Let the countdown to 2025 — and exciting new things to do in NYC — begin! Our next trip around the sun will provide plenty of opportunity to make the most out of our city, from theater visits and outdoor excursions to exhibit-hopping and cool concerts.
Secret NYC’s carefully curated list of debuts, recent openings, and classic destinations are must to kick the new year off right. Since we know calendars fill up quickly, make sure these selections snag a spot on your 2025 bucket list. Cheers to an amazing new year!
— With contributions from Corey Fuller
The best things to do in NYC in 2025 that you can’t miss
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1. Grab a bite at the new Shaver Hall
The New York City food hall scene is gaining a vibrant addition in the heart of Midtown. Occupying the shuttered Lord & Taylor flagship, Shaver Hall is a 35,000-square-foot eatery that will liven up corporate lunchtimes (and beyond) with a smorgasbord of cuisines, fun events, and live entertainment.
This new space has quite a bit on the menu ahead of its springtime opening: two restaurants, two full-service bars, 11 vendors, and a bodega. Though the full list of participants is still TBD, Carroll Gardens pizza royalty F&F, Korean-inspired Chick Chick, and authentic Mexican eatery Taqueria Al Pastor are among the players.
Since the 5th Avenue establishment is an iconic location, the brains behind the culinary venture (The Food Hall Co.) decided to pay homage to its rich history with its name: a nod to Dorothy Shaver, the department store’s president and the first woman in the country to helm a multi-million-dollar business.
📍 424–434 5th Avenue
2. Catch a Broadway show, like the new Stranger Things prequel
The Great White Way is home to reimagined classics, Disney favorites, and celebrations of pop culture. In 2025, theater goers will also get a taste of an unrivaled Netflix sensation.
Stranger Things: First Shadow , which premiered across the pond, is a prequel that will bring us back to Hawkins, Indiana, in 1959 through the eyes of Henry Creel, a.k.a. Vecna. Even if you’ve never ventured to the Upside Down, newbies and sci-fi fans will find something gripping about this backstory.
“The Duffer Brothers have built a huge global following for good reason, and a world-class creative team has built on their boundless imagination to dream up an unbelievably exciting theatrical event for our audiences,” producer Sonia Friedman said in a Netflix press release.
We’ll see you in Hawkins for the grand opening: April 22nd, 2025. Don’t forget to scope out other theatrical hits, too, including longtime favorite Wicked, the newly opened & Juliet , or an up-and-coming rendition of a cult classic, Heathers The Musical.
📍 Marquis Theater: 210 W. 46th Street
3. Get lost in the culture of a micro neighborhood
Micro neighborhoods are tiny pockets of the city that offer big cultural moments. Why not explore some of our favorites and celebrate the different heritages they represent?
4. Check out Central Park’s new 11-acre rec center
NYC’s communal backyard is getting a makeover, and it’s major.
Situated uptown, the 11-acre Davis Center at the Harlem Meer is a $160 million undertaking that’s gearing up for a spring 2025 opening, and you certainly won’t want to miss it. There’s plenty to entice visitors: the eighth-largest NYC swimming pool in the summer, an ice skating rink in the winter, and a turf field in between seasons, to name a few features.
“This initiative highlights the critical importance of investing in our cities’ public spaces, ensuring they remain vibrant, accessible, and integral to the well-being of all,” the Central Park Conservancy said in a statement.
Consider those sunny spring afternoons booked!
📍 Central Park North near 109th Street
5. Catch the FIFA Club World Cup at MetLife Stadium
For all of our sports fans in NYC, be sure to bookmark the revamped FIFA Club World Cup tournament heading our way in 2025. The international soccer tournament will welcome 32 teams from the six continental confederations, including massive clubs like Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, and Bayern Munich.
The tournament will run from June 15th – July 13th, and MetLife Stadium is set to have a handful of games, including the FINAL. Stay tuned for ticketing info and more info on the 2025 FIFA World Cup!
📍 MetLife Stadium: 1 MetLife Stadium Drive East Rutherford, New Jersey
6. Get tickets to see your favorite artist’s 2025 tour
All of NYC’s a stage — heck, Charli XCX held a free, impromptu concert right in the middle of Times Square in 2024. If you’re looking for some great shows in the new year (that allow for a bit more planning than our brat’s outdoor performance), there are some great artists making their way to NYC in 2025. Have a look at a few of the tours we’re most excited about thus far:
7. Wait for your flight at JFK’s first-ever JetBlue lounge
Look, we certainly appreciate an airport with cool amenities (i.e. the year-round rooftop TWA Pool at JFK ), particularly when we have a long journey ahead of us. Now, in late 2025, NYC’s go-to transportation hub will present flyers with a new 8,000-square foot JetBlue lounge in Terminal 5, including a full-service bar, private workspaces, complimentary concessions, and a comfortable place to wait before your flight takes off.
8. Tour Studio Museum in Harlem once it reopens
After seven years of construction, the long-awaited reopening of Studio Museum in Harlem is slated for fall 2025. Visitors can expect new and improved exhibition, education, and program spaces, as well as a gorgeous rooftop terrace from neighborhood landscape design firm, Studio Zewde.
To kick things off, the uptown cultural hub will spotlight artist, educator, and activist Tom Lloyd, whose work appeared at the institution’s debut in 1968.
“Taken in its entirety, our collection traces, as few institutions can, a history of creativity by artists of African descent that we will continue to nurture far into the future,” Director and Chief Curator of the Studio Museum in Harlem, Thelma Golden, said in a statement.
📍 144 W 125th Street
9. Take advantage of exciting seasonal activities
Regardless of the time of year, NYC is always serving up something exciting. From waterfront park visits in the spring and Coney Island pitstops in the summer, to Halloween pop-ups in autumn and holiday markets in the winter, each season brings unique ways to keep busy. This winter, we’re particularly excited about ice bumper cars at Prospect Park, igloo dining, and the newly-opened Domino Park ice rink.
For a seasonal breakdown, look no further:
10. See Paul Mescal in A Streetcar Named Desire
Beloved Irish actor Paul Mescal will assume the role of Stanley Kowalski in Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire alongside Patsy Ferran’s Blanche DuBois. Needless to say, all of NYC’s anxious to get a peek of his off-Broadway debut at BAM.
The play reimagines the story a tad and focuses on a man who moves in with his brother and sister-in-law post-World War II, ultimately disrupting everyone’s home life.
It will run from February 28th to April 6th, 2025. Be sure to have a look at other theater productions in NYC while you’re venturing off-Broadway!
📍 Brooklyn Academy of Music, 30 Lafayette Avenue
11. Dine at an exquisite new Michelin star restaurant
NYC is home to the most Michelin star restaurants — including the most expensive Michelin star restaurants — and the latest round of newly-crowned additions run the gamut from traditional Indian cuisine, experimental Korean bites, and yes, even pizza. (Are you really surprised?)
From the grilled pork chop with slow-cooked greens, pancetta, and cicerchia beans at Daphne’s to the Pâté encrust at Le Veau d’Or , these establishments truly serve a special meal you won’t soon forget.
If you’re looking for a few other locales where you can book a reservation, might we suggest you try your luck at one of NYC’s most beautiful restaurants ? We assure you the scenery is as eye-catching as the plates are delicious.
12. Explore creative new exhibits
Gallery hopping is great way to spend time in NYC, and there’s certainly plenty of creativity to keep museum-goers occupied. Here are a few exhibits we’re putting on our calendars in 2025:
- Catch it before it’s gone: Matisse’s Cut-Outs: A Celebration will run at MoMA until January 20th.
- Through February 28th, The Brant Foundation will house work from street art pioneer Kenny Scharf that spans from the ’70s to the early 2000s, including his customized 61′ Coupe de Ville Cadillac.
- Amy Sherald: American Sublime will begin April 9th at The Whitney. The artist, who is known for her portraits of Michelle Obama and Breonna Taylor, will showcase her first museum exhibit with over 50 portraits.
- Rashid Johnson: A Poem for Deep Thinkers will take over the Guggenheim beginning April 18th. According to the Museum, it’s meant to explore the artist’s “contributions to American art and his critical engagement with social and political discourse.”
13. Visit NYC’s most scenic outdoor spaces
While yes, we’re living in the concrete jungle, NYC is home to some pretty fabulous parks and gardens that should be on your radar.
We’re particularly looking forward to spending some time outdoors at the newly opened one-acre plaza in Domino Park, which will be home to forthcoming outdoor movie nights, farmers markets, and dance classes.
Hunters Point South is another waterfront destination that also received a makeover. Malt Drive Park along the Newtown Creek waterfront in Long Island City makes the scenery all the more alluring with a few public features like walkways, play spaces for children, a dog run, and a picnic plaza.
14. Take advantage of the city’s best freebies
It’s no secret that living in NYC comes with a hefty pricetag — we’ve been named thethird priciest city in the world, actually — so you’re going to need an insider source to help you snag those complimentary experiences.
First things first, we’ve rounded up the best free things to do in NYC for your calendars, including outdoor installations, summertime movies in the park, walking tours, and museum freebies. (Speaking of which, The Whitney is now free for those 25 and under, so might as well take advantage!)
Additionally, we’ve also provided a rundown of the freebies a NYPL card can grant you. (Hint: it’s a lot more than just books!)
15. Attend Fanatics Fest, the mega-sports convention
One of the largest sports conventions in the world, Fanatics Fest, is set to return to NYC in 2025! It will be the second-annual edition of the mega-festival, and will feature league brand experiences, athlete panels, autograph sessions, trading card areas, and so much more!
Fanatics Fest 2025 will take place at the Javits Center from June 20th to 22nd, 2025 and feature over 500 athletes and celebrities, exclusive product drops, and plenty more. Stay tuned for details on this year’s guests and activations, but be sure to write these dates down in the meantime!
📍 Jacob Javits Convention Center: 429 11th Avenue
16. Catch the brand-new New York Sirens in action
2024 was a massive year for women’s sports in NYC (we’re looking at you WNBA Champs New York Liberty! 🥳). We suspect 2025 to be equally as incredible, especially for the New York Siren, a brand-new team in the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL).
The team’s season kicked off in November 2024 and continues into the new year. The Sirens play at the Prudential Center, home of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils. Learn more about the team and how you can watch them in 2025 online!
17. Grab a slice of the city’s best pizza
It goes without saying, but NYC is home to the best slice around. Technically, we were voted the best pizza in the world, so you know you’re in capable hands with our competent chefs.
From the newly-crowned Michelin star pizzeria in a subway station, See No Evil, to NYC’s first-ever Tokyo-Neapolitan pizza from Moody Tongue, who also has a Michelin Star, our city has plenty of delectable options to choose from.
18. Sip sweet cocktails inside these go-to hidden bars
Some of NYC’s best-kept secrets are behind the bar — and finding your way there is half the fun. Whether you’re walking through a barbershop in Alphabet City or bypassing a locksmith and shoe repair shop, these hidden bars offer menus that are as exciting as the locations are mysterious.
Should you be interested in even more mystery, might we suggest Dining in the Dark? Enjoy a unique culinary feast blindfolded as you journey your way through a three-course meal. Pretty interesting!
19. Sample different cuisines at the best street fairs and food festivals
Hungry New Yorkers need not make a reservation to taste some of the best bites in the city. Longstanding food fests like Smorgasburg and Japan Fes bring the goods directly to you. 2024 saw great additions to the lineup, like the city’s debut soup dumpling festival and first-ever halal food festival.
Much to the delight of those with a sweet tooth, a new bombolini festival will touch down in NYC in Feburary 2025, so bring your appetite.
20. Visit the Bronx Zoo’s new exhibit on nocturnal animals
NYC zoos are home to some pretty unique creatures, and the Bronx Zoo is expecting a few new inhabitants. In summer 2025, the family-favorite attraction will offer visitors the chance to step into “World of Darkness,” an exhibit that focuses on nocturnal animals that thrive when the sun goes down.
📍 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx
21. Run (or watch) the 2025 TCS New York City Marathon
New York City’s greatest athletic achievement is undoubtedly the TCS New York City Marathon. The famous 26.2-mile tradition will celebrate its 55th anniversary in 2025, welcoming New Yorkers and runners abroad to the challenge on November 2nd.
If you’re not interested in running — that’s okay! — be sure to bookmark the date to spectate. It’s one of the most magical days in NYC every year! Learn how to register as a runner for the 2025 Marathon.
22. Snag a seat at your favorite TV show taping
Why watch your favorite show on the couch when you have an opportunity to sit in the audience? From SNL to The Drew Barrymore Show, NYC is home to plenty of great selections, and we offer a deep-dive of scoring tickets. Tell Drew we said hello!
23. Wander around NYC with your kids
NYC is an exciting place for the young and young at heart, which is why we highly encourage exploring the city from a kiddo’s vantage point.
Whether it’s crafting a slimy experiment at the Sloomoo Institute, escaping reality at the Paradox Experience, or heading back to prehistoric times at the American Museum of Natural History — speaking of which, a 150-million-year-old Stegosaurus skeleton known as Apex has just been unveiled — kid-friendly fun knows no bounds in the place we call home.
We’ve gathered our favorite things to do with kids in NYC, and we hope our lengthy list will inspire your next weekend outing or school vacation plans!
24. Catch a movie at one of NYC’s best theaters
From new theatrical releases to screenings of classic films, movies in NYC are aplenty — and so are theaters.
Whether you’re looking to catch the latest blockbuster or want to kick back with an old-time favorite, there will be plenty of opportunity throughout the year. Our thoughts? Review the calendar of free outdoor movies in NYC Parks this summer — it’s one of the best perks of the season!
25. Plan a trip to one of 2025’s top destinations
Any true New Yorker knows that a little time apart from our favorite place is a necessity. Fortunately for those who can’t cure their wanderlust, we’ve uncovered the 10 trendiest destinations and the hottest European destinations of the new year.
Oh, and did we mention this oh-so-clever little hack to help you turn 12 days of PTO into 45? We’ve got your back!