The best things to do in spring in NYC

The Orchid Show—NYC’s ode to springtime—should not to be confused with the season’s other stupendous garden party, the Macy’s Flower Show. However, both bloom fests are worth a visit. 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 March, which lasts through April.

Over the course of five decades, David Bowie drafted the new rules of rock & roll—and the rest of us are still trying to keep up. After breaking ticket records at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago, the touring exhibition “David Bowie Is” hits NYC in March, with more than 400 objects from the celestial pop icon’s life, including costumes, lyric sheets and performance clips. Here’s what you should look (and listen) for in this celebration of all things Thin White Duke.

Sakura Matsuri, one of Brooklyn's best spring festivals, is an annual celebration of Japanese culture. At the Cherry Blossom Festival, NYC-folk and out-of-towners can partake in a bunch of activities while being surrounded by blooming, pink-petal trees at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, which beckons the beloved tradition as one of the best things to do outside in the city.

New Yorkers and out-of-towners alike flock to this floral-filled exhibition, where jaw-dropping arrangements decorated to fit a specific theme are on display for two weeks. The theme for this 44th annual installment at the megachain’s Herald Square location is "Once Upon A Springtime," so expect to see a lot of plays on fantasy-inspired settings and storybook scenes.

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 that range from nabbing beauty services at one of the best blow dry bars to an all-female jazz festival, comedy show and more. You can even attend a global protest to fight for women’s rights!

We all know spring is the season for garden parties, and it’s hard to think of a lush green space more perfect for a booze-filled afternoon than the New York Botanical Garden. Take in the fairy-tale–like scenery of 300,000 freshly planted daffodil bulbs while sipping glasses of New York and out-of-state wine from your souvenir chalice and listening to live music. And don’t stop there: Your ticket grants entry to all of the NYBG’s 250 acres, including the Perennial Garden, with its colorful tulips and pansies, as well as the Native Plant Garden, which is filled with wildflowers and ferns.