Firebird, American Ballet Theatre. Photo: Gene Schiavone

Winter 2025–26 Arts Guide

A great art exhibit or magical performance is never far from you in New York City, no matter where in the five boroughs you are or what time of year it is. This season, get ready for a 250-year celebration of Jane Austen at the Grolier Club, African portraiture on display at MoMA and a retrospective of Finnish artist Helene Schjerfbeck at the Met Fifth Avenue. On stage, find the latest in the Encores series at New York City Center as well as the daring Under the Radar Festival, taking place at theaters citywide.

SEE THESE EXHIBITIONS

NYC's museums and galleries hold art of every kind.

A person wearing a mask works on the open mouth of a large, realistic triceratops model in a workshop filled with tools and materials.
Nov 17, 2025 - Ongoing
Museums & Galleries
Upper West Side

Impact: The End of the Age of Dinosaurs

This exhibition traces a timeline of when and after dinosaurs roamed the Earth.

Two vintage Penguin book covers: "Northanger Abbey" in orange and "Persuasion" in purple, both by Jane Austen, featuring the Penguin logo and "The Forces Book Club" text at the bottom.
Dec 4, 2025 - Feb 14, 2026
Museums & Galleries
Upper East Side

Paper Jane: 250 Years of Austen

The Grolier Club celebrates the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth.

Facade of a grand museum with neoclassical architecture featuring large columns, arched windows, and ornate detailing. A red banner with "The Met" hangs above the entrance. Stone steps lead up to the entrance.
Dec 5, 2025 - Apr 5, 2026
Museums & Galleries
Upper East Side

Seeing Silence: The Paintings of Helene Schjerfbeck

The Met Museum showcases this Finnish painter’s portraits and still-life paintings.

Three people in traditional patterned clothing stand in front of a vintage car. Two adults are in ornate dresses and headpieces, while a child stands beside them. The background is a bare wall, and part of another person is visible on the far right.
Dec 14, 2025 - Jul 25, 2026
Museums & Galleries
Midtown West

Ideas of Africa: Portraiture and Political Imagination

MoMA examines how photography helped contribute to the Pan-African solidarity of the mid-20th century.

Nov 14, 2025 - Ongoing
Museums & Galleries
Lower Manhattan

Path to Liberty

This exhibition at Fraunces Tavern Museum is an in-depth look at the role of orders in soldiers' lives

A classical painting of a young man with dark, curly hair gazing forward, draped in a white cloth, holding a large basket filled with various fruits and leaves against a dark background.
Jan 16, 2026 - Apr 19, 2026
Museums & Galleries
Murray Hill

Caravaggio’s “Boy with a Basket of Fruit” in Focus

The famed Italian painter’s revolutionary work is on loan from Rome’s Galleria Borghese.

A person wearing dark round goggles, a black cap, and a black gas mask with large silver filters, dressed in black clothing and gloves, stands outdoors with a blurred rocky background.
Feb 7, 2026 - Apr 26, 2026
Parks & Gardens
The Bronx

The Orchid Show: Mr. Flower Fantastic’s Concrete Jungle

The annual show returns with works from MFF, who blends forestry, sculpture and pop culture.

Feb 12, 2026 - May 9, 2026
Museums & Galleries
Chelsea

Future Schools: Toward a 21st Century Academy

This exhibition rethinks arts education and exhibition practices with the goal of transforming the future of schools and museums.

A dress pattern made from white paper with red and blue edging lies flat on a blue background. The pattern includes armholes, neckline, and folded edges, resembling the shape of a sleeveless dress.
Feb 18, 2026 - Apr 19, 2026
Museums & Galleries
Chelsea

Art X Fashion

The Museum at FIT traces the intersection of fine art and fashion over three centuries.

Mar 19, 2026 - Mar 22, 2026
Art Galleries
Chelsea

Outsider Art Fair

The perennial favorite features visionary, intuitive, primitive and self-taught works.

WATCH THESE PERFORMANCES

Find a mix of dance, music and theater on NYC's stages.

Barbie at The Contenders MoMA
Nov 6, 2025 - Jan 8, 2026
Film & TV
Midtown West

The Contenders

MoMA’s annual series celebrates films that are destined to stand the test of time.

Queens of Sheba: Photo: Ali Wright
Jan 7, 2026 - Jan 25, 2026
Performing Arts
Citywide

Under the Radar

Experience a crash course in independent and experimental theater from around the world.

Jan 8, 2026 - Jan 13, 2026
Music
Citywide

Winter Jazzfest

Scores of musicians perform jazz at venues all around the City.

People gather outside the illuminated New York City Center theater at dusk, standing in line near ticket barriers on the street, under the ornate marquee and decorative facade.
Feb 4, 2026 - Jun 28, 2026
Performing Arts
Midtown West

Encores! 2026

New York City Center presents three shows as part of its long-running series.

Feb 27, 2026 - Mar 15, 2026
Film & TV
Citywide

New York International Children’s Film Festival

See thought-provoking independent films and Hollywood flicks for young people.

Two ballet dancers in white costumes perform on stage. The female dancer balances en pointe with one arm extended, while the male dancer holds her hand, both poised gracefully against a plain backdrop.
Mar 6, 2026 - Mar 21, 2026
Dance
Upper West Side

American Ballet Theatre Spring 2026 Season

ABT returns with full-length ballets, repertory programs and a joyous finale.

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