nyc summer 2025: meditation and renewal in madison square park
Opened on May 10, 1847, Madison Square Park is an oasis at the bustling intersection of Broadway and Fifth & Madison Aves. at Twenty-Third St. It has gone though numerous renovations since then, and, yes, at one point the second Madison Square Garden was adjacent to it. The park is a haven for public art, live music, horticulture, and pooches, who frolic in Jemmy’s Dog Run. There is a colorful children’s playground in the northeast corner, and near Madison Ave. by Twenty-Fourth St. stands James Madison Tree, named for our fourth president, who was also known as Jemmy. Be sure to check out the statue of eighteenth-century New York politician Roscoe Conkling overlooking Shake Shack, the restored Admiral David Glasgow Farragut statue by Augustus Saint-Gaudens and Stanford White, and the statue dedicated to former neighborhood resident Chester Alan Arthur, one of our least well known presidents.
Through September 1, you can wander through “Gardens of Renewal,” Lily Kwong’s two-part installation consisting of immersive landscapes that call for environmental protection and sustainability. On the Redbud Lawn is the Meditation Garden, where visitors can walk through a labyrinth, resting on connection rocks as they view blooms that particularly attract pollinators; as you approach the center, you’ll see native New York plants that have become rarer and rarer because of climate change. On the Sparrow Lawn is the Children’s Garden, with a library, playground structures, and a stage that will host workshops, readings, conversations, and more. Scan the QR codes to get an illustrated plant guide, a nine-minute Spiral Meditation by Sandra Orellana Sears, and a playlist by DJ Fly Hendrix with songs by Laraaji, André 3000, Gabrielle Roth & the Mirrors, and others.
“This sanctuary was created for each of us to reconnect with the original essence, wisdom, beauty, and intelligence of the earth,” Sears says at the beginning of her meditation.
Kwong explains, “Madison Square Park is a groundbreaking platform for artists, designers, urban planners, philosophers, community leaders, entrepreneurs, and radical thinkers to come together to face the greatest existential threat of our time — climate collapse — through powerful artistic, cultural, and horticultural works to inspire the millions of people that pass through its green gates.”
Below is the current schedule for upcoming events in the park; please note that while all are free, some require advance registration.
Wednesday, June 4
Gardens of Renewal: Artist Walks with Lily Kwong, Sparrow Lawn, 5:00 & 6:00
Saturday, June 7
New York City Plein Air Festival, painting and drawing throughout the park, no experience necessary, all day beginning at 8:30 am
Wednesday, June 11
Workshop: Make Your Own Seed Bombs, with Lily Consuelo Saporta Tagiuri, Sparrow Lawn, free with advance RSVP, 5:00
Thursday, June 12
Gardens of Renewal: Artist Panel Discussion, moderated by Lily Kwong, Sparrow Lawn, free with advance RSVP, 5:00
Saturday, June 14
Gardens of Renewal: Morning Meditations & Manifestation, with Lily Kwong and sound practitioner Sandra Orellana Sears, Redbud Lawn, free with advance RSVP, 8:00 am & 9:00 am
Gardens of Renewal: Children’s Comedian Storytime with Nick Kroll & Friends, Sparrow Lawn, free with advance RSVP, 10:30 am
Sunday, June 15
Gardens of Renewal Workshop: Make Your Own Rain Sticks, Sparrow Lawn, free with advance RSVP, 1:00
Lily Kwong’s Children’s Garden will host special activities during the summer (photo by twi-ny/mdr)
Monday, June 16
Gardens of Renewal: Summer Celebration, Redbud and Sparrow Lawns, 5:30
Wednesday, June 18
Gardens of Renewal Workshop: Blockprinting with Vegetables, Sparrow Lawn, free with advance RSVP, 3:00
Saturday, June 21
Gardens of Renewal Workshop: Build Your Own Solitary Bee Home, Sparrow Lawn, free with advance RSVP, 1:00
Wednesday, June 25
Gardens of Renewal Workshop: Seeding Dreams and Manifestations, Sparrow Lawn, free with advance RSVP, 5:00
Saturday, August 9
and
Sunday, August 10
NoMad Jazz Festival 2025, with Lizz Wright, Ravi Coltrane Quartet, Roy Hargrove Big Band, and more, curated by the Jazz Gallery’s Rio Sakairi, noon - 5:00
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