26 Fabulous Things Coming To NYC You Must Add To Your 2023 Bucket List (2024)

New Yorkers are at an advantage when it comes to creating their bucket lists as there truly is no shortage of things to do at any given moment on any given day. From the quirky to the elegant to even the most downright wild, the city that never sleeps sure has its fair share of happenings to choose from, and what kind of outlet would we be if we didn’t guide you along the way?Sit back, relax, and allow us to show you our top picks of things going on in the new year.

We got it from here:

1. Elevate your senses at Brooklyn’s new ‘Dining in the Dark’ experience

Step inside a restaurant blanketed in darkness to be served a sublime three-course meal at Dining in the Dark: A Unique Blindfolded Dining Experience. Indulge in a mysterious menu of flavors inspired by southern Italy, and allow the flavors and textures to be intensified by your remaining senses. Grab your tickets here, there arelimited dates available throughout the beginning of 2023.

2. Explore NYC’s hottest neighborhoods for 2023

Every year StreetEasy puts together a list of “NYC Neighborhoods to Watch For” and 2023’s picks are in! Four Queens neighborhoods are featured, along with three in Manhattan and three in Brooklyn. Can you guess which neighborhoods made the list? Find them out here.

3. Be amazed and wander through enchanting ice castles

Ice Castles at Lake Georgewill open once again for the season on Friday, January 27, and the opportunity to explore ice caverns, slides, mazes, tunnels, and alcoves is for sure enough to talk you into embarking on the 3.5 hour drive from NYC! Learn more here.

4. Ski, snowboard, and snowshoe at Central Park’s annual Winter Jam

The Winter Jam is a festival full of winter activities for all ages that takes place in Central Park every year. It’s totally FREE and the perfect event to enjoy NYC during the winter season. And fortunately, this year’s festival will return Saturday, February 4 after last year’s cancellation. Dust off your snow pants, lace up your boots, and learn more here.

5. Explore this weekly music and wellness experience in Brooklyn

Allow music and other healing techniques to take you on a personal healing journey through the use of meditation, breath work, and even a very special sonic experience salt cave. Sage rituals cleanse you, the earthy scents of natural herbs ground you, and your chakras will be opened for a healing experience. Opening Sunday, January 8, you can learn more and grab your tickets here.

6. Be wowed at AMNH’s new 230,000-square-foot Science Center

The new Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation will open to the public Friday, February 17, 2023. It will be home to almost 4 million scientific specimens, and its unique design is created by “spraying structural concrete directly onto rebar without formwork to create fluid walls, bridges, and openings.” Learn more here.

7. Experience a stunning candlelight concert

Take a trip to some of the most iconic venues in New York and experience live music like you never have before. The Candlelight Concert series brings you a plethora of concerts illuminated only by candlelight – the dreamiest experience you can imagine. There are a ton to experience, so choose which concert appeals to you the most and secure your seat today.

8. Get your grocery shopping done atWegmans’ first-ever Manhattan location

Rochester born supermarket Wegmans announced the opening of its first Manhattan location during the later half of this year! This will be the second Wemgans location in NYC as the first opened back in October of 2019 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Learn all about it here.

9. Check out Lin-Manuel Miranda’s newest project hitting Broadway this Spring

A highly anticipated musical titled New York, New York is coming to Broadway in the spring. The show has been in the works for four years and is “loosely based on Martin Scorsese’s 1977 film New York, New York.” Set in 1946, the main theme will hone in on “a city in recovery.” Learn more here.

10. …and then theBroadway musical inspired by Britney Spears opening in May

The Britney Spears jukebox musical ‘Once Upon a One More Time’ will hit the stage at the Marquis Theatre in the spring of 2023! The show will mix iconic fairytale characters such as Cinderella, Snow White, The Little Mermaid, and others with hits from the princess of pop’s extensive discography, including“Lucky,” “Toxic,” “Circus,” and “Oops I Did It Again.” Learn more here.

11-13. Experience all the newexhibits heading to The Met

With a new year comes new art, and The Met has no shortage of interesting and exciting new exhibits opening this year! Some of the new exhibits include:

• Beyond the Light: Identity and Place in Nineteenth-Century Danish Art, open January 26, 2023–April 16, 2023
• Juan de Pareja, Afro-Hispanic Painter, open April 3, 2023–July 16, 2023
• Van Gogh’s Cypresses, open May 22, 2023–August 27, 2023

14. Splash around at Manhattan’s first public beach opening this year

The Gansevoort Peninsula on the Hudson River will become home to a new Manhattan beach bylate 2023! Public amenities will include several things including a beach with direct access to the Hudson River, boardwalks, a large sports field, dog run, adult fitness area, and more. Read all about it here!

15. Dance the night away in this giant nightclub opening inside a Brooklyn hangar

SILO began as an underground party in a converted auto garage in Williamsburg, and soon it will find its new home in a converted hangar in Brooklyn. Set to open in the winter of 2023, be sure you’re ready to dance til you drop! You can read all about it here.

16. Cross your fingers that the Fifth Avenue’s new pedestrian-centered boulevard opens

Mayor Eric Adams has outlined a future vision for a ‘pedestrian-centered boulevard’ to be a permanent part of Fifth Avenue–and we’re crossing our fingers hoping it actually happens! The proposed plan focuses on improving the corridor between Bryant Park at 42nd Street to Central Park at 59th Street, and includes the addition of green spaces, enhanced lighting, and new tree plantings. Learn more about it here.

17. Order an iconic wood-fired pizza at the new Midtown Roberta’s location opening this year

Bushwick’s legendary pizzeria Roberta’s, which is famous for its delicious wood-fired pizzas, is expanding once again to a 5,200-square-foot spot in Midtown. The new location, which will be the brand’s “most ambitious foray outside Brooklyn,” will feature a roof deck and outdoor patio seating, and a second floor will even be added on top. It’s set toopen in fall 2023. Read all about it (just get ready for your mouth to water) here.

18. Head to NYC’s first legal recreational weed dispensary that just opened

The new shop, which is operated by Housing Works in the East Village, will stand as the city’s only current shop selling regulated, safe, and tested marijuana products.The 4,400-square-foot storefront is located in the Astor Place neighborhood, and will eventually expand as cannabis products become more available. Learn more here.

19. Score discounts on designer goods when Century 21 returns to NYC

New Yorkers were heartbroken when the famed department store filed for bankruptcy & permanently closed all of its stores in the fall of 2020, but Century 21 will return to NYC sometime in spring 2023!Learn more here.

20. Look forward to the possibility of a new two-way bike boulevard on Broadway

A bike boulevard might be coming to Broadway, per suggestion of another new proposal for 2023 projects put out by the DOT.The “two-way bike boulevard” would connect Madison Square to Herald Square, and is part of aneffort intended to transform NYC into a more sustainable and efficient “megacity” in terms of transportation. Read all about it here.

21-23. Eat your way through all of NYC’s brand new food halls

Though not technically new in 2023, NYC saw an influx of food hall openings in 2022, and we doubt you’ve had the chance to eat your way throughallof them already…so they definitely belong on your 2023 bucket list! Some of our fav food halls that just recently opened in NYC include:

• Urbanspace Union Square
• Flushing’s new Food Hall and hoi polloi
• Williamsburg Market

24. Learn about endangered Hudson River species at Pier 26’s playground opening this year

Manhattan’s Pier 26 will soon be home to a brand new 4,000-square-foot playground that will give kids the chance to both have fun and learn at the same time. The playground will feature interactive sculptural elements, climbing nets, and various other engaging play features, as well as serve as an outdoor extension for environmental programming. Learn all about it here.

25. Escape to a snowy winter wonderland at Loreley Beer Garden

Loreley Beer Garden’s Snowy Winter Wonderland pop-up kicks off Wednesday, January 11, transforming the space into the ultimate snowy, winter destination. If you’re looking for hearty German-inspired dishes, festive co*cktails such as Snow White Coconut Margaritas, Nitro Cold Brew Martinis, or Boozy Bourbon Hot Chocolate, or just escape to a cozy winterscape, Loreley is a must-visit. Learn all about it here.

26. Enjoy later sunsets as the year goes on

Though winter in NYC is one of the most magical times of the year, the terribly early sunsets make the months of November-February a little tougher for everybody. Well, fear not, because from now on NYC sunsets will only get later for the rest of the year! In fact, December 13th had the earliest sunset of the year at 4:28pm! Read all about it here.

Bonus: Spark some winter magic at the ‘Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience’ in NY before it’s too late!

This winter, a stunning Forbidden-Forest-inspired trail awaits your exploration in New York’s Hudson Valley. ‘Harry Potter: A Forbidden Forest Experience’ brings countless magical moments from the films to life amidst the beautiful and expansive Franklin D. Roosevelt State Park in Westchester County, NY, and it’s a must-visit. Grab your tickets here while you still can!