Winter Restaurant Week, many of the city’s best restaurants set low fixed-price menus corresponding to the year (e.g. US$20.03 for a three-course lunch in 2003), last week in Jan, various venues.

Manhattan Antiques and Collectibles Triple Pier Expo, Feb, Hudson River

Chinese New Year, new lunar year celebrations, early Feb, Chinatown

Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, more than 2500 champion dogs compete (website: www.westminsterkennelclub.org), one weekend in Feb, MadisonSquareGarden

New York Flower Show, Mar, 90 and 93 51st Street and 12th Avenue

Art Expo New York, Mar, Javits Convention Centre

St Patrick’s Day Parade, Irish-American parade, 17 Mar, Fifth Avenue

Macy’s Flower Show, Apr, Macy’s department store, Herald Square

Tartan Day, 10,000 pipers and drummers march through city streets in celebration of Scotland, early Apr, Manhattan

Cherry Blossom Festival, the first signs of New York spring (website: www.bbg.org), mid-Apr, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Washington Avenue

Ninth Avenue International Food Festival, culinary street fair (website: www.9th-ave.com), May, Ninth Avenue

DanceAfrica Festival, African and African-American dance festival, May, Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM)

Fleet Week, a nautical festival hosted by the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum (website: www.intrepidmuseum.org), Memorial Day weekend, May, HudsonHarbor

Summerstage, free outdoor concerts, May–Aug, Central Park

Summer Restaurant Week, many of the city’s best restaurants set low fixed-price menus corresponding to the year (e.g. US$20.03 for a three-course lunch in 2003), one week in Jun, various venues

Heritage of Pride, annual lesbian and gay pride march, ending in street festival and dance party, late Jun, upper Fifth Avenue to the Village

Mermaid Parade, the city’s most informal and most lively parade with a nautical theme (website: www.coneyislandusa.com), late Jun, Coney Island

Fourth of July, annual firework display in celebration of American Independence, 4 Jul, over the East River

Mostly Mozart, music festival, Aug, Avery Fisher Hall

Bryant Park, free outdoor classic films (website: www.bryantpark.org), Aug, Bryant Park, 42nd Street

Feast of San Gennaro, extravaganza of eating, drinking and merry-making, one week in mid-Sep, Little Italy

Greenwich Village Halloween Parade, exuberant fancy dress procession, 31 Oct, along Sixth Avenue

Next Wave Festival, avant-garde dance and music festival, early Oct–Jan, Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM)

New York City Marathon, early Nov, starts in Staten Island, finishes in Central Park

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, New York institution featuring huge hot-air balloons in the shape of cartoon characters, such as Snoopy, the Pink Panther and Betty Boop, Thanksgiving Day, Nov, 145 Street to 34th Street

New Year’s Eve, street party, 31 Dec, Times Square