How to enjoy Easter in New York

New York is an amazing city to visit at any time of the year and, in fact, I recommend that you make any repeat trips during different seasons, just to broaden your experience of the place. In my opinion, Easter is a brilliant time to travel, since the weather will just be beginning to brighten after winter and you can see some lively parades.

Easter events and services
Personally, I think an absolute must-see is the Easter Parade and Easter Bonnet Festival - an annual event that has been running for over 100 years and takes place on Easter Sunday, which this year falls on March 31st. Watch this and you can see New Yorkers thronging the streets in their most weird and wonderful headgear - or 'Easter bonnets'. These can be pretty huge, and many people opt to come out in full costume - expect to see a fair few Easter bunnies!

The parade runs from 10:00 to 16:00 local time along Fifth Avenue, usually starting at 49th Street. There are loads of great places to watch the action from, but usually you can get the best views if you base yourself at or near St Patrick's Cathedral.

If you're keen to attend an Easter church service, meanwhile, you'll find there are lots of options in the vicinity of the parade. For instance, Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church will be holding two services on Easter morning - one at 09:30 and another at 11:15.

It's also worth looking out for other events local church groups are running - especially if you're travelling with the kids. Using the example of the church above, there's an Easter Egg Hunt for families on March 23rd, which will be great fun for little ones.

What else to do

I think that there's so much to do and see in New York that you should expand your Easter celebrations to the wider city. For instance, I believe this is a fantastic time of year to explore the beautiful Central Park. In fact, a fun Easter idea for families is to pack a large special picnic - Easter eggs are essential! - to enjoy in the park, which can be a big part of your seasonal celebrations.

I also think visiting some of the city's best chocolate shops is a definite must, whether you're travelling with your family, your partner or a group of friends. Fortunately, there are loads of incredible confectionery stores in the Big Apple, like Jacques Torres Chocolate.

There are actually a few Jacques Torres chocolate stores in the city. At this pastry chef's Brooklyn address (which is on Water St), you can see amazing creations at any time of the year - but particularly at Easter, when the proprietor whips up wonderful treats designed to delight younger visitors.

I'd also recommend a trip to M&M's World New York. OK, this might not be the place to treat yourself to some of the planet's most finely crafted creations, but coming here is a really memorable experience. Almost impossibly vast, the store on Broadway not only sells its classic M&Ms, but also a huge array of merchandise, including things like clothing and kitchenware. Trust me, the whole family will love this place - but be prepared for it to be crowded.

Let us know if you've got any recommendations for spending Easter in New York by leaving us a comment below. And, if you're still looking for places to stay, you can find comprehensive listings through companies like Hayes & Jarvis.