Things to do on a Sunday in New York

Sunnyside Queens' edible offerings get the attention they deserve at this casual tasting affair. 

Taste of Sunnyside returns for a sixteenth year on Sunday, October 4. From 1 to 7pm, more than 60 restaurants will participate in the door-to-door crawl, showcasing the best of the neighborhood. This annual food feat offers a taste of Latin, Italian, French, Asian and Middle Eastern cuisines, including Cardamom, de Mole Mexican Restaurant and Masa Madre. The lineup also includes plenty of bars and breweries, perfect for a build-your-own bar crawl itinerary. Don't feel like walking the whole way? Participants can hop and off the complimentary event trolley. And when you need a grub break, head to the real party going down on 46th Street under the Sunnyside Arch (between Queens Boulevard and Greenpoint Avenue). Pop by for live entertainment, a local arts fair and loads of family-friendly activities.

Tickets are $58.44, inclusive of fees. There is a special kids rate for children aged 6-12; ages five and under are free. Register here. 

CultureCon transorms Brooklyn's Duggal Greenhouse from an industrial shipyard into a cultural homecoming for Black creatives. It welcomes more than 10,000 attendees across two days to hear from more than 200 speakers, participate in hands-on workshops, attend a career fair and check out immersive activations. Event organizers call it "the nation's leading gathering for creatives of color."

This year's speakers are still to be announced, but the theme for 2026 is "Museum of Us," celebrates Black creativity as the art it has always been.

This year's event is on October 3 and 4; attendees must be 18 or older. Single-day admission tickets cost $129, and weekend tickets cost $239. VIP tickets cost $649. Discounts are available for students and those who sign up in groups. Digital passes (for those who can't make it in person) are available for $19. The festival is part of CultureCon Week, which runs September 28–October 1, followed by a kickoff party October 2.

Celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival beneath the Brooklyn Bridge at Welcome to Chinatown’s annual event, which moves to Gotham Park for the first time this year. The free, three-day festival brings more than 25 AAPI-owned small businesses and artists together for a pan-Asian celebration of food, art and culture. Expect Vietnamese, Chinese, Filipino, Thai and Malaysian food and drinks alongside handmade goods, live performances and interactive programming. Among the things to look forward to are K-pop dance performances and classes from KPulse, dance performances from KAŌS, cultural performances and origami workshops from the New York Chinese Cultural Center, mahjong and kids’ activities with Potluck America. The free festival runs from 1pm to 7pm, October 2 through 4, at Gotham Park (1 Rose St.) against the Manhattan-side base of the Brooklyn Bridge.

The New York Botanical Garden is getting into the spirit of Día de los Muertos with a month-long celebration, running October 3 through November 2. Visitors can follow a trail of marigold displays, calaveras and colorful alebrijes while enjoying Mexican folk music, hands-on papel picado and silk-flower workshops along with other family programming. The festivities culminate November 1 at 2pm with a Día de los Muertos Parade featuring La Catrina, skeletons and monarch butterfly puppets, followed by Mexican folk dance performances, cumbia sonidera dancing, live music, crafts and food. On October 31 and November 2, MAZarte Dance Company will perform traditional Mexican dances throughout the Garden.

See the NYBG website for ticket options and the full schedule of events.

Spend Saturday afternoon watching soccer (and eating tacos) from a Williamsburg rooftop at the Brooklyn Champions Cup & Soccer Social. The free community event from Brooklyn Org (a partner for local philanthropy efforts) and NYC Footy (an adult soccer league) features a 10-team, coed, 4v4 tournament on the rooftop pitch at KidSuper Studios, plus free tacos from Tacos del Barrio, drinks and music from DJ Monday. Serious soccer fans will also be able to catch the England vs. Spain match at a 2:45pm watch party. A new collection of Brooklyn neighborhood soccer jerseys, created with Mazzi Sports and inspired by historic photos and symbols from around the borough, will be available for $65, with proceeds benefiting Brooklyn Org. The actual tournament will wrap up at 5pm, when champions will be crowned in an official ceremony. The event runs from 2pm to 6pm on Saturday, October 3. Spectator admission is free, but RSVPs are required.

Every Friday in October from 7 to 10pm, intimate cocktail den Foxtail (231 Hudson St.) will feel a little more seasonal. The lounge is hosting a Spooky Movie Month series in the Living Room at Arlo SoHo, where guests will settle in for an evening of horror classics and themed, discounted, film-inspired menu specials. For those who love a combo meal, there's a $19 "spooky deal" that includes a sandwich, chips and a cookie. No ticket is needed, but there is a two-item minimum per attendee. Seating is first-come, first-served, so get there early to claim your spot. The film lineup consists of The Lost Boys (Oct. 2), Donnie Darko (Oct. 9), Hereditary (Oct. 16), The Craft (Oct. 23) and The Shining (Oct. 30).

Go batty for yarn at the 18th annual NYC Yarn Crawl, a free, family-friendly celebration of New York’s knitting and fiber-art community. From October 1 through 4, knit and purl your way through 13 independent yarn shops across Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens for exclusive yarns, discounts, pop-ups, trunk shows and workshops. You'll plot your own route using the map of participants provided both as a PDF and on Google Maps—knitter's choice! Highlights include Knitty City’s 20th-anniversary custom yarns, a free make-your-own-yarn bar at Whirlwind Yarns, free workshops at Cleo’s Craft Cafe and Brooklyn Craft Company, and plenty of crafty surprises. Crawlers can sign in at each store to be entered into prize drawings, including the Scavenger Hunt Grand Prize Raffle, for which you'll have to search for a specific item in each shop. Winners will be announced in the days following the crawl.

This year’s crawl also supports Bat Conservation International, with donations collected at participating shops. Check the event website for participating locations and schedules.

There’s no spookier way to welcome the Halloween season than to visit BloodManor, the popular 10,000-square-foot haunted house that’s actually deemed too scary for children under 14.

Visitors will confront their deepest fears as they journey through dark, sinister corridors filled with twisted characters and scares at every turn. Incorporating state-of-the-art special effects, BloodManor brings unparalleled realism to the haunting experience thanks to a terrifyingly talented team of trained actors, set designers, makeup artists and more. Expect an unprecedented level of horror and excitement that lasts 30 minutes—or, more likely, 20 minutes as you run screaming. 

BloodManor is open every weekend and some weekdays from October 2 to November 7 at 359 Broadway in downtown Manhattan. General admission starts at $50 per ticket. You can purchase tickets for a timed entry here.

While we wait for a new season, The Gilded Age fans can pass the time by cosplaying as old money or new fortunes over high tea at the Plaza's Palm Court. Indulge in vicious social maneuvering with your closest friends through November 10, with bites inspired by the HBO series, including The Van Rhijn Classic (sandwich with cucumber, labneh and pickled mustard seeds), The Russell Next Door (a roast beef and cheese sandwich), Don’t Tell Mrs. Fish (sandwich of smoked salmon with crème fraîche) and Spill the Tea Cheesecake among others. There’s also a Cointreau-based cocktail called The Salon, because no high-society gossip sesh is complete without a drink. Tea is $150 per person.

Want to get out of the city this fall? You're in luck: Classic Harbor Line offers scenic fall foliage sails aboard gorgeous vintage vessels with a front-row seat to the changing of the seasons stretching from the Hudson River to the Palisades. Cruises run multiple times a week from October 3 through November 15.

Enjoy the chance to admire spectacular fall foliage by boat. Plus, these elegant 1920s-style yachts make the experience extra special. In addition to gawking at the leaves, you'll get to see iconic and picturesque landmarks such as the George Washington Bridge, The Met Cloisters, the Palisades and the Little Red Lighthouse.

Plus, Classic Harbor Line offers several more unique options, including the Fall Foliage Brunch Cruises on Saturday and Sunday mornings and an Urban Naturalist-narrated tour with expert commentary on the fascinating geology of the Palisades and the Hudson River. There's also the Grand Palisades Fall Foliage Schooner Sail if you're looking to travel largely by wind, with more time to contemplate the beautiful surroundings. Every ticket includes a complimentary beverage.