At a Glance
Compared to this destination's peak season
New York City in March
By Harry Nara · Last updated
New York City in March offers some of the best conditions of the year, ideal for parade lovers & pub crawlers. Expect temperatures of 2–10°C, around 11 days of rain, and medium crowds across the city. Daily budgets typically land around $95–205 for mid-range travellers. Book three to four weeks ahead for the best mid-range rates and the widest hotel choice.
Contents14 sections
#Weather in New York City in March
New York City in March averages 2–10°C (36–50°F) with around 11 days of rain, and crowds are medium.
| Measure | March in New York |
|---|---|
| Daytime high | About 10°C / 50°F |
| Overnight low | About 2°C / 36°F |
| Wet days | About 11 |
| Sunset | 5:47pm on the 1st; 7:01pm after the clocks change; 7:19pm by the 31st |
| Clocks | Go forward on Sunday 14 March 2027 |
| St Patrick's Day | Wednesday 17 March |
Figures are NOAA 1991–2020 normals for Central Park.
What that actually means for your trip:
- March can be any season. A week can bring a snow flurry, a cold rain and a 17°C afternoon; the averages hide days well above and below them. Dress in layers and check the forecast each morning.
- The evenings jump on the 14th. The US moves its clocks forward on the second Sunday of March, two weeks before Europe, so sunset leaps from about six to about seven o'clock overnight.
- St Patrick's Day falls midweek. In 2027 the 17th is a Wednesday, so the parade and the bar crowds land on a working day, and the weekend before is busy too.
- Spring comes late in the month. The first crocuses and daffodils appear in Central Park in March, the magnolias at the end, and the cherry blossom mostly in April.
Is March a good time to visit New York? Yes, for value and for anyone who wants the city without the spring crowds. Hotel rates are still close to winter levels in the first half of the month, the museums are calm, and St Patrick's Day is one of the city's great street days. The trade-off is unreliable weather, so plan indoor and outdoor days you can swap.
#What to Do in New York City in March
The St Patrick's Day Parade (Wednesday 17 March)
New York's St Patrick's Day Parade is the city's oldest parade and one of its biggest.
It steps off at 11am on Fifth Avenue at 44th Street and marches north to 79th Street, past St Patrick's Cathedral, where the cardinal greets the marchers from the steps, until the afternoon. There are no floats and no cars: just bagpipe bands, police and fire department units, Irish county societies and schools, marching for hours.
- Watch above 60th Street, along Central Park, where the crowds are thinner than in Midtown.
- Wear green, and dress warmly; it is often a cold day.
- The bars of Midtown fill from the morning; for a calmer Irish evening, head to Woodside in Queens on the 7 train.
The NYC Half Marathon
The NYC Half runs on a Sunday in mid-March, from Brooklyn across the Manhattan Bridge and up through Times Square to Central Park. Tens of thousands of runners take part, and it closes roads in Brooklyn and Manhattan for the morning; NYRR publishes the date and route.
Early spring in Central Park
The park wakes up in March.
The first crocuses and daffodils come up along the paths in the middle of the month, the willows around the lakes turn green, and by the last week the magnolias start to open.
The quietest corner is the Conservatory Garden at Fifth Avenue and 105th Street, the park's only formal garden, free and gated, where the spring bulbs are planted in thousands.
The museums before spring
March is the last quiet month at the big museums.
The American Museum of Natural History, with the 94-foot blue whale in the Hall of Ocean Life and the Star of India sapphire, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and MoMA are calmest on weekday mornings.
The Cloisters, the Met's medieval branch at the northern tip of Manhattan, overlooks the Hudson from Fort Tryon Park.
College basketball at the Garden
Madison Square Garden hosts the Big East men's basketball tournament in March, a long weekend of college games with a loud, partisan crowd. Tickets are easier to find than for a Knicks game.
Solo Travellers
Walk the High Line from the Meatpacking District, then the galleries of Chelsea, most of them free.
Spend a wet afternoon in the New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue, whose Rose Main Reading Room is free to see.
Couples
After the clocks change, walk across the Brooklyn Bridge towards Manhattan at sunset, now after seven, and eat in DUMBO or Brooklyn Heights.
Off-Broadway theatres such as the Public Theater run their spring seasons from March.
Families
The American Museum of Natural History and the Intrepid aircraft carrier museum on the Hudson fill a cold day. On a mild afternoon, the playgrounds and the carousel in Central Park reopen to crowds of local children.
Groups
St Patrick's Day is a group day out; book a table at an Irish pub for the evening rather than hoping to walk in. A night of college basketball at the Garden suits a sports-minded group.
#Getting Around
From JFK, the AirTrain connects to the subway at Jamaica or Howard Beach; from LaGuardia, the free Q70 bus runs to the subway at Jackson Heights; from Newark, NJ Transit trains run to Penn Station. In the city, tap a contactless card or phone with OMNY: a subway or bus ride is $3, and fares cap at $35 in any seven days on the same card.
Taxis and ride-hails in Manhattan below 60th Street add a small congestion surcharge, charged since January 2025.
Weekend track work often changes subway routes; check the MTA app before you set out.
#Budget & Costs
| Travel style | Per day | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Budget | $90–130 | Hostel bed, delis and street food, subway |
| Mid-range | $220–360 | Mid-range hotel, two meals out, a museum or show |
| Luxury | $600+ | Five-star hotels, fine dining, orchestra seats |
Early March is still near winter rates; the St Patrick's weekend and the last week of the month are dearer.
Costs worth knowing:
| What | Price |
|---|---|
| Subway or bus ride | $3 |
| OMNY fare cap | $35 in any seven days |
| St Patrick's Day Parade | Free |
| New York Public Library, Rose Main Reading Room | Free |
| Restaurant tip | 18–20% |
- Hotel taxes are added to the room rate, so compare the total price when booking.
- The fare cap works only if every ride is made with the same card or phone.
- Same-day theatre tickets at TKTS are often the cheapest way to see a show.
#Food & Dining
March is the start of spring on New York menus:
- Corned beef and cabbage, the Irish-American St Patrick's dish, in pubs and delis around the 17th.
- The first spring greens at the Union Square Greenmarket, which runs on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
- Ramps, the wild leeks New York chefs wait for, arrive in April, just after March; the menus start announcing them at the end of the month.
- Bagels, pizza and deli sandwiches, the city's year-round food, at their most welcome on a cold day.
#Nightlife
St Patrick's Day is the biggest bar night of the month, centred on Midtown and the East Village.
The rest of March is a good time for jazz at the Village Vanguard and Smalls, comedy at the Comedy Cellar, and Broadway, where some spring shows open in March.
The TKTS booth in Times Square sells same-day discount tickets.
#Shopping
Spring collections arrive in SoHo and the West Village.
The Strand Bookstore at Broadway and 12th Street, with its "18 miles of books", is a good place to wait out a shower. For a souvenir with a local flavour, the stalls at Chelsea Market and the Union Square Greenmarket sell upstate maple syrup and local cheese.
#Culture & Etiquette
- Wear green on the 17th; the parade is festive but also a proud civic occasion, so do not try to join the march.
- Tipping is expected: 18–20% in restaurants, a dollar or two a drink at the bar.
- Walk on the right and keep moving on busy sidewalks; stop at the edge to check your phone.
- Let people off the subway before you get on.
#Essential Local Phrases
New York speaks English, but a few words are unmistakably local.
| What you want to say | How New Yorkers say it |
|---|---|
| The corner shop | The bodega |
| A sub sandwich | A hero |
| A whole pizza | A pie |
| Cream cheese on a bagel | A schmear |
| Standing in line | Waiting on line |
| The front steps of a brownstone | The stoop |
| Manhattan, from the other boroughs | The City |
#Packing List
- A warm coat for cold mornings, and a lighter layer for mild afternoons
- Waterproof shoes or boots for rain and late snow
- A compact umbrella
- Gloves and a hat for the parade
- Something green for St Patrick's Day
- Comfortable walking shoes
- A contactless card or phone for OMNY
#Backup Plans
If late snow or rain sets in: the New York Public Library, the Morgan Library and the big museums fill the day, and Grand Central Terminal's concourse is worth a look on the way.
If the parade crowds are too much: go north to the Cloisters, the quietest Met building, or to the museums of the Upper West Side.
If the subway lines you need are closed for the weekend: ferries run from Wall Street to Brooklyn and Queens on the NYC Ferry, at the price of a subway ride.
#Safety & Health
New York is safe for visitors who use ordinary city sense. On St Patrick's Day, the crowds around Fifth Avenue and the Midtown bars are large and some revellers drink hard; keep valuables close. Early-March ice and slush make pavements slippery. Pickpockets work Times Square and crowded trains. Tap water is excellent. Walk-in urgent-care clinics are cheaper than an emergency room, and travel insurance is essential in the US.
Emergency: 911.
#What's New for March 2027
- St Patrick's Day is on Wednesday 17 March; the parade steps off at 11am at Fifth Avenue and 44th Street
- The clocks go forward on Sunday 14 March, two weeks before Europe
- Subway fares are $3, with a $35 cap over any seven days
- A congestion surcharge applies to taxis and ride-hails below 60th Street
- Ramps and cherry blossom arrive in April, just after March
#About This Guide
By Harry Nara (founder of WhenToWander), updated October 2026 for March 2027. Climate figures are NOAA 1991–2020 normals for Central Park. Dates and fares verified against:
- NYC St. Patrick's Day Parade for the route and start time
- MTA for subway fares and the OMNY cap
- MTA congestion relief zone for the congestion charge
- New York Public Library for visiting the Rose Main Reading Room
- NYRR for the NYC Half
For the season as a whole, see New York in spring, and for the month before, New York in February.
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Frequently Asked Questions
When is the St Patrick's Day Parade in New York?
It is held on 17 March, which in 2027 is a Wednesday, and moves to the Saturday before when the 17th is a Sunday. It steps off at 11am on Fifth Avenue at 44th Street and marches north past St Patrick’s Cathedral to 79th Street until the afternoon. Watch from the 60s or 70s along Central Park for thinner crowds, and dress warmly.
Is March a good time to visit NYC?
It's a transitional month. Early March still feels like winter, but by the final week you'll see the first crocuses in Central Park, the daylight stretches, and outdoor cafés start to reopen. Hotel rates are still close to winter lows.
What's the weather like in NYC in March?
Highly variable — average highs of 7–11°C, lows still freezing at night. Sudden snowstorms are possible into the third week. Pack a warm coat, gloves, scarf, and waterproof boots, but also a lighter layer for warmer afternoons.
Are March Madness games held in New York?
MSG hosts the Big East men's basketball tournament in early March. The NCAA Tournament's East Regional is sometimes held at MSG too. Tickets are easier to find than NBA Knicks games and the atmosphere is electric.
How much does it cost to visit New York City in March?
Budget-conscious travellers can expect daily costs of $95–205, covering accommodation, food, and local transport. Flexible dates can save up to 20% compared with peak-week rates.