Labor Day marks the end of the summer, but not the end of outdoor fun as bright fall days are ideal for festivals and more parades. The Broadway season goes into high gear in fall and museums mount exciting new exhibitions.
September
Over the Labor Day weekend, the West Indian Carnival passes through Brooklyn with one of the city’s largest parades, featuring steel bands, floats, and costumes. It attracts as many as three million spectators. Families flock to the Richmond County Fair, also held on Labor Day weekend, where New York’s only living-history village offers old-fashioned fun fair rides and music.
Early in September, the
Feast of San Gennaro (see
Practical Information), the annual salute to the patron saint of Naples, brings with it 11 days of parades and non-stop Italian food. The
Dumbo Arts Festival (see
Practical Information) gives this up-and-coming part of Brooklyn an opportunity to show off its arty side with open studios, installations, and street performers. The
New York Film Festival, held at the Walter Reade Theater, gives movie-enthusiasts the chance to preview award-winning films and meet their creators.
October
This month features the delightful St. Francis Day, celebrated on the first Sunday of the month at the
Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine, when camels, peacocks, and goats line up, along with more familiar pets, for the annual Blessing of the Animals. The
Columbus Day Parade on the second Monday of October salutes Italian-Americans with 35,000 participants and more than 100 bands.
Free tours of interesting buildings and sites, many of which are usually closed to the public, are the high-light of the Open House New York Weekend, which celebrates the city’s architecture and design. Comic book fans will want to take in the New York Comic-Con, at the Javits Center, where comics, graphic novels, anime, video games, toys, and movies are on display and for sale.
The city celebrates Halloween in style with the famous
Village Halloween Parade (see
Practical Information) in Greenwich Village, where outrageous costumes are the norm.
November
As the ice-skating season begins, rented skates are available for hire at the free
Citi Pond at Bryant Park or the famous
Rockefeller Center Ice Rink. A week or so later
Trump Rink in Central Park opens for the season. While skaters twirl outdoors, the basketball season kicks off indoors as the
New York Knicks (see
Basketball & hockey) go into action at Madison Square Garden. The weather turns colder in November, but that does not deter the thousands of runners who do the 26.2 mile (42.1 km) five-borough run from Staten Island to Central Park in the
New York City Marathon.
Just for laughs, the five-day New York Comedy Festival brings big names in comedy to the stage. Chocoholics wait eagerly for the New York Chocolate Show at the Metropolitan Pavilion, where there is chocolate-themed everything – demonstrations, fashions, artwork, and more.
The
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (see
Practical Information), on the fourth Thursday of the month, has officially begun the Yule season nearly 90 years. Another much-loved tradition is the
Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting (on the first Wed after Thanksgiving), which sets more than 30,000 lights a-glitter on a giant tree topped with a 550-lb (250-kg) Swarovski crystal star. And the season would not be complete without the aptly named
Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall, which thrills with special effects and the high-kicking Rockettes.
From late November to December 24, holiday bazaars at Union Square,
Grand Central Terminal,
Bryant Park, Cathedral Church of St. John, and
Columbus Circle lure shoppers with big displays of fine crafts that provide inspiration for holiday giving.
Huge SpongeBob SquarePants balloon floating above Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
