New York offers completely free events all year-round, from concerts to open-air film series to the finest museums. Save your money by taking advantage of these great deals on first-rate attractions!
Bryant Park Film Festival(212) 512-5700
West 40th Street,
New York, NY, 10036
Think drive-in for sophisticated NYC picnickers and you’ll begin to get the idea of this New York City summer institution. The veterans know the drill: Secure your gourmet deli food and top shelf wine early in the day.
Central Park SummerStage (Rumsey Playfield)5th Avenue and 72nd Street
Central Park's Rumsey Playfield,
New York, NY
Central Park Summer Stage is New York's premier free performing arts festival. Founded in 1986, it brings performances of superior artistic caliber, free of charge, to large and diverse audiences. Through inclusive and eclectic programming, SummerStage provides an important forum for emerging and established artists, and ideas, and exposes its audiences to many different types of artistic and cultural expression.
The Town Hall(212) 840-2824
123 West 43rd Street,
New York, NY, 10036
During April and May, Town Hall presents free concerts featuring classical music. Tickets are given out starting noon on the day of the performance.
Good Morning America (ABC)44th Street & Broadway
Times Square,
New York, NY, 10036
Join GMA in Bryant Park for their summer concert series!
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts(212) 875-5350
30 Lincoln Center Plz,
New York, NY, 10023
This convergence of all the diverse disciplines of the Lincoln Center takes place, generally, in July of every year. Featuring theater, ballet, opera, and music from around the world, the festival is universally acclaimed as one of the best cultural events in the city.
Metropolitan Opera(212) 362-6000
Lincoln Center,
New York, NY, 10023
The world-renowned Metropolitan Opera takes its productions to the five boroughs—although 2008 saw them put down stakes in Prospect Park alone—for wonderful outdoor performances.
Madison Square Park(212) 229-7607
Fifth and Madison Aves.,
New York, NY, 10010
These rain-or-shine performances take place on Wednesdays during the summer months and feature some of the biggest talents in the city. Seats are first-come, first-serve.
Downtown River to River FestivalLower Manhattan,
New York, NY
Lower Manhattan welcomes the world downtown — to the Financial District — and shows that New York's oldest neighborhood is more unified, more vital, and more exciting than ever before. The Downtown NYC River to River Festival, features hundreds of cultural, arts, and musical events over five months brought together in a single, unprecedented summer spectacular. The combined events make this the largest free arts festival in New York City history.
