New York City is a multicultural hub with dozens of museums, hundreds of parks and millions of people. The number of potential things to see and do can feel overwhelming, but NY1 has you covered with some of the highlights taking place this weekend across the five boroughs.
Car-Free Earth Day
Saturday, April 25 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Across the city
More information here
In celebration of Earth Day, many streets across the five boroughs will go car-free to promote education around climate change, environmentalism and sustainable transportation.
The pedestrian- and bike-friendly spaces will include recreational activities, music, performances, workshops and other family-friendly fun.
Check out a full list of locations here.
Bike Ride to Earth Day Festival
Saturday, April 25 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Thomas Jefferson Park, Manhattan to Randall’s Island
More information here
If you’re looking for other Earth Day activities, NYC Parks and El Barrio Bikes — a Harlem-based biking advocacy group — invite New Yorkers to celebrate the day by biking from Thomas Jefferson Park to an Earth Day festival on Randall’s Island.
The scenic ride will stretch along the riverfront and through the park. Citi Bike will provide a free ride to anyone who doesn’t bring their own.
Reserve a free bike and helmet here. Free valet service will be provided by Transportation Alternatives for anyone who rides their own bike.
4/25 🚴 Grab a free Citibike to bike along Randall’s waterfront, enjoy the cherries, live performances and more at the Earth Day festival: https://t.co/4jJ2S6Ljxt
— NYC Parks (@NYCParks) April 23, 2026
MetroCard Art Popup
Open through April 30 from noon to 7 p.m.
W New York-Times Square, Manhattan
More information here
Artist Thomas is McKean is known for creating many works out of recycled MetroCards. Now, through the end of the month, McKean is showcasing a curated selection of his original pieces inspired by New York.
There will also be prints, zines and books by McKean available.
Buddha Sculpture on the High Line
Newly installed
The High Line at West 30th Street and 10th Avenue, Manhattan
More information here
Although many New Yorkers are still mourning the loss of “Dinosaur,” “The Light That Shines Through the Universe” — a 27-foot-tall sandstone Buddha sculpture — has taken its place in the regularly rotating exhibition.
Created by Tuan Andrew Nguyen in in Vietnam, the fifth commission for the Plinth program is an homage to the ancient Bamiyan Buddhas, two sixth century statues in central Afghanistan that were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001.
The Orchid Show at NYBG
Open through April 26
New York Botanical Garden, the Bronx
More information here
This is the last weekend to catch “The Orchid Show: Mr. Flower Fantastic’s Concrete Jungle” at the New York Botanical Garden.
The garden says the exhibit is where “orchids collide with concrete in a dazzling reimagining of the Big Apple.” The aesthetics of the city are fused with the beauty of thousands of flowers.
Cherry Blossoms in Central Park
Peaking now
Central Park and across the city
More information here
The Central Park Conservancy says cherry blossoms across the city are now in peak bloom.
New Yorkers can use the organization’s tracker to find the best spots for viewing in Central Park.
Electric Blue Blooms
Blossoming now
Wave Hill, the Bronx
More information here
A “super bloom” of thousands of scilla sardensis, better known as Glory-of-the-Snow, is blossoming now at Wave Hill in the Bronx. The hardy bulb is native to the mountains of western Turkey.
The burst of electric blue can be seen for now at the 28-acre public garden and cultural center in Riverdale. Set along the Hudson River with views of the water and the New Jersey Palisades, Wave Hill’s grounds transform each year as the early spring bulbs return with little intervention.
(Spectrum News NY1/Roger Clark)
Smorgasburg
Open for the season
Thursdays and Fridays: World Trade Center
Saturdays: Marsha P. Johnson State Park, Williamsburg
Sundays: Prospect Park, Brooklyn
More information here
The city’s annual warm weather food frenzy is back, and organizers say it features one of their biggest lineups yet.
More than 70 vendors offering global bites, longtime favorites and experimental new concepts will set up in Manhattan every Thursday and Friday — and then in Brooklyn every weekend — through October.
If you can’t make it out to one of their sites, you can still enjoy dining al fresco at a restaurant near you, as the city’s roadway dining program has officially returned for the season.
American Woodcocks
Migrating through daily
Bryant Park, Manhattan
More information here
American woodcocks stop at Bryant Park every year as they migrate north in early spring. Seemingly assembled from parts of other birds, they sport a round body, huge eyes and a long, thin bill. They’ve also been referred to as “timberdoodles” or “bogsuckers.”
American woodcocks are curious birds, known for their bobbing walks and kazoo-like calls. Since arriving in late March, dozens of spectators have gathered at the park every day to try to catch a glimpse of the grapefruit-sized birds as they poke around for earthworms.
100 Years of the Schomburg Center
Open through May 3
Schomburg Center, Manhattan
More information here
To celebrate 100 years as an institution dedicated to research in Black culture, the Schomburg Center in Harlem has 100 rare items on display celebrating the history of the African American diaspora.
A 1948 Brooklyn Dodgers baseball, signed by legends Jackie Robinson and Roy Campanella, and Malcolm X’s briefcase are just two of the gems available to see.
The library has also released a special book list of Black-authored books from the past 100 years titled “100 Black Voices.”
(Spectrum News NY1/Roger Clark)
Outwit, Outplay, Outlast: Celebrating 50 Seasons of ‘Survivor’
Open through May 31
Paley Center for Media, Manhattan
More information here
The Paley Center for Media is marking the 50th season of “Survivor” with an exhibit celebrating the reality juggernaut’s history.
Fans can check out props from the show like torches and hidden immunity idols, take a seat at Tribal Council, view rare behind-the-scenes photos and see a timeline of the show’s most iconic moments.
’45 Years of Pac-Man’
Open through May 31
Paley Center for Media, Manhattan
More information here
Also at the Paley Center for Media is a celebration of 45 years of Pac-Man, including two floors of memorabilia related to the iconic arcade character.
Visitors will see items dating back to his creation in Japan in 1980, including Pac-Man lunchboxes, mini-games and Pac-Man-inspired products like Oreos, Krispy Kreme donuts and ramen noodles. There will also be plenty of opportunities to play the game itself, according to the Paley Center.
Stories and Set Designs for ‘The Sopranos’
Open through May 31
Museum of the Moving Image, Queens
More information here
A new exhibit at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria draws from the personal archive of David Chase — showrunner for “The Sopranos” — to present “scripts, notes, and research material that document the development” of the series as it moved from a pilot into the first season.
The exhibit also showcases how four of the series’ main settings — Dr. Melfi’s office, the Soprano home, the Bada Bing strip club, and Satriale’s Pork Store — were created “through a mix of on-location filming in New Jersey and constructed sets at Silvercup Studios in Queens.”
Keith Haring Exhibit
Runs through May 31
Brant Foundation Art Study Center, Manhattan
More information here
A new exhibit on display at the Brant Foundation Art Study Center in the East Village features pieces created by renowned artist Keith Haring during his formative years, including his well-known subway chalk drawings.
The gallery itself sits inside a unique location: a former Con Edison substation on East 6th Street.
(Spectrum News NY1/Roger Clark)
New Museum
Open Tuesday to Sunday
235 Bowery, Manhattan
More information here
The New Museum in Manhattan has reopened following a 60,000-square-foot expansion. The new space features twice the gallery size, new elevators, new venues, an entrance plaza and an atrium staircase, among other additions.
Alongside several new commissions, “New Humans: Memories of the Future” will be the inaugural exhibition. The museum says it showcases “works by more than 200 artists, writers, scientists, architects, and filmmakers to explore how dramatic technological and societal changes have spurred new conceptions of what it means to be ‘human.’”
Luna Park
Open for the season
Coney Island, Brooklyn
More information here
Luna Park in Coney Island is open for the season, with its full lineup of rides, treats and “high-flying excitement.”
Visitors can ride the iconic Cyclone roller coaster, play arcade games, get food or shop around.
Endangered Pygmy at the Bronx Zoo
Open daily
Bronx Zoo
More information here
A pygmy slow loris — an endangered species native to Southeast Asia — was recently born at the Bronx Zoo’s updated “World of Darkness” exhibit.
The Wildlife Conservation Society said infants are born fully furred with their eyes open and grow to about one pound when they reach adulthood.
Now around 3 months old, the pygmy slow loris will become fully weaned around six months of age, according to the WCS.
(Courtesy of the Wildlife Conservation Society)
‘Greater New York’
Open through Aug. 17
MoMA PS1, Queens
More information here
MoMA PS1 calls its annual “Greater New York” exhibit a “signature survey of artists living and working in the New York City area.”
This year’s sixth edition spans all levels of the museum’s school building and features the work of more than 50 multidisciplinary artists.
To kick off the exhibit’s opening weekend, the museum will host a free 50th Anniversary Block Party from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday. Organizers say the event will feature “curator-led gallery talks, family activities, local food vendors, and music sets across the museum’s public plaza, courtyard, and galleries.”
Whitney Biennial 2026
Open through Aug. 23
Whitney Museum, Manhattan
More information here
The Whitney Museum says its biennial exhibit is the “the longest-running survey of contemporary art in the United States.”
The 82nd edition features the work of 56 artists and reflects the current moment by examining “interspecies kinships, familial relations, geopolitical entanglements, technological affinities, shared mythologies, and infrastructural supports.”
‘Noguchi’s New York’
Open through Sept. 13
The Noguchi Museum, Queens
More information here
To celebrate its 40th anniversary, the Noguchi Museum in Long Island City has launched “Noguchi’s New York.”
The exhibit focuses on the relationship between Japanese American sculptor Isamu Noguchi and New York City.
New Yorkers may recognize some of his works, like the Red Cube at 140 Broadway and Liberty Street, and the Sunken Garden at Chase Manhattan Bank Plaza in Lower Manhattan.
(Courtesy of Miguel de Guzman and Rocio Ro
mero)
‘Inspired by MetroCard’
Open through Oct. 26
New York Transit Museum at Grand Central
More information here
The life of the MetroCard as New York City’s primary transit tool may have come to an end, but the icon lives on in the form of art.
The “Inspired by MetroCard” exhibit at the Grand Central location of the New York Transit Museum features paintings, collages, mosaics and even clothing made from the payment method introduced in 1994.
(Spectrum News NY1/Roger Clark)
‘The Battle of Brooklyn: Fought and Remembered’
Now open through Dec. 31, 2026
Center for Brooklyn History
More information here
Nearly 250 years after the pivotal Revolutionary War battle, the Center for Brooklyn History is spotlighting the Battle of Brooklyn with a new exhibit.
Although they were outmatched by British troops, a dramatic overnight evacuation led by George Washington in August 1776 helped preserve the revolutionary cause.
The exhibition brings the battle to life through artifacts, including uniform buttons and a cannonball, alongside artwork and historical interpretations that trace how the conflict unfolded across Brooklyn.
(Spectrum News NY1/Roger Clark)
‘He Built This City’
Open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends
Open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays
Museum of the City of New York, Manhattan
More information here
It took Joe Macken more than 21 years to build by hand, but his 50-by-27-foot model of New York City is now on display at the Museum of the City of New York.
The model, made from balsa wood and foam board, includes more than 320 sections. Macken says it began with 30 Rockefeller Plaza in 2004.
(Spectrum News NY1/Roger Cl
ark)
‘FAREwell, MetroCard’
Now open
New York Transit Museum, Brooklyn
More information here
After more than three decades in use, the MetroCard is retiring. A new exhibit at the New York Transit Museum invites visitors to learn about its history, including its debut in 1994, the technology behind it and its lasting legacy.
At Chelsea Market in Manhattan, art made from MetroCards is hanging on the walls near the Ninth Avenue entrance, including framed creations of cats, the five boroughs and a school bus.
Street Food City
Open Thursdays to Sundays from noon to 6 p.m.
Museum of Food and Drink, Brooklyn
More information here
An exhibit at the Museum of Food and Drink (MOFAD) in Brooklyn is dedicated to the city’s smallest food businesses and the immigrant entrepreneurs who have shaped the city’s flavor and culture.
Organizers say Street Food City “traces the challenges faced by street food entrepreneurs of the past to today’s fight for vendor rights.” The exhibit’s curator, Catherine Piccoli, and MOFAD president Nazli Parvizi also joined NY1 to discuss the exhibit.
Studio Museum in Harlem
Open daily 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
144 West 125th St., Manhattan
More information here
The Studio Museum in Harlem has reopened after being closed for nearly eight years.
The museum, which is dedicated to presenting and collecting the work of Black artists, returns with a variety of exhibits on display.
(Spectrum News NY1/Roger Clark)
‘Impact: The End of the Age of Dinosaurs’
Now open
American Museum of Natural History, Manhattan
More information here
A new exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History looks at the impact of the asteroid strike that wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago.
The exhibition also explores how the Earth recovered from the event, including how it paved the way for new species.
(Spectrum News NY1/Roger Clark)
‘Encounters in the Milky Way’
Now open
American Museum of Natural History, Manhattan
More information here
“Encounters in the Milky Way” is a new show at the Hayden Planetarium that gives visitors a “front-row seat to spectacular moments in our solar system’s past and future.”
Narrated by Pedro Pascal, the show takes viewers through the paths of stars, comets and other interstellar debris. It’s part of the Rose Center for Earth and Space’s celebration of 25 years since its opening.
🚀A new Hayden Planetarium Space Show, narrated by Pedro Pascal, is opening June 9! In Encounters in the Milky Way, you’ll get a front-row seat to spectacular moments in our solar system’s past and future, including the paths of stars, comets, interstellar debris, and more. pic.twitter.com/jZtZLeaHFq
— American Museum of Natural History (@AMNH) May 20, 2025