Mark Peikert

Step back in time at Before New York: A Traveling Pop-Up Exhibition at the New York Botanical Garden, where the city’s original landscape becomes the focus. This immersive display from ecologist Dr. Eric W. Sanderson and colleagues reconstructs the area as it was on September 12, 1609, just before Henry Hudson landed. Before New York explores the region’s original ecosystems and Indigenous histories, inviting visitors to imagine Manhattan as it once was: lush, wild and teeming with life. It’s a fascinating, thought-provoking complement to the Garden’s living collections and environmental mission.

The 2026 Artexpo New York marks the annual event's 49th installment, returning to Pier 36 from April 9 to 12. Redwood Art Group has assembled another killer lineup of more than 200 artists and exhibitors, with an emphasis on site-specific projects. Meanwhile, the Discoveries Collection, a selection of affordable pieces (priced at $3,000 or less), offers visitors a curated look at the amazing discoveries throughout the fair. For the full schedule of exhibitors, click here.

Natalie Wall’s perfectly curated sex-story show offers cringe-inducing, heartbreaking and gut-busting tales every month. Brave storytellers relive intimate tales about their sex lives and breaking barriers about sex and dating. The show pairs sexual inclusion with humor and sheds light on the awkward universal experience we all know and love (and cringe at). Joining Wall at 8pm on March 27 at Brooklyn's Friends and Lovers (641 Classon Avenue) are comedians Rachel Green, Dani Faith Leonard and Sharon Spell.

The Museum of the Moving Image's Marvels of Media Festival returns for its fifth installment from Thursday, March 26 to Saturday, March 28. Celebrating the work of autistic media-makers, the free, three-day event at the Astoria museum kicks off with the opening night program "The Human Condition" — spotlighting three works that explore universal struggles with communication and connection — and continues with film screenings, industry panels, networking events and workshops for puppetry, stop-motion animation and filmmaking and panels and networking opportunities. Designed with accessibility in mind, Marvels of Media will also include the MoMI Visual Story Guide, a sensory relief space in the Media Lab, as well as sensory kits.

The Midtown Cultural Alliance is hosting its second cross-organizational Open House from Thursday, March 26 through Sunday, April 5, bringing together the Japan Society, the Korea Society, Korean Cultural Center New York, L'Alliance New York and Scandinavia House. All five partner organizations will host a wide range of both free and paid programming intended to invite visitors to explore the Midtown neighborhood, with events ranging from gallery shows and film screenings to language courses and kids' activities. Check out the full lineup of 2026 offerings here.

Celebrate all things spring on Sunday, March 29th at the Museum of Jewish Heritage's third annual Spring Equinox Festival, honoring Persian culture and the start of the warm-weather season with music, food and activities from noon to 6:30pm, plus free museum admission. In addition to authentic Persian food for Nowruz, the day-long festivities will also include backgammon lessons and boardgames, children's activities from Pardis for Children, a Persian dance performance, a history of Jewish henna and more.

The Eras Tour may be over, but Swifties still have a chance to hear Taylor's oeuvre live in a concert hall thanks to The Music of Taylor Swift: A Symphonic Tribute, a one-night only T. Swift spectacle conducted by Macy Schmidt as part of The Sinfonietta’s residency at The Town Hall on Saturday, March 28 at 7pm. Performed by an all-women 38-piece orchestra, the evening will span all of the pop star's memorable eras, bringing her music to life in a bold and fresh new way. Singing along not encouraged (sorry!).

For a week leading up to Easter, those looking for a little holiday magic can stop in on the ground floor of Macy's Herald Square to mix and mingle with a cast of colorful characters, including Benny, Macy’s in-house Easter Bunny, and friend Gardener Milo amid an environment conjured out of puppetry, theatrical flair and a little of that beloved Macy's magic. Kid-friendly character meet-and-greets will happen on March 9 through April 2 from noon to 7pm, April 3 from 1pm to 8pm, and April 5 from 10am to 8pm. (Note: Macy's Herald Square will be closed on Easter Sunday.)

Funny queens Oona O'Brien and Christine Fiala host an April Fool's Day night of comedy at Club Cumming (505 E. 6th St.) featuring comedians Kristina Feliciano and headliner Amber Singletary. Expect jokes, camaraderie, some hilarious oversharing and maybe even a prank or two. It is April Fool's Day, after all. The show starts at 7:30pm; doors open at 7pm.

Orchestra Q'a late-night club concert, After Midnight, brings decades of club hits and orchestral classics to 74Wythe (74 Wythe Ave.) on April 4. Joining the orchestra will be Subtle Asian Polers' aerialists and dancers moving through sets from QWEENJD. The show offers a limited number of seated tickets (the goal is to get people up and moving with the music), and the dress code is Leather and Lace (think Regency detailing). After Orchestra Q's hourlong concert, a DJ takes over to close out the night. Doors open at 9pm.

Take the stress out of planning Easter festivities by hopping over to the Marriott Marquis for their annual Easter brunch, with breathtaking views of Times Square below. In addition to the bountiful brunch spread (think waffle stations, raw-bar items and the like), families can look forward to live music, Easter Bunny photo ops and Times Square's largest indoor Easter egg hunt. Meals start at $49.50 for children and $99 for adults; alcohol is not included. Easter egg hunts are held at 11am, 12:45pm and 2:30pm.

The annual Easter Parade is perhaps the most democratic of all NYC's parades, in that anyone can join the promenade. That's right: You don't have to register or get a sponsor or have a float to join the throngs marching up Fifth Avenue between 49th and 57th Streets on Sunday, April 5. Running from 10am to 4pm, the event offers plenty of chances to enjoy the festive hats, decorations and all-around springtime vibes. So grab your best pastels and your largest hat and join the crowd!

Ariana Grande will finally tour again next year, and fans in Los Angeles are in for something special: She’s bringing the Eternal Sunshine Tour to L.A. for four nights of arena magic that promise to feel both intimate and gigantic. The announcement dropped like a bolt of pop lightning on August 26. This is her first tour since the 2019 Sweetener World Tour, and it’s in support of her seventh album, Eternal Sunshine, and its deluxe edition, Brighter Days Ahead. The tour kicks off June 6, 2026, in Oakland before Los Angeles gets a four-night residency that feels like a homecoming. Is it too early to call it the highlight of the summer? Grande teased the announcement with a casual “See you next year ♡ 🧸” on Instagram, but fans know this is a big deal. In the years since her last tour, she’s racked up an Oscar nomination for Wicked, joined the cast of the next Meet the Parents film and reassured fans that music will always be her “lifeline.” Consider the Eternal Sunshine Tour proof she’s not going anywhere. When is Ariana Grande playing in L.A.? The "Yes, And?" singer will perform two shows at the Crypto.com Arena June 13 and June 14, and two shows at the Kia Forum June 17 and June 19, 2026. When do tickets go on sale? General sale for the U.S. dates begins at 10am local time on Wednesday, September 10, on Ticketmaster. Presale details An artist presale opens at 10am on Tuesday, September 9. You’ll need to sign up by September 7 to gain access. Additional venue or credit-card-li

If you’re in New York City, you probably have a pretty strong (and likely complicated) relationship with adrenaline. But if you need an even bigger rush than trying to cross Eighth Avenue at rush hour, you’re in luck, because the Manhattan skyline is about to get a whole lot wilder.  In 2026, adrenaline junkies will get to experience the city from a heart-stopping new perspective: Plummeting 300 feet in transparent tubes. That’s courtesy of the 52-story, 1,067-foot-tall skyscraper called The Torch, at 740 Eighth Avenue, which just resumed construction a year after halting. Forget fancy observation decks or high-end, high-rise restaurants. The Torch wants to offer both panoramic views and the kind of free fall that usually ends with you jerking awake.  RECOMMENDED: The 100 best things to do in NYC for locals and tourists A combination of observation deck and theme park ride, the attraction will be housed inside a spire lit to resemble a literal torch, taking riders to the top before dropping them straight down at speeds approaching 60 mph. The experience will reportedly also include enveloping lighting and sound effects; in case you Need a side of immersive theater with your terror. But even those who don’t want to look down as the streets of NYC hurtle ever closer can enjoy the top of The Torch. There will also be a more traditional observation deck and a glass-bottomed elevator that promises to take visitors up all 1,000 or so feet in under 60 seconds.  The project was desig

There are outdoor screenings in NYC parks, on waterfronts, and even in cemeteries. But Long Island’s Long Beach may beat them all with an alfresco screening set right on the beach, under the stars, with the sound of waves as a soundtrack. The annual "Shorts on the Beach" series returns to the Allegria Hotel beachfront as part of the Long Beach International Film Festival. Tickets are free—you can reserve tickets here—and the screening will begin shortly after sunset, around 8:45pm on Saturday, July 26. It’s a rare chance to watch award-winning films in a completely relaxed setting, where flip-flops and beach blankets are encouraged. “Bring a blanket, a beach chair, and your crew—this is cinema like you’ve never experienced it before. From award-winning shorts to hidden indie gems, you’ll laugh, cry, and fall in love with film all over again,” the festival wrote in an Instagram post. No word yet on what shorts will be part of the program or who the filmmakers are, so perhaps pack that blanket but leave your expectations behind. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Long Beach Intl. Film Festival (@lbiffny) Originally founded in 2012, the 2025 Long Beach International Film Festival runs through July 26. In addition to Shorts on the Beach, the festival will also host another shorts-inspired event, "Chefs & Shorts: A Unique Pairing of Gastronomy, Wine and Short Films." Held at the Allegria Hotel at 6pm on Thursday, July 24, the evening will see five che

There she goes, boys! The Audra McDonald-led revival of Gypsy, directed by George C. Wolfe, abruptly announced that it will be ending its Broadway run sooner than expected. The musical will play its final performance at the Majestic Theatre on Sunday, August 17; tickets had been on sale through October 3. The run itself was open-ended, with no closing date announced. When the show closes, it will have played 28 previews and 269 performances. This marks the sixth Broadway show to announce a closing date since the Tony Awards. RECOMMENDED: The best shows on Broadway The fifth revival of the classic musical, with a book by Arthur Laurents and a score by Jule Styne and Stephen Sondheim, opened at the Majestic on December 19, 2024, co-starring Danny Burstein as Herbie and Joy Woods as Louise. As previously announced, Tony winner Montego Glover will play Rose at Sunday matinees for the rest of the run.  McDonald’s turn as Rose (a role played by Broadway legends from Ethel Merman to Bernadette Peters and Patti LuPone) earned her a record-setting 11th Tony Award nomination, making her the most-nominated performer in Tony Awards history. (With six wins, she is also the most awarded performer in Tony Awards history.) The show itself earned five Tony nominations, including Best Revival of a Musical, and one for Burstein, which made him the most-nominated male performer in Tony Award history. The significance of this Gypsy is not just in its record-setting nominations, however. As staged

We may never see Richard Linklater’s film adaptation of the Stephen Sondheim musical Merrily We Roll Along—starring Ben Platt, Beanie Feldstein and Paul Mescal, the movie, shot in real time to mirror the passing of 30 years in the story, isn’t set to finish shooting until 2039. But luckily, another, equally star-studded version of the classic musical is coming to theaters later this year. A live capture of the Tony-winning Broadway revival of Merrily We Roll Along will premiere in movie theaters on December 5, an early holiday gift for theater lovers and Sondheim fans courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics and Fathom Entertainment. Directed by Maria Friedman and starring Jonathan Groff, Daniel Radcliffe and Lindsay Mendez, the production follows three best friends from the end of their decades-long friendship to its very beginnings, as they grapple with fame, success and thwarted romance. George Furth wrote the musical’s book, an adaptation of a Moss Hart-George S. Kaufman play. Merrily We Roll Along opened on Broadway on October 10, 2023, and closed July 7, 2024, after extending its run.   RECOMMENDED: The best Broadway shows to see right now “This is a show that makes demands of its audience, perhaps sometimes unreasonable ones,” Time Out New York’s Adam Feldman wrote in his five-star review. “But as Charley sings during a loving argument with his friends: “What’s the point of demands you can meet?” Friedman’s production meets the audience halfway, and a Broadway audience today

Five years after shutting down for the COVID-19 pandemic, East Williamsburg music venue Our Wicked Lady will close down permanently on Monday, July 21, almost 10 years to the day since it first opened. Located at 153 Morgan Avenue, Our Wicked Lady was the brainchild of co-owners Zach Glass and Keith Hamilton, who met as managers at Brooklyn Bowl. When they took over the space, it boasted a dirt floor, no staircase to the roof, and barely any plumbing. The duo transformed it into a neighborhood staple that played host to up-and-coming bands and indie faves alike.  RECOMMENDED: A massive dance music festival returns to NYC this fall, and it’s expanding to Brooklyn But like so many businesses, Our Wicked Lady struggled to bounce back after the pandemic in the face of rising costs and patrons who’d rather leave early or stay at home altogether. Glass and Hamilton went public with their struggles last winter, and a GoFundMe raised $42,000 amid a flood of community support. But their landlord nixed a last-minute purchase deal, leaving them no option but to shut down permanently.  “We were extremely close to locking in an ownership transfer for Our Wicked Lady when we were thrown a massive curve ball. Our landlord decided he does not want a music venue to continue on his property and refused a near sale,” Glass and Keith wrote in an Instagram caption. “This is heartbreaking news for us. After all our work and all the support from our community, we are devastated to share that OWL wi

New York City has a glorious history of offering high-quality art and culture for rock-bottom prices. “Rock bottom” may not be what it once was, but at least the culture remains at the same high standard. And this summer, you can confirm that for yourself when Lincoln Center hosts concerts for as little as $5 from Saturday, July 19 through Saturday, August 9. Or rather, $5 is the minimum amount for the “Choose-What-You-Pay” fee structure — perhaps a better name would be “Choose-what-You-Pay-Within-These-Parameters”. The concerts comprise the Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center series, part of Lincoln Center’s Summer for the City. Highlighting musicians from across the world who routinely perform with Lincoln Center, you might better know the Festival Orchestra from its previous iteration as the Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra.  RECOMMENDED: Check out renderings of Lincoln Center's new performance venue and community park Among those scheduled to perform this year are Lincoln Center’s Renée and Robert Belfer Music Director Jonathon Heyward (responsible for the series’ programming) conducting Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony, Karen Kamensek conducting Bizet’s Symphony in C, Joana Carneiro conducting Ravel and Prokofiev, and Dame Jane Glover conducting Michael Abels's "More Seasons," Tchaikovsky, and Mozart. Even better, that low entrance fee also provides you access to the theaters in David Geffen Hall, where most of the concerts will be held. A concert and powerful AC for under

You know what they say about New York: Once you’ve made it here, you can make it in… Brooklyn? Or something like that. Maybe in the old days (you know, before the internet), Brooklyn was looked down upon in terms of cool factor, but it’s definitely the goal in the 21st century. And even internationally beloved dance music festival We Belong Here isn’t immune to the lure of the borough. A year after making its NYC debut in Central Park’s Wollman Rink, We Belong Here announced that not only will it bring its 360-degree stage back to Manhattan, but it will bring the carefully curated experience to the Greenpoint waterfront, as well. RECOMMENDED: NYC's best summer music festivals of 2025 “New York City holds a special place in our story,” We Belong Here co-founder Justin Dauman said in a statement. “The response to our first year at Central Park exceeded all expectations, with the majority of tickets selling out in the first 24 hours. Expanding to two festivals allows us to welcome more people to enjoy the experience, highlight more unique locations, and maintain the same level of intimacy.” Last year’s first-ever NYC event featured multiple superstar DJs making their Central Park debuts, including Fisher, Kaskade and Monolink. The weekend was the culmination of a series of summer-long We Belong Here NYC pop-ups on Governors Island and Pier 16. First opened in the 1950s, Wollman Rink was a perfect choice of venue for the festival’s official NYC debut, given its history of unconve

We’re only halfway through 2025, but the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG) is already looking ahead. Way ahead. NYBG announced that it will bloom with a very special exhibition in 2027: a full, 250-acre takeover by Brooklyn-based artist KAWS, debuting May 22, 2027. Known for his pop culture-inspired sculptures, KAWS (aka Brian Donnelly) will present an outdoor installation of enormous proportions, turning the iconic Bronx gardens into a collision of nature and contemporary art. RECOMMENDED: The best outdoor art in NYC this summer, including sculptures KAWS’ work seems especially suited for NYBG, with his sly, gigantic takes on figures like The Simpsons and Snoopy, plus his famous Companions series, inspired by Mickey Mouse (and a year spent as a Disney animator) and threaded throughout his career as both paintings and three-dimensional sculptures. The melancholy of the figures, with their gloved hands and X’d out eyes, will no doubt feel even more powerful against the idyllic natural backdrop. NYBG has long held a reputation for creating opportunities for artists to engage in dialogue with its landscape, including landmark exhibitions by Yayoi Kusama and Ebony G. Patterson. Now KAWS will continue this tradition, inviting visitors to consider how human-made objects inhabit, disrupt, or enhance their environment.  The Garden also announced a 2026 exhibit, Flower Power, opening May 23, 2026, and channeling the ‘60s with a celebration of the flowers as symbols of peace and love. T

Every generation gets the toy craze it deserves, and no toy craze is any weirder than the last. From Pet Rocks to Cabbage Patch dolls to Troll Dolls and Tamagotchis, our collective past is littered with “I gotta have it or I’ll die!” status symbols. And Labubus have definitely taken their place among them. Not only have the plush toys with unsettling wide grins revealing serrated knife-like teeth become an instant grid-worthy addition to Instagram accounts, but they’re now beginning to revitalize nightlife. At least at the Brooklyn Monarch in Williamsburg, where raves featuring Labubus as the headliners attract up to 800 people. RECOMMENDED: Out Late: What insiders and partygoers are predicting for NYC nightlife in 2025 Labubus have become unavoidable, both on social media and on the subways, where the weirdly adorable little creatures with big eyes, sharp teeth, and full-on gremlin energy seem to be everywhere, most often dangling from purses, keychains, and waistbands. Created by artist Kasing Lung, Labubus are part of the Pop Mart universe, which means mystery boxes, limited editions, and serious collector hype. People line up or endlessly refresh websites, hoping to score a rare one. (How big have Labubus become? A human-sized Labubu recently sold for more than $170,000.) For collectors, the toy is almost secondary to the thrill of the unboxing, the trade culture, and the bragging rights of scoring a super rare variant. At these late-night parties in East Williamsburg (o

Talk about a Time Warp: The Rocky Horror Picture Show has been part of the pop culture landscape for a full five decades now. Originally released in theaters September 25, 1975, the future cult classic made barely a splash during its initial theatrical run, despite the presence of pre-fame Barry Bostwick, Tim Curry, and Susan Sarandon. But in the years since, the musical took on a whole new life as a midnight movie sensation, potentially keeping fishnets on the market long past their natural expiration date. And to celebrate its big 50th anniversary this year, actors from the beloved film have been touring North America with a very special iteration of the beloved screening tradition, giving fans a chance to party with the stars. And the tour just announced a stop in New York City: On Monday, November 3 at 7:30 p.m., bring your rubber gloves and noisemakers to The Town Hall, where stars Bostwick (Brad), Nell Campbell (Columbia) and Patricia Quinn (Magenta) will be on hand for a very special screening.  RECOMMENDED: The Roundabout's next season will include Rocky Horror and Oedipus Each stop on the tour includes a costume contest and a screening of the film, with a “shadow cast” of locals performing scenes in front of the screen—which is to say, it’s a glitzier, starrier version of your classic midnight movie screening. Budget your props and costumes accordingly! “Rocky has changed lives, not just ours, and had a profound effect on how we accept our differences in this world,”

New York City knows how to do summer right. Maybe it’s all those months spent stuck inside during the winter, waiting for the slush to clear for our commutes and dreaming of the days of short sleeves and sunshine and wearing just a single layer. Maybe it’s just how the longer days showcase the city at its best. Whatever the reason, there is no shortage of outdoor activities for New Yorkers, including plenty of outdoor movie screenings. But none of them offer the same dramatic backdrop as Domino Square, which just announced a summer screening series of its own. RECOMMENDED: Outdoor movies in NYC: all the free screenings to see this summer With the Williamsburg Bridge soaring in the background and the Manhattan skyline twinkling beyond it, Movie Nights in the Square at Domino Park will screen two movies a night every other Tuesday (no matter the weather, so be prepared). The series kicks off today July 15 with Ben Stiller in A Night at the Museum at 4 p.m., followed by Tom Hanks in Big at 7 p.m. Each movie night will include a family-friendly 4 p.m. screening (presented by A Rosie Day) and a 7 p.m. screening that explores New York City from the 1980s through the 2010s, presented by Nitehawk Cinema. On July 29, attendees can see Will Ferrell in Elf and the ‘90s Parker Posey classic Party Girl, while August 12 brings The Secret Life of Pets and Rent. And the series closes out August 26 with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and the all-star Ocean’s 8. A DJ set will pla