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Looking for the best things to do in NYC this weekend? Whether you’re the group planner searching for more things to do in NYC today or you have no plans yet, here are some ideas to add to your list for this weekend: including official Fourth of July celebrations (Fleet Week 2026, Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest), rooftop parties, outdoor movies, music festivals and more plus free events around town. All you have to do is scroll down to plan your weekend! And cap off a great month with our round-up of the best things to do in June.  RECOMMENDED: Full list of the best things to do in NYCRECOMMENDED: The best New York attractions Stay in the Loop: Sign up for our free weekly newsletter to get the latest in New York City news, culture and dining. 

It’s America’s big day and we're here for it. Head to one of Gotham’s best beaches, grab your sunscreen and your sunnies and prepare for some fun in the sun. After gorging on red-white-and-blue treats and drinks, head out for the night to watch the Macy’s 4th of July fireworks or sail around NYC. RECOMMENDED: Full coverage of the 4th of July in NYC

Some of the best things to do in NYC this summer happen in July. Even after all the 4th of July events simmer down, the fun doesn't end. Post-Independence Day, there's still plenty to do outside of seasonal regulars like hitting up one of the city’s many scenic rooftops and working on your tan at the best beaches in NYC. From music festivals to outdoor movie series, new museum exhibitions to World Cup mania, here are 60+ great things to do in NYC this July.  RECOMMENDED: Full NYC events calendar

You know that peak summer feeling: sweating on the subway, baking on the sidewalks… the unrelenting heat and humidity makes you crave a dip in a cold pool. While the city is home to a number of public pools, sometimes you’re looking for the whole shebang—poolside cocktails, towel service, a cabana with friends and maybe a DJ—the kind of setup you’ll find at a swanky hotel or resort. Well, you’re in luck: you too can enjoy some amazing hotel rooftop pools in NYC. For a fee, some of the top hotels in the city open their pools, and all the poolside amenities, to the public. Once you procure a day pass, you’ll be splashing it up like you’re on vacay, kicking back on a chaise lounge with a cocktail in hand. Many of these hotel pools double as rooftop bars, so you’re in for a real summertime party. RECOMMENDED: The best beaches in NYC for fun in the sun  

If you’re looking for the best things to do in NYC this week, or even for today, there are tons of fun options, including Fleet Week celebrations, improv festivals, a Jay-Z takeover at Yankee Stadium, an "Off Campus"-themed club night and a Wimbledon pop-up in Central Park, along with seasonal faves like outdoor movies, garden jazz and more, plus awesome free events in NYC. For more ideas, scroll down to see this week's best things to do in NYC. RECOMMENDED: Full list of the best things to do in New York Stay in the Loop: Sign up for our free weekly newsletter to get the latest in New York City news, culture and dining. 

New York City's massive Pride celebrations have a deep and important history in the city. The first march was held in 1970 one year after the Stonewall Uprising, and the event has grown into an annual civil rights demonstration. Fast forward to 2026, and a Pride march feels just as important and relevant as it did 56 years ago: In February, the Trump administration removed the LGBTQ+ Pride flag from the Stonewall National Monument; after much push-back, the administration rightfully restored the flag in April.  While many colloquially call the event the Pride Parade, organizers refer to it as The March as a nod to the event’s heritage. After all, the first march was once an unpermitted political protest against anti-LGBTQ+ policies and attitudes. This year, activists and allies will take to the streets (and later NYC’s gay bars) in support of global LGBTQ+ rights at the NYC Pride March on Sunday, June 28. In recent years, The March has grown to include more than 700 groups with millions of spectators. RECOMMENDED: The best LGBTQ+ things to do in New York for Pride Month Photograph: Filip WolakJune 29, Pride Parade When is the NYC Pride March? The NYC Pride March is on Sunday, June 28, 2026, starting at 12pm. What is the theme for the 2026 Pride March? NYC Pride 2026's theme is “For All of Us,” inspired by a famous quote from legendary LGBTQIA+ activist and Stonewall veteran Marsha P. Johnson: “There is no pride for some of us without liberation for all of us.”   “As our...

A beloved New York City tradition since 1976, the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks are back for 2026 with a dazzling show. It's one of the best events to celebrate the 4th of July in NYC. What time is the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks show? On Friday, July 4 at 8pm. Where are the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks? The Macy's July 4 Fireworks Show returns to the Brooklyn Bridge and the East River for 2026. Specifically, the show will launch from the iconic Brooklyn Bridge and four barges positioned on the lower East River in the Seaport District. What is the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks show? Every year, the spectacular show launches 80,000 shells off of barges in the river. The extravaganza typically lasts 25 minutes and features numerous effects in 30 colors and shapes. What are the best places to watch the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks?  As for viewing locations, any anywhere with an unobstructed view of the sky above the lower East River should do the trick. Macy's says that prime public viewing will be available along elevated portions of the FDR Drive with the following access points managed by NYPD: Montgomery Street at Madison Street Robert F. Wagner Sr. Place and Brooklyn Bridge off/on ramps Broad Street at Water Street. ADA viewing will be available at the Murry Bergtraum Softball Field with access at Pike Slip and Cherry Street.  Just a heads up that those viewing points will get very busy, and you'll want to show up early. As crowds build at these areas, some of these...

Marilyn Monroe would have turned 100 this year — a milestone that feels almost impossible for someone whose image has remained permanently embedded in global culture. A century later, the world still instantly recognizes the platinum hair, the camera flashes, the glamour, the mythology. But Manifesting Marilyn: The Making of an Icon asks a more interesting question: who was the woman behind the image, and how intentionally did she create it? Opening June 2 through August 2 at Genesis House in the Meatpacking District, the immersive exhibition reframes Monroe not simply as a Hollywood icon, but as a woman of intelligence, ambition, discipline and continual reinvention. Through rewritten headlines, immersive cinematic environments, and archival storytelling and the experience reveals Marilyn as a strategist, reader, businesswoman and architect of her own becoming. Rather than treating Monroe as a figure frozen in nostalgia, the installation connects her story to broader themes of self-creation, transformation, authorship and new beginnings.  For decades, Monroe’s public narrative was often reduced to surface-level shorthand: the blonde bombshell, the movie star. Manifesting Marilyn intentionally moves beyond those familiar interpretations. The exhibition explores the discipline behind the glamour, the intellect behind the fame and the woman who deliberately shaped her own identity within a culture determined to define her for her. Visitors move through a series of immersive...

Few dishes are as universally comforting—or as versatile—as rotisserie chicken, and right now, New York can't seem to get enough of it. Found across cuisines ranging from French and Dominican to Peruvian and Greek, the humble bird has become one of the city's most crowd-pleasing dishes. It can be dressed up with foie gras stuffing and velvety sauces or served simply alongside rice, beans and plantains, making it equally suited for celebrations, weeknight dinners or family-style feasts. Ahead, 10 New York restaurants proving that great rotisserie chicken never goes out of style. RECOMMENDED: The best restaurants in New York City

Choosing a favorite restaurant in New York City is a joyful task with myriad possibilities depending on the occasion, mood and even the time of year. Your favorite dive, fine dining destination and neighborhood favorite might all occupy top spots on your personal best list in spite of their disparate qualities.  Our list of NYC’s 45 best restaurants is the same, spanning each of those categories and more to comprise a catalog of all the places we wish we were at right now. They don’t have to be the newest or the most recently reviewed, just places that we’ve been to and want to return to again and again, and that we think that you will, too.  Best NYC restaurants at a glance: For an excellent slice: L'Industrie - The New York slice shop that made us fall in love with Burrata slices, now has a new locale in Little Italy (Little Italy, West Village and Williamsburg) For a spin on a classic diner: Thai Diner – Even six years later, crowds line up for Thai tea babka, French toast, and disco fries from this Thai diner. (NoMad) For killer tacos: Carnitas Ramirez – The taqueria is home to nose-to-tail pork cookery, just in taco form, and it all goes down in a laid-back setting (Lower East Side) For a classic steak: The Dynamo Room - The throwback steakhouse offers prime cuts of steaks and classic cocktails right off of Madison Square Garden (Penn Station) Updated June 2026: It is June, and it is certainly a good time to be a New Yorker. The Knicks are in the finals (and...