Events calendar New York (Manhattan)

For 10 days in early June (which is the month dedicated to celebrating the LGBT community in New York), since 1988, the New Festival has been offering a global overview of gay, lesbian, transgender and bisexual feature films and those close to their worlds. Individuals and professionals (producers, distributors) meet to discover the productions of large studios, small independent, unusual or experimental films, documentaries, etc. Each year, the Grand Jury Prize is awarded to a participating film.

From the end of November, the city will be dressed in its most beautiful clothes. Christmas markets in Bryant Park, Union Square and Williamsburg, cinnamon hot chocolate smell, decorated 5th Avenue windows, giant fir tree at Rockefeller Center, New York doesn't do things halfway when Christmas arrives. Recommended activities on Christmas Eve include: The Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall, The Nutcracker Ballet at Lincoln Center, a visit to Dyker Heights' beautifully illuminated homes in Brooklyn and Mass at Saint John the Divine Cathedral.

On November 11, while the armistice is being celebrated in France, Veterans Day is being celebrated in the United States. This holiday, originally known as Armistice Day, was established by President Woodrow Wilson in 1919 to celebrate the end of the First World War. Since then, this commemoration has taken on a broader meaning, and now it pays tribute to all veterans. Veterans of all wars in which American soldiers fought are honored during a large parade on Fifth Avenue.

This holiday commemorates Christopher Columbus' arrival in the New World in October 1492. In New York, the Italian community celebrates and parades on Fifth Avenue to celebrate the navigator, considered a national hero. The celebration nevertheless met with strong opposition from defenders of the indigenous populations, for whom celebrating Columbus Day was tantamount to celebrating the massacres perpetrated by the settlers on the Amerindians. Many cities celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day instead, this is not (yet) the case in New York.

Celebrated on the last Monday in May, Memorial Day is the day of remembrance. This holiday was made official at the federal level in 1967, but it began in 1865, at the end of the Civil War. Originally, it was proclaimed as a tribute to the men who died in military acts during the civil war. Today, he pays tribute to all members of the U.S. Armed Forces who have died in action. A large parade is organized on Fifth Avenue. Today also marks the beginning of the summer season in the United States.

The Coney Island Sirens Parade is traditionally held on the last or penultimate weekend of June. The stated goal is to elect the most beautiful mermaid after the parades by tank, car or other carriage. This show, which is burlesque, erotic and cheesy at the same time, is a pretext for fun in a fairground atmosphere from another time! More than 3,000 people participate in the parade each year. Men, women, children, everyone is welcome, so why not let yourself be tempted? Zany costumes, music and good humour guaranteed!

If you've always dreamed of attending an opera but don't have the budget for it, here's a festival that will delight you! From mid-June and for about ten days, you can attend free concerts all over the city, organised by the Metropolitan Opera. The greatest opera singers, usually accompanied by a pianist, perform in New York parks, Central Park, Brooklyn Bridge Park but also in Queens, Socrates Sculpture Park and Staten Island, Clove Lakes Park.

On the Saturday before Halloween, dogs have been parading in disguise in Tompkins Square for over 30 years. Dogs and their owners wear a matching costume. You will see hundreds of dogs in the most inventive costumes, three-headed dogs, superman dogs, chihuahua mariachi, there is something for everyone! The parade takes place between noon and 3pm. Prizes are awarded for the most beautiful costumes and a quest is organized for charities.