I hope you and your loved ones are enjoying the spring season. To help you plan for May, here are 31 curated events happening in and around New York City throughout the month. |
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| | | | | A once-in-a-generation exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art showcasing over 170 works tracing Raphael’s full artistic career across the Italian Renaissance.
| The Café Wha? House Band – Saturday Set
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A high-energy live music performance at Cafe Wha? featuring the venue’s iconic house band playing crowd-favorite covers in an intimate club setting.
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One of NYC’s largest street food festivals, bringing dozens of Japanese vendors, cultural experiences, and pop-up events to neighborhoods across the city.
| May the Fourth: Movie Marathon
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A free all-day screening at the Washington Heights Library celebrating Star Wars with back-to-back films from the original trilogy.
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Master Public Speaking with Improv & Storytelling (Evening Workshop)
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An interactive workshop designed to build confidence and communication skills through improv techniques and storytelling exercises.
| A groundbreaking two-person musical blending history, hip-hop, and live music, Mexodus tells the untold story of thousands who fled south across the Rio Grande into Mexico in search of freedom.
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Seydou Keïta: A Tactile Lens
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A sweeping exhibition featuring over 280 works by the legendary Malian photographer, exploring portraiture, identity, and cultural transformation through iconic images and rarely seen materials.
| This career-spanning exhibition transforms the Guggenheim’s rotunda with sculptural works ranging from intimate collages to monumental steel forms.
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An evening of live jazz at Birdland Theater featuring acclaimed guitarist Peter Bernstein and his quartet, known for dynamic improvisation and classic jazz stylings.
| A vibrant outdoor market featuring over 150 local artisans, handmade goods, and artisanal food vendors—perfect for finding unique gifts while supporting NYC makers.
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This exhibition showcases exquisite scientific illustrations from rare books in the museum’s collection, highlighting the beauty and diversity of marine life and the history of ocean exploration through art.
| New York Botanical Garden Arboretum Collections
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Explore a living museum of trees and woody plants across the New York Botanical Garden’s arboretum, where diverse species are cultivated for conservation, research, and public enjoyment.
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New York Comedy Club Presents
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A fast-paced stand-up showcase featuring a rotating lineup of NYC’s top comedians and surprise drop-ins in an intimate club setting.
| Tenement Talk: Immigration – How the Past Shapes the Present
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A thought-provoking talk at the Tenement Museum exploring how historical immigrant experiences continue to shape modern conversations around identity, policy, and belonging in America.
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Mediterranean Delights Cooking Class
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A hands-on cooking class at Sur La Table where participants learn to prepare vibrant Mediterranean dishes and techniques in a collaborative, chef-led kitchen environment.
| Greenmarket Book Signing with Padma Lakshmi
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Meet Padma Lakshmi at the Union Square Greenmarket for a live book signing and the chance to purchase her latest cookbook in a vibrant open-air market setting.
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Harlem Community Stoop Sale
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The best stoop sale in the city! Over 100 homes spill out on the stoop. Treasure hunting, bargains, vintage stuff and kicking it up with friends and neighbors.
| Collection in Focus: Modern European Currents
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An intimate exhibition at the Guggenheim highlighting early 20th-century European avant-garde works, showcasing how artists across movements pushed toward abstraction and redefined modern art.
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A free 45-minute fitness class combining cardio and strength training as part of NYC Parks’ Shape Up NYC program, designed to help participants build total-body strength.
| The Secrets of Grand Central Terminal
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This guided walking tour reveals the hidden history and architectural secrets of Grand Central Terminal.
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Post-War and Contemporary Art Live Auction
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A major daytime auction at Christie’s New York showcasing post-war and contemporary artworks, offering collectors access to important works across modern and contemporary movements.
| Harry Connick Jr. at Carnegie Hall
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A special Carnegie Hall debut concert featuring solo, small-group, and big-band performances by Harry Connick Jr., including a new orchestral work honoring his late mother.
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Coppélia at Lincoln Center
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A beloved full-length comedic ballet set to Delibes’ score, Coppélia brings humor and charm to the stage as a lifelike doll sparks romance and mischief in a whimsical village tale.
| Jazz in the Park at Ralph Ellison
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A free outdoor community jazz concert series featuring local musicians and vocalists, bringing live music to Ralph Ellison Plaza in a relaxed park setting.
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Global Donuts Cooking Class
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A hands-on class where participants learn to make international favorites like French beignets, Mexican churros, and Italian bomboloni while mastering essential pastry techniques.
| A free outdoor yoga class led by NYC Parks instructors, offering a relaxing, all-levels flow session designed to build strength and mindfulness in a scenic park setting.
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Elim Chan Conducts Prokofiev – New York Philharmonic
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A dynamic orchestral program at David Geffen Hall led by Elim Chan, featuring Prokofiev’s Cinderella alongside contemporary works and a virtuosic cello concerto in an evening of rich, expressive music.
| Full Body Circuit Training
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A free NYC Parks fitness class combining resistance and bodyweight exercises for a dynamic, full-body workout designed for all fitness levels.
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Friday Night Jams featuring Wes D’Alelio
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A free outdoor concert at West Harlem Piers featuring singer-songwriter Wes D’Alelio, part of a monthly series bringing live local music to the park at sunset.
| A smaller, convenient downtown market offering seasonal produce and locally sourced goods.
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A major retrospective of the radical modernist spans six decades and nearly 300 works, tracing Duchamp’s groundbreaking influence from Cubism to conceptual art.
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