The best things to do on Labor Day in NYC

The EDM festival is poised to take over Labor Day weekend, bringing hordes of EDM fans to Randall's Island Park for the event's 14th summer. The festival has become an unmissable attraction on the electronic-dance-music circuit, featuring a wide range of artists both top name and underground. The powerhouse lineup includes Deadmau5, Kaskade, GRiZ, Zeds Dead, Galantis and more. Here's the full lineup. 

This year, Electric Zoo will take place on Friday, September 1, 2023–Sunday, September 3, 2023. Buy tickets at the official festival website. 

For some, Labor Day is just another Monday off, but the costumed gods and goddesses of this wild parade spend the whole year hot-gluing feathers and stones to their magnificent outfits. Party all the way down Eastern Parkway and enjoy technicolor floats representing countries like Barbados, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago while you indulge in jerk chicken and other delicacies.

Summer's last hurrah is upon us, and if you haven't gotten in enough vacation time yet, book it to one of these NYC resort-like hotels fit for a staycation. After extensive research, we picked four hotels that you won't want to leave. With plenty of activities on-site, plus relaxing rooms, these spots are fit for a dream end-of-summer staycation without ever leaving the five boroughs.

Looking for options? We've got a nightlife-focused option, a beachy suggestion, a place that's all about the views and a splurge. Here's how to start planning the long weekend of your dreams.

While you may not remember what you did on Labor Day Weekends past, take a swing and make this year memorable by seeing the champions slay it on the tennis court. The U.S. Open takes place from August 28 to September 10 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in Queens.

If you didn't get enough of outdoor movie season this summer, don't worry: It's not over yet. Rooftop Cinema Club is keeping the fun going this fall with a packed slate of films running all the way through October 31. 

The season kicks off with Summerween, a Labor Day weekend fright fest with horror hits like A Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream as well as more family-friendly classics like Coraline and The Addams Family. Summerween runs September 1-3. 

Tickets are on sale here.

Finish off your summer with a visit to one of NYC’s best beaches, from Jacob Riis to Rockaway. Make sure to plan ahead so as to spend your precious hours off wisely!

If you’re looking for something a little bit more adult, hanging poolside with a cocktail in hand is the answer. Several of New York’s finest hotels offer day passes for their rooftop pools, most of which include chaises and cabanas for lounging in addition to a full-service bar.

If you can't make it to a tropical beach this holiday weekend, Watermark Beach is now open and ready to help. This tropical takeover at Pier 15 features tiki decor, seasonal drinks and twinkling lights for when the party stretches into the nighttime hours.

Extra special for the holiday, Watermark is hosting a Lobster and Canned Cocktail Fest on Monday, September 4. Expect all things lobster, from lobster rolls to lobster mac & cheese, plus canned cocktails from Truly, Spritz Society, Montauk Brewery, Dogfish, and more. Tickets are on sale here.

Say farewell to summer this Labor Day weekend at Lower East Side favorite Loreley with brunch, frozen drinks and Margarita Beach Club all weekend. Labor Day Brunch runs from 12-4pm Friday through Monday, best enjoyed in Loreley's outdoor beach haven.

On Labor Day, happy hour runs from 5-10pm with $16 liter steins, $2 off drafts and wines, $25 craft pitchers, plus half-off frozen margaritas 5pm-8pm.

Flipper's Roller Boogie Palace is back at Rockefeller Center through October. 

The rink offers smooth ride with plenty of space to get around other skaters. Being able to glide by Prometheus and in front of spectators visiting Rockefeller Center is quite a thrill. Before Flipper’s first opened last year, the last time anyone roller-skated here was in 1940!

Tickets start at just over $20 for a one-hour rink time.

If you haven't caught Smorgasburg yet, use the extra time this holiday weekend to check out the food bazaar spectacular. Founded by Brooklyn Flea’s Eric Demby and Jonathan Butler, the culinary extravaganza typically spotlights about 100 vendors across its locations. Smorg has three spots in 2023, two in Brooklyn (in Williamsburg and Prospect Park) and one at the World Trade Center. 

Ice cream is at the center of this 20,000-square-foot museum that'll make the cold treat even more fun (who knew it'd even be possible?). Across 13 multi-sensory installations, visitors to the museum will be able to interact with fun elements like a three-story indoor slide, the all-pink Celestial Subway, and a new add-on where guests can build their own edible slime.

Even better: The sweet treats along the way. Yes, we're talking about unlimited ice cream throughout the museum. For adults, check out some fun themed cocktails as well.

Live out your childhood dreams and launch down a slide into 500,000 translucent balls at Pop In The City. The giant, 120-foot-long bouncy castle is known for its interconnected domes with interactive elements.

Bouncers should expect NYC-themed fun with big apples, big buildings, big pizza, and other NYC icons made in inflatable art, as well as a “glitterball dome” inspired by Studio 54 with a performance stage, fun lighting and special effects, 100 shimmering disco balls and more.

There will also be DJs, emcees and musicians who will keep the excitement bouncin’.

Find Pop In The City in the plaza adjacent to Greeley Square Park on Broadway between 32nd and 33rd Streets. Tickets start at $20. It’ll be up through Sunday, September 3.

If you can't travel abroad this summer, don't worry: These new pop-up picnic options offer a taste of the Mediterranean. NYC's PopUpPicnic Group is partnering with Cedar's Foods to add some summery, Mediterranean-inspired food options to their picnic menu. 

PopUpPicnic is known for its lavish picnic setups, complete with floor cushions, pillows and gorgeous tablescapes with a "modern garden party" theme. They even handle all the location scouting, setup and cleanup. Each picnic runs for two hours of outdoor fun.

Pricing for the picnic setup and catering changes based on the headcount and equipment required for setup. In general, $75-$100 per person is the price range for parties under 20 guests.  

After a three-month closure for construction, the resplendent Neue Galerie New York will reopen on September 1 with discounted admission. 

This elegant Upper East Side gallery focuses on early 20th-century Austrian and German art and design. Reduced admission for entry to the Klimt Gallery will run from September 1 through October 2. 

While the building won’t necessarily look any different, the behind-the-wall upgrades over the summer were intended to promote sustainability and improve the visitor experience.

Popular Lower Manhattan brewery Torch & Crown has brought its beloved brews to Union Square this summer with a pop-up running through November.

Torch & Crown has set up shop in the historic Union Square Pavilion with a variety of hand-crafted drafts. A few stand-outs on the menu will include Almost Famous, a smooth, bright, aromatic hazy IPA packed with peach and grapefruit notes, and Share House, an easy-drinking crisp ale made for summertime.

If it's too hot or too rainy to be outside this weekend, head to NYC's newest movie theater. 

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. 

The 172-acre island, partially made from the cast-off rocks from the Lexington Avenue Subway, is the verdant backyard that New Yorkers desperately need. It’s completely car-free so cycling is a breeze, the views of the harbor, the city and the Statue of Liberty are breathtaking and its acres of open land give beleaguered city residents a chance to spread their limbs without clobbering the person next to them. It’s perfect for the last hurrah of summer.