Festivals and events in New York: Cheap NYC activities

Free and cheap tickets to New York City's best museums? They exist! One of the benefits of living in or visiting NYC is the plethora of incredible cultural institutions at your fingertips. The Metropolitan Museum Of Art, MoMA and the Guggenheim are among the finest in the world. The only downside: pricey admissions fees. Unlike cities such as London or Washington, D.C., New York isn’t big on publicly funded museums, which is too bad—especially if you actually live here and have to spend most of your wages on food and rent. Granted, there are senior and student discounts, and memberships that let you get in gratis if you’re willing to pay the annual fee up front. There is a workaround. Most museums offer some free hours throughout the week or month, and some have pay-what-you-wish admission—you just have to know where and when they are. In our guide to all the free museum days and cheap admission hacks in NYC, we’ve got the info you need—whether you live here or are planning a visit. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best museums in NYC

You have a few more weeks to take a fresh look at one of America’s most complicated artistic chroniclers with Thomas Hart Benton: A Picture of America in Its Entirety. It's the first solo exhibition of the artist’s work in New York in more than 10 years. Spanning five decades of Benton’s career, the free Schoelkopf Gallery exhibition brings together major paintings, rarely seen works and studies for his celebrated murals, offering a sweeping look at his depictions of American life, labor, politics, race, industry and popular culture. The show also goes Hollywood, with two studies made for the 1955 Burt Lancaster film The Kentuckian, an original movie poster and a later Beam’s Choice bottle featuring Benton’s artwork. Coinciding with Schoelkopf Gallery’s 25th anniversary and the United States Semiquincentennial, the exhibition runs through October 16.

Though not as easily accessible by public transit as most NYC museums, this Queens County treasure is well worth the bus trek or car ride. As the city’s longest continually farmed site in the city (it’s been in operation since 1697), the 47 acres feels like an entirely different world compared to Manhattan. Feed and pet the barnyard animals, including sheep, ponies and goats, hop aboard a hayride and come back during the fall harvest season when you can go pumpkin picking and attempt to find your way through the Amazing Maize Maze (yes, that’s a corn maze). Don’t forget to stop by the store on your way out for fresh fruits and veggies grown on the premises!

We really like eating around the city, and we're guessing you do, too. So lucky for all of us, we've packed all our favorite restaurants under one roof at the Time Out Market New York. The DUMBO location in Empire Stores has fried chicken from Jacob’s Pickles, pizza from Fornino, delicious bagels from Ess-a-bagel and more amazing eateries—all cherry-picked by us. Chow down over two floors with views of the East River, Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan skyline.  RECOMMENDED: The best things do in NYC

Sofy Gallery in Chelsea opens a new group exhibit, The Weight of Normal Things, on October 1, joining painters Susan P. Martin and Patrick Earl Barnes with photographer Mara Clemente for a meditation on beauty hiding in plain sight. Curated by Luca Cantore D’Amore, the exhibition considers everyday people, places and gestures through three distinct forms of attention. Martin’s paintings blur self-portraiture and landscape, Barnes shows quietly charged urban scenes and Clemente's photographs bring the intimacy. The show kicks off the gallery’s 2026/'27 season and runs through October 24. Admission is free, with an opening reception from 6 to 9pm on October 1.

New York is a hotbed of artistic expression. The city’s art museums—including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum—display some of the best artists spanning centuries. And with more than 1,000 galleries, you can check out the latest and greatest artists at any time, in all mediums from painting to sculpture. You’ll find the best galleries in NYC concentrated in Chelsea, but also Brooklyn and Queens to the Upper and Lower East Sides of Manhattan. Visit NYC’s legendary art galleries and you’ll see some of the best artists from around the world.

No matter where you are or where you work in New York, you’re probably stressed out. As great as our fair city is—with so many amazing things to do, fabulous restaurants and top-notch bars—it’s hard to find time to chill out. Taking a weekend getaway or relaxing on a nearby beach are good ways to relax, but often we need serenity NOW (and let’s face it: sometimes planning that beach trip or weekend getaway can lead to even more stress!). A relaxing spa treatment can be just the thing for a quick fix. Problem is, most of us can’t afford the luxurious spas that promise instant bliss. Fortunately there are a number of spots for affordable spa treatments in NYC. Whether it’s a facial, a massage, a mani-pedi or a body scrub, one to two hours at a spa will give you the re-set you need. You’ll feel refreshed and glowing in no time. RECOMMENDED: Find more spas in NYC

Grand Bazaar is one of NYC's oldest and largest marketplaces where you can buy vintage treasures, antiques, clothing and more goodies from more than 150 local merchants. Photographers, jewelers and furniture designers sell their best on Sundays between 10am and 5pm on the Upper West Side (77th Street at Columbus Avenue), rain or shine. Each week offers a different theme, from featuring women-owned businesses to focusing on handmade items to spotlighting international wares. The market runs both indoors and outdoors each week all year long. As a testament to the beloved Grand Bazaar's staying power, the market is celebrating 40 years in 2025. Grand Bazaar also has a mission to give back with 100% of its profits from booth rentals supporting four local public schools, helping with everything from school supplies through teaching assistants.

With New York City named as the second-most expensive city in the world, you know we’re on the hunt for deals. While it basically costs $20 just to walk outside here, sometimes it’s worth the splurge if you’re visiting some of the best restaurants in NYC or seeing that hyped-up Broadway show. But more often than not, we have to choose between going out and paying rent, which just freaking sucks. That’s why Time Out New York is dedicated to helping you find cheap eats and happy hour deals as well as plenty of cheap things to do in NYC to fill your days without emptying your wallet. The good news is that you don’t have to skip NYC’s top attractions or events at its beautiful parks. You can catch free shows from up-and-coming bands, or catch a movie for under $10. Some are even worthy cheap date ideas, if you’re looking. RECOMMENDED: Full guide to the best things to do in NYC 

Getting around New York City isn't necessarily cheap or easy. A quick cross-town Uber ride can cost over $30. A cross-town bus ride is a fraction of the price but will take you a lot longer. And getting from borough to borough can prove to be even more of a feat.  When we chose this year's coolest neighborhood in NYC, we knew that getting there could be a challenge. In some ways, that semi-remoteness is what makes Red Hook so alluring, after all. The bus is an option, bike share works and the NYC Ferry will get you there (no subway service, unfortunately!). Believe it or not, though, there's an even more direct, totally free option that comes way of the kind merchants of Sweden: the IKEA Ferry. Never heard of it? Allow us to explain.  RECOMMENDED: This vibrant Brooklyn waterfront neighborhood is officially the coolest in NYC for 2025 What is the IKEA Ferry? The IKEA Ferry, operated by NY Waterway, offers boat transportation from two points in Manhattan to IKEA along the waterfront on the southwestern edge of Brooklyn.  Photograph: By yuriyt / Shutterstock Where does it pick up and drop off? The IKEA Ferry has two Manhattan stops. The first is in Midtown West at 39th Street's Pier 79 (that's 459 12th Avenue). The second is in Lower Manhattan at Pier 11/Wall Street (that's Pier 11 at South Street). In Brooklyn, it stops at IKEA (1 Beard Street).  When does it run? The IKEA Ferry runs on the weekends from morning until early evening approximately every hour-and-a-half. You...

Rare works by French master Pierre Soulages are coming to the Upper East Side in a new exhibition at the Lévy Gorvy Dayan gallery (19 E. 64th St.). Organized with the artist’s widow, the show features more than 20 paintings on paper, including works drawn directly from Soulages’s estate that have never been exhibited publicly. Spanning decades of work, the exhibition explores a medium he prized for its immediacy and unforgiving nature, using walnut stain, gouache, ink and improvised tools to experiment with light, texture and transparency. 

Groups! Can’t live with ‘em, can’t try almost everything on the menu in one sitting without 'em! Ok, maybe some can, but many will, at one point, still need to find restaurants perfect for large parties celebrating birthdays, anniversaries, big promotions, belated or pre-lated holidays and general getting the band back together events.  Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island each have options for your next fête, and these are our favorites for those expanded occasions. Most allow you to book space for up to six via conventional platforms, save for noted exceptions that go up to about ten, and all have room for more when you connect via email or phone. RECOMMENDED: See all of the best restaurants in NYC

Bouncing back from Hurricane Sandy, Abraham Merchant (Merchant Rivers House) unveiled a beer-focused waterfront bar on the restored Pier 15. On offer are sea-inspired bar bites like lobster rolls, fish-and-chips, crab cakes and shrimp cocktail with heirloom tomato gazpacho. Sip local craft beers like Bluepoint on red bar stools as you watch sports games on seven flatscreens or, better yet, take in scenic skyline views through the floor-to-ceiling windows. During the day, the bar also doles out cones of Ben & Jerry's ice cream, sorbets and frozen yogurt, fit for indulging your inner kid as you soak up rays on the outdoor deck.

Gowanus's Shania’s Max Bet feels like a bartender's bar. And that's because it is: co-owners Jericho Davidson and Robinson Daily met bartending at Royal Palms Shuffleboard Club while Michael Brown, the third partner, was once their dedicated regular. They created a bar that is both Shania Twain-themed (the first part of the name) and Atlantic City-themed, as the latter part harkens back to their shared group chat that made the trek to "America's Playground." It's maximalist as hell, with mirrored ceilings, cushioned walls, and a massive disco ball whose lights bounce off shiny, cherry-red walls. Behind the bar—laid with thousands of dice in resin—you'll find a mural of revelers dancing, which is likely what you'll be here for too: jiggling under the disco lights is customary, and you can do it until 4am. And to sustain such levels of partying, Shania's has plenty of ways to get you liquored up. Several drinks here feel a little like a bartender's dare, and they kind of are. Take the big dirty under the "Minderasers" part of the menu: a tall Diet Coke with a pour of olive brine and gin. It was once a punishment drink given to staff and newbies, who turned out to actually kind of like it. We do too, as the drink is briny and just on the edge of good salt. Some are a little less palatable, like the blueberry (blueberry vodka, coffee liqueur, and seltzer), which's too sweet and tastes a little like a melted Dum Dum sitting in a coffee cup. But if you aren't looking for a...

Admit it, are you a nosy New Yorker? Same here. Then you can't miss Open House New York this year. The annual event opens the doors of typically off-limit spaces during its festival running from October 17 through 19. This year, more than 300 sites are on the roster, including an exclusive rooftop garden in Rockefeller Center, a city compost facility, an Ellis Island boat and a private gallery in the World Trade Center. Even sites that are public, like Wagner Park and Astoria Pool, offer special behind-the-scenes experiences. Nearly half of the festival is fully free and open to the public—no advance registration or tickets are required. But select venues do require tickets, which are released on October 3 at noon (and they typically go fast!). RECOMMENDED: The best NYC events in October 2025 Every year since 2003, Open House New York has tapped architects, engineers, historians and curators to give everyday New Yorkers a glimpse into the spaces they create and work in. The event was founded in the wake of 9/11 by a grassroots group of architects, led by Scott Lauer, on the belief that "the openness of our shared urban fabric is the foundation of civil society," event organizers explained. "Open House New York Weekend is rooted in the simple but radical act of sharing the city," Kristin LaBuz, executive director of Open House New York, said in a press release. "This festival gives curious New Yorkers a hall pass to explore the people, projects, and places that make this...

PaddlesIn search of public options for curious newbies, I visit NYC's holdout nonprivate dungeon. The simple setup, found behind a marked door under an inconspicuous Chelsea awning, isn't intimidating. There's a bar selling soft drinks and a few rooms full of contraptions catering to individual interests—such as a chair to help fetishists get a faceful of a partner's feet. Unadorned corridors of cages and Saint Andrew's crosses are scattered around. My friend and I arrive just before 3am on a Saturday, as the space was converting from a well-lit coed atmosphere to the darker men-only party. Still, a half-dozen suburban types linger on a stage with a giant mirror behind it, setting up one last "scene" (a fantasy scenario). Everyone I meet is helpful, down-to-earth and eager to talk, including the Brit who'd arrived in town with a mind to getting caned. He met a German couple outside the club, took them for a drink and convinced the woman to do the honors. There's no pressure here; everything that you do or have done to you is consensual. Quietly watching is permissible; if you witness an act between two people who intrigue you, etiquette dictates you wait until they're through to approach them. There's no penetration or booze—stipulations that have helped the club avoid being shut down—so it's about leaving your street clothes at the door ($2) to reveal your leather skivvies; purchasing a cat-o'-nine-tails ($50--$70) from a spread of switches, whips and paddles on a lighted...

Under the sticky heat of the afternoon sun yesterday, dozens of fully nude models and artists (some of them nude, as well), gathered in Union Square for the final NYC Bodypainting Day. Each painter brought their artistic vision to life on the exquisite canvas of the human body, with some designs featuring intricate patterns and others with bold sweeping decorations.  Artist Andy Golub founded the annual event a decade ago and said this year would be the last for NYC Bodypainting Day in this form. It's likely that the news of the last hurrah attracted some of the throngs of onlookers who gathered around to watch the painters at work. Other attendees stumbled upon the event as they passed through the park, some suppressing surprised gasps or nervous giggles.  RECOMMENDED: This NYC vegan dinner party requires you to have dinner naked The event celebrates the human body in all of its beautiful shapes, sizes, genders, ethnicities and ages (ranging from the 20s to the 80s at the event). Artists carefully wield paintbrushes to cover their subjects from head to toe in theatrical makeup.  "I wanted people to take a moment and really celebrate humanity," Golub told Time Out New York. "I think the event is really about spreading joy and feeling joy." When thinking back on the first bodypainting day, Golub describes it as "magical" with "this incredible feeling of positivity."  Ten years later, that energy imbued this year's event as well. While this is farewell to NYC Bodypainting...

Located at the top of Museum Mile, the Museum of the City of New York is the place to explore the city’s past, celebrate its present, and imagine its future. The institution’s entire first floor is devoted to "New York at Its Core," a sprawling exhibition including two galleries taking visitors on a tour of all 400 years of New York City history and a flagship space known as the Future City Lab where visitors use interactive technology to design the NYC of the future. Rotating exhibitions throughout the rest of the Museum focus on issues ranging from the city’s history of social activism to New York’s built environment, and include objects from the Museum’s extensive collections of vintage photographs, costumes and textiles, theater memorabilia, furniture and decorative arts, and more. Don’t miss the amazing Stettheimer Dollhouse, created during the 1920s by Carrie Stettheimer, whose artist friends re-created their masterpieces in miniature to hang on the walls. Look closely and you’ll even spy a tiny version of Marcel Duchamp’s famous Nude Descending a Staircase.

Craving some summer thrills? Roller coasters aren’t just for kids—and luckily, there are plenty of amusement parks near NYC where adults can get their adrenaline fix. Sure, you could hop on the subway to Coney Island for some classic amuseument park fare, but venture a bit farther and you’ll find even wilder rides and sprawling parks. Yes, you’ll probably run into crowds of teens and families, but that’s part of the high-energy charm. And if high-speed drops and loop-de-loops aren’t your thing, there are other exciting day trips from NYC that won’t leave your stomach in knots. Need a breather after all that action? Cool off at one of NYC’s hotel pools open to the public.

Trailer Park Lounge serves as a tribute to midcentury roadside junk. Twenty-third Street doesn’t exactly scream “Americana,” but its being out of place is, in a lot of ways, the point. A row of bowling alley seats faces a wall plastered with Elvis memorabilia and there are mannequins posed in compromised states. The bar is trash-themed. Not literally garbage, but kitsch, camp; the tragically ludicrous/ludicrously tragic. The unique American pride in being low-rent. It’s a glorious mess. The garage sale aesthetic doesn't distract from the core objective: inexpensive, unfussy drinks and greasy-spoon eats. The kitchen pumps out burgers and tater tots and the like while bartenders pour oversized pitchers of frozen margaritas laced with cheap tequila. The diner booth seating, the smell of hot fryer oil, the rockabilly soundtrack–it all makes good sense after a few. It gets busy on weekends for amateur hour, but that’s the nature of going out in Chelsea. The salty bartenders have seen it all and know exactly how to handle it–a comfort in these trying times. If you’re in the neighborhood and don’t feel like shelling out big bucks for an evening, park yourself at Trailer Park.

After opening in 1929, MoMA became key to spreading the gospel of modern art over the course of the 20th century, positioning itself as a kind of temple for only the most dedicated aficionados. Today, that approach has largely been discarded in favor of a refreshingly more inclusive program that features women and artists of color, as well as lesser-known figures from global reaches beyond Europe and the United States. MoMA has become increasingly user-friendly through successive expansions—2019 added 40,000 square feet of new exhibition space, including street-facing galleries free to the public, as well as a dedicated venue for live programming and performances. Current amenities include MoMA’s sculpture garden and cinema, as well as a Michelin-starred restaurant run by Danny Meyer (don’t worry; there are also less-expensive dining options). Then there’s The MoMA Design Store, which sells furnishings and other merchandise as well as books. Still, it’s hard for MoMA to completely shake off its legacy; people still come to see famous artists such as Picasso and Matisse, after all. But through repeated renewal and re-invention, MoMA has exceeded its original role as modernism’s incubator to become one of NYC’s most important—and visited—museums.

Don’t scoff, jaded New Yorker—there are a lot of free things to do in NYC today. We understand: When you live in the most expensive city in the world, it’s hard to imagine how anything in this town could be gratis. But guess what? Every event on this list is free and actually awesome! That’s right, we found the free art exhibitions, comedy shows, cultural celebrations and NYC park activities, so you can have the time of your life without paying a dime. Whether you’re looking for fun date ideas or something to do with visiting relatives, we got you. Do you want more great stories about things to do, where to eat, what to watch, and where to party? Obviously you do, follow Time Out New York on Facebook for the good stuff.RECOMMENDED: See all free things to do in NYC

A new installation popping up this weekend will make you really scream for ice cream.  You can jump into the world’s largest outdoor sprinkle pool at Hudson Yards Public Square and Gardens on Saturday, July 15 and Sunday, July 16 in celebration of National Ice Cream Day. The event's hosted by Museum of Ice Cream (MOIC) with Friendly's ice cream, which will serve free scoops.  RECOMMENDED: The 12 best ice cream shops in NYC So what exactly is a sprinkle pool? It's an above-ground pool that replaces water with multi-colored antimicrobial biodegradable plastic "sprinkles." Definitely not edible but definitely extremely cute. Think of it like a ball pit but even more delightful. You'll even find inner tubes and inflatable balls to play (and pose) with.  Photograph: Courtesy of Museum of Ice Cream In addition to playing in the pool and snapping some fun photos, also grab a free scoop from Friendly’s Restaurants. They’ll be serving classic favorites like Original Fudge, Chocolate Fudge, and Cookies ’n Cream. Also, expect games and giveaways at the ice cream soiree.  All-ages activities run from 11am-6pm on Saturday and Sunday at Hudson Yards just off of 11th Avenue. The Museum of Ice Cream will also host Ice Cream Day festivities in Chicago, Austin and Singapore making this a truly global celebration. If you haven’t been to the Museum of Ice Cream yet, this Soho spot offers a chance to experience 13 multi-sensory installations, including a three-story indoor slide, the...

The New York Public Library has dug through its expansive and centuries-spanning archive to stage an impressive free exhibition filled with cultural artifacts. Launching this week, The Polonsky Exhibition of New York Public Library’s Treasures spans 4,000 years of history and includes a wide range of history-making pieces, including the only surviving letter from Christoper Columbus announcing his “discovery” of the Americas to King Ferdinand’s court and the first Gutenberg Bible brought over to the Americas. Some standouts from the 250+ items in the free exhibition include:  Thomas Jefferson’s handwritten copy of the Declaration of Independence The stuffed animals that belonged to the real-life Christopher Robin and inspired the Winnie-the-Pooh stories  Virginia Woolf’s walking stick, as well as a letter from her husband Leonard Woolf to her longtime lover Vita Sackville-West documenting its discovery following her suicide  The set model for the Off-Broadway production of In The Heights  The 1811 Commissioners’ Map and Survey of Manhattan Island—a preliminary grid plan for the city’s future growth  A copy of the formal invitation to Edith Wharton’s wedding The exhibition is free, but timed tickets are required and can be reserved in advance at nypl.org/treasures. The exhibition is expected to be a dynamic experience—new items will be removed and added in over time. Not surprising, when one considers how many gems the New York Public Library has likely acquired...

Book an appointment for a $20 cut, wash, blow-dry and styling from this botanical beauty product leader and you’ll get complimentary aromatherapy (the products smell that good) and phototherapy thanks to the sunlight that beams through the salon’s large windows. Appointments are accepted Tuesdays through Saturdays.