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Manhattan Easter Events, Brunches & Ceremonies in MHTN NYC

There are Two Easters Observed - 1) West European Christians & 2) East European Orthodox

April 20, 2025 / Manhattan Neighborhoods NYC / Manhattan Things To Do Events NYC / Manhattan Buzz NYC.

Very Brief Introduction to Christian Easter Traditions

Christians observe Good Friday, which is when the Bible tells us that Jesus died on the cross. On the Sunday following Good Friday, Christians celebrate the Biblical account of Jesus rising from the dead, which is Easter.

Emperor Constantine became the Roman Emperor in 306. In 324 Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire.

In 1054, the Great Schism occurred, wherein Christianity split into two different sects - Roman Catholic Christians [primarily in Western Europe] and Orthodox Christians [primarily in Eastern Europe]. The traditions have much in common, but one of the differences is in how they calculate the time of Good Friday and Easter Sunday.

The Western European Christians [Protestants and Catholics] use the Gregorian Calendar to calculate when to celebrate Good Friday and Easter. The Gregorian calendar was created in the 16th century and made the official calendar by Pope Gregory. Orthodox Christians use the Julian Calendar, which was made law in the Roman Empire in 45 B.C. by Julius Caesar. The primary difference between the Julian and Gregorian calendars is that the Gregorian calendar uses Leap Year [this year is one of them] to adjust the calendar for the 1/4 extra day per year, that to our rotation around the sun requires. Thus the calendar differences, and how the date of Easter is calculated, is why the Orthodox and Roman Catholic / Protestant Christian Easters oftentimes occur on different dates.

This year [2025] the celebrations of the two traditions are celebrated the same week, whereas in 2024 the celebrations were separated by five weeks. So both the traditional Western European Christian and the Eastern Orthodox Christians are celebrating Easter the same week.

Next Up - The History of the Easter Bunny & Related Traditions

CLICK here to view our report on Easter events, Easter egg hunts and Easter brunches in Manhattan NYC. We start off with a brief history of the Easter Bunny and the origin of related traditions.

Manhattan Easter Events, Brunches & Ceremonies in MHTN NYC

There are Two Easters Observed - 1) West European Christians & 2) East European Orthodox

April 20, 2025 / Manhattan Neighborhoods NYC / Manhattan Things To Do Events NYC / Manhattan Buzz NYC. Continued.

The Origin of Easter Bunny & Related Traditions

The origin of the Easter Bunny and the related traditions of painting and hiding eggs dates back to southern Germany in ancient times. Eggs were a sign of fertility, and according to some accounts, the Easter hare originated as a bird before becoming the rabbit. The rabbit is also known as a fertile animal giving birth to litters of little rabbits.

The tradition arrived in America in Pennsylvania in the 1700's. From there it evolved into the whole slew of grand traditions it has become today, which in NYC include an Easter parade of fashion on Easter day in front of St. Patrick's Cathedral on 5th Avenue, numerous Easter Egg hunts in parks and other places in all five boroughs, as well as numerous Easter Brunches organized by numerous restaurants around the city.

What follows are a selection of many of the Easter events occurring in NYC in the coming week. These include a number of Orthodox Easter events, including one of my favorites, which is the Greek Orthodox Holy Friday procession of re-enacting Christ's climb up Mount Calvary. The Greeks call Mount Calvary, Golgatha, translated means the Place of the Skull. We have also included a few non-Easter events we believed are timed to take advantage of folks looking to use their leisure time in non-traditional Easter ways. Have a Happy Easter.

This page is organized as follows this year [2025].

First we included all of the Greek Orthodox Holy Friday evening processions carrying the epitaphios.

Then we take you through Easter Weekend events.

Manhattan Greek Orthodox Easter Events

Friday, April 18, 2025 beginning at 7 pm [UNCONFIRMED] - Lamentation & Epitafios - at St. John is located at 148 East 17th Street at 3rd Avenue in the Gramercy Park neighborhood of Manhattan. This Greek Orthodox Church Trisagion Service commemorates Holy Friday and the crucifixion and death of Christ with the carrying of the epitaphios through the streets of Gramercy Park in a candlelit procession. The religious and cultural event includes a procession from the Church of St. John around several nearby blocks, before returning to the church. For more details, including of Greek Orthodox Easter Sunday mass see - https://www.stjohn.ny.goarch.org/

Friday, April 18, 2025 from 6.30 - 9.30 pm - Lamentation & Epitafios - at St Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine at the World Trade Center at 130 Liberty Street in Downtown Manhattan NYC. For details see - https://church.stnicholaswtc.org/event/epitaphios/

Friday, April 18, 2025 from 7 to 9 pm - Lamentation & Epitafios - at the Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity at 337 East 74th Street on the Upper East Side of Manhattan NYC. For details see https://www.thecathedralnyc.org

Manhattan Easter Parade & Easter Events & Egg Hunts NYC

Downtown NYC _ Saturday, March 15, 2025 from 11 am to 2 pm - Holi at the South St Seaport - at 12 Fulton Street [at Pearl] in the Downtown neighborhood of Manhattan. An Indian festival celebrating Spring where folks put colorful powders on each other in a sign of affection or recognition. Free with rsvp. No outside colors permitted, but you can buy from them. For details and to purchase powder from the organizer copy & paste - https://theculturetree.com

Friday, April 4th - October 5th or 12th, 2025 from 8 am to 9 pm daily - Pickleball Courts - are open at Wollman Rink on the southwest corner of Central Park. For details and tickets that cost $80 - $120 per hour, see - https://www.centralpark.com/events/pickleball-at-wollman-rink/ or https://wollmanrinknyc.com.

Midtown _ Friday - Sunday, April 18 - 20, 2025 from 10 am to 6 pm [closes at 12 midnight] - Easter Photos on the Top of the Rock - at 30 Rockefeller Center in Midtown Manhattan NYC. Take Easter photos on the roof deck of Rockefeller Center. For details & tickets see - https://www.rockefellercenter.com/events/celebrate-easter-at-rockefeller-center/

Midtown West _ Friday, April 18 - Sunday, April 27, 2025 from 10 am - 10 pm, except Sundays when it closes at 7 pm - the International Auto Show - at the Javits Center in West Midtown Manhattan. Admission is $22 adults [age 13+ ] / $8 kids [ages 3 - 12] tickets / kids 2 and under are free. For details & tickets see - https://www.autoshowny.com/ or https://javitscenter.com/

Governors Island _ Saturday, April 19, 2025 from 10 am - 3 pm - Governors Island Earth Day Replaces Easter Egg Hunt - on Governors Island. In 2024, the 2nd Annual Governors Island Easter egg hunt took place, with 50,000 candy-filled eggs spread around Governors Island. This year Governor's Island celebrates Earth Day with a full schedule of events that include learning about seaweed, trees, oysters, birds, planting seeds and climate change and technologies. For details and ferry passage planning & ticket purchases [Adults $4 / Kids & Seniors $2 / Kids under 12 free], copy & paste - https://www.govisland.com/things-to-do/events/earth-day-on-governors-island

Midtown _ Sunday, April 20, 2025 from 10 am to 4 pm - Easter Bonnet Parade. The parade takes place along 5th Avenue between 49th to 57th Streets. It's more of a milling about in bonnets and Easter outfits, than it is a real parade. More like a themed costume party. It has no official organizer, so no official website.

Midtown _ Sunday, April 20, 2025 at various times - Easter Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral along 5th Avenue between 50th and 51st Streets. For details, copy & paste - https://www.saintpatrickscathedral.org

UWS _ Sunday, April 20, 2025 from 10.30 am to 12.15 pm - Easter Mass at St. John the Divine Cathedral at 1047 Amsterdam Avenue between 110th - 113th Streets on the UWS. For details, copy & paste - https://www.stjohndivine.org

Midtown _ Sunday, April 27 - May 11, 2025 - The Macy's Flower Show - at Macy's Herald Square in Midtown. Macy's is open from 10 am - 9 pm weekdays, open until 10 pm Fridays & Saturdays, and opens at 11 am on Sundays. For details see - https://www.macys.com

CLICK here to view Manhattan Easter Events Brunches Egg Hunts & Holy Friday Greek Orthodox Processions 2025 in MHTN NYC.

CLICK here to view Manhattan street fairs and festivals NYC 2025.

* Note this is for 2026 _ April 3 to 7, 2026 beginning at 8 pm - International Music Festival - at Carnegie Hall at 881 7th Avenue in Manhattan. For details and $23 tickets, copy & paste - https://www.carnegiehall.org.

Easter Brunches in Manhattan NYC

Gramercy Park _ Sunday, April 20, 2025 from 12 noon to 2 am - Easter Brunch at Pete's Tavern - at 129 East 18th Street [at Irving Place] in Gramercy Park. They aren't offering any specials, so likely it won't be too crowded. It's an historic restaurant and bar, where O'Heny wrote the Gift of the Magi, among other things. And it's located in a beautiful quaint and cozy part of town. For details and to rsvp see - https://www.petestavern.com

FYI - Friend of a Farmer is across the street from Pete's.

UES _ Sunday, April 20, 2025 from 11 am to 4 pm & 5 pm to 9 pm - Easter Brunch at Maya Restaurant - at 1191 First Avenue between 64th and 65th Streets on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. For details and to rsvp see - https://mayanewyorkcity.com

Downtown NYC _ Saturday & Sunday, April 19 & 20, 2025 - No Big Easter Events at the South Street Seaport. That said, there are numerous restaurants serving brunch and dinner, several of which offer East River waterfront views. For details and to rsvp copy & paste - https://theseaport.nyc