Special Events in New York

Major cultural holidays are celebrated with parades and festivals . The city takes these, especially the parades, very seriously. Almost every large ethnic group in the city holds an annual get-together, often using Fifth Avenue as the main drag. The events are often political or religious in origin, though now are just as much an excuse for music, food and dance.

JANUARY (First full moon between Jan 21 and Feb 19)
Chinese New Year and Parade
A noisy, colorful occasion celebrated from noon to sunset around Mott St. Though dragons still dance in the street, firecrackers no longer chase away evil spirits because former Mayor Giuliani banned them for most events. The chances of getting a meal anywhere in Chinatown at this time are slim.

FEBRUARY (Valentine's Day)
Twenty-four-Hour Marriage Marathon
Get hitched or watch while more than fifty couples take the plunge 110 stories and 1377ft above Manhattan on the Observation Deck of the Empire State Building.

MARCH (March 17)
St Patrick's Day Parade
Celebrating an impromptu march through the streets by Irish militiamen on St Patrick's Day in 1762, this has become a draw for every Irish band and organization in the US and Ireland. Usually starting just before noon, it heads up 5th Ave between 44th and 86th sts.

APRIL
Easter Parade
From Central Park down to Rockefeller Center on 50th St, New Yorkers dress up in outrageous Easter bonnets. 10am-5pm. There's also an Eggstravaganza, a children's festival including an egg-rolling contest in Central Park, on the Great Lawn.

MAY
Ukrainian Festival
This extravaganza fills a weekend on E 7th St between 2nd and 3rd aves with marvelous Ukrainian costumes, folk music and dance, plus authentic foods. At the Ukrainian Museum (12th St and 2nd Ave) there's a special exhibition of pysanky - traditional hand-painted eggs.

JUNE (First Tuesday evening)
Museum Mile Festival
On 5th Ave from 82nd St to 105th St. Museums, including the Museum of the City of New York, Jewish Museum, Guggenheim, the Met and others are open free 6-9 pm.

JULY (July 4)
Independence Day
The fireworks from Macy's, South Street Seaport and the display over the East River are visible all over Manhattan, but the best place to view them is either from the Seaport, Battery Park, the Esplanade at Brooklyn Heights or from atop almost any building at about 9 pm.

AUGUST
Harlem Month
The monthlong celebration of African, Caribbean and Latin culture includes a children's festival, a dance show, a fashion parade, talent contest and other festivities, such as the Black Film Festival and the Taste of Harlem.

SEPTEMBER (Labor Day)
West Indian-American Day Parade and Carnival
Brooklyn's largest parade, modeled after the carnivals of Trinidad and Tobago, features music, food and dance.

OCTOBER (On or around Oct 12)
Columbus Day Parade
One of the city's largest binges pays tribute to the city's Italian heritage and commemorates the day America was put on the map; 5th Ave from 44th to 79th sts.

NOVEMBER
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
New York's most televised parade, with floats, dozens of marching bands from around the country, the Rockettes, and Santa Claus's first appearance of the season. More than two million spectators watch it from 77th St down Central Park W to Columbus Circle, then down Broadway to Herald Square, 9 am-noon.

DECEMBER
New Year's Eve in Times Square
Some 200,000-plus revelers party in the cold streets. There are also fireworks at the South Street Seaport, Central Park and Brooklyn's Prospect Park. More family-oriented, alcohol-free First Nights with dancing, music and food take place throughout the city.