Earth Day 2023 | Ways to Celebrate and Take Action

There is always something to do in New York City, but Saturday, April 22 is a special day and Broadway Stages invites you to Invest in Our Planet at one or more of these great Earth Day events!

Let’s start with Car Free Earth Day. Multiple streets throughout the five boroughs will be closed for the afternoon. Enjoy a stroll along 100 Open Streets, 22 plazas, and over 1,000 miles of the NYC Bike Network participating in Car Free Earth Day.

On these car-free streets, you can enjoy exciting events such as healthy eating demos, an urban design workshop, animal trivia, and biofact presentations, to name a few!

Through the support of Lyft, Citi Bike will offer free unlimited 30-minute rides on a classic Citi Bike. Riders can take advantage of the offer by using the promo code CARFREE23 in the Citi Bike app.

Another great way to enjoy the day is to visit an NYC Community park or garden. The NYC Parks have plenty of family-friendly activities all week long. From birding, tree planting, and Earth Day Story Time, to a planting workshop, children and climate workshops, spring foraging, and more. Earth Day NYC events are being held in parks across all five boroughs so, you can be sure to celebrate wherever you live or wherever you’re headed. For the complete list of Earth Day NYC activities in the community parks and gardens of New York, visit the official NYC Parks website here.

Governors Island is also joining in the celebration!  They have a day full of free educational activities and workshops for all ages, guided tours through the Island’s open space, and live performances inspired by ecology and the environment. And be sure to participate in a stroll with NYC Audubon guide Annie Barry at 2 pm. Governors Island’s habitat is home to hundreds of bird species.  Annie will help you learn how to discover all the amazing bird life the Island has to offer.

For residents of Queens or those visiting for the day, the Queens Botanical Garden is a great place to spend the day. For a low admission price ($6 for Adults, $4 for Seniors and Students, $2 for Children 4-12), you can enjoy hands-on activities, art exhibits, music, interactive performances, tours, demonstrations, and more at the Climate Arts Festival. And be sure to check out their Sustainable Vendor Fair that supports local businesses.  CLICK HERE for more information.

Photo Credit: Anne Tan-Detchkov for the Queens Botanical Garden

If birds are your thing then plan to join the New York Restoration Project (NYPR) at 9 am to go birding. Registration is not required but encouraged. Sign up HERE via the NYC Audubon. And if the day’s events have inspired you to Invest in Our Planet, the NYPR is giving away free trees across NYC this April and May! NYRP’s mission is to combat the climate crisis, and their free tree giveaway is an effort to emphasize the role trees play in nature. To receive a free tree, merely register online. Then, once registered, choose one of their many pick-up locations and times across all five boroughs.

We hope we have enticed you to join in the Earth Day celebration and join us as we continue to Invest in our Planet!  For more information about Broadway Stages’ investments in green rooftop gardens and renewable energy click HERE.  Happy Earth Day!