Annual Events in New York: A Month-by-Month Calendar

At a glance

• Where: Manhattan, Brooklyn and all five boroughs, New York City
• When: Events in January to February, March, June, July and August, October, November and December
• Cost: Mostly free to watch; Tribeca Festival and Restaurant Week charge for tickets or meals
• Dates: Exact dates change every year; check each official site before you go

The annual events in New York that you can plan a trip around fall into a clear calendar: Restaurant Week and the Lunar New Year Parade in winter, the St. Patrick's Day Parade in March, the Tribeca Festival and the Mermaid Parade in June, Summer Streets in July and August, Open House New York and the Village Halloween Parade in October, the TCS New York City Marathon and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in November, and New Year's Eve in Times Square in December. Every entry below was checked against its own official site, and we state the usual month rather than a date, because dates move.

A few months are missing on purpose. We left out any event we couldn't confirm on an official page, so there is no filler in the gaps. For an up-to-date listing of what is on right now, use our events page or the this weekend list.

January to February: Restaurant Week and the Lunar New Year Parade

NYC Restaurant Week is a citywide program, run twice a year, in which restaurants across all five boroughs offer fixed-price menus. The official tourism site describes it as a bi-annual program, and the winter edition typically runs from mid-January into February. In the winter edition we checked, menus were priced at $30, $45 or $60, and reservations opened a couple of weeks before the first day. Because the program runs twice a year, check the official NYC Restaurant Week page for the current edition, and see our food and dining listings for places to book.

The Lunar New Year Parade and Festival is held in Chinatown, Lower Manhattan, usually in February, though it follows the lunar calendar and has landed as late as early March. The organizer, Better Chinatown USA, has in recent years set up festival booths along Bayard Street between Mulberry and Mott Streets, and the parade typically starts around 1 p.m. on a Sunday. Its site counts the edition by number, which tells you this is a long-running tradition, not a one-off. Come early, because the sidewalks near the booths fill up well before the parade begins. Read more on the organizer's site at betterchinatown.com, and see our Chinatown guide for where to eat before or after.

March: St. Patrick's Day Parade

The New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade marches up Fifth Avenue in Manhattan on March 17, usually starting at 11 a.m. The parade's official site numbers each year's edition, and the count is past 260, which means the New York City St. Patrick's Day Parade is older than the United States. It is free to watch from the sidewalk. Because Fifth Avenue is closed to traffic along the route, plan to take the subway and arrive early for a spot at the barricades. The official site, nycstpatricksparade.org, has the current route and schedule.

June: Tribeca Festival and the Mermaid Parade

The Tribeca Festival is a film and entertainment festival held every June, centered on Tribeca in Lower Manhattan. Tickets and passes are sold through the official site, tribecafilm.com, and the program has screenings, talks and premieres. Venues change from year to year, so look at the festival's schedule before you pick a neighborhood to base yourself in. Our Tribeca guide covers what is nearby.

The Coney Island Mermaid Parade is held in June in Coney Island, Brooklyn. The official Coney Island site calls it the official opening of summer in the city, and says the parade has run since 1983. It typically starts at 1 p.m., rain or shine, at West 21st Street and Surf Avenue, heads east to West 10th Street, then continues along the Boardwalk to Steeplechase Plaza by the Parachute Jump. Costumes are the whole point, so expect sea creatures, homemade floats and a lot of glitter. Details are at coneyisland.com/mermaidparade.

July and August: Summer Streets

Summer Streets is the New York City Department of Transportation's open-streets program, held on Saturdays in July and August. The city's page describes it as an annual celebration of public space. The Manhattan route typically runs from the Brooklyn Bridge up to Dyckman Street, with Manhattan hours of about 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., rain or shine. In recent years there have also been routes in other boroughs, including the Grand Concourse in the Bronx and Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn. Cars are kept off the route, so you can walk, jog or cycle down the middle of avenues that are normally jammed. Bring water and sunscreen, because there is little shade on the wide avenues. The official page is on nyc.gov.

October: Open House New York and the Village Halloween Parade

Open House New York is a citywide architecture and design festival held in October. The official site calls it an annual festival, with about 300 destinations across all five boroughs, many of them buildings that are usually closed to the public. Some sites need advance sign-up, so look at the schedule early. Details are at ohny.org/festival.

The NYC Village Halloween Parade is held on or around October 31 in Greenwich Village, Manhattan. The route runs north on Sixth Avenue from Canal Street to 15th Street, and the parade typically starts in the evening, with a live television broadcast from the route. The organizers say only people in costume may march, and marchers line up at Canal Street and Sixth Avenue and are released in timed groups of 1,000 to 2,000. If you want to join in, line up early; if you just want to watch, pick a spot along Sixth Avenue well before the start. See halloween-nyc.com for the current route, assembly times and rules.

November: TCS New York City Marathon and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

The TCS New York City Marathon is run on a Sunday in early November and is the one race that passes through all five boroughs of New York City. According to NYC Tourism, the official tourism site, runners start at Fort Wadsworth on Staten Island, cross the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge into Brooklyn, continue through Queens and the Bronx, then head down through Manhattan to the finish in Central Park, with about 60,000 runners in the field. You don't need a ticket to cheer from the sidewalk. Pick one spot, learn your runner's bib number and pace, and agree on which side of the street you'll stand. The organizer, New York Road Runners, posts the course and race-day details at nyrr.org/tcsnycmarathon.

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade takes place on Thanksgiving morning, the fourth Thursday in November, in Manhattan. The route covers about 2.5 miles, starting at West 77th Street and Central Park West on the Upper West Side and ending at Seventh Avenue and 34th Street in front of Macy's Herald Square, according to New York City Emergency Management. Expect giant balloons, floats and performers, with Santa closing the show. Viewing from the street is free, so the earlier you arrive on Central Park West, the better your view. NYC Tourism's parade page links to the current year's details.

December: New Year's Eve in Times Square

New Year's Eve in Times Square takes place on December 31 in Times Square, Midtown Manhattan, around Broadway and Seventh Avenue near 42nd Street. As midnight approaches, the New Year's Eve Ball descends atop One Times Square, which is the moment the crowd is there for. The Times Square Alliance publishes the official information at timessquarenyc.org. Expect a long wait in a controlled viewing area, limited access to bathrooms and a street closed to traffic, and plan your own exit route home. Our Midtown guide shows what is nearby if you want a quieter place to eat first.

The calendar at a glance

• January to February: NYC Restaurant Week (citywide) and the Lunar New Year Parade (Chinatown)
• March: St. Patrick's Day Parade (Fifth Avenue)
• June: Tribeca Festival (Tribeca) and the Mermaid Parade (Coney Island)
• July and August: Summer Streets (Manhattan and other boroughs)
• October: Open House New York (all five boroughs) and the Village Halloween Parade (Greenwich Village)
• November: TCS New York City Marathon (all five boroughs) and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade (Central Park West to Herald Square)
• December: New Year's Eve in Times Square (Midtown)

How we chose

We started from the city's researched list of recurring events and added others that are known for New York specifically. We then checked each one against its own official site or the organizer's site. We kept an event only when that site showed it running in a recent or upcoming edition and gave us a usual month. Events with an official page that was blocked, out of date or silent on timing were left out, even famous ones, so a missing name here means we couldn't confirm it, not that it has ended. We give months, not dates, because dates change every year.

Save this: a planning checklist

1. Pick the month first, then open the official site for the event and read the current dates.
2. For free parades, plan to arrive at least an hour early and take the subway, since streets close along the route.
3. For ticketed events (Tribeca Festival, Restaurant Week reservations, some Open House New York sites), book early.
4. Check the weather before the outdoor events; the Mermaid Parade and Summer Streets run rain or shine.
5. Save the official links above on your phone so you are not relying on search results on the day.

Last verified: November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What are the biggest annual events in New York?

The recurring events most visitors plan around are the St. Patrick's Day Parade in March, the Tribeca Festival in June, the Village Halloween Parade in October, the TCS New York City Marathon and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in November, and New Year's Eve in Times Square in December. Each has its own official site with current dates.

What is happening in New York in June?

The Tribeca Festival and the Coney Island Mermaid Parade both take place in June. The Tribeca Festival is a film festival centered on Tribeca in Manhattan, and the Mermaid Parade is a costume parade in Coney Island, Brooklyn.

Is the New York Village Halloween Parade free to watch?

Watching the parade from Sixth Avenue in Greenwich Village does not require a ticket. Only costumed marchers may take part, and they line up at Canal Street and Sixth Avenue before the parade starts, according to the organizers.

When is New Year's Eve in Times Square?

It is held every year on December 31 in Times Square, Midtown Manhattan. The New Year's Eve Ball descends atop One Times Square as midnight approaches, and the Times Square Alliance publishes the official details.

Does New York have a summer street festival where cars are banned?

Yes, Summer Streets is held on Saturdays in July and August, when the New York City Department of Transportation closes a route to cars. The Manhattan route typically runs from the Brooklyn Bridge up to Dyckman Street, with other routes in the outer boroughs.