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This winter and spring felt uncharacteristically cold and dreary, but we finally reached the light at the end of the tunnel—literally. That's because for the next three months, you won't have to worry about the sun setting until after 8pm across New York City.
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If you paid attention this weekend, you might have noticed that the sun was out until just after 8pm, a welcome sight we haven't experienced since August 2024—yes, it's been that long, and our vitamin D-deprived mental states have definitely noticed.
From now until the summer solstice, the sunset will continue to get later and later. The latest time the sun will set will be at 8:31pm on June 21, before it starts setting earlier again. Don't worry, though: we'll still get late post-8pm sunsets until August 11.
Luckily, we live in a city that offers dozens of activities during the summer that you can enjoy up until 8pm or (much) later. Whether you're looking for an outdoor bar to soak up the sunlight or want to enjoy one of the many outdoor summer festivals, now's the time to really start planning.
Some other cool and free outdoor activities you can do this summer? Check out free Friday movie nights at the Intrepid Museum, which begins screening movies at sunset. There's also plenty of outdoor night markets—we recommend the Bronx Night Market and the emblematic Queens Night Market as good places to start. There's also Little Island's open-air programming, which includes concerts, plays, parties and even operas. Then, there's the many iconic al fresco events slated for the Brooklyn Mirage, including the much-anticipated Boiler Room Festival—if they ever actually open, that is.
All of this does come with one small caveat: meteorologists are predicting a particularly rainy summer, so make sure to check the forecast before you make those outdoor seating reservations!