One of the excellent perks of studying at Columbia University is the opportunity to explore New York, a city of great art, culture, sports, food, and business. Although as a student you will be busy studying, attending classes, working on assignments, and participating in other school-related activities, we also encourage you to find time to take advantage of everything the city has to offer. To help you navigate the Big Apple, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite places, celebrations, and activities to check out during the spring semester.
January
Highly local: Honor Martin Luther King, Jr. Day by volunteering with Community Impact at Columbia University. Nearly 1000 Columbia and Barnard students and local community members work together year-round at local food pantries, after-school programs, GED training classes, and more.
Further afield: Looking for an inside activity to escape the cold? New York City is home to some of the most impressive museums in the world, many of which offer discounts or free admission for students and NYC residents. If you like modern and contemporary art, try the Whitney Museum in the Meatpacking District or the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in Midtown Manhattan. Housed in an architectural landmark designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the Guggenheim Museum is the place for unique and thought-provoking contemporary art exhibits. The iconic Metropolitan Museum of Art on the Upper East Side has everything from Renaissance paintings and Greek and Roman statues to an Egyptian temple and ancient artifacts.
Not so interested in art? At the American Museum of Natural History, you can learn about thousands of animal species, browse precious gems and dinosaur fossils, and even walk through a pavilion of butterflies. To check out vintage restored subway cars and buses at the New York Transit Museum, head to Brooklyn!
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
Broad(way) speaking: Keep an eye out for Restaurant Week and Broadway Week, during which you can buy 2-for-1 show tickets and sample 2-course lunches and 3-course dinners from some of New York City’s best restaurants for $30, $45, or $60. Don’t want to wait to see Wicked or other Broadway hits? Try your luck any time of year with the daily, low-cost ticket lottery at Broadway Direct or the weekly Hamilton lottery. Many theaters and performing arts centers independently offer discounts. Such companies as Roundabout Theatre, Signature Theatre, and The Public sell discounted tickets for students. Playwrights Horizons offers free memberships and low-cost tickets for students and people 35 years and younger. Students can purchase discounted, same-day tickets at the Carnegie Hall box office, the Metropolitan Opera, and the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. The Juilliard School hosts hundreds of chamber concerts, recitals, and dance performances each year at half-off for students. Free Stand-Up NYC lists comedy shows in the city. For a one-stop shop for many event tickets, download the TodayTix app and start browsing!
February
Highly local: Get ready for March Madness by becoming a Lions fan! Reserve your tickets to Columbia University Men’s and Women’s basketball teams. Basketball not your thing? Our Lions represent across many fields, and students get in free! Check Columbia’s athletics website for teams and schedules; don’t miss the world-class fencing and archery teams who compete throughout the academic year.
Columbia men's basketball defeats Fairfield, 85-72, on December 28, 2024. Photo: Columbia University Athletics / Matt Rostkowski
Further afield: You’d rather play than watch? Keep active on one of NYC’s many ice skating rinks. Two nearby parks offer low-cost skate rentals and ice time: Riverbank State Park and Wollman Rink at the north end of Central Park. There’s also the touristy and scenic rinks at Rockefeller Center and the Bryant Park Winter Village.
Broadly speaking: The greater NYC-area is home to more than a dozen major sports teams. For basketball, check out the NY Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, or NY Liberty teams. For hockey, there are the NY Rangers, NY Islanders, and NJ Devils. Professional soccer kicks off at the end of the month for the New York City FC and NY Red Bulls; next month, look for women’s soccer with the NJ/NY Gotham FC.
March
Highly local: Celebrate Holi (March 14, 2025) with the Columbia Hindu Students Organization’s annual festival of colors held on campus at Ancell Plaza. Wear white and prepare to get colorful!
Further afield: March brings more sports; specifically, it's time for opening day of America’s favorite pastime: baseball! NYC boasts both an American League and a National League team, which means every major league team in the nation will play in NYC this season. Check out the Yankees’ and Mets’ season schedules and get thee out to the ballpark!
Broadly speaking: One of the great benefits of living in NYC is its proximity to other fantastic cities in America’s Northeast. This March, consider a weekend or spring break trip to Boston, Philadelphia, or Washington D.C. All three cities offer innumerable opportunities to explore arts, culture, and local food scenes. If it’s American history you’re after, you can start in the birthplace of America by touring Philadelphia’s Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. Or head North for Boston’s Tea Party Ships and Museum and history of the American Revolution along the Freedom Trail. There are too many museums to count in Washington DC, but for a 20th-century take on America, don’t miss the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the Vietnam Memorial. Planes and trains to these nearby cities abound, as do low-cost buses from Port Authority, the Javits Convention Center, Chinatown, and more.
April
Highly local: Celebrate Earth Day with Columbia! Between the Climate School and the SPS M.S. in Sustainability Management and M.S. in Sustainability Science programs, Columbia offers plenty of events and resources to help you learn about sustainability, its effects on the environment, and how we can care for our planet. Stay tuned to the Climate School website for Earth Day activities in April.
Further afield: The Grand Bazaar (77th Street and Columbus Avenue) is open every Sunday, year-round, from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. This outdoor bazaar hosts eco-friendly vendors for the month of April. For more eco-friendly shopping, check out NYC’s vintage clothing, houseware, and book scene, including the popular L Train Vintage, Housing Works, or Looks Vintage. All three have multiple store locations. Have clothes you want to give away? Most farmer’s markets in NYC accept clothing donations, which they will either sell or upcycle. There’s a farmer’s market outside of Columbia’s bookstore every Thursday and Sunday. For more markets, check out GrowNYC.
Broadly speaking: April reliably brings rain and a city awash in tulips, daffodils, and cherry blossoms. Students don’t need special access to enjoy the city’s 1,700 parks and recreation centers. Want to escape to the woods without leaving the city? The Ramble is a 36-acre wooded section of Central Park complete with trails, dense shrubbery, a stream, a pond, and up to 200 bird species. More parks include the New York Botanical Garden and Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Each boasts more than 12,000 kinds of plants and offers discounted entry for students.
New York Botanical Garden's Water Lily Pond
May
Highly local: In May, there’s only one show in town: Columbia Commencement. Between school graduations, University Commencement, and alumni receptions, there’s no shortage of ways to celebrate our graduating students.
Columbia University Commencement, May 2022. Photo credit: Diane Bondareff/Columbia University
The School of Professional Studies will divide our celebration into two ceremonies at the South Lawn on Friday, May 16, 2025: a morning ceremony at 10:30 a.m. ET and an afternoon ceremony at 3:00 p.m. ET. The SPS Office of Student Life will communicate further details, including the academic program breakdown for each ceremony, via email and the SPS graduation site. The University Commencement will be on Wednesday, May 21, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. ET. All eligible February, May, and June 2025 degree candidates and October 2024 graduates are welcome to attend. Check the Office of Public Affairs Commencement page for further details.
Further afield: If you haven’t made it there yet, check out the building that inspired New York’s nickname: the Empire State Building. Around commencement, this iconic landmark will light up in Columbia blue and white for one night only. It’s the perfect graduation photo opp! Date TBA in late April.
Broadly speaking: Over Memorial Day, honor those who have served in the U.S. military. As its name suggests, Fleet Week is a 7-day celebration of our sea-based military branches: the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. There will be a multitude of uniformed troops touring the city, jets flying in formation above, and an impressive Parade of Ships on the Hudson River. This is also a good time to check out the Intrepid Museum, which typically has special activities all week long.
If you manage to do all of this in your time at Columbia, please feel free to call yourself a local. You’ve earned it. Also, don’t forget to send us a photo or tag us on your social media!
