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New York’s biggest block party is officially back—and it involves strolling Fifth Avenue after hours like it’s your own private cultural playground.
The 48th annual Museum Mile Festival returns on Tuesday, June 9, taking over a mile-long stretch of Fifth Avenue from 82nd Street to 110th Street from 6pm to 9pm. For one evening only, more than 20 museums will open their doors for free, while the street itself turns into a festival packed with live performances, pop-ups and hands-on activities.
If you’ve never been, the premise is simple but kind of unbeatable: world-class museums, no admission fees and a car-free Fifth Avenue filled with music, dancing and crowds. Heavy hitters like the Met, the Guggenheim, Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum and Museum of the City of New York will all be open during the event, offering access to current exhibitions alongside special programming.
The Jewish Museum, for example, is planning live outdoor performances alongside family-friendly art activities, while Cooper Hewitt is turning its garden into a dance floor with DJs and a hot-pink sound system. And up at 104th Street, El Museo del Barrio, which will also host the opening ceremony at 5:45 pm, is leaning into a full-on Puerto Rican block party vibe, complete with live salsa, DJs and hands-on art-making. Not every institution will be open inside (the Neue Galerie New York, for one, is closed for renovations), but even those that aren’t are setting up outdoor activations and pop-ups along the route.
Plus, beyond the museums, neighborhood partners, ranging from cultural centers to community groups, will add everything from bracelet-making and scavenger hunts to participatory city budgeting via the People’s Bus. The festival has been around since 1978 and has drawn more than 2 million visitors over the years, which explains why it still feels like both a tourist magnet and a locals-only summer kickoff.
If you’ve ever wanted to museum-hop without checking your bank account—or just wander Fifth Avenue while it’s blissfully car-free—this is your night.