10 Things to Do in New York in April

April in New York is one of the most special months of the year. Parks such as the Botanical Gardens and Central Park are filled with flowers, the sun is here to stay, and the city gets ready to celebrate Easter with its famous coloured eggs.

Spring in New York is an ideal time to travel because the days are longer and the temperatures are milder, making it an ideal time for outdoor activities. Plus, it's still low season and you can still find cheap flights. In this article I'll tell you the 10 best things to do in April in the Big Apple. Take note!

If you visit New York in April you can't miss one of the quintessential American sports: baseball. One of the most fascinating experiences I had during my trip to the Big Apple was attending a live Major League Baseball game.

April is the best month to book baseball tickets, as that's when the league kicks off and the atmosphere in the stadium is absolutely crazy. In this article I explain in detail how the baseball season works and how to get tickets to see it at a good price.

If I may give you a tip, the best thing to do is to go to a New York Yankees game , New York's most legendary and longest-running team. And a visit to Yankee Stadium is one of the city's main attractions. Tickets sell out fast, so don't think too much about it!

Can you imagine touring New York, one of the biggest cities in the world, without cars? If you travel in April, it's possible. Every year to commemorate Earth Day, Broadway Avenue cuts off traffic for a morning (from 9 am to 3 pm) along 30 streets, from Union Square to Times Square.

It's a unique opportunity to discover downtown on foot! In addition, on Car Free Day, non-profit organisations set up information booths along the route to promote activism and education around climate change, sustainability and other environmental issues.

Experience the magic of Broadway

Afterwards, in the evening, you can take advantage of being on Broadway to book tickets for Broadway and enjoy musicals such as The Lion King- for me it was an unforgettable experience! Here's a list of the top 10 Broadway shows- I'm sure you'll love one of them!

And while you're in the area, one of the nicest and most recommended restaurants on Broadway is Bubba Gump, inspired by the movie Forrest Gump - the dishes are named after the main characters in the film!

You don't have to travel to Japan to see the cherry blossoms. New York is one of the best destinations in the world to enjoy the cherry blossoms, which bloom in late April.

My favourite place to see the beauty of this species is the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and its Japanese pond, which is one of the oldest Japanese gardens outside the country. It's breathtaking! It feels like you're in the land of the rising sun.

Also, in addition to booking tickets for the Botanic Garden, you can also see the cherry blossom on Roosevelt Island and in Central Park. Here's a list of the best parks in the Big Apple for your springtime enjoyment.

At the end of April, the Brooklyn Botanic Garden also hosts the Sakura Matsuri Festival, which features activities related to Japanese culture such as musical performances, plays, martial arts and Japanese costume exhibitions, tea ceremonies and many more events. Imagine enjoying this festival and the cherry blossoms.

Imagine enjoying this festival and the cherry blossoms - it was an experience like no other! April is also the perfect month to enjoy a picnic in the open air in one of the parks or squares. Don't forget your towel!

Finally, so that "nobody steals April from you" like Joaquín Sabina, grab a pen and paper and take note of these tips for New York in spring. I assure you that you won't find a better time to visit the city!

The Easter bonnet parade, the Bonnet Festival, is a tradition that was born over a century ago, when believers dressed up in their finery to attend Easter mass.

Over time, this curious event has evolved into one of New York's most original, colourful and creative festivals, held on Easter Sunday.

In this procession, New Yorkers give free rein to their imagination and build their own hats designed with flowers or original materials and create crazy shapes taken from films, inspired by animals, American culture... There's everything. Even those made with carrots!

Decorate your own hat, the more original the better!

Don't forget to pack your hat! However, you don't have to wear a hat to join the parade on Fifth Avenue.

But if you want to enjoy the show like a true American, the best thing to do is to wear your most original hat and personalise it. You'll cause a sensation! And if you happen to book a tour of New York on this very day, the guide is sure to take you to see the parade.

If you love to sample the cuisine of other countries when you travel, you're in luck! Smorgasburg, one of New York's most popular food markets, opens in April and is the largest outdoor food market in the USA! Almost nothing.

In this hipster market, which has more than 100 stalls, you can find everything from typical American food, such as burgers and hot dogs, to very modern and curious dishes.

I was blown away by the spaghetti donuts with tomato (yes, spaghetti!) and the ramen burger, burgers that were accompanied by.... noodle bread! And if you're still hungry for more flavours, I recommend you book a food tour of Manhattan.

Useful information on the Smorgasburg flea market

• Where: at 90 Kent Avenue and N. 7th St.
• When: Saturdays from 11am to 6pm and Sundays in Prospect Park, from the first Saturday in April to the end of October.
• How to get there: The nearest underground station to Smorgasburg Market is Bedford (L). You can also take the ferry, a highly recommended option as it leaves you just a few minutes from the fair.

When you see how many hidden treasures there are in New York's flea markets, you won't want to go back to the department stores. With the arrival of the good weather in April, it's the best time to book a shopping tour of New York and also to visit the season's opening flea markets. Here are my favourites:

Broooklyn Flea Market

It's a flea market that opens on Saturdays and Sundays in Brooklyn. You'll find vintage clothing, collectibles and antiques, as well as a selection of jewellery, art, crafts and delicious fresh food.

Personally, I fell in love with the collection of world balls - I would have taken them all! Too bad they didn't fit in my suitcase. By the way, I recommend you to go here hungry so you can try the food from the different stalls.

LIC Flea & Food

Although it was born in 2019, it has become one of the most fashionable flea markets in recent times. Here you'll find curious objects, international food and craft beer.

Located in Long Island City, Queens, it's a wonderful place to buy some food and enjoy it by the river with the skyscrapers of Manhattan in the background. It's a perfect plan!

Queens International Night Market

If you want to escape the crowds of tourists, it's best to head to this market which opens on Saturday afternoons (from late April).

It's a large open-air night market with up to 100 independent vendors selling crafts and food (mostly Asian). Here you can also enjoy a good show and live concerts.

If you want to see hundreds of men dressed in plaid skirts and enjoy a good concert with bagpipes, I recommend you go to the National Tartan Day Parade, which celebrates the contributions made by the Scots to the USA and their Scottish heritage.

For one day you'll feel like you've changed countries and you're in Scotland! This event, which was born only 24 years ago, is usually held on the first Saturday in April.

What I liked most was the festive atmosphere all day long on Sixth Avenue with thousands of marchers, sausage stalls, dancers and a large number of floats dedicated to Scotland. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?

One of my favourite (and most colourful!) activities on my trip to New York was to visit the annual floral show organised by Macy's Mall in Herald Square to welcome spring in style.

The two-week event includes a huge flower show, as well as live music, seminars and children's activities. Each year's Macy's Flower Show is dedicated to a theme. In 2019, for example, the exhibition recreated the cosmos with floral figures forming planets and stars.

The dates change every year, so I recommend you visit the official website, the little ones will love it! Here is a guide to other activities you can do in New York with the family.

Another activity that will delight the little ones during your trip to New York is painting Easter eggs and decorating them with original drawings. The most popular workshop is organised by the Ukrainian Museum in New York, where materials such as wax and special dyes are used.

Also typical in the USA at this time of year is the "egg hunt", an activity that consists of children finding hidden Easter eggs around the city. This game of hide-and-seek is organised by different institutions, such as the Brooklyn Children's Museum and the Children's Museum of Manhattan, among others.

For those with a sweet tooth, you can also enjoy the chocolate eggs sold in all the bakeries - they're delicious!

Interesting facts

• Where: Ukrainian Museum of New York, 222 East 6th Street.
• How to get there: Take the F train to the Lower East Side-Second Avenue stop.