We’ve got your guide to the biggest events of the month as we prepare to send off winter and welcome the season of flowers, films and festivals.
Sumo + Sushi
Three champion sumo wrestlers will show off the history and skills of their sport at the Playstation Theater while you dine on a Japanese bento box dinner during the first-ever Sumo + Sushi. Every ticket is a ringside seat for this unique affair, where a daring few will even get in the ring with the pros. March 3-4
Orchid Show
There New York Botanical Garden’s annual Orchid Show returns the first weekend of March, with the flower extravaganza taking a fine art angle this year. Danish flower artisan Daniel Ost has created a series of “living sculptures” to fit into the environment of the garden’s main Victorian-style Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. On Orchid Nights, enjoy the flowers with live performances, dining and drinks. March 3-April 22
Drone Film Festival
Getting a camera up in the air used to be only in the budget of the biggest movies, but drones have fulfilled the dreams of aspiring filmmakers around the world. The New York City Drone Film Festival — the first event of its kind when it debuted in 2014 — brings together enthusiasts and pros for two days of panels, screenings, production classes and more. March 3-4
The 90th Annual Academy Awards
The final (and largest) showdown for 2017 movie glory, the Oscars, goes down the first weekend of March. Will it be Jordan Peele’s masterpiece thriller about race Get Out or Guillermo del Toro’s woman-fish love story The Shape of Water win the night? It’s been a wild year for movies, so you’ll want to get to one of the viewing parties around the city to watch it with a good crowd. March 4
Slate’s Culture Gabfest
To celebrate its 10th anniversary, Slate’s Culture Gabfest is hosting a live show at Brooklyn’s The Bell House where hosts Stephen Metcalf, Dana Stevens and Julia Turner as they put the world of entertainment through their witty, rigorous and insightful analysis. March 7
Winter Wine Festival
After huddling inside for three months, we’re sure you’ll appreciate strolling through a vineyard. The Winter Wine Festival transforms the PlayStation Theater into an indoor land of grapevines, with dozens of vintages from around the world for pairing with savory and sweet nibbles, with live jazz music to set the mood. March 10
Coffee & Tea Festival
Caffeine lovers, mark your calendars for the biggest weekend of your year: the Coffee & Tea Festival, back for a 13th year of everything from java to matcha. More than 100 exhibitors from around the world gather at the Brooklyn Expo Center to to show off the latest coffee- and tea-brewing tech (and, of course, offer tastings), baristas hold seminars and food vendors will help settle your jitters. Serious fans have a new VIP ticket ($35) that allows two extra hours of tasting and comes with a goodie bag, $10 and up, March 10-11
Asia Week New York
Asian art and culture take the spotlight during the annual Asia Week New York with museums, cultural societies and galleries around the city staging limited-time exhibitions, showing rare pieces of their collections and holding talks and demonstrations all about Asian arts. Highlights include the opening of the Divine Feminine showcase of Nepalese art at Tibet House and a talk on real and imagined landscapes at the Met. March 15-24
Queens World Film Festival
Organized by theme, the annual Queens World Film Festival always manages to put its finger on the pulse of what we’re thinking about here in New York and Beyond. There’s no better chance to catch a glimpse into the strange and wonderful experience of being human, whether it’s the short films series about young LGBTQ adults’ coming out stories or the anxieties of real and metaphorical revolving doors. March 15-25
St. Patrick’s Day
The luck o’ the Irish smiles on us all again when St. Patrick’s Day comes round this month (and on a Saturday to boot!) While traditionally the holiday marks the death of the patron saint of Ireland with a day of cultural celebrations, it’s more commonly known as the day to eat, drink and wear green things — just remember to be cool when you bring the craic. March 17
Holi in the City
The Indian festival of colors Holi is a chance to rejoice at the end of winter (well, almost) and welcome spring by painting everyone and everything with rainbow-colored powders. Wear white to take part in the festival during two daytime parties at the four-level club Stage48’s Holi in the City on March 17 and March 31 when revelers will be doused in colorful powders while enjoying food and drinks on the rooftop lounge. Must be 21+, $35-$50, Noon-7 p.m.
Rocktopia
With Bruce Springsteen packing in full houses nightly on Broadway, expect to see more music-driven ideas in traditional theaters. Rocktopia at the Broadway Theatre promises to be an intriguing melding of genres: a full classical orchestra and choir will back a rock band and pop/rock singers including Pat Monahan of Train to merge their two musical worlds into a new kind of anthemic genre. March 20-April 29
Dine in Brooklyn
Brooklyn’s own Restaurant Week is a great excuse to find some deep cuts in the borough’s hotter than ever restaurant scene. At $28 for three-course prix fixe dinners, $15 two-course lunches and $12 weekend brunch, the prices during Dine in Brooklyn are much better than the broader NYC Restaurant Week, with dozens of options throughout the borough. March 20-30
Affordable Art Fair
Start your art collection by getting in on the ground floor with up-and-coming artists at the Affordable Art Fair, going on at the Metropolitan Pavilion. Over 300 contemporary artists, both new and established names, are represented at this casual, approachable event featuring everything from watercolors to lithographs, etchings and screen prints. Prices range from $100 to $10,000. March 21-25
Architectural Digest Design Show
Spring cleaning got you thinking about refreshing your space? For four days, 400 brands take over Piers 92 and 94 in Chelsea during the 17th annual Architectural Digest Design Show. Their dozens of fully furnished “vignettes” display the latest in kitchen, bath, bed and living room designs from indie makers and established names, plus chats with designers, cooking demos and more. March 22-25
Macy’s Flower Show
For two weeks only, the glittering halls of Macy’s Herald Square become display cases for blooms from around the world (along with bouquets of on-theme merchandise) during the Macy’s Flower Show. This year’s theme is Once Upon a Springtime, with tons of fairytale displays (last year, they put a functioning Ferris wheel in the store!) and many more surprises. March 25-April 8
New Directors/New Films 2018
Hollywood is starting to put the reins of big movies in the hands of women and non-white filmmakers, with amazing results like Black Panther and I, Tonya. New Directors/New Films has been highlighting the work of emerging creatives from around the world for 47 years, curated by the Museum of Modern Art and the Film Society of Lincoln Center. The festival is split between the two venues, with 35 films over the festival’s 12 days. March 28-April 8
The return of Smorgasburg
As sure a sign of spring as new blossoms and tank tops is the return of Smorgasburg to the great outdoors of Brooklyn. Smorgasburg Williamsburg will reopen at East River State Park on Saturdays starting March 31, while Smorgasburg in Prospect Park breezes back onto Breeze Hill on April 1.
