dancers
Photograph: By Deb Fong
Photograph: By Deb Fong

The best things to do in NYC this weekend

The best things to do in NYC this weekend include the Chinatown Arts Festival, a Sistine Chapel immersive experience, Blacklight Vampire, and Halloween Origami Folding and Letterpress Printing.

Rossilynne Skena Culgan
Contributor: Morgan Carter
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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: The Chinatown Arts Festival, a Sistine Chapel immersive experience, Blacklight Vampire, Halloween Origami Folding and Letterpress Printing, and free events around town. All you have to do is scroll down to plan your weekend!

RECOMMENDED: Full list of the best things to do in NYC
RECOMMENDED: The best New York attractions

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Time Out Market New York

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, inventive ice cream flavors from Sugar Hill Creamery and more amazing eateriesall cherry-picked by us. Chow down over two floors with views of the East River, Brooklyn Bridge and Manhattan skyline.

Things to do in NYC this weekend

  • Things to do
  • Events & Festivals

The Chinatown Arts Festival is back from October 9-27 with parties, art shows, and other cultural events. It's produced by Think!Chinatown, an organization that fosters the bustling art scene in the Manhattan neighborhood. 

This year's festival headliner on October 12 will be singer and multi-instrumentalist Treya Lam, whose music is rooted in Chinese medicine wellness practices. A guided Cantonese opera experience about the Legend of the Purple Hairpin will also delight, this one in the bamboo garden at 5 Essex on October 26. The festival will wrap up with a huge block party on October 27, with tunes provided by DJ Yiu Yiu. 

To stay updated on the latest information about performances and schedules, visit the festival's website

  • Eating

A new celebration of cuisine found across the African diaspora is heading to NYC.

Coming this Sunday, October 13, the inaugural Culinary Creatives Conference is hosted by James Beard Award winner KJ Kearney of Black Food Fridays. The day-long festival will include informative fireside chats with top industry leaders, including a panel discussion led by award-winning chef and restaurateur, Melba Wilson of Melba’s. Buy your tickets here.

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  • Comedy
  • Stand-up

You won't believe how seamlessly good comedy can work with pole dancing (you can read about it here). While stellar stand-ups deliver sets, pro dancers give the crowd something stare at. Think of it as a full-brain experience. Comics Dan Goodman, Joanna Ross and special guests will welcome talented pole dancers and comedians from across NYC. 

Each show features a different musical theme, and each one is full of surprises. This weekend, October 11-12, it's Rocktober with Danzig, Rob Zombie, Pantera, and more for spooky season. As the event organizers say: "If you don't see shows like this, why are you even paying the NYC rents?"

  • Sports and fitness

New York City offers up plenty of cool outdoor options for your yoga flow but this one might just take the cake: join the Seaport Museum for a free yoga session on the second Sunday of the month on the deck of the historic 1885 tall ship Wavertree.

Running now through October 13 at Pier 16 (Fulton and South Streets), the 60-minute practice is open to those of all skill levels between ages 12 and up. Each session is sprinkled with enlightening information about the vessel itself as well as thoughtful playlists "developed to reflect the serenity of the water and lively seasonal themes." 

Make sure to register in advance and bring your own yoga mat! 

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  • Things to do

Feeling crafty this Halloween? Try your hand at origami folding and letterpress printing at this free seasonal workshop on Wall Street, where you’ll learn to make origami bats and other spooky folded-paper creatures, along with Halloween-themed paper chains. For an extra thrill, skilled Bowne & Co. designers will be on hand to guide you through crafting your own letterpress-printed broadside posters using a 19th-century printing press from the Seaport Museum’s working collection.

All participants get to take home the items they create during the afternoon, to add some homemade fun to their Halloween decorations. Admission is free, but pre-registration is encouraged—sign up here!

  • Things to do

Join Mark Menjívar, a San Antonio-based artist and associate professor in the School of Art and Design at Texas State University, for a guided bird walk in Central Park on the morning of Friday, October 11 or Saturday, October 12.

Kicking off at El Museo del Barrio (1230 Fifth Avenue), the walk is being offered as part of La Misma Canción (The Same Song), Menjívar’s project that was commissioned for Flow States – LA TRIENAL 2024. Winding through the park from 9:30-11am, the project will explore birds to discuss migration and the interconnectedness of the Americas. An optional artist-led bird sit at the Harlem Meer will begin directly following the walk. It's free to attend; just be sure to register in advance.

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  • Movies

Beetlejuice! Beetlejuice! Beetle…well, you know the rest. You can catch up with your favorite ghastly bio-exorcist with a free outdoor screening of Tim Burton’s 1988 classic horror-comedy Beetlejuice, starring an iconic cast including Michael Keaton, Winona Ryder, Catherine O’Hara and Geena Davis.

A perfect way to get into the spooky-season spirit, the special screening will come with a side of picturesque, panoramic waterfront views, taking place at Pier 57’s Rooftop Park in partnership with Rooftop Films on Friday, October 11 at 7pm. Though free to attend, the event is first-come, first-served so RSVP here and make sure to snag a spot early (doors open at 6pm!).

  • Art
  • Art

New Yorkers itching to see the Sistine Chapel's ceiling painted by Michelangelo usually have to embark on an eight-and-a-half hour flight to Rome before finding their way to the Vatican City.

But, starting Friday, October 11, the special slice of history is going to land in Brooklyn in an immersive exhibit. Michalangelo's Sistine Chapel: The Exhibition is touching down in Industry City through January 5, 2025, after stints in London, Shanghai, Toronto, Chicago, Vienna and other cities around the world. 

The exhibition features 34 of the famous frescoes reproduced in precise detail with bold color and enhanced details to give visitors a fuller experience than they would get if they visited the Vatican, where the artwork towers a staggering 66 feet above the main floor and where details can get lost if you don't have hawk-like vision. Tickets range from $22 to $26.

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  • Things to do
  • DUMBO

Enjoy cool, crisp beers on a breezy fall day on the Brooklyn waterfront!

Time Out Market Fall Beer Festival is set for Saturday, October 12, where you can enjoy a variety of beer from Sixpoint Brewery, Brooklyn Brewery, Estrella Galicia and Modelo while listening to live music from DJ Dwai and take part in a stein hoisting competition to win prizes.

We’re also hosting a competition for the Best Fries in the Market, which you can vote on on the first floor. A $10 entry ticket allows you to sample Jacob’s Pickles’ Waffle Fries, Smashed’s classic fries, Pastrami Queen’s Garlic Fries and Okiboru’s Nori Garlic Fries before voting.

Stick around afterward for the Market’s energetic Latin Mix Saturdays from 8pm to midnight.

  • Things to do

In tandem with its limited edition release, The Macallan TIME : SPACE Collection, the 200-year-old spirit brand is bringing an immersive experience to NYC from October 9 to 12. Walking through the installation, whisky aficionados can travel through through the past, present and future of the brand. While touring through the latest whisky innovations, guest can sip on cocktails from Dante. The end of the exhibit finishes with the opportunity to purchase the latest and rarest whiskey: TIME : SPACE Mastery.

The dual vessel houses a 1940 vintage, bottled for 84 years, and the first release of new The Macallan Distillery, which was distilled in 2018 and bottled at 5 years old. Proceeds will be donated to the Natural Areas Conservancy. 

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  • Things to do

The Living Installation returns with glowing colors and glitchy ‘80s horror for a new spooky theater experience: Blacklight Vampire. Taking place on Saturday, October 12 in Greenwich Village (ticket holders will receive an email with the private address info), the intimate "human art" show will see Jadda Cat transform into a vampire with fluorescent paint, FX makeup, puppets and more, while Michael Alan Alien provides a live musical soundtrack.

Along with the performance itself, you can tour behind the behind-the-scenes of the studio, including a display of Alien’s original drawings and paintings. You can even take home prints and original works from the artist.

Pulling from the iconic 2003 movie—or maybe the 1976 movie, who’s to say—the Musket Room is having their own Freaky Friday this October. From October 8 through October 12, executive chef Mary Attea and executive pastry chef Camari Mick are switching places in the kitchen.

Taking on the tasting menu, chef Mick’s menu will incorporate her Jamaican heritage, serving up a Rasta Pasta crafted with a red and green pepper pasta dough. Meanwhile, chef Attea will be on the pastry line, whipping up her dream dessert: a spiced cereal milk paired with Mary O’s cereal and a rich kinako milk sauce. Come Friday the 13th, the pair switch back, so catch this freak-tastic menu for a limited time.

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  • Nightlife

If you think there weren't great quality, white-knuckle worthy haunted houses in Brooklyn-slash-Queens, you're wrong: The Ridgewood Asylum and Haunted House has been a local crowd favorite for years. Operated by the beloved owners of The Deep End bar, The Ridgewood Asylum is part escape room and part haunted house and this year's iteration will be the biggest they've ever built. 

What we love about this haunted house is that it isn't just about jump scares, either: It's always meticulously thought out, with storylines and plots and details you won't usually get from more commericial haunted houses in the city. The Ridgewood Asylum will open on October 11 and run until November 1. 

  • Things to do
  • Events & Festivals

This new immersive experience at Rockefeller Center is based on the story of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman. The experience starts at the Sleepy Hollow Harvest, where you'll encounter freshly pressed apple cider and characters from the Headless Horseman tale. Then, you'll make your way through the Hollows and the cornfield before you arrive at Ichabod’s Enchanted Grove. The journey winds through a few more experiences before ending at the Jack O’Lantern Atelier, where you can carve and decorate your own pumpkin to take home. 

“Sleepy Hollow: Autumn’s Harvest” runs from Saturday, October 12, until November 12. Tickets range from $34-$44 per person. You can plan your visit on their website here

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  • Things to do
  • Events & Festivals

On October 27, 1904, New Yorkers dressed in their finest clothing and hosted dinner parties to celebrate the big news of the year. After four years of messy, sometimes controversial construction, a subway had opened in New York City. Officials didn't know if people would show up for its debut, but more than 100,000 people descended beneath the ground that evening to traverse the system's 9 miles and 28 stations. The next day, a Sunday, more than 1 million people showed up on the subway's first full open day. 

It may not seem like a big deal to us now, but the subway was revolutionary—and it still is. A fascinating new exhibit at the New York Transit Museum in Brooklyn digs into the history and the future of our underground rail system. Titled "The Subway Is...," the exhibition brings together artifacts, photos, multimedia installations, old advertisements, train models and more to tell the story of our city's subway system. 

  • Things to do
  • Events & Festivals

Anime lovers residing in New York, rejoice! This fall, Kodansha, one of Japan's largest publishers of manga, will debut a special immersive pop-up experience dedicated to all things anime at 45 Grand Street near West Broadway in Lower Manhattan.

Kodansha House: Where Manga Meets will officially open on October 4 and welcome guests on Wednesdays to Sundays between noon and 9pm through the end of October.

There will be lots to do at the pop-up, with activities and programming spanning in form and topic.

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  • Shopping
  • Shopping & Style

In our humble opinion, there are never too many places to go shopping around here. In fact, the more options there are out there, the better, especially when it comes to rare and great quality vintage pieces.

If you're a fan of flea markets, then BQ Flea, which is making its debut in Brooklyn in October, should be on your radar right now. 

Curated by the people behind the beloved and renowned Brooklyn Flea, which takes place under the Manhattan Bridge in Dumbo, BQ Flea will be open from 10am until 5pm every Sunday in October on Meeker Avenue between Union Avenue and Lorimer Street, right under the BQE. 

  • Things to do

Lions, tigers and bears—oh my! The Bronx Zoo goes all out every Halloween season, and this year is no exception, with a month of spooky festivities. Come dressed in your All Hallows Eve best to enjoy live pumpkin carving demos, animal encounters, family-favorite outdoor games, costume parades, local food trucks and plenty of treats. 

Activities run on Saturdays and Sundays through October 27 (and on Monday, October 14). 

For an extra special treat, book a ticket for the zoo's Pumpkin Nights where you can wander through a trail of animal-themed jack-o'-lanterns.

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Stone Street Oktoberfest is one of the largest Oktoberfest celebrations in New York City. Festival-goers pack onto one of Manhattan's oldest streets for German beer, themed food, stein-holding contests, live music and games.

The party runs from noon-11pm on Saturdays October 5, October 12, October 19 and October 26. It's free to enter, with beer and food available for purchase.

  • Things to do
  • Events & Festivals

Blood Manor has returned for its 21st year. The 10,000 square-foot mansion at 359 Broadway in Manhattan boasts plenty of blood-chilling rooms, spooky corridors and a labyrinth filled with surprises that will make you jump in abject horror. But there’s more: a great cast of actors equipped to instill maximum jump scares and state-of-the-art special effects and technology that combine reality with fantasy so that you don’t quite know what’s real and what isn’t.

 

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  • Art

Edges of Ailey is the first large-scale museum exhibition to reflect on the life, work and legacy of the visionary artist Alvin AileyAiley founded his eponymous dance company in 1958, creating a platform for modern dance through his innovative repertoire and the unflinching support of other dancers and choreographers. His creative pursuits even extended far beyond dance.

This multimedia cross-disciplinary exhibition—presented in the museum’s 18,000+ square-foot fifth-floor galleries—brings together painting, sculpture, photography, drawings, print, and video made before, during, and after the artist's lifetime (1931-1989). It crystallizes his incredible influence on the contemporary art world and establishes him as one of the great polymaths and earliest, most celebrated multi-hyphenates of the 20th century. 

See it from through February 9, 2025 at The Whitney.

  • Things to do
  • City Life

When Robert A. Caro's The Power Broker was first published 50 years ago, the book's release was met with great anticipation. Excerpts in The New Yorker gained lots of attention—including from the biography's subject, NYC government official Robert Moses, who described the deeply researched book as "venomous." Even so, it was impossible to predict whether a 700,000-word biography would resonate with readers. 

The book quickly earned acclaim, winning the Pulitzer Prize and finding a home on bookshelves across America, especially among New Yorkers. Now, five decades later, the monumental work still resonates for its look at NYC’s past and the lessons it holds for our future. The book and its tenacious author are the subject of a new exhibit at New-York Historical Society Museum & Library titled “Robert Caro’s The Power Broker at 50." See it at the Upper West Side museum through February 2, 2025. 

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  • Things to do
  • Weird & Wonderful

Each year, the Amazing Maize Maze's shape changes, and this year, it's designed like a butterfly. The species starts their life cycle on the farm's milkweed plants before they migrate nearly 3,000 miles to Mexico every year. The maze is not only a fun family activity this year, but also an homage to a threatened species that we should all protect.

You can visit the Amazing Maize Maze at the Queens County Farm Museum every Friday through Sunday until October 26. Tickets are $14 for adults and $10 for children ages 4-11. Entry is free for children under 3 years old. Online tickets are required before you visit and you can get them through their website

  • Art

Just Do It. Er, Just Frame It. That's the motto of this exhibition at Poster House, a museum in Chelsea that's dedicated to posters. 

"Just Frame It: How Nike Turned Sports Stars into Superheroes" explores how one company paved the way for modern sports advertising. During the 20th century, it became a rite of passage for a professional athlete to cement their icon status by having their persona memorialized on a Nike poster. Today, in an age where athletes’ images are much more accessible and "just like us," these 60 posters may seem quaint—but they’re also larger-than-life and undeniably entertaining, just like the stars they depict.

Photographers featured in the exhibit include Chuck Kuhn, Bob Peterson, Gary Nolton, Ancil Nance, John Terence Turner, Chuck Rodgers, Harry De Zitter, Bill Sumners, Jean Moss, Pete Stone, Richard Noble, Cliff Watts, and Peggy Sirota. See it through February 23, 2025.

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  • Art

It's a different world for politicans trying to make a name for themselves nowadays. TikToks, Instagram posts and televised debates are the method du jour. But back in the 1800s, books made Abraham Lincoln.

He became a lawyer through self-disciplined study, won the White House through the concurrent rise of American popular publishing, and remains one of the most written about figures over the 160 years since his death. "Abraham Lincoln: His Life in Print" uses original printings of books and ephemera to create a sweeping, conceptual portrait of the man.

See it Grolier Club through December 28; it's free and open to the public.

  • Things to do
  • Events & Festivals

This fall, you'll get a chance to feel like you're inside the mind of the one and only Tim Burton. The New York Botanical Garden is hosting the worldwide debut of a new light trail entirely inspired by the 1993 classic Disney film Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas.

The trail is comprised of over 8,300 square feet of light installations with interactive video projections, intelligent LED lighting and 3D printed sculptures of the film's iconic characters. 

The outdoor adventure runs through November 30; get tickets here

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  • Things to do
  • Events & Festivals

Fancy gowns and celebrity outfits are no strangers to museum collections. But the everyday clothing found in closets across America typically gets overlooked by fashion exhibits.

A new show coming to the New-York Historical Society, titled "Real Clothes, Real Lives: 200 Years of What Women Wore,” changes that. The newly announced exhibit will feature everyday women’s clothing from the past two centuries, including a well-worn Depression-era house dress, a college girl’s psychedelic micro mini, and an Abercrombie & Fitch wool suit bought off-the-rack in NYC in 1917 that was remade into a Relief uniform worn behind enemy lines in France. See the exhibition through June 22, 2025.

  • Things to do
  • Events & Festivals

What does Jimmy Fallon dream about? Coming up with bits for The Tonight Show? Rocking out with his band, The Roots? Or perhaps something more sinister? 

At this new Halloween experience called Jimmy Fallon's Tonightmares, you can peek inside the mind of the renowned host. This haunted maze experience at Rockefeller Center is open now with 10 chilling rooms, each featuring one of Jimmy Fallon’s spine-tingling nightmares. Tickets are on sale now for about $37/person.

The maze features a cornfield with killer scarecrows, an abandoned subway with not-so-human-like creatures, and even a performance from a zombie boy band, making for a truly thrilling evening. Those brave enough to enter can expect an immersive experience with terrifying sets, practical effects and scares behind every corner.

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  • Things to do

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Latin Grammys, the Paley Center has unveiled a free exhibit in heart of Manhattan that commemorates the best moments of the iconic awards ceremony throughout the years. Get a chance to gawk at some of the most memorable outfits from the Latin Grammys, marvel at some of the most iconic musical instruments used at the award show—yes, including Shakira's pink jewel-encrusted Fender guitar and harmonica—and bask in Latin Grammy trophies from years past.

For Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs until October 13, the Paley Center will also host screenings of moments when Hispanic actors and musicians ruled pop culture, including a 1999 Celia Cruz concert, a 2010 Dora the Explorer episode, and a screening of the beloved Chico and the Man. For tickets and full programming, visit the Paley Center's website

  • Things to do
  • Events & Festivals

Carving a jack-o'-lantern may be a time-honored American tradition for many, but nobody—and we mean nobody—does pumpkin carving quite like Great Jack O’Lantern Blaze.

Every fall, pumpkins aplenty decorate two locations of this festive, family-friendly attraction. This year promises thousands of intricately carved jack-o'-lanterns in mesmerizing displays, plus dazzling new experiences in honor of the event's founding 20 years ago. 

Blaze: Hudson Valley runs at Van Cortlandt Manor in Croton-on-Hudson in Westchester County through November 17. Blaze: Long Island runs at Old Bethpage Village Restoration in Old Bethpage, Long Island from October 4 through November 3. Tickets are on sale now.

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  • Interactive

After you finish Life and Trust, the new immersive, three-hour epic from the producers of Sleep No More, you may want to start over. With more than two dozen characters to follow around six floors of gorgeously crafted environments in a former bank building, this choose-your-own-theatrical adventure demands multiple viewings to see—and make sense—of it all.

Even though the show has only been running since June and is far from a cheap ticket, some fans have been numerous times. If you’re looking for tips and spoilers, including how to find hidden spaces like the poodle room or the lake, or what happens to the few chosen for one-on-one character interactions, there’s an active Life and Trust subreddit, a jam-packed Medium post and passionate Discord discussions. 

Life and Trust is playing at Conwell Tower on Beaver Street, booking now through October 13, 2024. You can buy tickets here. There’s also a new monthly series called “Unlocked” which is a talk back about the creative process that’s free to attend. RSVP here.

  • Things to do
  • Events & Festivals

Recording the Ride: The Rise of Street-Style Skate Videos" will honor DIY filmmaking with videos, vintage skate decks and other objects related to the formative years of the skate video in the 1980s and 1990s. See it in Astoria through January 26, 2025. With limited budgets and cheap video equipment, skaters recorded their limit-pushing tricks on stairs, benches, and other skate-able elements of public architecture. These grainy videos of bodies in flight were set to music-driven montages on VHS-format videos, often with a defining fish-eye lens. 

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  • Things to do
  • City Life

New Yorkers are used to the many public art sculptures that decorate NYC’s vibrant streets and parks. But this fall, a new set of statues coming to the Meatpacking District may set a whole new bar for the city’s public art scene. 

One hundred life-size elephants have appeared in the Meatpacking District as part of “The Great Migration,” a global fundraising effort to uplift Indigenous voices and motivate the human race to share space with their animal neighbors. See them through October.

  • Things to do
  • DUMBO

Start your weekend off right at Time Out Market New York’s stunning rooftop! Friday Night Vibes gets the party going on the fifth floor at 7pm with tunes from DJ Stretch (on the first and third Friday of every month) and DJ Price Is Right (on the second and fourth Friday).

Dance the night away with specialty cocktails from the Market’s awesome bar and grab bites from one of two dozen kitchens including, Jacob’s Pickles, Bark Barbecue and Wayla. Enjoy it all to the incredible views of the East River, the NYC skyline and the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges. 

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  • Things to do
  • City Life

Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building has been giving us murders to solve for three seasons, and now as the fourth season debuts, it’s giving us one more mystery to solve—in person. Hulu and The Escape Game, located in midtown, have partnered up to create The Only Murders in the Building Escape Game.

The escape game is played across a couple of rooms that have been outfitted to look like the Arconia hallway and Charles’ apartment. You have 60 minutes to escape and if you need a clue, there’s a red button you can smash that plays a snippet from the theme song when you push it. Staffers then shell out an idea for you to try. There also may have been hidden bookcase doorways, a laser and even a water feature puzzle. Check it out now because it’s on for a limited time!

  • Eating

For over 16 years, 67 Orange was a pioneering figure in Harlem’s cocktail scene. With a name that calls back to the address of Almack’s Dance Hall—one of New York’s first Black-owned and operated bars in the 1800s—the bar drove the cocktail renaissance scene in uptown. But over the summer, the iconic bar announced they were coming to a close, with plans to reopen in the future at a new location.

In the meantime, 67 Orange is taking over Back Bar’s Hidden Bar located inside Hotel Eventi in Midtown. Regulars will find familiar touches from the uptown bar, with art deco decor, music and more. Chef Laurent Tourondel will also be curating several food items that pay an homage to the bar and the rhythm of Harlem. Reservations are open here.

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  • Things to do

Explore the extraordinary life of Lord Byronthe famous scribe known for his lengthy narratives Don Juan and Childe Harold's Pilgrimage—at this new exhibition at the New York Public Library’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building. Running through January 12, the collection of personal letters, literary manuscripts, illustrated biographies, paintings, prints, and even wine bills traces Byron’s movements, from his youth in Aberdeen, to his sudden fame after the publication of Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, to his death in Greece at the age of 36. 

  • Movies

There's nothing more "summer in NYC" than taking in a movie in the great outdoors, under the hardly-seen stars and set to the humming soundtrack of the city. Even better, all of the screenings listed here are free to attend.

NYC has no shortage of movies in the park you can attend in the warmer months. This summer's films range from the classics (like Mean Girls and Titanic) to newer blockbusters (like Everything Everywhere All At Once and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning). With screenings across the five boroughs, there's definitely one near you to check out.

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  • Theater & Performance

You might not know who Cellino and Barnes are, but you can definitely recite their law firm's phone number by heart. 

Ross Cellino Jr. and Steve Barnes founded their personal injury law firm in Buffalo, New York back in 1998. The pair quickly rose to prominence after their distinctive jingle—"Cellino and Barnes, injury attorneys, call 1-800-888-8888"—basically turned them into Internet celebrities.

That history, including what led to the dissolution of the company, is the subject of the Off Broadway dark comedy Cellino V. Barnes, at Asylum NYC (123 East 24th Street by Lexington Avenue) now through October 13. Tickets for Cellino V. Barnes are available here

  • Drinking

Any New Yorker who has melted their brain by watching daylong marathons of The Real Housewives, Below Deck and Vanderpump Rules (guilty!) has been waiting for this day: New York is finally getting a Bravo-inspired bar.

Now through Sunday, October 6 at Selene (11 Hanover Square), you can sip on a Mazel Mule, a Physically Shaking Margarita or a Pumptini—that Vanderpump classic—while you recreate memorable Bravo moments in photo opps, show off your Bravo knowledge in trivia games and peruse a historical archive of real-deal Bravo artifacts.

General admission ticket starts at $35 and includes a glass of rosé and 90 minutes to experience the Diamonds and Rosé pop-up.

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  • Art
  • Art

A new immersive installation at the World Trade Center hopes to remind us of our shard connectedness by displaying thousands of anonymous hand written stories collected from all sorts of people. 

The exhibition, called The Strangers Project, will be set up inside the South Concourse of the Oculus at the World Trade Center Thursdays through Sundays from 2pm until 7pm for an indefinite period of time. 

Each note contains a true story by a stranger, ranging from hilarious tales to inspiring anecdotes and downright heartbreaking recountings. In the 15 years since the project started, Doman has collected more than 95,000 stories and allowed thousands of strangers to empathize with each other without ever meeting. 

 

  • Drinking

As Edgar Allan Poe once wrote, "What care I how time advances? I am drinking ale today." His words serve as the toast to kick off the weekly Literary Pub Crawl, which highlights the fascinating literary history around New York City, particularly in Greenwich Village.

Though the Literary Pub Crawl has a long history in New York City—25 years, 200 authors and 2,000 beers—it remains one of the more under-the-radar walking tours around town. This Saturday afternoon activity offers a chance to learn a lot while sipping your drink of choice, bringing a whole new definition to "get lit."

The tour runs about three hours, totaling a mile of walking. Tickets cost $49/person, plus bring along some cash if you'd like to buy drinks. You'll leave having learned something, having sipped a few drinks, and hopefully feeling inspired to go read.

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  • Things to do
  • Bushwick

This sprawling 16,000-square-foot space in Bushwick, designed to double as a concert venue and nightclub for up to 1,200 people, is the city’s first new wooden roller skating rink in over a decade.

Xanadu is decorated with a giant black-and-white photo of a group of young Black skaters taken over 40 years ago, a model for the energy in the room today. There’s also a rinkside bar, serving drinks with names like Skaterade and Purple Rain with direct sightlines of all the action on the wood. And in the bathroom, a surprise DJ spins a soundtrack for patrons to dance to as they wash their hands, a cheeky setup Kataria calls, “Club Flush.”

Smorgasburg, the food bazaar spectacular, is back for 2024 with dozens of great local vendors across three locations.

In fact, with more than 70 vendors, it's the largest Smorgasburg lineup since 2018! Vendors this year will serve up fragrant Ethiopian stews, Hawaii-style street comforts, explosive pani puri, potato puff poutine, and lots more.

Smorgasburg WTC runs on Fridays; Williamsburg is on Saturdays; and Prospect Park is on Sundays. Each location is open from 11am-6pm and operates weekly through October. 

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  • Things to do
  • Markets and fairs

The Brooklyn Flea is undoubtedly one of the most popular flea markets to hit in NYC if you're looking for the best selection of throwback wares and records.

Find Brooklyn Flea in DUMBO on the cobblestone streets of Pearl Plaza, where it spotlights roughly more than 40 vendors who display their goods beneath the Manhattan Bridge. Brookyn Flea operates on Saturday and Sundays, now through December. Brooklyn Flea also operates in Chelsea year-round on Saturdays and Sundays.

  • Art
  • Art

Ocean noise, chemical pollution, climate change and sea level rise are words that often appear in the news. But these important concepts can be hard to make sense of—or to understand at all.

That's where artist Jenny Kendler comes in. Her new exhibit, Other of Pearl, confronts these pressing environmental issues in ways that feel more accessible with stirring whale songs, incredible pearl sculptures, a crystalline whale eye cast with human tears, and more. You can see these powerful works for free on Wednesdays-Sundays from 10am-5pm now through October on Governors Island. 

Seven intimate, delicate works are displayed in the cavernous, subterranean magazine of historic Fort Jay, a star-shaped fortification built on Governors Island between 1775 and 1776. 

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  • Things to do
  • Events & Festivals

Sometimes you’ll feel very tall, sometimes very small, and sometimes in awe of it all at this new New York Botanical Garden exhibit that celebrates the magic of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. With a variety of botanical and artistic exhibitions throughout the Bronx garden’s 250 acres, “Wonderland: Curious Nature” encourages visitors to get “curiouser and curiouser” around every turn. 

See a massive white (well, actually green) rabbit made entirely of plants; explore an enchanting English garden with delightfully weird flora; climb through a rabbit hole; hang out in a house made of mycelium bricks; and much more at this sprawling exhibition. Wonderland: Curious Nature runs through October 27, 2024, and will evolve with each season.

Though it's now more than 150 years since the first publication of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the delightful story with its heroic protagonist feels just as fresh as ever—especially at New York Botanical Garden with its enchanting scientific and artistic twist on the story. 

  • Museums
  • Financial District

Mercer Labs, Museum of Art and Technology is a unique new immersive museum created by Roy Nachum, the artist behind Rihanna’s famous 2016 “Anti” album cover, and his business partner Michael Cayre, a real estate developer. 

The 36,000-square-foot space opened in early 2024 at 21 Dey Street, inside the bank building that used to be part of the now-nextdoor Century 21. There are a total of 15 different rooms to explore, each one attacking all the senses upon entrance.

Some outstanding installations include the one that the staff refers to as "The Dragon," where a total of 500,000 individual LED lights hung on strings adorn a room and are lit up to created 3D videos, including one of a galloping horse, that will catch your attention.

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  • Things to do
  • Events & Festivals

In the resonant words of A$AP Rocky, "The nails, the kilts, the pretty-boy swag, the pearls—I think it's just being comfortable. I just express myself with fashion, and what's fly is fly." What's fly is "Ice Cold: An Exhibition of Hip-Hop Jewelry" at the American Museum of Natural History, a new show that features dozens of incredible necklaces, rings, watches, chains, and more worn by some of the biggest names in music.

A few highlights include T-Pain's Big Ass Chain necklace, Ghostface Killah's eagle arm band, Nicki Minaj's Barbie pendant, Beyoncé's nail rings, Cardi B's nipple covers, and Slick Rick's crown. While the pieces are a sight to behold up-close, the exhibit carries a much deeper meaning, especially as New York City wraps up its 50 years of hip-hop celebrations.

See the exhibit now at the American Museum of Natural History with general admission, which is pay-as-you-wish for New Yorkers. Find it in the Mignone Halls of Gems and Minerals on the first floor through January 5, 2025.

  • Art
  • Art

Basically a massive maze made of ropes, this new exhibit allows attendees to jump inside, climb, relax and even get lost in the whole webbed arrangement that’s comprised of 80,000 feet of handwoven rope, which is part of a 400-square-foot interactive artwork created by Treenet Collective, a net expert company. 

Find "The INTERnet" at INTER_, the interactive art center at 415 Broadway by Canal Street in Soho.

The installation, which accommodates 15 people at once, boasts a variety of different weaving styles, each one creating a "setting" for folks to dive into, including the "quantum leap," where guests can play in mid-air, and the "social network," a more serene space that will feel like you are floating above everyone else.

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  • Sports and fitness
  • Sports & Fitness

Turns out, pickleball was not just a passing fad.

Doubling down on the popularity of the sport, CityPickle's 14-court pickleball installation is back at Central Park's Wollman Rink. The experience offers players of all skill levels the chance to reserve courts or partake in open play sessions between 8am and 9pm daily. 

  • Movies
  • Movies

Take your movie-going experience to the next level this summer at Rooftop Cinema Club. The experience offers a chance to watch a movie on a Midtown rooftop with vegan popcorn, classic theater candy, and craft cocktails.

This season's rooftop movie schedule includes classics like When Harry Met Sally, Dirty Dancing, Grease, Mean Girls, Clueless, and so much more. Also expect special programming for Star Wars day, AAPI Heritage Month, Black Music Month, and Pride Month. Plus, it’s adding a Saturday Cereal Club and Mimosas & Muffins Sundays. Get tickets here.

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  • Art
  • Art

Following a slew of pop-ups and stand-alone exhibits, elusive England-based street artist Banksy is getting the New York City museum treatment: The Banksy Museum has debuted at 277 Canal Street by Broadway. 

The space will display over 160 works by the artist—from his instantly recognizable street art to studio pieces, videos and animated visuals—making this "the largest display of Banksy work ever seen in a single setting."

Tickets for the museum are available right here.

  • Drinking

Torch & Crown Brewing Company's summertime pop-up is back at Union Square Pavilion. This year it returns not only with locally brewed beers but also a slate of events and programming to the open-air NYC Parks’ concession venue in Union Square Park.

Along with new and returning draft options (from their flagship Almont Famous to crisp lagers like Tenement), the beer garden will feature a revamped food menu this season, overseen by Executive Chef Michael Citarella—expect bar-food staples like homemade pizza, fried chicken sandwiches, and burgers. The seasonal venue will feature both indoor and outdoor dining, so you can enjoy beers and bites rain or shine. 

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  • Comedy
  • Comedy

Need a laugh? The Second City—the renowned comedy club with locations in Chicago and Toronto—just opened in Brooklyn, and you will definitely laugh out loud there. The New York City venue, which opened on the legendary club’s 65th anniversary, offers hilarious live comedy every single night of the week.

The club has debuted "The Second City Presents The Mainstage Revue 1: Ruthless Acts of Kindness," a completely original NYC revue, which has been created in conversation with the audience over the last ten-weeks.

Some of the funniest names in comedy got their start at Second City. Just a few Second City alumni include: Bill Murray, Eugene Levy, Catherine O'Hara, Amber Ruffin, Keegan-Michael Key, Chris Farley, Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, and Aidy Bryant. You might just see the next comedy star on this stage.

The venue offers sketch shows and improv performances, along with a great restaurant and no drink minimums in a beautiful venue. Tickets start at $39.

  • Art

Are you a preservationist nerd? (Guilty!) Then head to the Museum of the City of New York’s new exhibition, which offers a behind-the-scenes look at the conservation of one of the museum’s prized possessions: Samuel Bell Waugh’s monumental, 170-year-old painting, The Bay and Harbor of New York.

The exhibition explores the piece’s significance as one of the earliest depictions of immigration to the United States and welcomes the public to witness the preservation firsthand, gaining insight into the care and techniques needed to safeguard such a historical artifact. Conservator Gary McGowan will be on site, actively working on the painting in the gallery on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and visitors themselves will get the chance to interact with a variety of hands-on activities. It's on view through October 13.

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  • Music
  • Music

The Rooftop at Pier 17 is planning a packed summer of musical performances with more than 60 outdoor shows. The panoramic views, the chill vibe, and the stellar acoustics make it a truly special spot to see a show. 

The sixth Summer Concert Series on The Rooftop at Pier 17 features more than 60 artists in genres from rap (Isaiah Rashad) to rock (Social Distortion) to electronic (Electric Callboy) and more. Plus, there are several bands on the roster that will make Millennials swoon with nostalgia (like Taking Back Sunday, Something Corporate, Two Door Cinema Club, and Mayday Parade). Get tickets here.  

  • Things to do
  • Events & Festivals

Eat your way through Japan without ever leaving New York City at JAPAN Fes, the massive foodie festival, which is back and bigger than ever for 2024. The organization is hosting 30 outdoor events this year stretching through November in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. Event organizers say it's the largest Japanese food festival in the world, attracting 300,000 visitors and featuring 1,000 vendors every year.

Expect dishes including takoyaki, ramen, matcha sweets, yakisoba, karaage, okonomiyaki, and lots more. They're even hosting a ramen contest and a konamon contest this year to crown the best of the bunch. Vendors hail from New York City, as well as other states and other countries. 

Here's the full list of dates and neighborhoods.

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  • Things to do
  • Markets and fairs

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 100 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). 

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.

  • Art
  • Art

Think bugs are creepy? Think again. That's the message of IMAGINARI, an immersive art and science experience in Manhattan. 

The year-long exhibition called The Insect World shows just how cool—and important—bugs actually are. You’ll get to walk through fields of 6-foot flowers, come face-to-face with Picasso bug artwork, and see a mantis partying under a disco ball. Larger-than-life ladybug sculptures dot the floor, and 200 faux monarch butterflies perch on a 12-foot cherry blossom tree. It all adds up to an important message of environmental stewardship. Tickets are on sale now for $36; the all-ages exhibition will be on view for one year.

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  • Theater & Performance

It's another election year, and once again, women's rights are on the ballot. What would the suffragists who fought for women's right to vote say to us now, a century later?

Shaina Taub, the powerhouse writer of Suffs, a musical coming to Broadway this spring, answers that question with a lyric: “Keep marching. Keep marching on.” It’s a line from the finale of the show, which she produced with support from former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai. The show has now made its Broadway Debut at the Music Box Theatre.

  • Art
  • Art

Digital art and poetry will combine for a dive into Afrocentricity and Afrofuturism at this new immersive exhibit in Chelsea. "Aṣẹ: Afro Frequencies" is now open at ARTECHOUSE and runs all summer.

The digital art exhibition promises a "vibrant reflection upon the past, present, and future of the Black experience." It's told through the perspective of London-based Afro-surrealist digital artist Vince Fraser alongside evocative poetry by ursula rucker.

Both artists worked to honor the legacy, struggles, and complexities of the Black experience in their work. Even the exhibition's title, "Aṣẹ" stems from a powerful mantra, affirmation, and philosophical belief held by the Yoruba people of West Africa, meaning "so will it be." (By the way, that's pronounced as AH-shay.)

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  • Things to do

The Brooklyn Museum isn’t just a world-class spot to experience art—it’s also a great place to shop, thanks to its partnership with Brooklyn Pop-Up. Every month, the museum plays host to a weekend artisan market stocked with local vendors offering one-of-a-kind, handmade artwork, contemporary and upcycled fashion, wellness and apothecary goods, homewares and more.

The market's outdoor season is now underway. Plus, every Saturday, you can find Brooklyn Pop-Up’s artisans bazaar in Fort Greene along DeKalb Avenue between South Oxford and Washington Avenue, a neighborhood favorite boasting 30-plus local designers, makers and artisans weekly.

  • Art
  • Art

For more than a century, the Statue of Liberty has offered inspiration as a beacon of freedom, equality, and democracy. And for just as long, she has also served as an inspiration for tattoo artists. 

A new exhibit at City Reliquary, a jewel box of a museum in Brooklyn's Williamsburg neighborhood, features vintage State of Liberty tattoos. As the first show devoted to Lady Liberty ink, it also traces tattooing history in NYC since the 1800s. "Liberty the Tattooed Lady: The Great Bartholdi Statue as Depicted in Tattooing" is now open through January 12, 2025.

The exhibition spotlights antique flash, vintage photographs, drawings, and other ephemera that show how Lady Liberty has been a popular subject in tattooing for as long as she’s stood in New York Harbor. You'll even get to see vintage tattoo art that's never been on display before.

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  • Art
  • Art

The Rubin Museum, that legendary building in Chelsea that has housed the largest collection of Himalayan art in the world for two decades, is permanently closing its physical space later this year. As sad as this is for New York’s culture scene, New Yorkers at least get to enjoy the museum until October, and you should definitely plan to make the most of it until then. 

The museum’s last exhibit, “Reimagine: Himalayan Art Now, will be an appropriate, forward-looking nod to 32 contemporary artists from the Himalayas and the Asian diaspora whose work will be shown in dialogue with objects from the museum’s existing collection.

The will continue all the way through the museum's physical closing on October 6. Expect to see 32 new commissions and work across mediums, including painting, sculpture, sound, video, performance and more.

  • Nightlife
  • Nightlife

Puttery is a new, adults-only mini-golf and nightlife destination that just opened at 446 West 14th Street by Washington Street in the Meatpacking District and is backed by, among others, Irish professional golfer Rory McIlroy.

The first location of its kind in New York, Puttery spans 24,000 square feet over five levels that feature an underground lounge and a total of three bars, including a rooftop one that will be open year-round (yes, there will be heat lamps on site). 

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  • Eating

There’s a lot of good to see at this Manhattan subway stop. 

Two years after opening the subterranean bar Nothing Really Matters, hospitality professional Adrien Gallo continues building his subway station empire, opening See No Evil Pizza last week on the concourse level of the downtown-bound 1 train station at 50th Street and Broadway—a space that once housed a Dunkin’. It joins his Tiny Dancer Coffee on the same concourse.

“I basically transformed a subway station that was super neglected to a destination spot in the middle of Times Square,” Gallo tells Time Out New York.  

Find See No Evil Pizza is located on the concourse level of the downtown-bound 1 train station at 50th Street and Broadway. It is open for pop-ins and Resy reservations Monday-Saturday from 5pm-midnight. 

  • Art
  • Art

Mercer Labs, Museum of Art and Technology, a new immersive museum is now open. It's the brainchild of Roy Nachum, the artist behind Rihanna’s famous 2016 “Anti” album cover, and his business partner Michael Cayre, a real estate developer. 

The 36,000-square-foot space is located at 21 Dey Street, inside the bank building that used to be part of the now-nextdoor Century 21. It's filled with room after room of immersive fun.

The first of 15 experiences, for example, will take you through a giant room equipped with 26-foot-high projectors that blast a series of images all around that will have you feel like you've just taken a swim inside the sorts of motifs that Nachum explores throughout his work. You will quite literally land inside his art pieces.

In another room, which is being branded as one of only three 4D sound studios in the world, guests are asked to wear a blindfold and lay on the floor to properly enjoy the sounds blasting out of the 36 speakers that are embedded under the elevated floor.

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  • Comedy

Head to a beloved West Village music shop for a banging musical comedy blowout every Friday night. This variety show mixes music, comedy, and characters with apperances by Stephen Sihelnik (NY Comedy Festival), Natan Badalov (Adult Swim), Alexander Payne (Netflix), and surprise guests.

Fun fact: The event's set in New York's oldest continually-run music and record store, Music Inn World Instruments. It's been in operation since 1958 and has been heavily featured in the first two seasons of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel."

Show up early, save a seat and BYOB: You're in for a party.

  • Art
  • Public art

A pastel-hued floral mural with a feminist message is the newest addition to the High Line. Titled “Thank You Darling,” this mural by Dutch artist Lily van der Stokker celebrates the playful, feminine realm often overlooked or derided in our culture. 

"Van der Stokker’s work, which she has referred to as 'feminist conceptual pop art,' is undeniably joyful and positive. However, it often simultaneously speaks to weighty themes—aging, health, and, more generally, the lived experience of being a woman within patriarchal structures," a press release from High Line Art explains.

Her installation for the High Line continues this practice for a wide public audience, offering a sweet expression of gratitude to the millions of passersby and inhabitants of nearby buildings. Find the words THANK YOU DARLiNG (with that capitalization) on the side of a building adjacent to the High Line at 22nd Street.

With the word "darling" styled in bright yellow bubble letters, the mural seems to reach out to personally thank every single person who sees it. Check it out through November 2024.

"What a pleasure to lift Lily van der Stokker's cheerful message to the New York City skyline," said Cecilia Alemani, the Donald R. Mullen Director and Chief Curator of High Line Art. "We hope her work brings visitors and New Yorkers alike a feeling of joy and appreciation."

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  • Art
  • Art

Beautiful, buoyant, beguiling bubbles are back at the New York Hall of Science (NYSCI) in Queens. The beloved bubbles exhibit, which had been closed for five years, has returned bigger, better and bubblier than ever.

The Big Bubble Experiment encourages kids of all ages to experiment and discover through the joy of playing with bubbles. That includes blowing, stretching, popping and looking closely to see what happens at each move. 

The exhibit features 10 stations, each one with different tools and methods for exploring bubble solution.

  • Things to do
  • City Life

Majestic, incredible elephants are getting the spotlight in a new exhibit at The American Museum of Natural History. "The Secret World of Elephants" showcases both modern and ancient elephants, offering visitors a chance to see a full-scale model of a woolly mammoth, learn about what elephants eat, touch an elephant's tooth, listen to elephant calls and more.

The exhibition is now open in the museum’s LeFrak Family Gallery. An additional ticket is required to visit the exhibit; museum members can visit for free.

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  • Things to do
  • Weird & Wonderful

In New York City, it can be hard to find an apartment with a nice bathtub you'd actually want to soak in. Heck, it can be hard to find an apartment where the shower isn't in a closet in the living room (ahem, this $1.25 million StreetEasy listing).

But now cosmetics company LUSH is solving that very New York problem with a new book-a-bath service just launched this week. In addition to indulgent baths, LUSH Spa Lexington also offers massage treatments and facials, creating a calming oasis near hectic midtown. Find the newly opened spa on the Upper East Side at Lexington Avenue and East 61st Street.

Given the fact that LUSH invented the bath bomb, they’re pros when it comes to bathing. For the book-a-bath experience, head through the store and climb the stairs to the spa. Inside a petite pink-and-white bathroom, a clawfoot tub beckons. Before your bath, a staff member will prepare the water with a Snow Fairy bath bomb, which creates glittery pastel pink water. Plus, they’ll offer a fresh face mask tailored for your skin, a curated playlist and a cup of vegan hot chocolate. 

  • Art
  • Art

When Jack Kliger, President & CEO of the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust in Battery Park City, and his team started working on a new kid-friendly exhibit about the Holocaust almost four years ago, they could not have imagined the chaotic world order that the show was eventually going to premiere in.

"Courage to Act: Rescue in Denmark" tells the story of the Danish Rescue, when citizens of the European country came together to usher nearly 7,000 Jews to safety and away from concentration camps during World War II.

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  • Circuses & magic
  • Midtown EastOpen run

There's a reason Chamber Magic has remained a staple in NYC's magic scene for more than two decades: It dazzles, show after show, with tricks that'll still leave you awestruck days later. 

The charming Steve Cohen, billed as the Millionaires’ Magician, conjures high-class parlor magic in the marble-columned Madison Room at the swank Lotte New York Palace. Dress to be impressed (cocktail attire is required); tickets start at $125, with an option to pay more for meet-and-greet time and extra tricks with Cohen after the show. If you've come to see a classic-style magic act, you get what you pay for.

Sporting a tuxedo and bright rust hair, the magician delivers routines that he has buffed to a patent-leather gleam: In addition to his signature act—"Think-a-Drink," involving a kettle that pours liquids by request—highlights include a lulu of levitation trick and a card-trick finale that leaves you feeling like, well, a million bucks.

  • Things to do

The name really says it all: Make bonsai in a bar! These teeny tiny trees are the definition of "happy little trees." 

The pros from Bonsai Bar will teach you the fundamental skills and techniques behind the art of bonsai while you sip your drink and have some fun with your friends. The teachers will also help you as you pot, prune and design your very own bonsai tree. 

Bonsai Bar events pop up all over the city at locations like Brooklyn Brewery, the Bronx Brewery and SingleCut Beersmiths Queens Taproom.

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  • Things to do

If you're not a paint-and-sip kind of person, try Act & Sip, a beer-fueled acting workshop in an Off-Broadway Theater with expert instructors. They pair students off with partners and hand over the pages to a scene from a well-known iconic NYC sitcom or movie, offering tips along the way to help performers conquer stage fright and discover their inner actor.

This event is perfect for bachelorette parties, after-work outings, or just a fun night with friends to get on stage with a little help from liquid courage. You don't need any experience, but you must be 21 or older and BYOB.

  • Sports and fitness
  • Sports & Fitness

Wild Captives, the nation’s first female- and LGBTQ-owned archery studio, is now open. It's a place where everyone can "be their own superhero." The studio in Brooklyn’s Industry City offers empowering and fun hour-long introduction to archery classes every weekend for $45/person. 

Each intro class includes a chance to learn about different parts of the bow and safety requirements. After the lesson, each participant gets a chance to shoot the bow trying to pop a balloon pinned onto the bullseye. Intro-to-archery classes are available each Friday, Saturday and Sunday, bookable online for anyone over age 12.

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  • Things to do
  • City Life

America’s first Black popular music icon is getting his due with a massive new center that houses a 60,000-piece collection and a venue for live music, lectures and screenings.

NYC’s Louis Armstrong House Museum has now opened its new facility, the Louis Armstrong Center—and it’s a big deal!

The space acts as a permanent home for the 60,000-piece Louis Armstrong Archive (the world’s largest for a jazz musician containing photos, recordings, manuscripts, letters & mementos) and a 75-seat venue for performances, lectures, films, and educational experiences.

The Center and the historic house are now open to the public Thursdays through Saturdays. Tickets can be purchased at louisarmstronghouse.org. Tours have limited capacity, so book in advance.

  • Things to do
  • City Life

Muggles, take note: You won’t need to travel through Platform 9¾ to get to Hogwarts. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is right here in New York City for a limited time.

The touring show, “Harry Potter: The Exhibition,” is now open in Herald Square, and it’s going transport you. Through the use of dramatic lighting, set design, interactive technology and even scent, the exhibit will make you feel like you are actually there—in Hagrid’s hut, in potions class, dining in the Great Hall, learning how to fight the dark arts, fighting the Battle of Hogwarts and more.

Tickets are on sale now, starting at $29 for adults.

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  • Art
  • Art

On a typical visit to the Museum of Modern Art, crowds surround the most precious paintings, and it can be tough to squeeze your way in for a photo, let alone to admire the artwork’s brushstrokes. But now, thanks to these new exclusive tours by GetYourGuide, you can get in before the museum opens for a guided tour of amazing artwork. 

The new MoMA Before Hours Tour with Art Expert is available now; tickets are on sale here for $99/person. Few New York City experiences compare to the absolute thrill of gazing at famed works of art uninterrupted for as long as you like.  

  • Movies
  • Movies

With a full restaurant, craft cocktails, comfy reclining seats and even more bells and whistles, this new movie theater in Hell's Kitchen elevates the movie-going experience. LOOK Dine-in Cinemas is now open in VIA 57 West, the pyramid-shaped building located at West 57th Street and 11th Avenue. 

With a 15-year lease, LOOK's operating in a 25,000-square-foot venue that used to house Landmark cinema until it closed in 2020. This is the company's first New York City location. At this fancy theater, you can relax in a heated seat while ordering dinner directly to your seat in the theater. 

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  • Things to do
  • Weird & Wonderful

Many museums start with some kind of orientation, like a map or remarks from a docent. But not The House of Cannabis (a.k.a. THC NYC), the new weed museum now open in Soho. Instead, this museum starts, quite fittingly, with a trippy “Disorientation Room.”

While the museum boasts plenty of mind-bending multi-sensory bells and whistles, it also showcases art, highlights science and confronts the social justice issues baked into cannabis prosecution. The museum, the first of its kind at this scale, packs every inch of its four-story, 25,000-square-foot space at 427 Broadway with fascinating facts and delightful immersive experiences fit to entertain both tokers and non-smokers alike. Tickets ($35/adult) are on sale here.

  • Things to do
  • Events & Festivals

Find your latest read at The Free Black Women’s Library, a new free library in Brooklyn's Bed-Stuy neighborhood, which also serves as a social art project, a reading room, a co-working space and a community gathering center. The library "celebrates the brilliance, diversity and imagination of Black women and Black non-binary authors." All 5,000 books in the library's collection are written by Black women and non-binary authors.

Here's how it works: Anybody can visit the space to read, work or hang out. If you want to take a book home, simply bring a book written by a Black woman or Black non-binary author, and you can trade. Whether you decide to bring the book back after you're done reading or keep it for your collection is up to you.

The library is currently open four days per week (Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday) at 226 Marcus Garvey Boulevard. In addition to offering a space to read or work, the library has also hosts a book club, art shows and workshops on topics like writing, drawing, poetry, painting and sewing. All are welcome. 

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  • Art
  • Art

Peek inside this new, teeny-tiny shop in Harlem to find some fun gifts for someone on your list or for yourself.

MoonLab 42 measures in at just under 5 feet wide, but the store manages to house zines, books, records, incense, prints, candles, decorative objects, ceramics, jewelry, accessories, clothing and more. “It feels like a Mary Poppins bag,” Ruso Margishvili, the concept store’s co-owner tells us.

 

  • Things to do
  • Weird & Wonderful

On a typical tour of Manhattan, the big tourist attractions—Times Square, the Empire State Building, Central Park—get all the attention. But on these new walking tours by a local author, you'll see fascinating historical sites that you won't find in a typical guidebook. 

K. Krombie's Purefinder tours, "Death in New York," "The Psychiatric History of New York" and "Hell Gate," explore the city's darker side through meticulously researched and theatrically presented historical narratives.

Each tour covers about 2.5 miles in about two-and-a-half hours. “Death in New York” and “The Psychiatric History of New York” are offered weekly, while “Hell Gate” is offered twice per month. Tours cost $32-$34 per person; you can book one here.

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  • Theater & Performance

From amazing costumes to Broadway history to fun photo opps, this long-awaited new museum is a must-see for theater buffs.  

You can expect the new museum to highlight over 500 individual productions from the 1700s all the way to the present. 

Among the standout offerings will also be a special exhibit dubbed "The Making of a Broadway Show," which honors the on- and off-stage community that helps bring plays and musicals to life multiple times a week. 

  • Comedy

This is the only stand-up comedy show in a Brooklyn Boathouse, boasting some of the best local talent for free on the shore of the Gowanus Canal. Cuba Libre BYOB but beer, seltzers and non-alcoholic beverages are available for donation. Go see it every Friday night; check the group's Instagram for the weekly lineup.

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  • Art
  • Art

The New York Public Library dug through its expansive and centuries-spanning archive to stage an impressive free exhibition filled with cultural artifacts. "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.

New treasures were just added to the exhibit this fall, including a signed, first edition copy of "Passing" by Nella Larsen, a selection of manuscript pages from "The Waste Land" by T.S. Eliot, and a miniature early 19th-century Qur’an, produced in Turkey.

  • Things to do
  • Weird & Wonderful

Part visual splendor, part olfactory wonder and part ooey-gooey sensory fun, Sloomoo Institute’s slime museum re-opened this fall after a renovation. This captivating playground welcomes all ages to its home in SoHo—or “SooHoo,” in Sloomoo parlance (see what they did there?).

Here are five things not to miss at Sloomoo, including a chance to get slimed and a DIY slime making activity.

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  • Nightlife
  • Nightlife

Have some fun this weekend and go check out Gamehaus, a giant new arcade and beer hall just opened in Long Island City. This 5,000-square-foot multifunctional space features a dozen large-screen TVs, classic video games and loads of beers.

Classice arcade games include Atari Pong, Ms. Pacman, Jurassic Park, Pop-a-Shot and Skee Ball. 

  • Nightlife
  • Nightlife

A new nightlife venue called Deluxx Fluxx has taken over the former Studio at Webster Hall location, a 4,200-square-foot space beneath the famed music venue in the East Village, inspired by early arcades, punk rock, hip-hop and graffiti culture.

The venue brings "an immersive visual and audial art space and arcade" that promises to reinvigorate the artist-centric venues that defined New York City nightlife in the early 2000s. Part interactive art project and part performance venue, expect live entertainment, DJs, pinball machines, "artfully weird" video games, custom video work, costumed performers, floor-to-ceiling blacklight art interiors and a day-glo design palette. Some of the arcade games offer their own New York City flair, like Crown Heights King where pigeons battle to be the king of the neighborhood.

Here's more about the nightlife venue.

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  • Things to do
  • City Life

Still working on that screenplay? Say goodbye to writer's block (hopefully) at Soho's newest coffee shop and creative space.

The Lost Draft, a newly opened film-inspired multipurpose space at 398 Broome Street (between Mulberry Street and Cleveland Place) promises to be a refuge for those eager to finally get those creative ideas on paper. Or on screen. 

Stop procrastinating and start writing, because The Lost Draft is open seven days a week from 7am-9pm, offering plenty of time to be creative. Here's our full story on the new cafe.

  • Things to do
  • City Life

A bucolic 1920s English country golf club is on its way to NYC's concrete jungle! But with a twist. Swingers NoMad, a "crazy mini-golf course" and entertainment complex straight from London brought with it three nine-hole golf courses across 23,000 square feet under 20-foot-high ceilings.

"Crazy golf" is a British spin on mini-golf, but it's for a 21-and-over audience since craft cocktails are served by caddies on the course. Plus, there are plenty of food options to pair with your drinks.

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  • Things to do
  • Markets and fairs

The Brooklyn Flea is undoubtedly one of the most popular flea markets to hit in NYC if you're looking for the best selection of throwback wares and records, which you certainly wouldn’t find in just any vintage clothing store or record store in the city.

The food selection is also top-notch since the creators also operate one of the city’s best food markets: Smorgasburg

The Brooklyn Flea DUMBO is now open for the season. Brooklyn Flea also operates in Chelsea year-round on Saturdays and Sundays, 8am-5pm, and the new Hester Flea on Saturdays, 11am-6pm.

  • Nightlife
  • Nightlife

It's not every day that a new nightclub opens in New York City, especially one that harkens back to an old sort of New York—when nightclubs were the city's premiere destinations for some after-hours fun. That's why Daphne, a new subterranean spot under Hotel 50 Bowery in Chinatown, is so special. 

Upon entering the massive 2,500-square-foot space, patrons are pleasantly surprised to find a beautiful silk pink flower installation by art studio Floratorium. Dazzling disco balls also permeate the premises, calling back to a time when the dance club you frequented was just as important as where your apartment was located. 

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  • Things to do
Shake Rattle & Roll Dueling Pianos
Shake Rattle & Roll Dueling Pianos

Every Saturday night, two piano men battle it out to prove who is truly the master of all 88 keys, with a playlist decided entirely by the audience. Whether you’re in the mood for Billy Joel, Christina Aguilera or current chart toppers, these pianists are up for the challenge. But they expect you to do your part by singing along, but from home. Grab a ticket and request songs in advance.

More things to do in NYC this weekend

  • Things to do
The 50 best things to do in NYC for locals and tourists
The 50 best things to do in NYC for locals and tourists

Every day, our staffers are eating, drinking, partying, gigging and generally appreciating their way throughout this fair town of ours. Which makes pinning down the most essential New York activities kinda…tough. We need to include the classics, naturally—art museums in NYC, stellar New York attractions, killer bars and restaurants in NYC—but also spotlight the more recent or little-known gems that we truly love. Consider the below your NYC Bible.

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