Things to do on a Sunday in New York
Have fun like there’s no tomorrow with the best things to do on a Sunday in New York including events, brunch and more
Forget about work in the morning: you’ve got too much partying to do today, so here are the best things to do on a Sunday in New York. Whether you’re planning a day trip from NYC, looking for an awesome festival, or finally have the time to see some of the best museum exhibitions in NYC, we’ve got the rundown for your best Sunday Funday right here. And if you blew all your cash on Saturday, stick with our picks for the best free things to do in town.
RECOMMENDED: Full guide to things to do in NYC this weekend
Featured things to do this Sunday
Smorgasburg
Everything you need to know about visiting Smorgasburg (90 Kent Ave; East Dr at Lincoln Rd). At this massive grub hub, there’s only one rule: Come hungry. The Brooklyn Flea spin-off draws more than 20,000 to 30,000 visitors per week, with a slew of 75 to 100 incredible food vendors doling out everything from Dutch waffles to pasta doughnuts. Where is it?Depends on when you go. For the summer 2017 season, the fest is in Williamsburg’s East River State Park (90 Kent Ave) on Saturdays and Prospect Park’s Breeze Hill (East Dr at Lincoln Rd) on Sundays. Additionally, starting mid-July 2017, Manhattanites won’t have to cross the river to taste the treats. A Smorgasburg Soho is coming to 76 Varick St, and will be open seven days a week, with a half-dozen vendors on the weekdays, swelling to as many as twenty on the weekends. When can I go?Smorgasburg is open year-round. The summer months might be the most popular, running from April through October at 11am to 6pm on Saturdays and Sundays, but in the winter months (November to March), the market joins forces with Brooklyn Flea and moves indoors. This past winter, the indoor Smorg was located at Skylight One Hanson (1 Hanson Place) on weekends from 10am to 6pm. Is there anywhere to sit?There are some picnic tables set up by the Smorgasburg team, but don’t plan on snatching one unless you have patience of steel. The organizers encourage you to bring picnic blankets with which to sit on the lawns of East River State Park or Prospect Pa
Accomplice
Tom and Betsy Salamon’s unique adventure—part interactive theater, part scavenger hunt, part walking tour—draws participants into an amusing web of puzzles and intrigue. You can choose between the three-hour New York tour, which takes participants through various neighborhoods of lower Manhattan, or the two-hour Village tour, which travels through quirky Greenwich Village on Saturdays. Groups of as many as 10 are booked every half hour.
Brooklyn Zombie Crawl
Get dolled up like the undead at the Charleston before the 6pm trek down Bedford Avenue. The group heads to McCarren Park, then retreats to Brooklyn Bazaar for a fiendishly fun after-party.
The Secret Eats and Gritty Past of Chinatown
Feast on scallion pancakes and steamed buns in some of Chinatown’s most delicious hidden spots on this New York Adventure Club tour. Neighborhood historian Mike Morgenthal leads you through landmarks and back alleys, where you learn about the history of Tong gangs, immigrant communities and the thriving food scene.
BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!
Launched more than 30 years ago by nonprofit community arts organization BRIC to revitalize Prospect Park, Brooklyn’s premier outdoor performance series returns with free music, dance and film events. Andrew Bird and Esperanza Spalding on July 28, a screening of Creed with live scoring from Wordless Music Orchestra on Aug 4 and Whitney on Aug 11. While you’re there, be sure to check out NY Handmade Collective’s market, which features wares from local artisans like Jes Switaj, Suniq, Topolski Jewelry, WallcoJr Designs and Titiluli.
Magnum Manifesto
The International Center of Photography presents Magnum Manifesto, a look back at Magnum Photos and the agency’s 70-year influence in the photography industry. Magnum, created by Robert Capa, Henri Cartier-Bresson, George Rodger and Chim (David Seymour) in 1947, will explore the history of the second half of the 20th century through the lens of 75 master photographers and include over two hundred prints as well as books, magazines, videos, and rarely before seen archival documents. This is a must-see for any lover of the lens.
"Saving Washington"
Though First Ladies have never been granted a salary for their work, they've often played a critical hand in shaping the future of our country's culture and values. This exhibition explores the women who brought the Founding Fathers' visions to reality despite legal and society barriers. View documents, artwork, clothing and other artifacts from Dolley Madison and other often-overlooked presidential women, and learn how much of their influence still endures.
"uptown: nasty women/bad hombres"
Artists from East Harlem confront sexism, racism, homophobia, violence, health care and the state of the environment in this new mixed-media exhibition. Explore works from Vladimir Cybil Charlier, Jaime Davidovich, Aya Rodríguez-Izumi, Sable Elyse Smith, Nari Ward and many more, and see how these subversive artists use collage, documentary photography, poetry, painting, textile work and video to question—and resist—the status quo.
Known/Unknown: Private Obsession and Hidden Desire in Outsider Art
View over 100 works made by creators outside of the artistic community, including inventive self-taught sculptors in New York City and illustrators who found their passion in prisons and psychiatric hospitals. Explore the inner lives of unknown artists through works made in private and often discovered after the artists' passing, with pieces like Steve Ashby's Rocking Bed Cunnilingus Whirligig and Henry Darger's watercolor At Sunbeam Creak/At Wickey Lansinia.
Things to do on any Sunday
Find the perfect brunch
New Yorkers may not be a religious bunch, but we’ve got our own time-honored Sunday morning ritual: brunch. Whether you’re dining with a group or rolling solo, here are the finest places to quell your a.m. hunger pangs (and/or hangover). Click through for our complete guide to the best brunch in NYC including pancakes, huevos rancheros, eggs Benedict, mimosas and other late-breakfast standards.
Line up for improve at ASSSSCAT 3000
NYC’s long-form improv royalty (including UCBT and SNL folk) play pickup-game style in this famous long-running show. There’s no telling who will make an appearance on a given night, but the likes of Amy Poehler and Rachel Dratch have been known to pop in. If you want to check it out for free, line up outside the theater (early!) for the 9:30pm show; tickets are distributed at 8:15pm. Play-it-safers can buy advance tickets for the 7:30pm show for $10.
Tour the Brooklyn Brewery
Williamsburg’s craft-beer facility offers free, no-reservation general tours on Saturday and Sunday. Post-tour, join the crowds purchasing tokens for brewskis (one beer for $5, five for $20) to taste the standard and seasonal styles on tap. Sunday bonus: This is the only day that also includes Smorgasbrewery, in which five or six vendors from Smorgasburg dish out suds-complementing foodstuffs inside the brew house.
Bliss out to LPs at Classic Album Sundays
Erstwhile New Yorker Colleen “Cosmo” Murphy brings her long-running London affair back home to Gotham. The concept is simple: It’s a good old-fashioned listening party, with each installment focusing on a selection from rock and pop’s discography of canonical LPs, all played on Murphy’s high-end audiophile hi-fi. Murphy’s album selection comes from all over the genre map: the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Kraftwerk’s Autobahn, Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks. Click here to read our interview with Murphy. classicalbumsundays.com.
Take the ferry to Governors Island
A seven-minute ride on a free ferry from Manhattan or Brooklyn takes you to this seasonal island sanctuary, a scant 800 yards from lower Manhattan. Thanks to its strategic position in the middle of New York Harbor, Governors Island was a military outpost that was off-limits to the public for 200 years. It finally opened to summer visitors in 2006. Today, the island provides a peaceful setting for biking (bring a bike on the ferry, or rent from Bike and Roll once there), picnicking and general relaxation. The island often hosts events such as concert series, art exhibitions and club nights (see website for schedule).
Shop local at Artists & Fleas
A rotating selection of around 60 vendors, including local designers and artists, sets up shop in this Williamsburg warehouse every weekend. The browsable mix includes everything from original T-shirts and handmade jewelry to reconditioned vintage bags and clocks made out of old hardcover books. But Artists & Fleas is as much about the vibe as the goods: DJs spin, food purveyors offer refreshments, and sundry Billyburgers wander the rows of booths in all their quirky finery.
Indulge your inner child at Spoons, Toons and Booze
Does the eye-wateringly sweet taste of Frosted Flakes make you nostalgic for the cartoon-filled weekend mornings of your youth? If so, head to Spoons, Toons & Booze at Nitehawk Cinema, where Michael Austin, organizer of the ’80s Sing-Along, brings you a free all-you-can-eat sugary cereal buffet and a selection of 80-plus cartoons from the ’40s through the ’90s (DuckTales, Jem, ThunderCats, Captain Planet—you name it). You can spike your Cinnamon Toast Crunch with a shot of Baileys or Kahlúa for $5; there are some benefits to adulthood, after all.
Get down up high at Nouveau York
Nouveau York hosts Neil Aline and Jérôme Viger-Kohler keep the fun coming up in the Standard Hotel’s penthouse boîte, with Aline and top guests (DJ Harvey, Club Cheval and Dimitri from Paris have played in the past) hitting the decks for a session of house, disco and more. nouveauyork.com.
Hear live classical music at the Frick Collection
Few experiences in New York City can compare with taking in a lieder concert, piano recital or chamber-music performance in this stately old mansion-cum-art-museum’s elegant music room, where scores of prominent musicians have made their first local appearances. Show up early to check out the gallery, which is pay-what-you-wish from 11am to 1pm on Sundays.
Scream at Alley Pond Park Adventure Course
Thrill seekers should head to this series of obstacles designed for team-building and scaring the crap out of you. Live out your Indiana Jones fantasy by scaling a bouldering wall, whizzing down the zip line, balancing on a high wire and getting catapulted from the Human Swing Shot, a device that lifts you 45 feet in the air before sending you into free fall.
Popular things to do this Sunday
Smorgasburg
Everything you need to know about visiting Smorgasburg (90 Kent Ave; East Dr at Lincoln Rd). At this massive grub hub, there’s only one rule: Come hungry. The Brooklyn Flea spin-off draws more than 20,000 to 30,000 visitors per week, with a slew of 75 to 100 incredible food vendors doling out everything from Dutch waffles to pasta doughnuts. Where is it?Depends on when you go. For the summer 2017 season, the fest is in Williamsburg’s East River State Park (90 Kent Ave) on Saturdays and Prospect Park’s Breeze Hill (East Dr at Lincoln Rd) on Sundays. Additionally, starting mid-July 2017, Manhattanites won’t have to cross the river to taste the treats. A Smorgasburg Soho is coming to 76 Varick St, and will be open seven days a week, with a half-dozen vendors on the weekdays, swelling to as many as twenty on the weekends. When can I go?Smorgasburg is open year-round. The summer months might be the most popular, running from April through October at 11am to 6pm on Saturdays and Sundays, but in the winter months (November to March), the market joins forces with Brooklyn Flea and moves indoors. This past winter, the indoor Smorg was located at Skylight One Hanson (1 Hanson Place) on weekends from 10am to 6pm. Is there anywhere to sit?There are some picnic tables set up by the Smorgasburg team, but don’t plan on snatching one unless you have patience of steel. The organizers encourage you to bring picnic blankets with which to sit on the lawns of East River State Park or Prospect Pa
BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!
Launched more than 30 years ago by nonprofit community arts organization BRIC to revitalize Prospect Park, Brooklyn’s premier outdoor performance series returns with free music, dance and film events. Andrew Bird and Esperanza Spalding on July 28, a screening of Creed with live scoring from Wordless Music Orchestra on Aug 4 and Whitney on Aug 11. While you’re there, be sure to check out NY Handmade Collective’s market, which features wares from local artisans like Jes Switaj, Suniq, Topolski Jewelry, WallcoJr Designs and Titiluli.
The Rivals
New York Classical Theatre begins its summer season of free alfresco theater with Richard Brinsley Sheridan's bawdy 1775 comedy, whose gifts to the world include the word malaprop (named after a deliciously error-prone character). The production, directed by NYCT founder Stephen Burdman, plays for a month in Central Park (enter at 103rd St and Central Park West), then spends a week apiece at two other locations.
Accomplice
Tom and Betsy Salamon’s unique adventure—part interactive theater, part scavenger hunt, part walking tour—draws participants into an amusing web of puzzles and intrigue. You can choose between the three-hour New York tour, which takes participants through various neighborhoods of lower Manhattan, or the two-hour Village tour, which travels through quirky Greenwich Village on Saturdays. Groups of as many as 10 are booked every half hour.
The Secret Eats and Gritty Past of Chinatown
Feast on scallion pancakes and steamed buns in some of Chinatown’s most delicious hidden spots on this New York Adventure Club tour. Neighborhood historian Mike Morgenthal leads you through landmarks and back alleys, where you learn about the history of Tong gangs, immigrant communities and the thriving food scene.
Grand Bazaar NYC
Spend a Sunday afternoon browsing the wares of local artists, designers and vintage dealers at this weekly market. It’s a great place to pick up limited-edition art, handmade jewelry, unique home furnishings and tasty artisanal treats. Plus 100 percent of the net revenue is donated to four neighborhood public schools.
Seeing You
Theater review by Adam Feldman “I’ll be seeing you in all the old familiar places,” promise the lyrics of the 1938 standard from which Seeing You takes its title. It’s a song about holding on to the memory of someone who may never return, and it struck a special chord for listeners during World War II. Immersive-theater impresario Randy Weiner and choreographer Ryan Heffington’s engrossing and evocative dance-theater show honors that sentiment, not merely rehashing traditional WWII iconography but infusing it with a ghostly charge. Like Sleep No More, which Weiner produced, Seeing You has sequences in which audience members choose their own paths and moments of interaction with the 14 performers. In the initial orientation phase, we are free to wander among various intimate scenes of domestic, romantic and professional tension that introduce us to characters we can follow throughout the evening. Later, our attention is guided toward one or two sequences at a time. (Stories that have often been on the margins—racial discrimination, internment, same-sex desire—have pride of place.) Designed by Desi Santiago, the show unfurls in a single, constantly evolving ground-floor space in the Meatpacking District. The skillful, well-drilled performers never stop moving, and Heffington—best known for Sia’s “Chandelier” video—gives them memorable showpieces: a guilt-ridden gay pas de deux for two soldiers (Jesse Kovarsky and Nicholas Ranauro); an unsettling jungle-jazz number for an Af
Herzog and de Meuron with Ai Weiwei, “Hansel and Gretel”
Famed Chinese dissident artist Ai Wei Wei teams up with au courant Swiss starchitects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron in this immersive installation about the surveillance state. Drones and infrared cameras follow visitors as they move about, creating high-tech breadcrumb trails in their wake.
Dear Evan Hansen
In this captivating original musical, Ben Platt gives a stunning performance—funny, sweet, beautifully sung and exquisitely worked-out in its physical details—as a high school student thrust into social relevance after a classmate's suicide. Benj Pasek and Justin Paul's score combines well-crafted lyrics with an exciting pop sound, and Steven Levenson’s book gives all the characters shaded motives. The production has moved to Broadway after its sold-out run at Second Stage Theatre. Read the full review.
Free things to do this Sunday
Smorgasburg
Everything you need to know about visiting Smorgasburg (90 Kent Ave; East Dr at Lincoln Rd). At this massive grub hub, there’s only one rule: Come hungry. The Brooklyn Flea spin-off draws more than 20,000 to 30,000 visitors per week, with a slew of 75 to 100 incredible food vendors doling out everything from Dutch waffles to pasta doughnuts. Where is it?Depends on when you go. For the summer 2017 season, the fest is in Williamsburg’s East River State Park (90 Kent Ave) on Saturdays and Prospect Park’s Breeze Hill (East Dr at Lincoln Rd) on Sundays. Additionally, starting mid-July 2017, Manhattanites won’t have to cross the river to taste the treats. A Smorgasburg Soho is coming to 76 Varick St, and will be open seven days a week, with a half-dozen vendors on the weekdays, swelling to as many as twenty on the weekends. When can I go?Smorgasburg is open year-round. The summer months might be the most popular, running from April through October at 11am to 6pm on Saturdays and Sundays, but in the winter months (November to March), the market joins forces with Brooklyn Flea and moves indoors. This past winter, the indoor Smorg was located at Skylight One Hanson (1 Hanson Place) on weekends from 10am to 6pm. Is there anywhere to sit?There are some picnic tables set up by the Smorgasburg team, but don’t plan on snatching one unless you have patience of steel. The organizers encourage you to bring picnic blankets with which to sit on the lawns of East River State Park or Prospect Pa
BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!
Launched more than 30 years ago by nonprofit community arts organization BRIC to revitalize Prospect Park, Brooklyn’s premier outdoor performance series returns with free music, dance and film events. Andrew Bird and Esperanza Spalding on July 28, a screening of Creed with live scoring from Wordless Music Orchestra on Aug 4 and Whitney on Aug 11. While you’re there, be sure to check out NY Handmade Collective’s market, which features wares from local artisans like Jes Switaj, Suniq, Topolski Jewelry, WallcoJr Designs and Titiluli.
The Rivals
New York Classical Theatre begins its summer season of free alfresco theater with Richard Brinsley Sheridan's bawdy 1775 comedy, whose gifts to the world include the word malaprop (named after a deliciously error-prone character). The production, directed by NYCT founder Stephen Burdman, plays for a month in Central Park (enter at 103rd St and Central Park West), then spends a week apiece at two other locations.
Grand Bazaar NYC
Spend a Sunday afternoon browsing the wares of local artists, designers and vintage dealers at this weekly market. It’s a great place to pick up limited-edition art, handmade jewelry, unique home furnishings and tasty artisanal treats. Plus 100 percent of the net revenue is donated to four neighborhood public schools.
Coney Island Reggae Beach Party
If you’re getting baked on the beach, time your sunbathing to coincide with Carter Van Pelt’s monthly skankathon, which welcomes local selectors and legends. Stake out a spot on the sand and you’ll still be able to hear the ska, rocksteady, dub, lovers rock and early dancehall emanating from the booming speaker stack.
The Three Musketeers
Hudson Warehouse reprises its 2013 production of Alexandre Dumas's swashbuckling 1844 novel, adapted by Susane Lee and directed by Nicholas Martin-Smith. The play is the first installment of the Dumas Adventures, a four-year project that is slated to include future productions of The Man in The Iron Mask and The Count of Monte Cristo.
“The Lavender Line: Coming Out in Queens”
In 1993, roughly one thousand activists assembled for the first Queens Pride Parade. Now, the parade and festival unites over 40,000 of the borough's proudest. View the evolution of Queens' LGBTQ community through images, videos and testimonies at this exhibition, which celebrates the parade's 25th anniversary.
Legion Fest: A Free, Weekly Comedy Festival
Every Sunday evening, Kelsey Caine, Jack Comstock and Martin Urbano present this two-hour laugh fest featuring top-notch local talent.
Brooklyn Zombie Crawl
Get dolled up like the undead at the Charleston before the 6pm trek down Bedford Avenue. The group heads to McCarren Park, then retreats to Brooklyn Bazaar for a fiendishly fun after-party.
International African Arts Festival
While this four-day festival started as a small community fund-raiser, it now attracts a crowd of 75,000 from around the world. This year’s lineup is as jam-packed as ever: Catch music by Fred Wesley and Tito Puente Jr.; a Symposium on Culture, Community and Struggle on Sat 1; an African Dance festival; and special events including a barber competition, parade and fashion show.
Movies to see this Sunday
Citizen Jane: Battle for the City
Jane Jacobs's clash with NYC urban planner Robert Moses makes for a great drama
Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer
Richard Gere triumphs in the role of his career, as a scrappy Manhattan schmoozer
A Quiet Passion
British filmaker Terence Davies, turns his attention to the poet Emily Dickinson
Graduation
The story of a college-bound teen and her father who wants to cut corners for her
Beauty and the Beast
Today's Beauty and the Beast is a lavish pull-out-all-the-stops musical
T2 Trainspotting
You can’t re-create your past, but you can relive it in your head over and over again
Looking for the perfect Sunday brunch?
The best brunch in NYC
Consult our comprehensive guide to the best brunch NYC has to offer and enjoy the perfect late breakfast this weekend
Any Titanic enthusiasts will want to know that I have Titanic walking tours and you can commemorate the anniversary of the sinking.
Sunday April 9th at 12:00 Noon.Titanic walking tour in Manhattan. https://www.facebook.com/TitanicinNewYorkWalkingTourwithDaveGardner?ref=bookmarksMeet at the corner of Astor Place at Lafayette St. by the Walgreens.
Free event. 25 of NYC's best artisanal sweet makers will be this Sunday at Grand Bazaar NYC.
100% of the markets profits are donated to four local public schools, benefiting over 4,000 children.
In addition over 100 curated vendors from art, antique/vintage, handmade jewelry and savory food.
Sunday, October 23rd from 10am to 5:30pm.
77th St. & Columbus Ave.
Why is May's calendar up in August?
Revolution Books 437 Malcolm X Blvd./Lenox Avenue @ 132nd Street, Holiday Party and Weekend, Dec 12-13
Saturday11 AM Children's Reading Javaka Steptoe, illustrator: Jimi: Sounds Like a Rainbow: A Story of the Young Jimi Hendrix
Afternoon: Readings, Conversations, Surprises, and LOTS OF BOOKS & GIFTS!
Evening: HOLIDAY PARTY Music and more
SundayAfternoon: ART SALE The first of a series of Revolution Books Art Auctions: Artwork donated by artists and collectors to support Revolution Books: Posters, Prints, historic African Masks & Sculptures
Sunday Funday: Fitness + Football!
11:30AM
TS Fitness - 321 East 61st Street
To celebrate one of the big NY events of the year - Jets vs. Giants - Ketanga Fitness is teaming up with TS Fitness to host a Fitness & Football Sunday Funday! Join Coach Robert Ramsey for a challenging - and fun - workout using dynamic stretching, high intensity interval training, heart-pumping circuits, and a restorative stretch.After the workout, we'll head down the block where we have a table reserved at The Jeffrey in view of TVs for prime football watching. Whether or not you watch the game, you'll kick back with your new #fitfriends and you'll enjoy your first round of drinks and shared appetizers on us!
http://www.ketangafitness.com/sunday-funday
There will be a THANKSGIVING BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS service at the Unitarian Church of All Souls this Sunday November 22, at 3:00 PM. All pet lovers invited to bring their companion animals to be blessed. There will music, readings and a short homily. The Unitarian Church is located at 1157 Lexington Avenue (at 80th Street). Animal Assisted Therapy teams will be honored. The service is free and a freewill offering will be received and donated to the Animal Assisted Therapy programs of the ASPCA and Angel on a Leash.
Umm... TASTE OF GRAMERCY (NYC's best restaurants, free samples, yes please!)
Sat, September 26, 2015
Gramercy Park (Irving & E17 st)
11am - 6pm
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
50 local food makers and farms
boo this looks like any other weekend, no MDW events? Parties in Rockaway? Mr Sunday? come TONY you can do better than this
The Seed : MARKET - Pop-up Market 100% all plant-based
- Lots of artisan food, drink and beauty vendors!
- Cooking demos, morning yoga class, special film screening with Q&A
Sunday, May 17th from 11am - 6pm
At The Altman Building, 135 W. 18th St. (6 & 7 Ave.)
Details: http://theseedexperience.com/market/
why is pheromone hotbox listed as a sunday highlight when the details indicate the gallery will be closed?
What have you done with this feature? It used to be a readable roundup. Now it's just an assortment of links that I have to open in a million different tabs. As someone who refers to these weekend roundups quite a bit, I respectfully request that you bring back the old format.