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What to Do in New York City in April

By Emmie MurphyMar 22 2023
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It may have been dubbed the cruelest month, but clearly, T.S. Eliot never lived in New York. April in NYC is a time to celebrate, and it often feels like the whole city is in on it. Crocuses poke through the ground, and a sense of city-wide awakening brings along a tide of events and activities.

While there may still be a chilly day or two, the month of April ushers in longer days and brighter spirits. At Rockefeller Center, you’ll find plenty of events and programming — from art installations to the latest iteration of The Flag Project (see our full calendar here). If you’re exploring the rest of the city, you’ll want to grab a flashy Easter bonnet or a fresh pair of running shoes and indulge in the first glimpses of springtime.

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Photo by Phil Roeder
Photo by Phil Roeder

1. The Easter Parade and Easter Bonnet Festival

April 9

This Easter, the tradition that stretches back to the 1870s will take over Fifth Avenue once more. On April 9, break out your Sunday best and head to midtown for a spectacle unlike any other. Every Easter, a parade open to all takes place in front of St. Patrick’s Cathedral. You may spot inverted ice cream cones and floral cornucopias, oversized top hats in pastel colors, cartons of eggs suspended aloft, and many other millinery confections, as participants don their most elaborate headwear. For those looking to see the colorful show, anyone can gather along the avenue between 49th and 57th Streets to watch the fanciful procession head north.

Georgia O’Keeffe. Evening Star No.III, 1917. Watercolor on paper mounted on board. 8 7/8 x 11 7/8″ (22.7 x 30.4 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Mr. and Mrs. Donald B. Straus Fund, 1958. © 2022 Georgia O’Keeffe Museum / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
Georgia O’Keeffe. Evening Star No.III, 1917. Watercolor on paper mounted on board. 8 7/8 x 11 7/8″ (22.7 x 30.4 cm). The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Mr. and Mrs. Donald B. Straus Fund, 1958. © 2022 Georgia O’Keeffe Museum / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

2. “Georgia O’Keeffe: To See Takes Time” at MoMA

Opens April 9

With a title taken from O’Keeffe’s own writings, To See Takes Time at the Museum of Modern Art is the first museum exhibition to focus solely on the artist’s works on paper. Bringing together over 120 works by O’Keeffe that span a period of 40 years, the show offers insights into the artist’s working process and observance of nature. Though best known for her paintings, O’Keeffe also worked across other mediums like charcoal, pencil, watercolor, and pastel. As she honed her unique style, she also trained her eye, bringing the minute and precious details of nature into sharp focus. Beginning on April 9, the exhibition will run through August.

Photo courtesy of Earth Day Initiative
Photo courtesy of Earth Day Initiative

3. Earth Day

April 22

While urban living can sometimes feel removed from nature, life in the concrete jungle reminds us of how precious our green spaces are. Earth Day is a chance to both celebrate the earth and do our part to keep her clean. From beekeeping and bazaars to park clean-ups and a festival on Randall’s Island, New Yorkers can give back in a variety of ways this year. On April 16, there will be an Earth Day festival in Union Square that will include booths of leading environmental groups and activists as well as an online component.

4. NYCRUNS Brooklyn Half Marathon

April 23

Thousands of runners take to the Brooklyn streets for this now-iconic race. The NYCRUNS Brooklyn Half Marathon takes participants throughout hot spots of the borough. Beginning in North Brooklyn, runners continue along the waterfront for views of the Williamsburg, Manhattan, and Brooklyn Bridges, then Grand Army Plaza before ending in Prospect Park. But this is not just a day for the runners amongst us. Spectators are just as important and can participate in myriad ways all along the route.

Photo by Pascal Amez
Photo by Pascal Amez

5. Cherry Blossom Season

All month long

Though their presence in the city is often fleeting, the advent of cherry blossoms throughout the five boroughs always generates a haze of spring fever. Stroll along Riverside Park’s Cherry Walk, a four-mile-long path that stretches from 72nd to 158th street, or follow this map of Central Park to see where flowering trees can be found. Across the river, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s Cherry Esplanade will be open to visitors, with regular tours available to learn about the season’s highlights. In the Bronx, avid fans can track the flowering status of trees using the New York Botanical Garden’s online cherry tracker. In Queens, the Lewis Latimer House in Flushing, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, and Queens Botanical Gardens all boast stunning collections of cherry trees. Not to be outdone, Staten Island’s Silver Lake Pond and Snug Harbor Cultural Center have bright blooms to admire as well. At Snug Harbor, visitors can also experience the New York Chinese Scholar’s Garden, one of only two authentic outdoor Chinese gardens in the entire country.

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