If you’re looking for things to do for your birthday in NYC, you’ve come to the right place.
New York City is the perfect city if you want to celebrate your birthday. Whether you like music, delicious food, beautiful views, games, or something else, there’s so much to do! You can do something relaxing, such as having a drink with a view, or have a lot of fun celebrating with your friends, such as playing an escape game.
It may be hard to decide what to do for your birthday in New York City, and to help you out, I made this guide with the most fun activities!
Things To Do For Your Birthday in NYC
Go to Comedy Cellar and Enjoy a Night of Comedy
Comedy Cellar is a comedy club in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village neighborhood. You can find this comedy at 117 MacDougal Street. You can come here on your birthday to enjoy a night full of laughter.
In the past, many famous comedians performed at the club, including Jon Stewart, Dave Chapelle, Amy Schumer, Kevin Hart, and many others.
You can go here almost every day of the week to attend a comedy show. Seeing a comedy show here is also one of the best things to do in Greenwich Village.
Above the Comedy Cellar, you can find the Olive Tree Cafe, which is a great place to have food and drinks when you attend a comedy show here.
Address: 117 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012
Go to the 230 Fifth Rooftop Bar and Have a Drink With a View
230 Fifth is a rooftop bar that is open all year round, 7 days a week. You can find this place at 1150 Broadway and it was founded in 2006. It is the largest rooftop bar in the city and has both an indoor and outdoor space.
On your birthday, you can go here to have a drink with a view of the city, or you can go here to have delicious food.
The rooftop’s drink menu includes many specialty cocktails as well as all kinds of other drinks.
230 Fifth also has a great food menu with lots of different items. For example, you can get “The Impossible Burger”, which is a delicious burger with a plant-based patty, lettuce, cheddar, onions, pickles, and other ingredients.
During winter, the rooftop bar has heated igloos, and there are often events that take place at the rooftop.
Address: 1150 Broadway, New York, NY 10001
Take Fun Photos at the Museum of Ice Cream
Going to The Museum of Ice Cream is a very fun thing to do for your birthday in NYC with friends. This is an attraction that is situated in SoHo.
At the Museum of Ice Cream, you can find 12 installations through which you can learn about ice cream and the history of ice cream.
Each installation is unique and features fun elements. For example, there is a large pink sprinkle pool and there is a large pink slide.
The different installations are fun and great if you want to take fun photos.
In addition to that, you can get delicious ice cream at this place. You can get as much ice cream as you want!
Address: 558 Broadway, New York, NY 10012
Play an Escape Game at Beat The Bomb Brooklyn
Beat The Bomb Brooklyn, which you can find in the Dumbo neighborhood of Brooklyn at 255 Water Street, is a place where you have a lot of fun with friends.
At Beat The Bomb Brooklyn, you can play immersive and challenging games that you need to complete within 1 hour.
You can play the “Paint Bomb” or “Foam Bomb” missions during which you’ll have to advance through 5 hi-tech video game rooms. Each of the rooms tests a skill of your team and in the fifth room, you have to disarm a bomb to prevent being blasted by paint or foam.
At this place, you can also have food and drinks, making it a great place for a party.
Address: 255 Water St, Brooklyn, NY 11201
See a Broadway Show
Seeing a Broadway show at a theater in New York’s Theater District is a great way to celebrate your birthday.
Some of the theaters that you can go to are the Palace Theatre, the Winter Garden Theatre, and the Vivian Beaumont Theater. In total, there are more than 40 theaters that are considered Broadway theaters.
When seeing a show, you can have dinner before or have a drink after the show, to have an even better time.
Get a Delicious Cupcake at Empire Cake
Empire Cake is a cake shop that you can find in the Chelsea neighborhood at 112 8th Avenue.
Getting a treat here is a great activity for your birthday. At Empire Cake, you can get delicious cookies, brownies, breakfast pastries, and cupcakes.
Not only are the cupcakes that you can get here very delicious, but they also look very pretty and come with beautiful decorations.
You can also get drinks at Empire Cake, including hot chocolate, tea, and all kinds of coffee drinks made with Stumptown Coffee Roasters beans. I recommend going here on your birthday and having a cupcake and a drink.
Address: 112 8th Ave, New York, NY 10011
Go to Immersive Gamebox and Play a Fun Game
Immersive Gamebox is a fun attraction that you can find on the Lower East Side. Going here is one of the best things to do on the Lower East Side, and it is a great place for a fun birthday party.
Each game that you can play at this place has a different theme and comes with its own objectives and challenges.
Most of the games at Immersive Gamebox can be played with 2 to 6 players and most of the games take 60 minutes in total.
Because there are many games to choose from, there’s a game for everyone’s liking. You can see which games are available on the website of Immersive Gamebox.
Address: 81 Essex St, New York, NY 10002
Go to Blue Note and Listen to Jazz
Blue Note is a jazz club that you can find in the Greenwich Village neighborhood. It is one of the best jazz clubs in the world and famous jazz musicians perform and have performed here in the past. Going there is also one of the most fun things to do at night in Greenwich Village.
The musicians that perform here are great, the sound at the venue is of a very high quality, and the intimate atmosphere of the jazz club is great too.
Blue Note has a full bar with contemporary American food that you can get while enjoying the live music here. The dishes include salads, soups, pasta dishes, sandwiches, desserts, and much more.
The “Blue Note Burger”, which comes with lettuce, pickles, tomato, and fries, is one of the best items on the menu.
On Sundays, you can also have brunch at Blue Note while listening to jazz music, which is a very fun thing to do for your birthday in New York City as well.
Address: 131 W 3rd St, New York, NY 10012
Have a Picnic in Central Park
Having a picnic can be a fun activity for your birthday. There are many great picnic spots in New York City, of which Central Park is one.
At Central Park, you can go to the Sheep Meadow. This is a lawn with an area of 15 acres that you can find south of Central Park.
Sheep Meadow is a great place if you want to relax in nature while seeing the tall buildings of Manhattan at the same time.
You can also have your picnic at the Great Lawn of Central Park. This section has a size of 55 acres and is also home to softball fields.
Bowl at Bowlero Chelsea Piers
Bowlero Chelsea Piers is a bowling alley that you can find in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan. It is located at 60 Chelsea Piers.
At the bowling alley, there are 40 bowling lanes that feature black lights, HD video walls, and lounge seats.
In addition to bowling lanes, there is a large arcade with all kinds of video games and classic games. Some of the games that you can play at the arcade include Pac-Man and Mario Kart.
Another attraction at Bowlero Chelsea Piers is the laser tag arena where you can have a fun time with friends.
Throughout the week, there are certain specials. For example, from Monday through Friday, you can enjoy unlimited bowling and arcade games for a fixed fee per person.
Address: 60 Chelsea Piers, New York, NY 10011
Go to The Original Chinatown Ice Cream Factory and Have Delicious Ice Cream
The Original Chinatown Ice Cream Factory is an ice cream store in New York’s Chinatown that was founded in 1978. At this place, you can get delicious authentic ice cream made with Chinese recipes.
At The Original Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, there are delicious regular flavors as well as seasonal ones.
Some of the most delicious regular flavors include black sesame, coconut, durian, lychee, and almond cookie.
For your birthday, you can also get a delicious ice cream cake at this place. These are made daily with three layers of homemade premium ice cream. You can choose between three combinations if you want a “Signature Chinese Ice Cream Cake”: red bean, lychee and mango, lychee, green tea and mango, and lychee, green tea and red bean.
There are also ice cream cakes made with vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry.
Going to the Original Chinatown Ice Cream Factory is also one of the best things to do in Chinatown.
Address: 65 Bayard St, New York, NY 10013
Have a Beer at the Brooklyn Brewery
Brooklyn Brewery is a brewery in Brooklyn that was founded in 1988. Going there is one of the best things to do in Williamsburg and you can find it on 11th Street in Williamsburg.
A great birthday idea in NYC is going here and trying all kinds of beers, including lagers, pilsners, hazy IPAs, and other styles of beer. There are year-round styles as well as seasonal beers that are all great to try.
In addition to that, you can do a brewery tour at Brooklyn Brewery. You can book a small-batch tour from Monday through Friday and learn about the brewing process, the history of beer, and much more. You can also taste beer during this tour.
On Sunday, you can do a free tour and taste beer as well.
Address: 79 N 11th St, Brooklyn, NY 11249
Attend a Concert at the Music Hall of Williamsburg
The Music Hall of Williamsburg is one of the best music venues in Brooklyn. It’s located in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood. You can attend a concert at this place on your birthday.
The venue used to be a rock club called Northsix, but it was renovated and turned into the Music Hall of Williamsburg. The current venue is operated by The Bowery Presents.
You can listen to great live music during most days of the week at this venue, and you can listen to all kinds of genres of music here, including new music by up-and-coming rock bands.
Address: 66 N 6th St, Brooklyn, NY 11211
Go to the Area 53 Adventure Park
Area 53 Adventure Park is a fun facility with all kinds of attractions. You can go here on adult nights.
One of the attractions that you can find at the adventure park is an aerial ropes course. You wear a harness while you get from the start to the finish of the ropes course.
Another fun attraction at Area 53 is the laser tag arena. You can have a fun time during “Laser Tag After Dark”, which is an event for adults.
Another activity that is great for a party that you can do here is roller skating.
You can also go rock climbing at the adventure park, there is a zip line, there is an arcade with all kinds of games, and there are other attractions.
Area 53 Adventure Park is also amazing if you’re looking for things to do with kids in Brooklyn.
Address: 616 Scholes St, Brooklyn, NY 11237
Attend a Concert at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden is one of the best music venues in New York City. You can find the venue at 4 Pennsylvania Plaza in Midtown Manhattan.
Lots of different events take place at the venue, including concerts by some of the most famous artists in the world. Some artists who performed at the venue in the past include Elton John, Billy Joel, Travis Scott, and Olivia Rodrigo.
Other types of events that take place at the venue include sports events, ice shows, and circuses. Madison Square Garden is also the home of several professional sports teams, including the New York Knicks, which is a team that competes in the NBA.
Address: 4 Pennsylvania Plaza, New York, NY 10001
Have Pizza at L’Industrie Pizzeria
L’Industrie Pizzeria is a pizza restaurant in Williamsburg and one of the best pizza places in Brooklyn. At this restaurant, you can get delicious pizza made with techniques from Italy and flavors from New York-style pizza.
You can get all kinds of unique styles of pizza at L’Industrie Pizza.
One of the best types is the “Parma Pie”, which is made with tomato sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, prosciutto di Parma, and truffle.
The “Vegetarian Pie”, which comes with mozzarella, tomato sauce, mushroom, caramelized onions, and bell pepper, is a great option too. You can also have this pizza without cheese to make it vegan.
When you go here to have dinner, you can get slices of pizza.
Address: 254 S 2nd St, Brooklyn, NY 11211
See Art on Your Birthday at The Met
The Met, the largest art museum in New York City, is a great place to go. You can find the museum on Museum Mile on the Upper East Side.
The museum’s permanent collection includes about 2 million objects. The art that you can find at the museum comes from all around the world and there are objects from many periods in time.
Whether you want to see items from ancient Egypt, musical instruments from Asia, portraits by Picasso, or something else, you can do so at The Met.
In addition to that, lots of events take place at the museum. For example, you can do a guided tour of the collection, see a film screening, or attend a talk by experts.
Address: 1000 5th Ave, New York, NY 10028
Celebrate With an Ice Cream Sandwich at Stuffed Ice Cream
Getting delicious ice cream at Stuffed Ice Cream is also one of the best things to do for your birthday in NYC. At Stuffed Ice Cream, you can get a unique treat that was invented by this place: the “Cruff”.
This is a treat that is a combination of ice cream and a glazed donut. It is a toasted, glazed donut that is stuffed with your choice of ice cream flavor and the toppings that you like.
You can choose one of the signature Cruffs, such as the “Cookie Road” or the “Thai Kwon Dough”, or you can get a custom Cruff.
Besides that, you can also get traditional scoops of ice cream in all kinds of delicious flavors, such as the “Birthday Cake” flavor.
Address: 139 1st Ave., New York, NY 10003
See Modern Art at The Museum of Modern Art
If you like modern art, this day can be great to go to the Museum of Modern Art, which is one of the most popular and best museums in New York City.
At the museum, you can see many types of art from the end of the 19th century till the present day. For example, some types of art that you can find here include paintings, sculptures, prints, photography, and many other types.
The collection of the museum also includes works by lots of famous artists, such as Van Gogh, Cézanne, Picasso, and Warhol.
In addition to seeing the permanent collection, you can also attend a temporary exhibition or you can attend one of the events that take place at the museum, such as live performances and film screenings.
Address: 11 W 53rd St, New York, NY 10019
Buy a Book at the Three Lives & Company Book Store
Going to a bookstore and finding a book that you like can be a fun and relaxing activity for your birthday in New York City, and a great independent bookstore to go is Three Lives & Company.
You can find this bookstore in Greenwich Village at 154 W 10th Street and the bookstore was founded in 1978.
The bookstore has a wide selection of books and the staff is very knowledgeable.
Three Lives & Company also has a beautiful design and atmosphere, which makes it fun to go here too.
Address: 154 W 10th St, New York, NY 10014
Attend a Lecture at the American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History is one of the city’s best museums and a great place to check out if you want to learn about the natural world and the universe.
You can find this museum on the Upper West Side, next to Central Park, and going there is one of the best things to do on the Upper West Side.
The museum has a collection of over 30 million specimens, including fossils, rocks, and other items related to Earth. You can see these objects in different permanent exhibition halls, of which there are more than 40.
Each hall covers a different specific topic.
For example, the “Hall of New York City Birds” is about the more than 400 different species of birds that live in the New York area.
Another hall at the museum focuses on animals that live or used to live on the continent of Africa.
Address: 200 Central Park W, New York, NY 10024
Have a Drink With a View at Peak with Priceless
Peak with Priceless is a restaurant that is located on the 101st floor of the 30 Hudson Yards building. At this restaurant, you can enjoy delicious food for lunch or dinner with an incredible view of the city on your birthday.
The food that you can get here is made with seasonal and local ingredients. The food has great flavors and looks amazing too.
One of the best dishes on the dinner menu is the “Italian Eggplant”, which comes with red quinoa, pomegranate, and pine nut.
Another great dish is the “Painted Hills Filet Mignon”. This dish comes with honeynut squash, baby carrot, and mustard seed.
For lunch, you can have the “Black Hawk Briske Burger”, which is made with two patties, Austrian gruyere cheese, and smoked bacon, as well as many other types of dishes.
The drinks menu includes lots of different beers, ciders, cocktails, champagnes, and other drinks.
Address: 30 Hudson Yards 101st floor, New York, NY 10001
Attend an Exhibition at The Morgan Library & Museum
The Morgan Library & Museum is a venue that is open all week, except for Mondays. The library, which was built at the start of the 20th century, is a beautiful Italian Renaissance-style building where you can see all kinds of exhibitions that showcase objects from around the world as well as from the collection of rare materials of the Morgan Library & Museum.
Each exhibition lasts several months and focuses on a specific theme, such as money during Medieval times.
It is possible to see the exhibition by yourself or you can join a docent-led highlights tour of the exhibitions.
Various events also take place at the library, such as concerts and talks.
Address: 225 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016
See a Unique Exhibition at the Hall des Lumières
The Hall des Lumières is a unique place where you can see all kinds of immersive exhibitions. You can find the center at 49 Chambers Street, next to City Hall Park.
The exhibition space has 130 video projectors and more than 50 speakers, that can project art on the walls and floor while providing sound as well.
The venue is used for all kinds of events, including private events, but there are also events that the public can attend. To see which exhibitions you can go to, you can look at the website of the Hall des Lumières. Each exhibition is at the hall for a limited amount of time.
Address: 49 Chambers St, New York, NY 10007
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Birthday Ideas in NYC Tips
Before deciding what you want to do for your birthday in New York City, I recommend first choosing what kind of birthday you want. If you want to celebrate it on your own, then going to a museum or a bookstore might be a great activity, but if you want to have a party with friends, you might want to bowl or play an immersive game.
I also recommend seeing if some of the activities that I mentioned in this article and that you like are near each other. That way, you can do two or more activities on the same day to have an even more fun day!
Things To Do For Your Birthday in New York City Map
This was my list of things to do for your birthday in NYC. I hope I helped you plan your birthday!