Top 10 Cultural Events in New York, United States

The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is about as American as apple pie and has become a Thanksgiving Day tradition for millions since 1924. The parade runs up Central Park West and 6th Ave in New York City and features an impressive display of floats, marching bands, musical acts, and iconic oversized balloons of famed pop culture characters like Snoopy, Kermit, and Bugs Bunny. Other notable moments include performances from original Broadway casts and an impressive lineup of high school marching bands from around the country. All of the sights, sounds, and glamour of New York City in one holiday extravaganza.

The Village Halloween Parade is a New York institution, and was started back in 1974 by master puppeteer Ralph Lee as a festive Halloween celebration for friends and family in his New York City neighbourhood. Over forty years later, the parade has become one of the largest annual Halloween parties in the city, attracting over 100,000 costumed participants and millions of spectators. The parade is packed full of musicians, dancers, artists and incredible large-scale puppets, for everyone’s viewing pleasure. A fun alternative, or add-on, to trick or treating – this parade truly has something for everybody on Halloween night.

The Great New York State Fair is America's first and oldest state fair. It is a massive music festival, with more than 500 free performances over 13 days, highlighted by the daily shows by national touring acts on the Chevy Court stage. It features one of the largest midways, with approximately 90 rides and many games. The Fair is a food festival, with more than 200 vendors offering everything from the standard to unique and crazy food creations. Signature foods include the cup of perfectly chilled chocolate or white milk at the Rainbow Milk Bar, the $1 baked potato or sweet potato with all the fixings, and the sausage sandwich with peppers and onions that every politician absolutely must have before leaving. Animals of all kinds. Jugglers, characters, and all types of street entertainment. Fine arts. You can witness the miracle of birth in the Dairy Cow Birthing Center. Sample for free and buy some of the best foods made in New York State. And so much more.

You never forget the memories you make at the Christmas Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes. From the moment you walk into Radio City Music Hall to the very last dazzling dance number, experience the magic that only Rockettes can create. Bring your family for a one-of-a-kind tradition, where wooden soldiers dance, ice skaters glide, snowflakes swirl—and the unmistakable spirit of Christmas in New York City comes alive.

Go Green for St. Patty's Day! Celebrated in early spring, the St. Patrick's Day Parade takes over New York's 5th Ave., between 44th and 79th street. Floats, bagpipers, dancers, and more take to the streets in the thousands to celebrate the Patron Saint of Ireland-- with plenty of Irish music to set pace! The city itself erupts into celebration, with bars and pubs filled to the nines with people wearing green and orange. Whether you take to the outdoors to watch the parade as it passes by iconic New York locations, from Central Park to St. Patrick's Cathedral, or watch it from the television of a nearby bar or restaurant, you're sure to get swept up in the high-energy of the event.

The Tribeca Film Festival celebrated its decade-long anniversary in 2012. The brainchild of Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff, it brings an array of international and indie films to New York's silver screens, often by young and emerging filmmakers. Now a New York staple, the festival receives over 10,000 submissions and screens over 1,500 films, which compete for awards in categories ranging from 'best narrative feature' to 'best actor/actress in a narrative feature'. The lineup includes, alongside the usual dramas and coming-of-age tales, documentaries, shorts, and family films. Running across the better half of the month, the Festival also brings together insiders for panels, discussions, and showcases. Over three million people attend the festival's screenings.

Two great reasons to visit beautiful Binghamton, New York come together every early August at the Spiedie Fest & Balloon Rally. One is the chance to indulge in the area’s ultimate nosh: a spiedie sandwich, consisting of grilled cubes of marinated meat served in a submarine style roll. The other is to take in the gorgeous Broome County countryside dotted with a dreamy skyline of hot air balloons in flight for the annual rally.