We’ve all seen the t-shirts and the postcards, and there are plenty of reasons why travellers pile into aeroplanes each day to see experience the sights and sounds of historic New York City. From the Hudson River to the Statue of Liberty, it’s packed with iconic images and famous faces. But the city also offers a great number of events and festivals throughout the year.
New York city gleefully marks each of the significant calendar days throughout the year, whether it’s Halloween, Christmas or New Year’s Eve. And on many of these days, fantastic events and festivals offer visitors and locals the chance to come together and celebrate. The St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration and Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade are only a few of New York’s huge annual celebrations, and all three conjure up exciting images of grandeur, fun and excess. These events are all packed with food, fun, entertainment and laughter, and each one provides hundreds of thousands of eager visitors with much to do and enjoy.
Tribeca Film Festival is also synonymous with the city, and many celluloid lovers make the pilgrimage to New York each year to get their film fix. The festival draws almost three million attendees, and screens almost two thousand movies, offering comers the chance to see a range of unique and unusual independent cinema. The firm focus of the event is on supporting and celebrating the work of independent artists, and aims to expose interesting work to as wide an audience as possible. If you’re looking to find the best in unique shorts, documentaries, feature films and more, this is the place to do it. Who said square eyes were a bad thing?
The New York International Fringe Festival also brings independent work to culture vultures, and is the largest multi-arts festival in North America. It delivers a diverse program of innovative theatre across a variety of styles, and much of the work here has gone on to fill the theatres of Broadway. It’s a perfect place for theatre lovers to tread the boards!
Other New York festivals celebrate the history and culture of different suburbs within the area, and are an ideal way to discover and delve into the heritage of the city. Many more events offer food, drinks, music and more – the offerings from this city are as diverse as the place itself!