Are people who FaceTime while walking down the street literally insane?

Bryant Park’s annual giant game of musical chairs is returning to midtown on Monday, June 8, turning one of New York’s most beloved childhood recess games into a gloriously chaotic spectator sport—and it’s completely free.

Now in its 12th year, Bryant Park Musical Chairs has quietly become one of the city's most delightfully ridiculous summer traditions. Hundreds of New Yorkers will gather on the lawn for a chance to prove that all those years of weaving through crowded subway platforms have prepared them for this exact moment.

The event kicks off at 6:30 pm, though participants will want to arrive much earlier. Check-in begins at 5:30 pm and spots are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Each player must check in in person to compete. This isn't your elementary school gymnasium version of musical chairs, either. Bryant Park scales everything up. Players are divided into circles of roughly 30 competitors, all orbiting the park’s iconic green bistro chairs while music blasts across the lawn. When the music stops, the mad dash begins.

New York’s favorite summer tradition is turning 40 and, apparently, it is celebrating by booking absolutely everyone.

City Parks Foundation has officially unveiled the 2026 lineup for Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage and this year’s season is shaping up to be one of the festival’s biggest and best yet. More than 60 free and ticketed shows will land in parks throughout the five boroughs with a lineup that swings wildly (and beautifully) between jazz legends, indie-rock darlings, hip-hop icons, global stars and a few niche downtown bookings.

The season kicks off June 10 in Central Park with a free opening-night performance from Grammy-winning vocalist Ledisi, alongside Spilata and DJ Kultured Child as part of the Blue Note Jazz Festival partnership.

Then, Laurie Anderson will bring her new "Republic of Love" tour to Central Park with Sexmob on June 26, Mavis Staples returns for a gospel-soaked July performance and Spoon will take over Rumsey Playfield on July 8 with Ratboys and Bodega. Elsewhere, De La Soul and Pete Rock are heading to Queens, Shaggy is bringing the “It Wasn’t Me” energy to Central Park, and Angélique Kidjo returns in August with music from her forthcoming album Hope!!.

If Or’esh's Jerusalem bagel has been sitting on your restaurant wish list, this weekend offers a much simpler way to try it.

For one weekend only, buzzy SoHo restaurants Or’esh and The Corner Store are taking the bagel out of the dining room with a limited-edition grab-and-go pop-up called The Bagel Box. Running June 12 through June 14, the collaboration will turn The Corner Store's pickup window into a dedicated bagel stop, offering Chef Nadav Greenberg's signature sesame-crusted Jerusalem bagels in an easy-to-takeaway format.

Each Bagel Box includes one freshly baked Jerusalem bagel paired with a choice of three spreads from a lineup crafted specifically for the pop-up. Options include sea salt cream cheese, garlic dill cream cheese, beet horseradish cream cheese and whipped Irish butter. Guests can also choose from premium selections like smoked salmon schmear, Ortiz anchovy butter or Hudson Valley duck egg salad.

The William Vale has announced the return of its annual Vale Cinema Series, bringing six poolside screenings to the hotel’s rooftop this summer. The series takes place at the Vale Pool, which has been transformed for the season into the Sephora Summer Club, a colorful collab that pairs outdoor movies with city views and cocktails.

Running from June through August, the lineup primarily consists of crowd-pleasing favorites and cult classics. This year also introduces a new “Sephora Presents” series, highlighting films connected by themes of beauty and self-expression.

The season kicks off on June 8 with Barbie, everyone’s favorite pink-hued blockbuster. On June 29, the spotlight shifts to Hedwig and the Angry Inch, the beloved rock musical and cult favorite. July brings two very different summer classics: Grease takes over the rooftop on July 13 as part of the Sephora-sponsored series, while Jaws arrives on July 27, a particularly fitting choice for a screening taking place beside a pool. August begins with Legally Blonde on August 10 and the season wraps on August 24 with Mean Girls, ensuring that one of the most quotable comedies ever made closes out the summer.

Come cheer on Portugal at Time Out Market this summer! Time Out is partnering with FPF (Portugal Football Federation) to create a one-of-a-kind cultural celebration and fan experience at Time Out Market that you’re not going to want to miss. If you’re looking for an immersive way to experience the FIFA World Cup 2026 in NYC, then head to the Market for lively watch parties, cultural activations, live DJs and much more.

Starting this Wednesday, June 10, Time Out Market, Brooklyn will be transformed into the multi-sensory Portugal House where you’ll be able to not only watch the thrilling games live on June 17, 23 and 27 but also take in the best that Portuguese culture has to offer. 

Stop by the Market’s fifth floor pop-up, to experience a range of Portuguese wines, try delicious food specialities, pose for memorable photo ops, enjoy entertainment on the stunning terrace and compete in an interactive Portugal Match Quiz.

Your subway platform soundtrack is heading above ground.

This summer, the MTA is bringing 50 free outdoor performances across Midtown Manhattan, bringing some of the best subway musicians out of the stations and directly onto Broadway plazas for lunchtime concerts and spontaneous dance breaks.

The larger of the two series, Broadway Rhythm, runs from June 9 through October 22 along Broadway between West 39th and 40th Streets. Performances will take place Tuesdays and Thursdays from noon to 2 pm, turning the Garment District plazas into a free midday concert venue for office workers, tourists and anyone looking to romanticize their lunch break a little bit.

Meanwhile, Times Square Live (TSQ LIVE) kicked off May 27 and runs through September 23, with Wednesday performances from noon to 2 pm on Broadway between West 44th–45th Streets and West 47th–48th Streets.

National Queer Theater’s annual Criminal Queerness Festival returns to HERE Arts Center (145 Sixth Ave.) June 9–27 as the official theater event of NYC Pride (which is not to say that there won't be plenty more queer theater happening this month throughout NYC). The Obie Award-winning festival spotlights new works by LGBTQ+ playwrights from countries where queerness is criminalized or censored, with this year’s lineup centering Arab queer voices. The 2026 edition includes the punk-infused musical Area D, the dark comedy faggy faafi Cairo boy and the surreal afterlife fantasia Syrian Soap. 

New York fans—we've waited a lifetime for this. And at Time Out Market, we are here to make sure you don't miss a moment of the action. 

Catch the Finals at Time Out Market New York, Dumbo. We will be showing the games on all of our screens across both floors, so you don't miss a single second. Cheers to every swoosh with all-day beer specials and a lineup of cocktails inspired by love of the game, including The Brunson Burner, The Slam Dunk Sour and The Madison Square Mule. Plus, all of our amazing food vendors will be on deck, from smashed burgers to full pizzas, all available to be delivered right to your table. 

Entry is free, and seating is first-come, first-served. 

Game Schedule

• Game 1: Wednesday, June 3rd at 8:30pm
• Game 2: Friday, June 5th at 8:30pm
• Game 3: Monday, June 8th at 8:30pm
• Game 4: Wednesday, June 10th at 8:30pm
• Game 5*: Saturday, June 13th at 8:30pm
• GAME 6*: Tuesday, June 16th at 8:30pm
• GAME 7*: Friday, June 19th at 8:30pm

* If necessary

Summer for the City returns June 10 through August 8, once again turning Lincoln Center into an open-air cultural playground hosting hundreds of performances—most of them completely free, with select indoor events offered on a choose-what-you-pay basis starting at $5.

Now in its fifth year, the festival has quietly become one of the city’s defining summer traditions, drawing more than 1.6 million visitors since launching in 2022. And for 2026, it’s going even bigger, with the simple idea of getting New Yorkers out of their apartments and into something a little more lively.

Dance is the headline act this year and it’s everywhere. A brand-new Lincoln Center Contemporary Dance Festival will take over Alice Tully Hall with international companies and multiple premieres, while a new outdoor series, Dance Encounters, brings contemporary works directly to Hearst Plaza. 

Music, of course, is just as central. The Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center returns with an expanded run at David Geffen Hall, alongside nine new commissions across dance and classical music. Elsewhere, the lineup leans global, with events like Brazil Day, Jamaica Day, Ruidosa Fest and Chinese Arts Week reflecting the city’s cultural mix.

The Paley Museum is going all in on the 2026 FIFA World Cup with a month-long celebration featuring live watch parties, interactive exhibits and soccer-themed programming in Midtown Manhattan. Beginning June 11, the museum will screen all 104 World Cup matches on the big screen in its newly renovated theaters, with broadcasts in both English and Spanish. The programming also includes The Global Game: Soccer in the United States and the FIFA World Cup, an immersive exhibition packed with memorabilia, archival footage, interactive training stations and gaming experiences exploring the sport’s growth in the U.S. Soccer legends, including Alexi Lalas, Carli Lloyd and Javier “Chicharito” Hernández, are also slated to appear during kickoff events tied to the tournament.