallery, showcasing powerful portraits of immigrant New Yorkers and the lives they’re building across the city. The installation is part of the third annual “New York Proud” campaign, organized by the New York Immigration Coalition in partnership with Photoville. The public art initiative turns busy public spaces into storytelling platforms that highlight the experiences and contributions of immigrants across the five boroughs. 

This time around, the portraits have landed in Staten Island—right where thousands of commuters, tourists and ferry riders pass through every day. Photographed by Venezuelan documentary photographer Oscar B. Castillo, the exhibition features immigrant New Yorkers in the places where they work and create, like kitchens, studios, clinics, stages and street corners. The subjects range from fruit vendors and chefs to playwrights and doctors, offering a glimpse into the many roles immigrants play in keeping New York running.

On Saturday, March 14 at 2pm, 7th Street Burger is teaming up with Bronx Native to host a Bad Bunny lookalike contest at the Bronx burger joint with a serious cash prize. So if you resemble Bad Bunny, even a little, show up with your best looks. The winner walks away with $500 in cash, which in this town translates to a solid night out and then some.

What counts as a resemblance is up for interpretation. Maybe you’ve got the curly hair and the perfectly groomed stubble. Maybe it’s the oversized fits, the confident slouch or the sunglasses worn indoors like there's no other option. Maybe others think you look like the pop star, or maybe you just embody his unbeatable vibe.

But even if you're the complete opposite of the Puerto Rican icon, you'll want to roll up and show up early. The first 50 attendees will score a free burger, and we all know 7th Street Burger does it right with smash-style, crispy-edged patties on soft potato buns. You'll want some serious fuel while judging the throngs of strong jawlines and smoldering gazes.

Running from March 13 through April 12 at La Mama Galleria, JEWESS is the ambitious new exhibition by Brooklyn-based artist Danielle Durchslag, exploring three powerful Ashkenazi characters who meet "at the crossroads of Jewish ritual, politics, and fashion," per organizers. Visually inspired by 1960s glamour, Tudor court dressing and early London punk, the personas are Elizabeth Taylor, Queen Elizabeth I and a rebellion Angel of Death, all reimagined with the Jewish holidays of  Passover and Shabbat in mind. During the exhibition's run, there will be three free and open-to-the-public events: Two guided tours of the exhibit by the artist herself on March 21; a concert by NYC Jewish punk band Theophobia on March 22; and  a conversation between Durchslag, designer Isaac Mizrahi and comedian Negin Farsad about Jewish glamour on April 5.

Last year, Samuelsson launched "Subway Series,” a monthly pop-up where up-and-coming BIPOC chefs took over his glittering FiDi restaurant, Metropolis by Marcus Samuelsson, for a night. This month he is doing it yet again, but this time, the marquee showcases an impressive lineup of female chefs. 

For the spring rendition of Subway Series, four stellar female chefs (Fariyal Abdullahi of Hav & Mar, Mavis-Jay Sanders of Community Kitchen, Lana Lagomarsini of Restaurante Garzon and Roshara Sanders of Red Rooster Harlem) will be popping up at Metropolis, in celebration of Women’s History Month. Each Friday beginning at 5pm, a different chef will take the lead, cooking up a menu that reflects their individual heritage, experience and cookery. 

From March 11 through 16, Mathnasium Learning Centers is teaming up with New York's Museum of Ice Cream for a limited-time-only Pie Day takeover, transforming the sweet venue into an interactive, math-meets-dessert playground. During the activation, kids and kids at heart can build Pi digit sequences in a reimagined Pi Magnet Room, calculate the circumference of a “pie” to determine the perfect scoop of ice cream, participate in a museum-wide Pi Day Challenge with branded trivia cards and interactive prompts throughout the space and, of course, enjoy dessert in the form of the limited-edition “Mathnasium’s Ice Cream à la Pi,” created exclusively for the celebration. 

New York’s unofficial streak of lookalike contests is continuing this month and this time the inspiration is one of the city’s most enduring icons: John F. Kennedy Jr. On Sunday, March 15, a second JFK Jr. lookalike contest will take over the West Village nightlife venue The Parkgate, promising a nostalgic night inspired by the 1990s-era Manhattan social scene that Kennedy himself helped define.

Hosted by Bumble and The Parkgate's owner, Ciaran Harrison, the contest is designed to be part tribute, part singles mixer and part throwback party, all banking on the popularity of Ryan Murphy's new limited series Love Story, about the JFK Jr. and his wife Carolyn Bessette Kennedy. The goal, according to organizers, is to recreate the kind of social energy the city once thrived on, before dating apps and smartphones became the default way to meet people.

Expect contestants channeling Kennedy’s signature look—think clean-cut prep, easy confidence and maybe a pair of aviators. The evening will feature a live DJ set by Jenny Boo, with a panel of judges evaluating contestants and crowning the top three. (The top contestant will take home the night’s to-be-announced grand prize, of course.) Competitors and spectators can RSVP online ahead of the event. Just remember: the hair helps, but confidence might matter even more.