NYC events in July 2025

From the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks show to parties on NYC's rooftop bars and cruising around on boat tours, we've got you covered on how to spend the perfect summer holiday with friends and family.

This year, the show returns to the Brooklyn Bridge and the East River. Specifically, the fireworks will launch from the iconic Brooklyn Bridge and four barges positioned on the lower East River in the Seaport District. It's going to be a sight to see! 

Hitting a Yankees game couldn’t be more quintessentially New York. The Major League Baseball team, which won the World Series in 1978, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2000 and 2009, made it to the World Series again in 2024!

To date, the Yankees have won 27 World Series in 42 appearances, the most in the MLB in addition to major North American professional sports leagues. Through 2024, their all-time regular season winning percentage is .569 (a 10,778 – 8,148 record)—the best of any team in MLB history.

Tyler, the Creator has lived many lives, and his latest album Chromakopia examines the artist's point of perspective on potential past timelines. Narrated by his mother Bonita Smith, the project is conceptual yet cohesive and is widely considered to be one of the best albums to come out of 2024.

If you want the full Chromakopia experience, head to his solo concerts at Madison Square Garden on July 14 and 15, or the Barclays Center on July 27 and 28. 

Don’t bother with Orlando. Coney Island is its very own magical kingdom, setting off free, sensational fireworks every Friday night all summer long. Grab a frank and get yourself a comfortable spot on the boardwalk to celebrate the end of the work-week every week.

Friday Night Fireworks run from Friday, June 20 through Labor Day. Fireworks begin at approximately 9:45pm and typically launch from the beach at West 12th Street, providing a breathtaking backdrop to the iconic boardwalk and amusement parks.

Hold on to your guts—Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest 2025 is upon us! During the competition—which is now more than 100 years old—Frankfurter-eating legends race the clock and chow down on as many Nathan’s Famous dogs and buns they can swallow in ten minutes.

The race of legends goes down on Independence Day (Friday, July 4). Watch the glorious event at Nathan’s Flagship restaurant (1310 Surf Ave.) on the corner of Stillwell Ave at Coney Island, Brooklyn.

A bevy of open-air night markets will pop up around town this summer, from the upper reaches of the Bronx to Queens. On the menu: Mexican-style hot dogs, tacos, empanadas, shish kebabs, Lebanese wraps, sweet crepes (including a Dubai Chocolate creation), and lots more. 

We've rounded up details on all of them, so grab some cash and make plans to eat locally—and deliciously. 

Treat your ears to some free music at Battery Park City every Thursday evening this July. The Battery Park City's River & Blues Concert Series is a celebrated NYC summer tradition celebrating Global and American folk, roots and blues music. Expect to hear renowned artists on the cutting-edge of the jazz and blues scene.

Picturesque Rockefeller Park serves as the an idyllic venue with breathtaking views of Hudson River sunsets, picnic-friendly fairgrounds and refreshing waterfront breezes.

Here's the lineup:

• July 10, Maggie Rose: After years on the Nashville music scene, Maggie Rose’s hard work was rewarded when her latest album, No One Gets Out Alive, was nominated for a Grammy award.

• July 17, Amythyst Kiah: On her latest release Still + Bright, Amythyst Kiah’s storytelling is merged with a twist on rootsy alt-rock, exploring the struggle and joy of self-discovery.

• July 24, Afro Latin Jazz Alliance: The award-winning Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra led by Arturo O’Farrill has enamored international audiences with its dynamic performances featuring the music of jazz legends and new compositions from the Latin music scene.

• July 31, Lady Blackbird: Harnessing a mighty voice and fabulous regalia, Lady Blackbird effortlessly portrays heart-rending yearning in her jazz-soul sets.

Watermark—the 10,000-square-foot bar and restaurant in the Seaport—has gone tropical for summer. Colorful umbrellas, towering palm trees, and surf-inspired decorations have taken over the outdoor terrace, making the space feel more like Saint Lucia than the Seaport. Keep an eye out for the playful presence of flamingos for a photo opp. Twinkling overhead lights will keep the party going even after the sun sets.

The menu offers a tropical twist as well with oysters, crispy coconut shrimp, lobster rolls and more. As for drinks, there's a long list of boozy beverages served pouches—like the Kiwi West, BeachSide Bourbon, and Suavemente. If margaritas are more your style, there are a bunch of options, including the "mega fishbowl." Or if shots are your thing, there's a whole list of options called "The Shot Clinic."

As always, Watermark at Pier 15 is known for its views of the Lower Manhattan skyline and the Brooklyn Bridge. If you squint, you can pretend the East River is the ocean instead. 

Make a reservation in advance here.

Smorgasburg, the food bazaar spectacular, is back with dozens of great local vendors across three locations. Smorgasburg WTC runs on Fridays; Williamsburg is on Saturdays; and Prospect Park is on Sundays. Each location is open weekly through October. 

For its 15th year of outdoor food and fun, Smorgasburg will showcase more than 70 vendors. The food festival will be filled with fragrant Ethiopian stews, Hawaii-style street comforts, explosive pani puri, potato puff poutine and lots more.

On this in-person walking tour, dig into the secrets of Lower Manhattan: a treasure trove of mysteries, obscurities, and hidden history waiting to be unearthed. Discover the lesser-known backstory, hidden gems, and untold secrets of this neighborhood. Whether you're an NYC local or a visitor, you'll learn lots about the city's time under Dutch rule, revolutionary history, and incredible works of art. Without ever leaving Manhattan, this tour will transport you to Ireland, Germany, and the Netherlands.

Time Out's very own Things to Do Editor Rossilynne Culgan will serve as your guide. Your $35 ticket includes the 90-minute walking tour and a signed copy of Culgan's book "Secret New York City: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure." Books can be personalized upon request.

Register here for tours on Saturday, July 12; Saturday, August 2; and Saturday, September 6. 

We certainly have our pick of options as there are dozens of public swimming pools scattered around New York’s five boroughs. Here's our comprehensive list of the squeaky clean—and totally free—swimming pools in NYC.

One of the hottest events of the summer is the aptly named MoMA PS1 Warm Up, and it's back for 2025 with an impressive lineup. This party turns the museum's courtyard into a dancefloor with DJ sets and live performances on six Friday evenings in July and August.

Every year since 1998, the summer-long music festival at this Long Island City art museum explores how music can be a work of art, and this year is no exception. Think Ballroom icons, spoken word artists, dystopian Darkwave producers, and techno legends. The lineup features innovators in electronic music and celebrates new sounds from New York City and around the world. A few can't-miss names include MikeQ, John Glacier, Sarz, OK Williams, Special Request, and DJ Stingray 313.

Shop 'til you drop at FAD Market, a curated fashion, art and design pop-up marketplace, which is back for 2025. Expect to see your favorite makers plus brand new creatives to help you live smarter, gift better and support local businesses. 

FAD—which stands for Fashion, Art and Design—takes over different venues with a horde of independent vendors and creators. Admission is free and dogs are welcome!

Here's the schedule for July: 

• July 12-13: Summer Market at Empire Stores in Dumbo
• July 19-20: Governors Island market
• July 26-27: Summer Market in Cobble Hill

Several famous French and French-speaking artists are coming together for a music festival in Central Park in honor of Bastille Day. Hear from Bob Sinclar, Big Flo & Oli, Patrick Bruel and ESTL on Sunday, July 13 from 5pm to 10pm during this free celebration at Rumsey Playfield. 

Last year, over 12,000 New Yorkers gathered to enjoy the free al fresco performances of such talented artists, so you can definitely expect a fun-loving crowd at this seasonal soiree. No registration's needed; just show up!

The event's hosted by the Consulate General of France in New York, in association with Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage and the Committee of French Speaking Societies. 

In the 1950 film masterpiece Sunset Boulevard, Hollywood glamour is a dead-end street. Stalled there with no one coming to find her—except perhaps to use her car—is Norma Desmond: a former silent-screen goddess who is now all but forgotten. Secluded and deluded, she haunts her own house and plots her grand return to the pictures; blinded by the spotlight in her mind, she is unaware that what she imagines to be a hungry audience out there in the dark is really just the dark.

The Brooklyn Flea is undoubtedly one of the most popular flea markets to hit in NYC if you're looking for the best selection of throwback wares and records.

The Brooklyn Flea DUMBO is now underway on the cobblestone streets of Pearl Plaza, where it spotlights roughly more than 40 vendors that display their goods beneath the Manhattan Bridge. Brooklyn Flea also operates in Chelsea year-round on Saturdays and Sundays, 8am-5pm.  

Several of New York’s finest hotels offer day passes for their rooftop pools, most of which include chaises and cabanas for lounging in addition to a full-service bar. The combination of two of New York's favorite things—swimming pools and rooftop bars—creates an elevated summer oasis worth throwing down some cash for. Make sure to cross one, if not all, of these pool off your things to do in the summer bucket list.

Public spaces come alive with free outdoor theater in New York City in the summer, and especially with the plays of William Shakespeare. The top destination, of course, is usually the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, where the Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park presents excellent productions; but the Delacorte is currently closed for renovations.

Still, you can also enjoy plays by Shakespeare and other classical masters elsewhere in the city: in Harlem and Brooklyn, at Battery and Riverside Parks, even in a Lower East Side parking lot. You might be surprised by the magic that can come from wonderful words, inventive actors and a mild summer breeze.

Here's our full guide to outdoor theater this summer.

Many free outdoor movie screenings are taking place all over town this summer, but none boast an ambiance quite like that of the Intrepid Museum's Summer Movie Series. After all, you get to watch some awesome movies while hanging out on the aircraft carrier's flight deck at sunset. How cool!

This year's films dive deep into the mysteries of the ocean, inspired by the museum's newest exhibition, Mysteries From the Deep: Underwater Archaeology. From high-seas adventures to underwater discoveries, each movie explores humanity's fascination with the deep. This month, on July 25, see The Abyss.

One of the city’s most beautiful summer traditions is on its way, and you won’t want to miss this free viewing experience.

Manhattanhenge, the phenomenon when the sun sets along with Manhattan's grid, making it appear like the orange orb is sinking between the skyscrapers, occurs every summer. It's a special time when pedestrian traffic slows, and everyone's temporarily aware of their surroundings to observe the gorgeous natural occurrence. 

See "full sun on the grid" on Friday, July 11 at 8:20pm. As for "half sun," you can see that on Saturday, July 12 at 8:22pm.

One of the best live music venues in the city has announced its summer concerts schedule. Here's what's coming to the Seaport's Rooftop at Pier 17 this July:

July 1 – DISPATCH with John Butler w/ Band
July 5 – Everyday People
July 9 – Barenaked Ladies 
July 11 – Michael Franti & Spearhead 
July 21 – PRIMUS
July 23 – Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue
July 24 – Riley Green
July 25 – Drive-By Truckers & Deer Tick
July 28 – Pink Martini featuring China Forbes

You can purchase tickets here or in-person at the AXS Box Office at Pier 17.

Forget the 14-hour flight from NYC to Tokyo, you can now discover the tastes of Japan with just a short subway ride to JAPAN Fes. The massive annual food festival just announced its 2025 dates, and the schedule is packed with events.

The organization is hosting nearly 30 outdoor events in NYC this year. What used to be just a summertime festival is now a year-round celebration across Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens. Event organizers say it's the largest Japanese food festival in the world, attracting 300,000 visitors and featuring 1,000 vendors every year.

Here's the lineup for July: July 6 in Midtown East; July 12 in Chelsea; and July 20 in Times Square. 

The city's most beloved free concert series is back with events across the five boroughs through October 9. Events happen just about every week of the summer including free concerts, dance performances and film screenings.

The official line-up, which is right here, includes artists T-Pain, Snail Mail, Madison Cunningham, Corinne Bailey Rae, The Metropolitan Opera, Trixie Mattel and Amanda Lepore, Counting Crows, Ghostface Killah, The Gaslight Anthem and more.

'Tis the season for outdoor movies. Free movie nights are a classic way to spend a summer evening in NYC, and there's no more iconic spot than Bryant Park. 

Bryant Park's big screen will light up for Paramount+ summer nights in Midtown. Here's the July lineup:

July 7: Good Will Hunting 
July 14: Interstellar 
July 21: Ghost 
July 28: Pulp Fiction

New York City's musical love language? Free summer concerts across the city's most most incredible parks. Case in point: the annual Bryant Park Picnic Performances lineup presented by Bank of America.

This year, illustrious institutions like the New York City Opera and Carnegie Hall Citywide will put on a wide range of 25 free performances, 15 of which will be livestreamed as well (just in case you can't make it to them all). Here's the lineup for July:

July 5: Carnegie Hall Citywide – The Harlem Chamber Players with Tania León
July 12: Carnegie Hall Citywide – Thandiswa Mazwai
July 19: Carnegie Hall Citywide – Louis Cato
July 26: Carnegie Hall Citywide – Michael Olatuja and Lagos Pepper Soup

Anybody who has taken a high school English class is likely familiar with the name Jane Austen, but that wasn't the case when Austen was alive. Instead, she published her works—even the famed Pride and Prejudice—anonymously. It wasn't until after her death in 1817 that Austen's name became famous as one of the great English novelists. 

That interesting legacy, as well as much more Austen lore, is part of a new exhibition at The Morgan Library & Museum titled "A Lively Mind: Jane Austen at 250." It features first-edition copies of her novels, corresponding artworks, personal letters, historical documents and artifacts from Jane Austen's House in Chawton, England. This major exhibition celebrating Austen's 250th birthday is now open through September 14, 2025.

Head west this summer to experience some of the best cultural activities in the city—for free. West Side Fest is back for its third year with gratis fun for all ages at museums, parks, performing arts centers and cultural institutions across the west side of Manhattan. 

Programming runs from July 11–13 with a packed weekend of activities, including free admission to The Whitney, tai chi classes on the High Line, tours of Poster House, zine-making at Print Center New York and much more. It's hosted by The West Side Cultural Network, a group of museums, parks, performing arts centers and cultural institutions located within a half-mile portion of the city. The full schedule is absolutely packed; be sure to check it out here.

The official marker of summer is back. And, yes, we mean drinking outside.

Torch & Crown Brewing Company has taken over part of Union Square Park for its summertime pop-up: Torch & Crown Beer Garden. For its third season in a row, the brewery is bringing its lineup of locally-made beers and bites to the square now through early November. Commandeering the historic Union Square Pavilion and the square surrounding it, the indoor-outdoor space welcomes all (even dogs!) to enjoy the festivities no matter the weather. The seasonal venue is the brewery's only offshoot outside of its operation in SoHo.  

Let internet boyfriend Pedro Pascal be your guide on a tour of the universe. The famous actor is the narrator for a new space show at the American Museum of Natural History's Hayden Planetarium titled Encounters in the Milky Way. 

Encounters in the Milky Way takes a 20-minute voyage through outer space with stunning visualizations of dazzling stars, constellations and planets. Stirring music complements Pascal's narration, and you'll even feel your seats move as if you could blast off to space yourself. 

While most art exhibits in New York City keep you at a distance, the Museum of Modern Art invites you to get closer at its new Hilma af Klint exhibit, “What Stands Behind the Flowers.” 

Swedish artist Hilma af Klint is typically most known for “Paintings for the Temple,” her giant abstract artworks depicting geometric and organic shapes that she attributed to “divine messengers” or spirit guides. This body of work, however, takes its direction from af Klint herself and focuses on the natural world—highly detailed botanical drawing—in which she assigns a spiritual meaning to.

On view for the very first time, these self-studies ask us to attune to the natural world in a new way. See it through September 27.

Grab your paddles, pickleball fans, because the popular sport is back in Central Park all summer long. CityPickle is now open at the park's Wollman Rink through the early fall. 

This is the third season for pickleball on 14 courts in the center of Manhattan—the largest pickleball offering in the Northeast. This tennis/ping-pong/badminton hybrid has become the country's fastest-growing sport, with more than 130,000 New Yorkers flocking to Wollman Rink's courts in past years. All skill levels are welcome for court rentals, clinics, open play, and private events from 8am to 9pm daily. Plus, expect summer camps, events, and special free programming. 

Concerts, plays, dance shows, operas: These and more can be found on Little Island all summer long, whether at its 687-seat open-air amphitheater (the Amph), its smaller performance stage (the Glade) or at pop-up locations throughout the space.

A few highlights this July include:

— The Gospel at Colonus, July 8–26 ($25): The first new production in New York of the groundbreaking work based on the Oedipus plays by Sophocles and told here in gospel. 

— Eugene Onegin, July 30–31 (free): The first New York City listen of a new bluegrass take on Tchaikovsky’s classic opera, based on the novel by Pushki

— The Tune Up, July 30–August 3 ($25): Pulitzer Prize winner Suzan-Lori Parks debuts an evening of new work

Many of the shows are free, and those that aren't cost just $25; to buy tickets to them, visit Little Island's ticketing page on TodayTix.  

It was touch and go there for a second whether NYC concertgoers would get yet another season of outdoor shows at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens, but once the bureaucracy of it all calmed down, we were happily left with the return of one of New York's best al fresco concert venues as well as a killer lineup of musical acts for the season. 

Catch Phish on Tuesday, July 22 and Wednesday, July 23.

Every summer, Hudson Yards hosts a slate of free community programs that undoubtedly turns even the biggest area skeptic into a curious wanderer—and for good reason: the lineup is great.

This year, for example, Backyard at Hudson Yards presented by Wells Fargo is bringing outdoor fitness classes to the masses alongside Lululemon; hard-hitting concerts; kid-friendly activations; and even pet adoption days. Sure, the whole thing might be sponsored by a mega-bank, but your glutes won’t notice as you're getting that free workout in.

To keep track of all the programming and any changes, make sure you're checking on Hudson Yard’s website before you plan your visit.  

Clear your calendar: Summer for the City is back, with Lincoln Center once again turning its Manhattan campus into the ultimate cultural playground. 

The fourth annual festival runs through August 9 this year, bringing more than 200 events to the city, nearly all of them free or pay-what-you-wish. Expect global dance parties, experimental opera, kids’ storytimes, jazz nights, pop-ups and tons more.

Bottom line? This year’s Summer for the City isn’t just a festival—it’s a citywide celebration. While most events are free or pay-what-you-wish (the suggested ticket price is $35), you do have to snag tickets in advance.

Rooftop Cinema Club takes movie-going to a whole new level—literally. This rooftop film series at a midtown skyscraper offers stunning views and an impressive lineup of films. 

In addition to the movie magic, the venue also offers movie snacks, a full bar and cute photo opps. Ticket prices range from $23-$29/person depending on your seating preference and movie time.

Even if you don't know how to play music, it’s practically impossible not to reach out and strum or pluck the strings when an instrument appears in front of you—or at the very least, expect that a musician will appear to play it. That’s what makes these new abstract artworks by Jennie C. Jones so mind-bending. 

Three massive instrument sculptures now sit on the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s rooftop in Jones’ latest work titled “Ensemble.” But only one of the instruments makes sound when it’s activated by the wind. The other two don’t make sound at all, even though they’re capable of doing so. That's exactly the point. Instead, their potential for sound and the tension between dormancy and activation is where they hold power. Go see these cool sculptures on the Met’s gorgeous rooftop through October 19.

Portraits of American First Ladies typically don't tell us much about the personality of the person. Maybe we can see a steely determination in her eyes or get a sense of her style, but we don’t learn much about who she is. Amy Sherald’s portrait of Michelle Obama changed all of that by focusing on the essence of the subject.

You can now see this iconic portrait and many other renowned works by Sherald in a new exhibit at the Whitney Museum of American Art located in Manhattan’s Meatpacking District. The exhibition, titled “Amy Sherald: American Sublime” is open through August 10, 2025. With nearly 50 paintings, it’s the most comprehensive exhibition of the American artist’s work, which includes a portrait of Breonna Taylor, as well as paintings that center everyday Black Americans. 

New Yorkers love to talk about transit—to complain about it, to joke about it, to express their love for it. So it’s only fitting that The New Yorker magazine would cover transit in exactly the same way. Since the magazine began a century ago, it has featured cartoons that both rib and extol public transportation. 

A new exhibit, “Commentary on The Commute: A Century of The New Yorker's Transportation Cartoons," explores how the magazine’s famed comical drawings have explored this subject over the past 100 years. The exhibit is free to visit through October 26, 2025; find it at the New York Transit Museum’s outpost inside Grand Central Terminal.

Next time you’re waiting for a train or passing through Grand Central, it’s worth taking the time to stop and explore this free exhibition. Find it in the shuttle passage next to the stationmaster’s office. It's open on weekdays from 10am-7:30pm and weekends from 10am-6pm.  

If you’ve ever walked down a Harlem block or past Fulton Street and thought, “Damn, that’s a look,” you already understand the heart of “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute’s razor-sharp spring exhibition that puts the precision, politics and poetry of Black menswear on full, unapologetic display.

Curated by Monica L. Miller (author of Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity), alongside Andrew Bolton, the head curator of the Anna Wintour Costume Center at the museum, the show threads together over 250 years of style, swagger and statement-making, from 18th-century dandies to 2025 red carpet icons. 

Let’s just say it: this is one of the Met’s coolest shows in years.

Big summer energy just hit Hudson Yards—literally. The 30-foot Big Screen is back, towering over the Public Square & Gardens for a season-long run of free sports watch parties. Whether you’re into F1, footy or the U.S. Open, this is your chance to watch the world’s biggest events in a setting that’s all vibe, no cover.

Part of the Backyard at Hudson Yards programming, the Big Screen is showing a packed lineup through October. Upcoming highlights include Wimbledon (June 30–July 13), the MLB and WNBA All-Star Games (July 15 and 19), the U.S. Open (Aug. 24–Sept. 7), and the NFL Season Kickoff on Sept. 4. You’ll also catch high-adrenaline events like the Tour de France, Rugby World Cups and multiple F1 Grand Prix races, including the Austin showdown on Oct. 19.

The full schedule and updates are available at the Hudson Yards website.

Those who lived through the Cold War era will remember the horrors of the time: Wearing identification tags to school, practicing duck-and-cover drills and facing the constant threat of nuclear war. Though we’re only a few decades removed from that generation, it can be hard for younger people to wrap their minds around those terrors. 

A new exhibit at NYC’s Poster House titled “Fallout: Atoms for War & Peace” sheds light on the Nuclear Age, exploring its potential for scientific innovation and its use as a dangerous weapon. The exhibit chronicles the past through a visually stunning collection of 60 posters, including artwork by General Dynamics as well as activist pieces protesting nuclear war; it also offers important lessons for our future.

“Fallout” is the debut point-counterpoint exhibition at Poster House, which is the first museum in the U.S. dedicated to the history of posters. Find the exhibit in the Flatiron District museum through September 7, 2025.