Events

Visitors enjoying a live jazz concert in the Garden.  
Visitors enjoying a summer jazz concert in the Garden.

The Garden plays host to arts, culture, concerts, and family events each spring, summer, and fall. Birthday parties, neighborhood gatherings, bridal showers, weddings, anniversaries, memorial services, outdoor art shows, book clubs, craft clubs, and music performances are regularly scheduled in the Garden. See below for upcoming events, information on hosting your event, pictures of past events in the Garden, and a recap of the many events and activities in the Garden in 2025.

EVENTS IN SEPTEMER

The In-Between Club: Mid-Year Reflection
Wednesday, September 9
5:30-7:30 p.m.
RSVP Required, Space is limited
Dr. Joanne Raptis and The Upper West Insider return to the Garden with The In-Between Club, a therapist-guided journaling and reflection circle for anyone moving through a career transition, layoff, job search, or creative pivot. Ticket includes a one-hour, therapist-guided journaling circle, original prompts, a take-home reflection guide and a supportive, professionally facilitated community space. Bring a notebook and a pen. No journaling experience needed. Sharing optional.

Sketch & Switch: A Speed-Friending Social
Thursday, September 10
5:30 p.m. – Sunset
RSVP Required, Space is limited
Join The Upper West Insider for a low-key sketchbook social! Meet neighbors, make a new friend, and have a fun little summer evening in the Garden. All supplies included, no drawing experience needed.

Scheduled Events in the Garden
Saturday, September 12
10:00 a.m. -12:00 p.m.
and
4:00-6:00 p.m.
Private events (the Garden will remain open to the public)
The Garden is a beautiful place to hold a special event. Learn more below.

Garden Volunteer Day
Saturday, September 19
12:00-2:00 p.m.
Lend a hand cleaning up garden beds and other late summer projects. Drop by for an hour or two, and bring a friend!

Jazz in the Garden:
The Incomparable Kathryn Farmer
Saturday, September 19
3:30-5:00 p.m.
FREE!
International singer and recording artist Kathryn Farmer returns with her powerhouse vocals, lively storytelling, and musical mastery. Join us for a soulful, sizzling summer set! Get here early and BYOC (Bring Your Own Chair).

Art-Making in the Garden:
Sunday in the Park with Greg
Sunday, September 20
11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
FREE!
Drop by for an hour or two with artist, arts educator, and Garden volunteer Greg Stevens for informal garden-themed art-making. Watercolors, crayons, markers, colored pencils, paper, and other supplies provided. Great for kids and adults!

Scheduled Events in the Garden
Saturday, September 26
11:00 a.m. -1:00 p.m.
and
2:00-4:00 p.m.
Private events (the Garden will remain open to the public)
The Garden is a beautiful place to hold a special event. Learn more below.

HOSTING A PARTY OR EVENT
Interested in hosting a party or event in the Garden? The first step is to use the form on the Contact page or email 87thStreetGardenNYC@gmail.com to start the approval process, which can take up to a month (typically shorter), so plan ahead. Please be sure to read carefully the Party & Event Rules below before your make your request. When you reach out to the Garden, please indicate the type of event, date and time, number of anticipated participants, and contact information for the person submitting the request. No event can be planned, scheduled, or promoted without full approval. If you have questions about the process, please email us: 87thsteetgardennyc@gmail.com. We will do everything we can to ensure you have a successful event.

For social gatherings (e.g. birthday party, wedding reception, class reunion, anniversary party), please be sure to read carefully the Party & Event Rules below before your make your request. When you reach out to the Garden, please indicate the type of event, date and time, number of anticipated participants, and contact information for the person submitting the request. The Garden Committee will first review your proposed event, then we will submit an Event Request Form to NYC Parks GreenThumb. The Garden Committee will notify you if your event has been approved and we will add it to the Garden calendar. No event can be planned, scheduled, or promoted without full approval. This process can take up to two weeks (typically shorter), so plan ahead. There is no fee for holding your event in the Garden but we gladly accept donations which help us keep the Garden accessible and beautiful for events like yours. If you must cancel your event, please let us know. If inclement weather or other circumstance prevents safe access to the Garden, we will let you know with as much notice as possible. If you have questions about the process, please email us: 87thsteetgardennyc@gmail.com.

For third-party events where goods or services are proposed to be sold, or revenues are otherwise generated, including but not limited to admission fees and/or ticket sales (e.g. art class, book club, craft club), please be sure to read carefully the Party & Event Rules below before your make your request. When you reach out to the Garden, please indicate the type of event, date and time, number of anticipated participants, and contact information for the person submitting the request. The Garden Committee will first review your proposed event, then we will submit an Event Request Form to NYC Parks GreenThumb. The Garden Committee will notify you if your event has been approved and we will add it to the Garden calendar. No event can be planned, scheduled, or promoted without full approval. This process can take up to a month (typically shorter), so plan ahead. Once approved, we ask you to send us event promotional material, including flyer, QR code for registration, and weblink, all of which we will add to our monthly and periodic newsletter, signboard at the front of the Garden, and on our social media. A percentage of the proceeds from the sale of goods or services or ticket sales must go to support the Garden, and must be paid to the Garden within two weeks after your event. If you must cancel your event, please let us know. If inclement weather or other circumstance prevents safe access to the Garden, we will let you know with as much notice as possible. If you have questions about the process, please email us: 87thstreetgardennyc@gmail.com.

​​​​​​​Party & Event Rules:

  • Events must be approved and scheduled in advance by the Garden Committee and NYC Parks GreenThumb as described above. No event can be planned, scheduled, or promoted without full approval.
  • Garden must remain open to the public during your event.
  • No drugs or alcohol may be used, consumed, sold, or distributed in the Garden.
  • No barbecues or open flames.
  • No amplified music except by permit.
  • No confetti or streamers of any kind.
  • No unsupervised children.
  • No off-leash pets (please clean up after your pets).
  • Full cleanup of all decorations and trash is required​.
  • Please leave or return tables, chairs, umbrellas, or benches where you found them.
  • For social events, there is no fee but we accept donations to support the Garden.
  • For third-party (ticketed) events, a percentage of the proceeds from the sale of goods or services or ticket sales must go to support the Garden, and must be paid to the Garden within two weeks after your event.

PAST EVENTS


Families enjoying a scheduled birthday party in the Garden.


The children’s play area is a great place for a kid-friendly party.

A craft club meeting in the Garden.


Cait Jones performs in the Garden.


A doggie birthday “pawty” held in the Garden.

.
A bridal shower in the Garden.


A scheduled family event in the Garden.

GARDEN ACTIVITY IN 2025
Here are some highlights from our 2025 season full of Garden activities and events this year!

  • We launched a new website,with nearly 1,600 visitors and 3,500 views to date
  • We introduced a new monthly e-newsletter, with an audience of over 230 people and 62% average open rate
  • We grew our social media on Instagram and Facebook to nearly 700 followers
  • We hosted eight Garden Volunteer Days, and had eight scheduled volunteers throughout the season helping take care of the Garden, collectively contributing 1,100 volunteer hours this year
  • We hosted six monthly jazz concerts attended by 400 people across the season
  • We hosted a neighborhood get-together in collaboration with the West 87th Park Block Association attended by over 75 folks from our community
  • We hosted flower-making craft activities for dozens of youngsters at the Back-to-School Block Party on West 88th Street hosted by Gregory Kirsopp in partnership with the NYPD 24th Precinct
  • We hosted our annual Halloween in the Garden attended by 100s of families
  • We played host to over 20 community and family social events including book clubs, craft clubs, knitting groups, birthday parties, a bird sculpture event, wedding receptions, bridal showers, anniversaries, and more
  • We welcomed three student groups and over 30 individuals, including kindergartners from from Twin Parks Montessori, high school volunteers from Calhoun School, middle school students from the Garden Club at Dwight School, and alumni fellows from the Clean Energy Leadership Institute, who collectively helped plant flowers in the spring, keep the Garden watered all summer, and plant bulbs in the fall
  • We worked with Eagle Scout-to-be Kira Cheng, who along with volunteers from Scout Troop 777 helped level and lay gravel and stepping stones on three paths and side paths, beautifying the Garden and improving overall accessibility
  • We received grant funding to level, replace, and widen the central brick pathway and level the rear terrace, improving Garden accessibility for everybody, including folks with strollers, walkers, or wheelchairs
  • We received numerous donations from individuals across the season to help maintain garden beds, work on improvement projects, and plant bulbs for next spring bloom.

Thank you to everyone who helped in the Garden in so many ways!