Ahh, New York City. Fun City, The Big Apple, The City of Dreams, The City That Never Sleeps - the dining, shopping, and architectural trendsetter NYC is a culture in itself. As the ice thaws and the first spring blooms adorn the trees, New York City is reborn in the spring, celebrating its arrival with Easter. Easter in the city is when the crowds throng on the streets, celebrating with booze brunch cruises, ostentatious parades and, of course, the traditional Easter egg hunts! Whether you’re a kid or an adult, Easter has something for everyone. Here are the best things to do during Easter in New York City.
1. Attend the Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival
Everyone’s Sunday best comes out during the Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival, where spectacular crowds (and even their dogs!) dressed in elaborate, over-the-top costumes parade down Fifth Avenue between 10 am and 4 pm. You won’t see any boring run-of-the-mill fedoras here - just really imaginative, Insta-worthy ones. While most people congregate near St. Patrick’s Cathedral, they also pop in and out of restaurants and stores along the way. The tradition of the parade and the bonnet festival began in the mid-1800s, when ladies of NYC’s high society would sashay after church in their Easter finery which has, since then, evolved into the fun-filled showcase that the parade is today.
Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival
Address: Fifth Avenue, Manhattan, New York
Website: Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival
Opening hours: Easter Sunday: 10am - 4pm
2. Go Easter egg-hunting at Monarch's rooftop
Monarch Rooftop Bar & Indoor Lounge on the 18th-floor penthouse in Herald Square is ground zero for some of the best Easter egg fun in the city. Its annual Easter ‘Eggstravaganza’ is in the form of an Easter Egg Hunt for adults and children (10 years and under) both, with the proceeds going toward 'Big Brothers Big Sisters’ of NYC. Begin with Easter Bunny pictures and move on to face painting, games, egg decorating, and the grand finale: an exciting egg hunt. Tickets include beverages and light snacks, so remember to munch and chomp on the delicacies while hunting for eggs!
Annual Egg Hunt @ Monarch Rooftop
Address: Monarch Rooftop Bar, 71 W 35th St, New York
Website: Annual Egg Hunt @ Monarch Rooftop
Opening hours: April 20, 2019: 12pm - 3pm
Price: USD 20-30
3. Head to the Macy’s Flower Show
With The Big Apple blossoming with spring blooms all over, head to Macy’s, one of NYC’s best department stores, for seeing the best of the sweet-smelling foliage of spring. The floral-filled exhibition, which is held at Macy’s every year, features spellbindingly aesthetic arrangements fitting each year’s theme displayed for two weeks. 2019’s theme happens to be the ‘Journey to Paradisios’ - a cosmic fantasy and vision offering aficionados an out-of-this-world representation of outer space. 2019’s floral arrangements are designed to present the 'mystery of the cosmos’ by designing worthy nods to astrological wonders like aliens, rockets, planets, stars, and more.
Macy's Flower Show
Address: 151 W 34th St, New York
Website: Macy’s Flower Show
Opening hours: March 24th, 2019 - April 7th, 2019: 10am - 9pm
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4. Skate into spring with the Easter Bunny!
Why not head to the Rockefeller Center’s world-famous rink and let your children go wild skating with the Easter Bunny itself? The everyday skating sessions with the Easter Bunny flag off at 8:30 am, 10:30 am and 12:30 pm. Later on, you and the kids can dig into the most amazingly perfect Easter Sunday brunch at either the Sea Grill or the Rock Center Cafe, with both places offering special ‘prix-fixe’ menus for both adults and children.
Easter Brunch & Skating
Address: 45 Rockefeller Plaza, New York
Website: Easter Brunch & Skating
Opening hours: Easter Sunday: Skate sessions, 8:30am, 10:30am, 12:30pm; Brunch reservation, 10:30am, 12pm, 2pm
Price: Rock Center Cafe, Adults USD 69; Children (nine years and below) USD 40; The Sea Grill, Adults USD 85; Children (nine years and below) USD 45; prices excluding tax and gratuity
New York City Tour Guide
Hiram Jacobs
I am a licensed New York City Department of Consumer Affairs Tour Guide and a native New Yorker. Over the years, I acquired considerable experience organizing solo tours of the major European and East European capitals of the world, Canada's largest cities and Australia's most popular cities, Washington, DC, Atlanta, New Orleans, and San Francisco. During my international travels, I participated in tours organized by private tour companies to China, Russia, South America, India, the Canadian Rockies, Israel, Japan's major cities; USA: Alaska, Arizona and Utah's scenic national National Parks . I received my Master of Arts in Political Science (Urban Administration) from the State University of New York, College at Brockport, Brockport, New York in 1978. Since my recent retirement from the MTA, New York City Transit Authority, after 39 years of service as an Associate Transit Management Analyst, I hope to share with my fellow Travelers my observations, insights and personal experiences relating to Manhattan’s iconic neighborhoods, landmarks and popular attractions that make New York City such a vibrant and dynamic city to visit. I will strive to make your New York City Experience memorable. Tour Cancellations - Please provide at least 24 hours notice prior to the tour date in order to cancel your booking and to receive a full refund.
Tours by Hiram
New York City Tour Guide
Stephanie Eley
I'm a graduate of ITMI, International Tour Management Institute and 17 years as a licensed Tour Director and Program Director. My expertise began in NYC and Washington, DC where I'm a licensed guide and has expanded to Europe, South America, Cuba and the Western / Southwestern National Parks of the US. I'd love to introduce you for a day or a week to Denver, Colorado and the 4 corners region of the US: Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona! Let's GO!! stepheley@gmail.com
Tours by Stephanie
5. Fashion Easter Bunny cupcakes at the Taste Bud Kitchen
Make memories of a ‘Hoppy Easter’ with your little ones in the kitchen by heading to the Taste Bud Kitchen and whipping up a delicious batch of Easter Bunny cupcakes complete with a bright shiny nose and cute pink ears! Engage in a culinary adventure with your kid which also includes a traditional egg hunt for the secret ingredients needed for the recipe.
Taste Bud Kitchen
Address: 109 W 27th St, New York, NY
Website: Easter Bunny Cupcakes Workshop
Opening hours: April 20th, 2019: 9am - 10am
Price: USD 45 per child (with caregiver/parent)
6. Smorgasburg at Prospect Park
Food is a way of life in New York City, so what better a way to spend Easter Sunday than digging into some mouth-watering street food? Fill up on your Easter calorie intake at the Smorgasburg Food Market, America’s largest weekly open-air food market reopening just in time for the Easter weekend at the beautiful Prospect Park on Sundays. It features over 100 local vendors lining up in the stunning open-air Prospect Park, selling delectable, affordable snacks. A linguistic blend of ‘Smörgåsbord’ and 'Williamsburg’, 'Smorg’ is 'The Woodstock of Eating’ and an absolute favourite with locals and tourists both. Dig in!
Smorgasburg
Address: 625 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY
Website: Smorgasburg
Opening hours: Sat: 11am - 8 pm; Sun: 11am - 5pm (closed Mon - Fri)
7. Feed the playful sea lions at the New York Aquarium
Why not indulge in a bit of fun with the fauna on Easter Sunday? Head to the massive New York Aquarium with your kids and indulge in feeding the friendly sea lions! After watching a fun, interactive show featuring the California sea lion born at the New York Aquarium itself, head to the Sea Cliffs where you can feed these playful creatures. The feeding time is around 15 minutes for each session.
New York Aquarium
Address: 602 Surf Ave, Brooklyn, NY
Website: Feeding at the New York Aquarium
Feeding hours: 10:30am, 11:30am, 1:45pm, 3pm, 3:30pm (daily)
Price: Adult USD 24.95-29.95; Children (3-12 years) USD 19.95-24.95; Seniors (65 years and above) USD 21.95-26.95; Children (two years and below free); ticket prices and validity vary by day
8. Admire the scientific magic at That Physics Show
How about having a nerdy, physics-y Easter Sunday with your kids? Delve into some scientific magic at the Newton-meets-nitrogen ‘That Physics Show’, a theatre piece featuring Dave Maiullo, a physics support specialist from Rutgers, who demonstrates Newton’s laws. The 90-minute play features him playing around with some very cool liquid nitrogen, as well as demonstrations on electricity, explosions, and flames - all minor, controlled, and contained! It’s like a fun lab with a hip uncle teaching science class for a day!
That Physics Show
Address: Elektra Theater, 300 W 43rd St, Midtown West, New York City
Website: That Physics Show
Opening hours: Every other Sat - Sun: 12 pm; See here for schedule
Price: USD 60.50
9. Enjoy the annual orchid show at New York Botanical Garden
Immerse yourself in a floral tribute to orchids at the New York Botanical Garden on Easter Sunday. Enjoy a dazzling floral tribute to the inspiration for the 17th annual Orchid Show - Singapore, the Garden City. An integral part of Singapore’s landscape and culture, the eponymous ‘Orchid’ is also the island’s national flower. The Orchid Show pays homage to Singapore’s achievements in orchid conservation, research, and cultivation in the form of a horticultural spectacle, complete with famed Arches and dramatic vertical habitats - a nod to the island’s spectacular National Orchid Garden.
The Orchid Show: Singapore
Address: 2900 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, NY
Website: The Orchid Show: Singapore
Opening hours: February 23rd, 2019 - April 28th, 2019; The Orchid Insiders Tour, Tuesday - Friday: 12:30 pm; Orchid Care Demonstrations, Saturdays - Sunday: 2:30 pm, 3:30 pm; Orchid Basics Q&A, Saturday - Sunday: 1:30 pm - 4:30 pm
Price: USD 23 (weekdays); USD 28 (weekends)
10. Relax with an Easter cruise
Indulge in a two-hour Easter cruise aboard a luxurious yacht with your beloved as you sip a mimosa and sail the New York Harbor. Start out the cruise with a gourmet buffet breakfast and sip on hot drinks while listening to a DJ, passing Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty before slipping beneath the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges for amazingly perfect views of NYC’s most iconic neighbourhoods. Depart from the West Village and experience incredible views of the East and Hudson Rivers and the Harbor.
New York Easter Jazz Brunch Cruise
Address: Pier 40, 92 Hudson River Greenway, New York
Website:
Opening hours: Easter Sunday: Boarding, 12pm; Cruise, 12:30pm - 2:30pm
Festive Easter experiences in New York City
Easter in New York City is a harbinger of sunny times ahead, and they kick off the warmer months with many fun activities. Celebrate the coming of spring and summer with these fun things to do around Easter Sunday in the City That Never Sleeps.
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