This and That: Events, Parties, and Things To Do in NYC in March 2026 (with Free Events!)
Looking for the best NYC events in March 2026? From the Whitney Biennial and the MoMA March Party to Marina Abramović in conversation with Seth Meyers, Van Cleef & Arpels’ Dance Reflections Festival, late-night Bushwick dance parties, and hands-on SoHo pop-ups, these standout exhibitions, performances, and cultural gatherings are defining New York’s social and artistic calendar for March 2026.
Dance Reflections Festival by Van Cleef & Arpels
What is it: The Dance Reflections by Van Cleef & Arpels Festival returns to New York with a citywide program dedicated to contemporary choreography and dance heritage presented by Van Cleef & Arpels. Across roughly 20 performances and workshops, the festival presents artists from across the global dance scene in venues including the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and other cultural spaces. The opening program pairs Merce Cunningham’s BIPED with Christos Papadopoulos’ Mycelium performed by Lyon Opera Ballet, setting the tone for a program that moves between historic repertoire, contemporary experimentation, and new interpretations of landmark works.
Why go: Partnering with institutions such as BAM, Park Avenue Armory, and the new Perelman Performing Arts Center, few dance festivals in New York gather this range of choreographic voices in a single program. Highlights include Benjamin Millepied and L.A. Dance Project presenting Reflections: A Triptych and the New York premiere of Romeo & Juliet Suite, Lucinda Childs staging Early Works in the Guggenheim Rotunda, and tributes to visual artist Robert Rauschenberg through revivals of works by Trisha Brown and Cunningham. The lineup also features Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker, Nacera Belaza, Leïla Ka, Alessandro Sciarroni, Robyn Orlin, and Jan Martens, alongside public workshops and repertory sessions that invite audiences to engage directly with choreographic practice.
What’s involved: Dance performances, workshops, artist talks.
Now until Saturday, March 21, 2026 at multiple venues across New York City. Information, schedule, and tickets here. Story image courtesy of the American Dance Festival.
MoMA March Party 2026
What is it: The second annual MoMA March Party brings a late night celebration to Museum of Modern Art, hosted by the museum’s Young Patrons Council. The after-hours fundraiser opens the galleries for a night of music, cocktails, and dancing inside one of the city’s most influential institutions for modern and contemporary art. Guests will also have access to the exhibition Ideas of Africa: Portraiture and Political Imagination, allowing visitors to move between the dance floor and the galleries throughout the evening.
Why go: The night blends New York’s art and nightlife communities in a setting not often experienced this way. Live music from Del Water Gap and DJ sets by Zuri Marley and Blu DeTiger anchor the evening, while the open bar and after-hours access to MoMA’s galleries create a social atmosphere that feels closer to a party than a traditional museum benefit. Organized by the Young Patrons Council, the event supports MoMA’s exhibition program while bringing together artists, collectors, and younger patrons across the city’s cultural scene.
Dress code: Festive.
What’s involved: After-hours museum access, live music, DJ sets, dancing, open bar.
Thursday, March 5, 2026 from 9:00 PM until 11:59 PM at Museum of Modern Art, 11 West 53rd Street, New York, NY 10019. Information and tickets here.
82nd Edition of the Whitney Biennial
What is it: The Whitney Biennial returns to the Whitney Museum of American Art for its 82nd edition, continuing the longest-running survey of contemporary American art. Co-organized by curators Marcela Guerrero and Drew Sawyer, the exhibition features fifty-six artists, duos, and collectives working across painting, sculpture, installation, video, and performance. Spread across much of the museum, the Biennial brings together new commissions, large-scale installations, and sensory works incorporating sound, scent, and touch to reflect the shifting landscape of art in the United States.
Why go: For nearly a century, the Whitney Biennial has served as a barometer for the direction of contemporary American art. The 2026 edition focuses on ideas of relation and connection, exploring everything from interspecies kinship and family histories to digital life and infrastructure. Highlights include work by Jasmin Sian, installations by Precious Okoyomon, a five-channel video work by Zach Blas exploring AI and tech culture, photographs by Aziz Hazara using repurposed military night-vision equipment, and a major terrace work by Kelly Akashi, commissioned by Hyundai. The show also stages a rare generational dialogue between Carmen de Monteflores and her daughter Andrea Fraser, tracing artistic ambition and care across decades.
What’s involved: Exhibition viewing, installations, performance programs.
Sunday, March 8, 2026 until August 2026 at the Whitney Museum of American Art, 99 Gansevoort Street, New York, NY 10014. Information and tickets here.
Whitney Museum of American Art Hours:
Wednesday-Thursday: 10:30 AM-6:00 PM
Friday: 10:30 AM-10:00 PM
Saturday-Monday: 10:30 AM-6:00 PM
Tuesday: Closed
Guest Spot Sundays: Dine With Dez at Casa Thirteen
What is it: Guest Spot Sundays at Casa Thirteen welcomes the team behind Dine With Dez for a one-night guest bartending takeover. The series is led by experiential producer Desmond Sam, whose Dine With Dez gatherings bring together creatives, tastemakers, and collaborators around food, drinks, and conversation. For this edition, Sam joins forces with the Casa Thirteen team alongside Zachariah Shaw to mix cocktails and kick off the group’s 2026 programming inside the cozy neighborhood bar where French and Spanish flavors meet New York nightlife.
Why go: Dine With Dez has built a following through intimate dinners and creative gatherings that blur the line between hospitality and social scene. Past editions have included private dinners and parties during Art Basel Miami Beach with guests from across the art, fashion, and nightlife worlds. This guest bartending night brings that same spirit into a casual Sunday setting, offering a chance to drop in, meet the crowd around the series, and see how the project evolves for the new year.
What’s involved: Cocktails, guest bartending, casual nightlife.
Sunday, March 8, 2026 from 5:00 PM onward at Casa Thirteen, 173 Bowery, New York, NY 10002. Information and details here.
oneoneone x Internet Hotspot Party 015: Friday the 13th Edition
What is it: Internet Hotspot and oneoneone.world host another late-night dance party at Mood Ring in Bushwick. The lineup features DJ Brandy Melville, Fefe, and Heartbreaker in a back-to-back-to-back set alongside DJ Hotbaby and Voodoo. The night runs as a continuous DJ session.
Why go: This marks the fifteenth oneoneone party since 2023, a run that has quietly built a loyal following in New York’s nightlife circuit. Their events tend to draw a tight crowd of dancers, thinkers, artists, and future lovers who treat the dance floor seriously, and Mood Ring’s Bushwick room has become one of the most consistent places in the city for that energy.
What’s involved: Dancing, DJ sets, open bar option.
Friday, March 13, 2026 from 10:00 PM until 4:00 AM at Mood Ring, 1260 Myrtle Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11221. Information and tickets here.
Sigma NYC Pop-Up 2026
What is it: Sigma, the Japanese optical manufacturer known for precision lenses and increasingly influential camera design, is opening a temporary pop-up in SoHo dedicated to hands-on photography. Founded in 1961 and widely respected among professional photographers for its Art, Sports, and Contemporary lens series, Sigma uses the three-week installation to introduce visitors to its latest gear, including the minimalist full-frame Sigma BF camera. The space allows guests to see, handle, and test cameras and lenses while learning directly from the company’s technical team and creative collaborators.
Why go: While Sigma has long been a powerhouse in the world of optical engineering, it has recently stepped further into the spotlight with its own camera systems and experimental design philosophy. The pop-up offers hands-on access to its newest tools alongside workshops and talks led by Sigma ambassadors and professional photographers. Sessions explore topics ranging from portraiture and storytelling to landscape photography, while guided photo walks around downtown Manhattan demonstrate how different lenses shape composition and perspective in real time.
What’s involved: Camera demos, workshops, photo walks.
Saturday, March 14, 2026 until Friday, April 4, 2026 from 10:00 AM until 6:00 PM daily at 21 Spring Street, New York, NY 10012. Workshops and photo walks require reservations. Information and registration here.
Queen Tamar: The Shield of Georgia at Oceana Theater
What is it: Brooklyn-based, Georgian cultural community center Pesvebi presents Queen Tamar, a dance-theater production that brings the story of Queen Tamar of Georgia to the stage through traditional Georgian dance and theatrical storytelling. The performance traces Tamar’s reign from 1184 to 1213, a period widely known as the Georgian Golden Age, when the kingdom expanded its influence across the Caucasus and experienced a flourishing of literature, art, and cultural life. The production forms part of a five-city U.S. tour organized by the Pesvebi Georgian Cultural Center.
Why go: Queen Tamar remains one of the most revered figures in Georgian history, remembered both for military victories against Seljuk forces and for patronizing the arts during a period that produced the national epic The Knight in the Panther’s Skin by Shota Rustaveli. The production translates that legacy into the physical language of Georgian dance, known for its soaring jumps, precise footwork, and proud, upright posture. Through choreography and music, the performance moves between moments of political triumph, personal struggle, and cultural achievement that defined Tamar’s reign.
What’s involved: Dance theater performance.
Saturday, March 14, 2026 at 5:00 PM at Oceana Theater, 1029 Brighton Beach Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11235. Information and tickets here.
Young People’s Chorus Gala Concert & Benefit Dinner
What is it: The Young People’s Chorus of New York City hosts its Annual Gala Concert and Benefit Dinner at Frederick P. Rose Hall. The evening centers on a large-scale choral performance featuring more than 450 singers from across the organization, conducted by founder and artistic director Francisco J. Núñez alongside creative director Elizabeth Núñez. Known for combining rigorous musical training with youth development, the chorus brings together students from across New York City for a program that highlights the scope of its award-winning ensemble.
Why go: The Young People’s Chorus has become one of the most respected youth choral organizations in the world, regularly performing at major venues and international festivals while maintaining deep ties to public school music education in New York. This gala offers the chance to hear hundreds of young voices fill Jazz at Lincoln Center’s concert hall at once, while also supporting the organization’s after-school choral programs, in-school music education across 17 NYC schools, and its College Bound initiative, which has helped ensure every graduating senior continues to higher education.
What’s involved: Choral concert, benefit dinner.
Monday, March 16, 2026 from 7:00 PM onward at Frederick P. Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Broadway and West 60th Street, New York, NY 10019. Information and tickets here.
Marina Abramović in Conversation with Seth Meyers presented by How To Academy
What is it: Performance artist Marina Abramović appears live in conversation with comedian and television host Seth Meyers for an evening discussion about her career and the evolution of performance art. Hosted by How To Academy, the event takes place at the Great Hall at Cooper Union and reflects on five decades of Abramović’s work, from early endurance pieces to landmark performances such as The Artist Is Present.
Why go: Abramović remains one of the most influential figures in contemporary art, known for works that test physical endurance, vulnerability, and the relationship between artist and audience. This conversation offers a rare chance to hear her reflect directly on those experiences, including formative performances that involved extreme physical risk and the now legendary 700-hour performance at MoMA. With Seth Meyers guiding the discussion, the evening promises both insight and a more informal perspective on an artist whose work continues to shape the language of performance.
What’s involved: Artist talk and conversation.
Wednesday, March 18, 2026 at 7:00 PM at the Great Hall at Cooper Union, 7 East 7th Street, New York, NY 10003. Information and tickets here.
A play-by-play of the MoMA March Party 2025, from the perspective of poet and model Emily Ming-An Wang, featuring run-ins with old flames and new friends, plus plenty of art and music.