Staying in the city for Labor Day? No sweat! There are plenty of awesome happenings for Labor Day in this eclectic, thriving, popping city.
Basically, you don't need to waste your time and money buying a bus ticket or hitching a ride in your friend's car. You don't need to feel sorry for yourself if you're not going to Cape Cod, the Hamptons, or the Jersey Shore.
When you live in a city this amazing and bursting with fun, water activities, amazing food and music, and the best people on earth, why would you need to leave?
That's right; you don't have to.
Here are 17 amazing ways to celebrate Labor Day, right here in the ol' Big Apple.
1. Attend the Gramercy Park Neighborhood Festival
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This neighborhood festival has been rocking since 1993. This year's Gramercy Park Neighborhood Festival will keep that legacy going strong, by throwing down on Saturday, September 5th at 3rd Avenue and 14th Street starting at 10 a.m. and rocking all the way until 6 p.m.
It will feature over 400 authentic ethnic foods, arts and crafts, and antique, jewelry, and merchandise exhibitors.
There will also be over 100 cultural, corporate, and non profit displays on view, in addition to live entertainment.
If this sounds like something you'd be into, join 80,000 of your best friends at this phenomenal Labor Day party.
2. Jam out at West Indian-American Day
largeupdotcom Happy West Indian American Day! We'll see you out on Eastern Parkway -- Bless Up! ๐ #WestIndianAmericanDay #Carnival #EasternParkway #Trinidad #ReidVanRenesse #RamajayMasBand #MasCamp #LaborDayParade
A staple of Labor Day in NYC, West Indian American Day is dedicated to promoting, developing, and celebrating Caribbean culture, arts, history, and traditions in NYC.
How will they do that? With a carnival, of course.
The West Indian American Day Carnival was started in Harlem in the 1930s by Jessie Wardell, and has evolved to the present day to include thousands of participants, over a million attendees, food vendors, a steel band orchestra, and king and queen of carnival competitions.
Held in Crown Heights and bursting with jerk chicken and ice cream, this year's parade will be on Monday, September 7th on the Eastern Parkway.
3. Watch the Great North River Tugboat Race and Competition
This year will mark the 23rd anniversary of the Great North River Tugboat Race and Competition.
On Sunday September 6th, tugboats will hit the Hudson River at 10 a.m. and race viciously until 2 p.m. at Pier 84 (West 44th Street and Hudson River Park).
If you love boats, being on the water, and biting your nails to see who wins races, make sure you get aboard the Spectator Boat, which will depart at 9:30 a.m. from Pier 83. Tickets for this boat ride are $25.
There will also be some competitions afterward to keep the fun going strong. The annual spinach-eating contest promises to be deliciously fierce, as well as the amateur line-toss competition.
4. Rock out at the West Side County Fair
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On Sunday, September 6th, from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., the magic of the West Side County Fair will erupt in Manhattan with carnival rides and games, four live bands, sideshow performers, aerialists, reptile shows, and food and merchandise vendors.
Basically, it'll be a completely blast and the absolute best way to get down for Labor Day in NYC this year.
It'll take place at Pier 1 in Riverside Park at West 68th Street, and Justin Wood will be this year's host and featured entertainment. So if you love food, jamming out, and all the joys of carnivals, we think we just found your Labor Day plans.
5. Visit an outer borough wine bar
peasloveandguac Wine and a fancy cheese plate (with one that's cut into a flower!) make for a perfect girls night out! ๐๐๐ท๐ธ๐๐ฏ๐ด๐๐ฆ @tinydancer144
Nothing says celebration like a woozy, boozy wine bar. Since it's labor day, why not get yourself out of the tired old borough you spend all your time in, and visit somewhere new?
There's no better way to welcome yourself to a new borough by pouring their best wine down your throat. Luckily, Queens and Brooklyn have some amazing wine bars.
From Black Mountain Wine Bar in Gowanus, with its intimate atmosphere and innovative lite-bite menu, to Claret Wine Bar in Queens which boasts a robust wine selection and the most delicious prosciutto pizza in the galaxy, your options here are abundant.
6. Or, visit a wine bar in Manhattan
If you feel like acquiring a wine buzz in Manhattan, these Manhattan wine bars should suit your fancy. The best part is that lots of them have delicious food options in addition to dizzying varieties of red and white vino.
The Immigrant in the East Village stocks their food selection with savory olives, cheeses, cured meats, and in-house specialties. East Harlem's ABV offers delectable options like black bass tartare, chicken liver mousse, grilled cheese, and Maine Scallops.
Will you be drinking closer to midtown? Then get yourself to Sofia Wine Bar, satisfy yourself with their smooth, delicious wine, and snack on their perfect spinach artichoke dip and margherita pizza.
7. Visit a rooftop garden
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NYC has some insane rooftop gardens. From the High Line all the way out to Brooklyn Grange, when it comes to rooftop gardens, NYC's gardeners certainly lives up to this city's reputation of all-star innovators.
You probably won't be able to convince David Puchkoff and Eileen Stukan to let you visit their West Village rooftop cottage, but you can attend The High Line's High Line as Habitat tour on Saturday, September 5th from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Or, you could attend the Open House at Brooklyn Grange's Long Island City Flagship Farm on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
8. Go to the beach
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Oh, NYC's beaches, how we love you.
Celebrate Labor Day with the classic approach, by having an all-out day of relaxation at one of NYC's beaches. Where should you go? Well, your options vary.
You could visit Rockaway Beach in Queens which you can access at the end of the line on a Far Rockaway-bound A train.
You could also experience all the glory of Coney Island's beaches via a Coney Island-bound D, Q, N, or F train. We also highly recommend the Riis Park Beach Bazaar, which includes food vendors, live music, plenty of craft alcohol, beachside games, and an overall amazing time.
If, however, you're not purchasing alcohol legally at the Riis Park Beach Bazaar, don't forget to be stealthy about sneaking alcohol onto the beach.
9. Gorge on delicious food at an outdoor food festival
If you haven't heard, La Marqueta is the hottest food festival in East Harlem.
Taking place on Sunday for the last time this summer on Park Avenue between 115 and 116 Streets, this amazing food fest will include delicious eats from Carnitas El Atoradero, Walking Dog BBQ, Hot Bread Kitchen, and more.
You can also get yourself to Queens to grub at the LIC Flea and Food, or down to Brooklyn to satiate yourself at Fort Greene Flea or Smorgasburg.
A word to the wise: remember that Smorgasburg will be in Prospect Park for the rest of the season, so head there, not Brooklyn Bridge Park, in order to chow down in honor of Labor Day.
,10. Frolic around Queens
This just in: there are a ton of amazing things to do in Queens. Seriously, there are tons of things to do in this borough... and all of them are just as amazing as the next.
You could visit the Queens County Farm Museum, the Queens Zoo, or treat yourself to some lemon ice at Benfaremo.
In between all these amazing activities (which is the best way to ring out summertime), be sure to grub while you're here.
You know, Queens has some of the best food in the entire city.
11. Take advantage of Central Park
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There are techniques to navigating Central Park like a pro.
Since we live here all the time, with one of the most amazing, famous urban parks in the whole world right in our backyard, why not use this holiday as your opportunity to take advantage?
Go rowing at the Loeb Boathouse, ride the swings at the Victorian Gardens Amusement Park, or just astound yourself with endless rows of flowers in Shakespeare's Garden.
Whatever you decide to do, Central Park is a great place to do it. Don't forget to check our tips for navigating the park because we definitely don't want you wandering around aimlessly on this important holiday.
12. Hit up Prospect Park
amacstromoski #prospectpark may not have the rain forests of the Pacific Northwest or the mountains of Colorado, but it's home. And no place makes me happier. #everytrailconnects #brooklyn #urbanoasis
If Central Park sounds too played out to you, we have a phenomenal alternative. Namely, the glorious gem nestled in Brooklyn referred to as Prospect Park.
From Smorgasburg to kayak rentals, to plenty of outdoor barbecue space and room for sports, Prospect Park will most certainly have it going on for Labor Day.
So if you are looking for a spot for you and your crew to meet up and hang, you just found it.
13. Eat by the water
New York City is flanked on either side by sparkling rivers. Luckily for us, plenty of restaurants sprung up beside these sparkling rivers.
NYC has the most delicious waterside restaurants in the nation, not to mention heart-stopping, gorgeous views.
NYC's waterside restaurants include, but are not limited to, The Bayhouse in Queens, with its stunning views, shrimp shaker, and Sante Fe steak wrap, and Brooklyn Crab, with similarly stunning views, mini golf, corn hole and some of the most delicious lobster on the planet.
14. Visit a public pool
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If you love swimming, but hate sand or the potential interaction with oceanic wildlife, get yourself and your pals to one of NYC's public pools.
Since Labor Day Weekend is the last time these public pools will be available for your swimming delight, the need has never been more urgent than it is now to get yourself, your swimsuit, and your combination lock into these glorious, chlorinated waters.
15. Participate in a waterside activity
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We mentioned that NYC is flanked by sparkling rivers, and that there are plenty of delicious restaurants that allow you the opportunity to eat beside these rivers.
What happens when you tire of looking at the rivers and you want to interact with them? That's when NYC's waterside activities come in handy.
From kayaking with the North Brooklyn Boat Club, the Downtown Boathouse, or at Prospect Park, to just chilling out beside the river at Brooklyn Bridge Park, or rowing at the Loeb Boathouse at Central Park, there are plenty of ways for you and your pals to riverside chill in NYC this Labor Day.
16. Jam out at the Electric Zoo Music Festival
Randall's Island is, in fact, beside the raging waters of the East River. It also happens to be the host of NYC's premier electronic music festival, the Electric Zoo Music Festival, which prompts more than a hundred thousand music fans to cross the bridge to Randall's Island every Labor Day.
This year's classic zoo theme will be infused with a new twist: transformers. The lineup includes Above and Beyond, Alesso, the Chemical Brothers, and more.
Get your tables here as soon as you can because we're you're need one to save yourself from all the madness.
17. March in NYC's Labor Day Parade
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NYC's Labor Day Parade will storm 5th Avenue on September 12th at 10 a.m.
Its marchers will parade from 44th Street to 64th Street to celebrate everyone who spends every day keeping NYC running. Everyone from teachers to construction workers to supermarket employees to doctors.
And if you want to apply to be in the parade, you can do so here.
Check out 13 Can't-Miss Events Happening This September in NYC.