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

Free yoga in Bryant Park is officially back for the summer, which means midtown office workers are once again about to spend their mornings attempting crow pose on the lawn surrounded by tourists.

The beloved free outdoor series, now entering its 23rd season, returns on May 27 and will run twice weekly through September 16, bringing hundreds of yoga mats to the heart of Manhattan all summer long.

This year’s edition of Bryant Park Yoga presented by Halara will once again offer completely free classes for all ages and skill levels, with sessions split between peaceful Tuesday mornings and Wednesday evening flows. Tuesday classes will take place at 10 am on the Upper Terrace, while Wednesday sessions will take place at 6 pm directly on the lawn.

Open Roads: New Italian Cinema returns to Film at Lincoln Center May 28–June 4 for its 25th anniversary edition, co-presented with Cinecittà and showcasing contemporary Italian filmmaking. The program spans bold new voices and established auteurs, with selections including Venice-premiering The Kidnapping of Arabella by Carolina Cavalli and a Roberto Rossellini tribute marking the 120th anniversary of the filmmaker’s birth with a screening of Paisan. Highlights also include the North American premiere of Roberto Rossellini, Living Without a Script, leveraging archival material into a portrait of one of cinema’s great innovators.

It's raining elephants! Mark your calendars because the ninth annual Dumbo Drop is set for Friday, May 29 when thousands of tiny elephants will fall from the sky during one of the neighborhood's most beloved events.

For one night only, the rooftops lining Washington Street, the most Instagrammed block in the borough, will become launchpads for a fleet of parachuting toy elephants. At 5pm and again at 7pm, thousands of these tiny, trunked treasures will float gracefully down to the car-free streets below. Each year's drop features custom-designed parachutes by a local artist, with Christian Vera assuming the duties for 2026.

The drop also doubles as a block party you won't want to miss, with music, food and plenty of fun. You can catch a live set by The Jelly, join a flash mob dance party or get your hands dirty with crafts from Creatively Wild. If all that "elephant watching" works up an appetite, "Restaurant Row" will be serving up local tastes for just $7.

No, the world's collective Heated Rivalry horniness has not waned in the months since we said a fond farewell to Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams), Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) and their steamy cottage shenanigans. And it looks like that obsession will only continue into summer as NewFest has officially included the queer hockey romance among its stacked programming for Pride 2026: On Sunday, May 31, the smash-hit Crave original will have its open-air debut at Pier 17 at South Street with an outdoor screening event, and it's free to attend. 

Tthe episode in question will be the famed fifth installment, "I'll Believe in Anything," with organizers teasing that the Pier 17 event will give "fans the chance to relive Scott Hunter’s championship moment." (IYKYK.) That penultimate episode of the Peabody-winning drama received widespread acclaim from both critics (the ep has a perfect 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes) as well as casual viewers, who gave it a rare 10-out-of-10 rating on IMDb, tying it with Breaking Bad's "Ozymandias" as the highest-rated television episode of all time in December 2025. 

Move over Timothée Chalamet, JFK, Jr. and Pedro Pascal. A new celebrity lookalike contest is for the redheads, and the winner gets more than just doppelganger cred.

In honor of World Redhead Day on Tuesday, May 26, Wendy’s is celebrating its redheaded roots by hosting an official Wendy look-alike contest in New York City. The fast-food giant is calling on anyone 18 and older to head over to Seaport Square—a location choice that playfully nods to the chain’s famous square burgers—to show off their flaming red hair and best Wendy looks.

The stakes are high for the sea of redheads expected to attend. While the event will feature live music, giveaways and photo ops, the grand prize winner will walk away with free Dave’s Single hamburgers for a year.

Redheads make up just 1% to 4% of the U.S. population, but Wendy's wants to celebrate their unforgettable, bold energy. Check-in for the contest begins at 3:30pm at Seaport Square, with the main event running from 4:15pm to 5:30pm.

A cherished New York City tradition returns to the heart of Manhattan thisweek. On Friday, May 22, The Public Theater officially kicks off its summer season of Free Shakespeare in the Park with the highly anticipated first preview of Romeo & Juliet.

Marking the first time the Bard’s ultimate tragedy has graced the Delacorte Theater stage in nearly 20 years, this production arrives with a revitalized energy. Directed by Saheem Ali, the staging offers a bold linguistic twist: while the warring world of the Montagues and Capulets operates in English, the star-crossed lovers share their private scenes in Spanish—a secret language reserved solely for their romance. Set in a border town where ideological violence spills into the streets, the production promises a visceral, contemporary resonance.

This year's season opener marks the grand reopening of the newly revitalized Delacorte Theater. To celebrate, The Public is hosting a massive kickoff event on Saturday, May 30, featuring family-friendly festivities, concessions, a pop-up from Wonder and meet-and-greets with the theater’s unofficial mascot, Romeo the Raccoon.

Summer in Midtown officially kicks off as Bryant Park Picnic Performances returns on May 28 with its biggest season yet. The beloved free series transforms the lawn into an open-air stage for almost four months of music, dance, opera and more, with highlights from New York City Opera and Carnegie Hall. With skyline views and a come-one-come-all vibe, it’s one of the city’s most democratic cultural pleasures: no tickets, no fuss, just world-class performance under the stars and subways conveniently nearby.

QC Spa New York is home to a lot of things, a new Italian-leaning restaurant and whimsical wellness rooms that include waterbeds and saunas across its 15,000-square-foot sprawl. But its location is part of what makes this spa so serene, as it gazes upon the beautiful skyline of Lower Manhattan. The best times to drink in the sights? Definitely at sunset to watch the fleeting orange and red sky fall over the city. Adding to the view, the Italian-born spa is setting the tone with a little DJ session. 

Starting on May 8, QC Spa New York is launching Sunset Sessions. The first of an ongoing DJ series, Sunset Sessions will bring a relaxed beach vibe to the spa. DJ Elektra will be playing sets at the spa's outdoor garden, making it easy to enjoy the music among the blooming florals or while soaking in one of the property's infinity pools. Leaning into its Amalfi Coast origins, guests can also take a complimentary scented paper fan, handcrafted and shipped from Italy, as a keepsake.

Sunset Sessions will be held from now until September 8. DJ sets start at 6pm; no ticket needed. Reserve your spot here. 

If your ideal summer involves campfires, sloppy joes and zero mosquito bites (or traffic), one of New York City’s most over-the-top rooftops has your perfect theme. Magic Hour Rooftop at the Moxy Times Square is transforming into Camp Magic Hour, turning the venue’s West Terrace into a summer camp-inspired playground overlooking the Empire State Building. Launching this season, the new look goes heavy on Adirondack chairs, vintage coolers and fire pits designed to channel the carefree energy of a summer not spent in a concrete jungle. 

The centerpiece is the rooftop’s carousel, now reconfigured as a giant lifeguard tower complete with nautical bunting, weathered life rings and lifeguard chairs. Guests entering the space will pass a wall of vintage camp patches, pennants and hats before heading out onto the terrace, where folding camp chairs surround a glowing fire pit beneath string lights and skyline views.

Psychedelia comes to the New York Botanical Garden with Flower Power, a groovy, garden-wide takeover celebrating blooms as symbols of peace, love and counterculture cool. Running May 23 through October 18, the exhibition mixes vibrant botanical displays with ’60s-era art, plus trippy installations, live music and after-hours light shows. Wander through technicolor plantings, spot photo ops and lean into the feel-good nostalgia—it’s part flower show, part time warp. And honestly, we could all use a little nature (and time travel) these days.