Not Into the Super Bowl? Fun NYC Game Day Events (Plus a Few At-Home Ones)

Not Into the Super Bowl? Fun NYC Game Day Events (Plus a Few At-Home Ideas)

While many look forward to the Super Bowl each year, a lot of people simply don’t.

If you’re one of the many people who dread Super Bowl Sunday, you’re definitely not alone. For some of us, the idea of spending hours watching the game seems like a painfully slow and boring way to spend an evening. It’s enough to make you want to find literally anything else to do instead.

But hey, the good news is, there’s plenty of stuff happening around town (or at home) that doesn’t involve a single touchdown or head injury. Whether you want to get out and explore or just chill with something else on the screen, there are some fun alternatives to watching the Super Bowl.

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Take it to the Ice

Head to one of the city’s most iconic spots, the Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park, for some ice skating. With its 17,000-square-foot rink, you can glide around for free (no admission fee!) and only pay for rental skates. It is opened until 10 pm so you’ve got plenty of time to enjoy the fun and festive atmosphere.

Bump Around in the Night

If you and the kids are feeling a little playful, the bumper cars on ice at Bryant Park are guaranteed fun. The ride’s open to both kids and adults ages 7 and up, and it’s perfect for everyone, whether you’re a bumper car veteran or a total newbie. It’s a blast for all ages, and it’s also open until 10 pm, so you can enjoy it well into the evening.

Luminosa at Queens Botanical Garden

Instead of tuning into the Super Bowl, head over to Queens Botanical Garden for Luminosa, the breathtaking light festival making its New York debut. With over 40 stunning lantern displays crafted by 150 artisans using 120 tons of steel and 150,000 feet of silk, this event transforms the garden into a dazzling, immersive wonderland. It’s the perfect way to experience something unforgettable and escape the game-day frenzy, and opened till 10:30 pm.

Check Out the Great American Rescue Bowl

Partnering with North Shore Animal League America, the world’s largest no-kill rescue and adoption organization, the Great American Rescue Bowl showcases adorable cats and dogs in a playful, football-themed game as they compete for attention and potential fur-ever homes. The two-hour special not only features cute puppies and kittens but also highlights the inspiring stories of rescued pets and the importance of adoption. It’s the perfect feel-good way to spend your Super Bowl Sunday while helping raise awareness for pet adoption in your community. North Shore is one of the best animal rescue organizations, located right on Long Island (it’s also where I found my best friend and soul dog).

Animal homelessness is still a big issue across the country. By sharing their stories, the event helps get pets adopted and raises awareness about the importance of rescue. Want to learn more about adopting or how you can help? Visit North Shore Animal League America. Catch the fun at noon on Great American Family.

Tune Into the Puppy Bowl

Find even more adorable animals at Puppy Bowl XXI. 142 adoptable pups from 80 shelters and rescues across 40 states will be looking for their forever homes. They’re divided into two teams, Team Ruff and Team Fluff, and battling it out for the Walmart “Lombarky” trophy, all while showing off just how sweet and adoptable they really are. Tune in to watch adorable puppies show off their playful moves on the field, all in the spirit of fun. Catch the action at 2 pm on Animal Planet.

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Yuletide Factory

Fill your hearts with circus cheer&mdash;the merry daredevils of Cirque Mechanics (Zephyr, 2023) are back with an industrial-strength spectacular for you and your kin. Sparkling with holiday spirit, the ever energetic ensemble of acrobats transforms a drab assembly plant into a holly jolly Yuletide Factory! From the wonder of the German wheel to festive flips from the trampoline wall, they dash and dance through a pageant of powerhouse stunts with grins and goodwill. It&rsquo;s high-flying fun, comfort and joy for the whole family!

The Language Workshop For Children

After offering both group and private lessons for many years and analyzing the results over&nbsp;time, The&nbsp;Language Workshop for&nbsp;Children, founded&nbsp;in1973, has decided&nbsp;to emphasize private remote lessons at shorter intervals.&nbsp;Our skilled educators&nbsp;will&nbsp;focus their attention exclusively on the&nbsp;unique needs, learning style, and interests of your child.&nbsp;This allows a&nbsp;bond&nbsp;to develop&nbsp;between teacher and student, which&nbsp;has been&nbsp;shown to&nbsp;drastically improve retention.&nbsp; OUR METHOD&nbsp; Developed by the pioneers of language education for children, our programs bring decades of&nbsp;experience to your living room with individualized, active language classes. Each lesson is based on proven methods and materials perfected to capture your&nbsp;child&rsquo;s attention during the ages when he/she absorbs information the fastest. &nbsp;&nbsp; While other online language classes rely on videos for passive learning, we deliver interactive, and engaging lessons with native-fluent teachers. In addition, all our teachers are certified in the Thibaut&nbsp;Technique which has been featured&nbsp;in the New York&nbsp;Times, the&nbsp;Wall Street Journal, and many other well-respected&nbsp;publications.&nbsp;&nbsp; Our short one-on-one lessons give kids the chance to focus, hear pronunciation clearly, and practice speaking in their target language.  THE PROCESS&nbsp; First, students have a short meeting with our Director&nbsp;Francois&nbsp;Thibaut, in&nbsp;English, with&nbsp;their parent(s)&nbsp;present.&nbsp;Mr. Thibaut&nbsp;will determine&nbsp;the best course of study, including&nbsp;class length and&nbsp;frequency, the&nbsp;right&nbsp;teacher, lesson&nbsp;format and materials (or action games for younger students.) Then the learning&nbsp;begins!&nbsp;Mr. Thibaut will continually check in on your child&rsquo;s learning to assure they are getting the most&nbsp;of&nbsp;their&nbsp;classes.&nbsp; OTHER OFFERINGS&nbsp; We can also help your child prepare for: the French subject tests for SAT, AP &amp; CLEP, the European DELF/DALF, the Canadian TEF and other standardized testing, college entry exams, studying or traveling abroad,&nbsp;cultural changes when moving abroad,&nbsp;and much more!&nbsp; &nbsp;

Laurissa Jane Music

Laurissa Jane Music Studio is a dedicated institution that offers a solid foundation for students to explore the captivating world of music and arts. With experienced instructors, we offer private and group lessons in piano, voice, and guitar, for all ages and skill levels. We provide year-round training for renowned programs such as NYSSMA (New York State School Music Association) and ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music). LJMS runs an annual Summer Musical Theatre Arts Program from July-August which offers a creative environment for young individuals with a passion for acting, singing, and dancing. We are proud to serve the vibrant communities of Jamaica Queens and can also provide classes virtually. At LJMS, we firmly believe in the transformative power of the arts. Call us today!