Now that Yom Kippur has come and gone, the weeklong festival of Sukkot, aka the Feast of the Tabernacles, begins Monday evening.
Typically celebrated by dining in a sukkah — a temporary, three-walled outdoor structure with a leafy roof, meant to represent the huts in which the Israelites dwelled during their 40 years of wandering in the desert — and by shaking the lulav and etrog, this holiday also presents the opportunity to celebrate the harvest season and connect with friends and family.
Of course, in New York, a city with one million Jewish residents, there are more than one million ways to creatively interpret the holiday. Keep scrolling for our hand-picked chronological list of things to do this Sukkot across New York City, from family-friendly celebrations to concerts, poetry readings and more.
1. Sukkot Under the Stars
For New Yorkers in their 20s and 30s looking to meet and mingle, head to the rooftop sukkah at the 14th Street Y (344 East 14th St.) on Wednesday, Oct. 8 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Expect skyline views, light bites and an open bar. Grab your tickets here, from $18.
2. Poetry readings in the sukkah
On Wednesday, Oct. 8 at 6:30 p.m., join The Neighborhood: An Urban Center for Jewish Life and Yetzirah, the Jewish literary nonprofit, for a gathering in the sukkah at Ring Community Center at Luria Academy (664 Bergen St., Brooklyn), where six contemporary Jewish poets will read their work. A moderated conversation about joy and epiphany will follow, as well as a community writing exercise. Register for free tickets here, and click here to see other Sukkot offerings from The Neighborhood.
3. Taylor Swift album release party in the sukkah
Celebrate the release of Taylor Swift’s newest album, “The Life of A Showgirl,” at this album release party held in the BASE UWS sukkah on Oct. 8 from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Listen to the new album, make friendship bracelets, and learn Torah and gematria — a kabbalistic numerology tradition — and how it connects to the “Easter eggs” in Swift’s music. Location will be provided upon registration, which is free.
4. Sukkot in Prospect Park
The Jewish Community Relations Council, the Prospect Park Alliance and One Crown Heights have joined forces for a Sukkot celebration in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. Head to the the park’s Carousel Lawn, across from Lefferts Historic House (452 Flatbush Ave., Brooklyn) on Thursday, Oct. 9 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for a day of nature activities as well as refreshments and arts and crafts in the sukkah. Children under 18 can enjoy a free ride on the park’s historic carousel from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. with RSVP. Get details and register here.
5. The Chol Hamoed Spectacular: The Yeshiva Boys Choir
It may be fall, yet Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage concerts aren’t over yet: The Yeshiva Boys Choir will play a show — the last show of this year’s SummerStage series — at the Coney Island Ah-ah-ah-amphitheater (3052 West 21st St., Brooklyn) on Thursday, Oct. 9 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Ramp up the excitement by listening to the YBC Chol Hamoed playlist ahead of the concert. Free; get more information here.
6. Family-friendly dinner in the Sukkah at 14th Street Y
Celebrate Sukkot with pizza in the hut (get it?) organized by 14th Street Y (344 East 14th St.) on Thursday, Oct. 9 from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Expect art activities, music and storytelling led by musician Yoshie Fruchter and Rabbi Arielle Krule, with art activities by Amanda Kingloff. This event is for families with children ages 8 and under. Get tickets, $18, here.
A group of men dance together in the sukkah at Sukkot 3000 in October, 2024. (Samii Stoloff Photography)
7. Arabic, Hebrew and Persian calligraphy workshop in the sukkah
On Thursday, Oct. 9 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., head to the sukkah at the Ring Community Center at Luria Academy (664 Bergen St., Brooklyn) for a lesson on the connections between Arabic, Hebrew and Persian calligraphy, and how artist and educator Ruben Shimonov has used these languages to build community. Shimonov and Maryam Chisti, co-executive director of the LUNAR Collective, a group by and for Asian-American Jews, will lead a discussion, followed by a calligraphy workshop. Get your tickets here for $15.
8. Shabbat in the Sukkah with the Wandering Jews of Astoria
Join the Wandering Jews of Astoria for a backyard sukkah Shabbat on Friday Oct. 10 at 6:30 p.m. There will be an “abbreviated” Shabbat service and vegetarian dinner, potluck-style. Click here to register.
9. Sukkot Club Bash
Jewish New Yorkers ages 21 to 39 looking to party all night this Sukkot can head to DOM (287 Park Ave. South) on Saturday, Oct. 11 from 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. for an indoor Sukkot soirée presented by Jewish event production groups Krispi Productions, J-Vibe, Matzo Ball and Jewzz. Expect DJs, dancing and drinks all night long. Get your tickets here from $28.
10. A Sukkot music and comedy show
Head to the second floor of Hit Central Studios (245 Ave. U, Brooklyn) on Saturday, Oct. 11 at 8:30 p.m. for a night of live music and standup comedy. Hear indie-pop tunes from singer-songwriter Rena Angel and her band, followed by standup hosted by Joe Levy and featuring comics Dovi Neuburger and Dean David. The afterparty, with DJ, starts at 11 p.m. Click here for tickets: $25 admission or $35 with open bar.
11. Michael and the Rockness Monsters family concert
Enjoy a family-friendly concert by Michael and the Rockness Monsters at the Scheuer Auditorium at the Jewish Museum (1109 Fifth Ave.) on Sunday, Oct. 12, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Get your tickets here, from $18.
12. Sukkot 3000
Head to Freedom Plaza (686 First Ave.) on Sunday, Oct. 12 for Chabad Young Professionals’ annual Sukkot 3000, an indoor-outdoor music festival from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m.. Expect live bands, DJs and artists of different genres, from kumzitz to Jewish EDM, as well as an open bar and kosher sushi station. Get tickets, from $80, here.
13. The NYC LGBTQ+ community Sukkot party
Join Keshet, the Jewish LGBTQ+ nonprofit organization, on Sunday, Oct. 12 at 7:30 p.m. for a community Sukkot party at the rooftop sukkah of the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan (334 Amsterdam Ave.). Enjoy an open bar, dine on Israeli cuisine and snacks, and soak in the Manhattan skyline during this “Simchat Beit Hashoevah” — a customary “joyous gathering” during the holiday. Click here for tickets, from $18.
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