Central Park, Oct 24–30: marathon week begins — the blue line gets painted Wednesday, and the big weekend is right behind it

        Marathon week. The course’s blue line gets painted on West Drive on Wednesday morning, the Opening Ceremony takes West Drive on Friday evening, and a kids’ race opens Sunday. Then, the day this week ends, the two biggest days of the park’s year arrive. And the weather is extraordinary again: seven sunny days, 58–69°, essentially no rain.

Weather this week

Sunny or mostly sunny all seven days — 61°, 65°, 69°, 58°, 60°, 67°, 69° — with rain chances of 0–4% throughout. Nights 43–53°. That is two consecutive flawless weeks, which the park has not had since August.

Sat Oct 24 — two foliage photo walks, and a fun run at the Bandshell

Two Fall Foliage Photo Walks — from The Pool, 9:30–11:30 AM, and from Boys’ Gate at 10 AM. North end, peak colour, someone showing you where to point a camera. The best-timed thing on the whole autumn calendar.

  Ronald McDonald House Fun Run stages at Bandshell Plaza, 8 AM–2 PM. Six hours; the Mall is busy, the drives stay open.
  Free Yoga and CPC Yoga, both East Meadow at 11 AM.
  Model Yacht Racing at Kerbs 9 AM–3 PM; UnityMarketsNY at Farmers’ Gate 9–7.
  That Guitar Man from Central Park at Hernshead, noon–6 PM.
  Shoresh Prayer Service at Tarr Playground, 10 AM–1:30 PM; Awareness Meetup for Namrud Wegahta Tessema at Ross Pinetum, 3–6 PM.

61° and partly sunny. East Meadow closed, and 32 private ceremony bookings — the heaviest day of the week.

Sun Oct 25 — a kids’ race on West Drive, then a very good family afternoon

The NYRR Kids Kickoff holds West Drive, 8 AM–12 PM. The first of marathon weekend’s satellite events, and a genuine morning closure on the west side.

Afternoon is excellent:

  Geology: Central Park Rocks! at the Harlem Meer, 1–2 PM — the glacial history written into the park’s outcrops.
  Pinocchio and Geppetto’s NYC Adventure at the Diana Ross Playground, 2–3 PM.
  Woodland Walk: The North Woods, 10 AM from Dana Discovery Center.
  Seneca Village Tour and Iconic Views, both 2 PM.
  International Folkdancers at King Jagiello 11 AM–6 PM; Skate Circle at Dead Road 2–7 PM.

65° and sunny. East Meadow closed.

Mon Oct 26 – Tue Oct 27 — the last quiet days before it all starts

Nothing public except the standing Arsenal exhibits and Birding Bob. Monday is 69° and sunny — the warmest day of the week and the last genuinely empty one. If you want a long ride or run before the weekend takes the park, Monday is it.

Wed Oct 28, 9–10 AM — the blue line gets painted

The TCS NYC Marathon Blue Line Painting Ceremony takes West Drive for an hour.

This is one of the park’s quieter traditions: the blue line that marks the marathon course down the middle of the road gets laid, and the ceremony is open. If you have ever wondered why there is a blue stripe on the asphalt all year, this is the hour it happens.

Thu Oct 29 – Fri Oct 30 — the Opening Ceremony

The Marathon Opening Ceremony holds West Drive, Friday 4–7 PM. Expect the west side to be committed through the evening.

Friday morning offers the last calm thing of the week: Woodland Walk: The Ramble at 10 AM from Belvedere Castle, at 69° and sunny — the last Ramble walk before the park turns over to the race. A Meetup with Apple sits at The Pond Thursday and Friday mornings.

The next two days — the biggest of the park’s year

This email’s window ends Friday. What follows it immediately:

  Saturday Oct 31 — Abbott Dash to the Finish Line 5K, 8:45–11 AM on the Ted Corbitt Loop, with the finish at Grand Army Plaza from 8 AM.
  Sunday Nov 1 — the TCS New York City Marathon, 8 AM–5 PM, 55,000 runners finishing in the park.

The loop is gone both days. If you are running the marathon, good luck. If you are not, Saturday and Sunday are for watching or for being somewhere else entirely — and the Conservatory Garden Tour at 11 on Saturday and the North Woods walk at 10 are both still on, well away from the course.

Steady all week

  The marathon build-out permit runs through November 10 across the finish-line end of the park. Scaffolding, fencing and trailers are thickening on the west side and around Tavern on the Green all week. The drives are not closed by it — the real closures are the three events above.
  Bethesda Terrace and Fountain — closed all day, every day. The permits now run to November 23.
  New Dendrology at the Arsenal Gallery, weekdays 9–5, free. Wreath Interpretations Open Call at the Arsenal all week.
  Bird Watching with Birding Bob rotating: Loeb Boathouse weekend, Strawberry Fields Monday, Conservatory Garden Friday.
  No league play on the Great Lawn for a twelfth week.

Quick recap

  Seven sunny days, 58–69°, almost no rain. Monday at 69° is the pick.
  Wednesday 9 AM: the blue line gets painted on West Drive.
  Friday 4–7 PM: Marathon Opening Ceremony, West Drive.
  Sunday 8 AM–12: NYRR Kids Kickoff holds West Drive.
  Two Fall Foliage Photo Walks Saturday — The Pool 9:30, Boys’ Gate 10.
  Then: Dash to the Finish Line Oct 31, the Marathon Nov 1. The loop is gone both days.

Have a good week in the park,
Central Park Guide