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

Dust off your popcorn instincts and your sense of wonder: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey is officially returning to New York this winter. The “Greatest Show on Earth”—which now boasts a reimagined, all-human spectacle—will land in New York City for two short stints, first at Barclays Center from February 19–22, followed by UBS Arena from March 6–8. 

The two-hour show is powered by live music, DJ-driven transitions and constant movement across the arena floor. Acts come from around the world, including a Colombian acro-salsa troupe that turns dance battles into airborne events; a U.S.-based contortionist who treats flexibility like a superpower; and acrobatic bike and hoop-diving performers from China. You can expect aerial stunts, precision balance work and large ensemble moments.

Nearly two decades after The Sopranos ended with that excellent and polarizing series finale, the HBO series remains an enduring television masterpiece. And the Museum of Modern Image will celebrate the groundbreaking drama with a new exhibition, Stories and Set Designs for The Sopranos, drawing from showrunner and series creator David Chase's personal archive. From February 14 through May 31, 2026, fans of the show will get to peruse scripts, notes and research material chronicling the series' story arcs and character trajectories, as well as delve into the designs of four principal sites from the show, including Dr. Melfi’s office, the Soprano home, the Bada Bing strip club, and Satriale’s Pork Store via concept art, ground plans and more. MoMI will also present three special screenings featuring David Chase and cast members from The Sopranos, February 26–28; find more info here. 

The West Side vessel sponsors eight days of kid-friendly activities, where children of all ages can explore the world of STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math) through engaging NASA displays and exhibits, captivating live animal shows, hands-on workshops, and interactive demonstrations designed to educate and ignite curiosity. There will also be special performances from the Broadway casts of CHICAGO and Operation Mincemeat, a musical workshop with the New York Philharmonic, a meet-and-greet with Red Fraggle from Jim Henson’s Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock Live, and more.

Fashion has been explored as an expressive tool by numerous artists, from Salvador Dalí to Sonia Delaunay to Scott Barrie, a fact beautifully portrayed in the new exhibition Art X Fashion at the Museum of FIT. Running from February 18 through April 19, the stylish display will feature more than 140 objects, including garments, accessories, textiles, photographs, and original artworks drawn from MFIT's permanent collection. "This exhibition will garner strong opinions and spark lively dialogue, but whether you decide that fashion is art or not, fashion's strong and mutual relationship with fine art is undeniable," says Dr. Elizabeth Way, curator of costume and accessories at MFIT.

British food jokes tend to travel faster than British food itself, but Willy’s Pies is betting New Yorkers are ready to rethink the punchline. The London-based, chef-founded pie shop is returning to Brooklyn for a one-day-only pop-up at Layla on Sunday, February 22, bringing the proper, gravy-forward comfort food that has quietly been winning converts on the other side of the Atlantic. Founders Will Lewis and Josh Hill will both be in town for the event to defend their British cuisine on American soil. 

This year’s menu sticks to a single, focused offering: a chicken, pancetta and tarragon pie, served the correct way—with mash, gravy and buttered greens. It’s classic British comfort food, made with restaurant-level technique.

On June 30, 2015, Misty Copeland made history as the first Black American woman to be promoted to principal dancer in the American Ballet Theatre's 75-year history. That historic decade-long run came to an end when Copeland retired in 2025, and a new photography exhibit at the Leica Gallery New York — fittingly entitled "Ballet" — will feature never-before-seen photographs of the dancer in her final ABT performance. Running through March 29, the group show will display stunning snaps from photographers Henry Leutwyler, Diana Markosian and Kylie Shea and explore "the discipline, vulnerability, and transcendence of dance through three distinct photographic practices, united by a shared devotion to movement," per the gallery. A free opening reception will be held on February 19, followed by a moderated panel discussion with the artists on February 21 with special guest Misty Copeland.

Having won a Tony Award for Merrily We Roll Along, Daniel Radcliffe returns to make more magic in the Broadway premiere of Duncan Macmillan's interactive dark comedy about a British man who makes lists of the world's good things, at first to ease his mum's depression and later to temper his own. The show ran Off Broadway in 2014 with Jonny Donahoe, who also contributed to the script; this version is co-directed by Macmillan and Jeremy Herrin (Wolf Hall). It's theatrical candy cane: slim and sweet, tempered by sharpness and striped with bright nostalgia.

The Orchid Show at The New York Botanical Garden exhibits thousands of species of beautiful blossoming orchids, making it one of the best NYC events in February and one of the best things to do in the Bronx. NYBG’s orchid show has been running for more than two decades and has only gotten better year after year.

The Orchid Show this year will explore the connection between natural flora and the concrete jungle "in a dazzling reimagining of the Big Apple, from stoops and slice shops to the subway itself."

NYBG’s Orchid show runs from February 7 through April 26, 2026 at the New York Botanical Garden (2900 Southern Blvd, Bronx) inside the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory.

Opening to the public on Thursday, February 12, “He Built This City: Joe Macken’s Model” brings a sprawling, handmade replica of New York City to the Museum of the City of New York, just steps from Central Park. The exhibition marks the first time the viral model, famously constructed by Queens-born truck driver Joe Macken, has been presented in New York City itself.

Macken began the project in 2004 and stuck with it for the next 21 years, quietly recreating the five boroughs by hand in his upstate New York home. Built from everyday materials like balsa wood, cardboard and glue, the finished model measures roughly 50 by 27 feet and is made up of more than 300 individual sections. It captures the city’s skyline, neighborhoods and landmarks with obsessive detail, from Midtown towers to outer-borough blocks.

What's the best time of year? Christmas season? Maybe. The coming of fall? Perhaps. Pancake Month? Yes—this one gives us reason to celebrate. 

February marks the return of Pancake Month at Clinton St. Baking Company. The classic Americana restaurant and bakery on the Lower East Side will be griddling up pancakes of all kinds, doling out exciting flavors each week. Snag a table and sink your fork into inspiring creations such as the triple berry pancakes with rapberries, blueberries and strawberries accompanied with a meyer lemon curd (February 4-6), an apple pie variety ladled with caramelized apples with a cider glaze (February 9-11) and cinnamon roll pancakes with a cinnamon brown butter streusel, vanilla cream cheese glaze and a few shakes of cinammon sugar (February 18-20). As if that wasn't enough, the eatery is whipping up wild-card flavors on the weekends. 

And if you aren't in Manhattan, you can swing over to their Brooklyn location in Time Out New York, Brooklyn. The market locale is running its own line-up of specials, including key lime coconut pancakes with key lime curd (February 9-13) and raspberry chocolate chunk with a raspberry-caramel sauce (February 16-20).