Stumblday's hand-checked ranking of the best free things to do in New York City on Saturday, Sep 12: 78 picks, refreshed weekly.
78 picks · checked Sep 7
9/11 Memorial plaza, World Trade Center, Financial District, ManhattanKen Lund · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsThe defining event of the weekend citywide: victims' families read all 2,983 names on the Memorial plaza in the morning and the plaza reopens to everyone that afternoon ahead of Tribute in Light.
9/11 Memorial plaza, World Trade Center, Financial District, ManhattanKen Lund · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsThe defining event of the weekend citywide: victims' families read all 2,983 names on the Memorial plaza in the morning and the plaza reopens to everyone that afternoon ahead of Tribute in Light.
Rockaway Beach, Beach 67th Street, QueensSix sculptural ping-pong tables sit in the sand at Rockaway Beach, including a walnut sea monster swallowing a salvaged aluminum boat.
Rockaway Beach, Beach 67th Street, QueensSix sculptural ping-pong tables sit in the sand at Rockaway Beach, including a walnut sea monster swallowing a salvaged aluminum boat.
DUMBO Archway Plaza, DUMBO, BrooklynThe 12th annual roots-music festival's flagship free day: nine acts under the Manhattan Bridge from 2 PM, all ages, no ticket needed.
DUMBO Archway Plaza, DUMBO, BrooklynThe 12th annual roots-music festival's flagship free day: nine acts under the Manhattan Bridge from 2 PM, all ages, no ticket needed.
Gallery Henoch, Chelsea, ManhattanEleven new paintings of cities smeared into motion — Pacula paints nightscapes the way a long-exposure photo remembers them.
Gallery Henoch, Chelsea, ManhattanEleven new paintings of cities smeared into motion — Pacula paints nightscapes the way a long-exposure photo remembers them.
Lincoln Square, ManhattanDietmar Rabich · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsSixty self-taught artists - Henry Darger, Bill Traylor, Morris Hirshfield, Horace Pippin, Thornton Dial Sr. among them - depict and define themselves on their own terms. Free and down after Sunday.
Lincoln Square, ManhattanDietmar Rabich · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsSixty self-taught artists - Henry Darger, Bill Traylor, Morris Hirshfield, Horace Pippin, Thornton Dial Sr. among them - depict and define themselves on their own terms. Free and down after Sunday.
Hudson Yards, ManhattanThree of McCall's solid-light works spanning fifty years, including the 1973 Line Describing a Cone and a new premiere, Swarm. Free walk-in at Sean Kelly.
Hudson Yards, ManhattanThree of McCall's solid-light works spanning fifty years, including the 1973 Line Describing a Cone and a new premiere, Swarm. Free walk-in at Sean Kelly.
Carl Schurz Park, Yorkville, Upper East Side, ManhattanThe Carl Schurz Park Conservancy's 51st annual juried art show brings 100+ painters, photographers and sculptors to the East River waterfront, with free kids' art workshops both mornings.
Carl Schurz Park, Yorkville, Upper East Side, ManhattanThe Carl Schurz Park Conservancy's 51st annual juried art show brings 100+ painters, photographers and sculptors to the East River waterfront, with free kids' art workshops both mornings.
Lincoln Square, ManhattanA semiquincentennial show on how vernacular makers built and complicated American identity, from an Edward Hicks Peaceable Kingdom to an Uncle Sam whirligig.
Lincoln Square, ManhattanA semiquincentennial show on how vernacular makers built and complicated American identity, from an Edward Hicks Peaceable Kingdom to an Uncle Sam whirligig.
JAPAN Fes street fair, Chelsea, ManhattanRamen, takoyaki, onigiri and matcha sweets pack a Chelsea block for two days as JAPAN Fes rolls through its 10th-anniversary season — free to browse.
JAPAN Fes street fair, Chelsea, ManhattanRamen, takoyaki, onigiri and matcha sweets pack a Chelsea block for two days as JAPAN Fes rolls through its 10th-anniversary season — free to browse.
El Museo del Barrio, East Harlem, ManhattanThe first major retrospective of Teddy Sandoval, a central figure of LA's queer Chicano avant-garde, opens at El Museo del Barrio for its New York run.
El Museo del Barrio, East Harlem, ManhattanThe first major retrospective of Teddy Sandoval, a central figure of LA's queer Chicano avant-garde, opens at El Museo del Barrio for its New York run.
Van Cortlandt Park Parade Ground, Van Cortlandt Park, BronxVan Cortlandt Park Alliance opens its fall outdoor movie season on the Parade Ground with a free screening of Babe. Music and movie-themed crafts start at 5:30 p.m., with the film at last light.
Van Cortlandt Park Parade Ground, Van Cortlandt Park, BronxVan Cortlandt Park Alliance opens its fall outdoor movie season on the Parade Ground with a free screening of Babe. Music and movie-themed crafts start at 5:30 p.m., with the film at last light.
Whitney Museum of American Art, Meatpacking District, ManhattanThe Whitney waives its $30 admission every Friday from 5-10pm — all eight floors open, often with DJs and a bar. Free tickets are required and go fast; reserve online.
Whitney Museum of American Art, Meatpacking District, ManhattanThe Whitney waives its $30 admission every Friday from 5-10pm — all eight floors open, often with DJs and a bar. Free tickets are required and go fast; reserve online.
Marsha P. Johnson State Park, 90 Kent Ave, Williamsburg, BrooklynAmerica's biggest open-air food market packs the Williamsburg waterfront — 22 new vendors this season, with the skyline as your table.
Marsha P. Johnson State Park, 90 Kent Ave, Williamsburg, BrooklynAmerica's biggest open-air food market packs the Williamsburg waterfront — 22 new vendors this season, with the skyline as your table.
Breeze Hill, Prospect Park (enter at Lincoln Road), Prospect Heights, BrooklynThe Sunday edition of Smorgasburg spreads across Breeze Hill near Prospect Heights — dozens of cult food vendors, lake views, free entry.
Breeze Hill, Prospect Park (enter at Lincoln Road), Prospect Heights, BrooklynThe Sunday edition of Smorgasburg spreads across Breeze Hill near Prospect Heights — dozens of cult food vendors, lake views, free entry.
Seaport Square and Pier 17, Seaport, ManhattanA full-size tennis court lands in Seaport Square, with a Honey Deuce bar on the Heineken Riverdeck and an 18-foot screen at Sadie's Garden.
Seaport Square and Pier 17, Seaport, ManhattanA full-size tennis court lands in Seaport Square, with a Honey Deuce bar on the Heineken Riverdeck and an 18-foot screen at Sadie's Garden.
8th Avenue, 14th to 23rd Street, Chelsea, ManhattanTdorante10 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsNine blocks of 8th Avenue go car-free from 14th to 23rd Street for one of the weekend's biggest Manhattan street fairs — food rows, vendor tables and all of Chelsea to wander off into.
8th Avenue, 14th to 23rd Street, Chelsea, ManhattanTdorante10 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsNine blocks of 8th Avenue go car-free from 14th to 23rd Street for one of the weekend's biggest Manhattan street fairs — food rows, vendor tables and all of Chelsea to wander off into.
Woodside Avenue, 65th Street to Roosevelt Avenue, Woodside, QueensTdorante10 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsWoodside Avenue closes from 65th Street to Roosevelt Avenue for Queens' big Saturday street festival — vendor rows and food stalls in the heart of Little Manila, right on the 7 line.
Woodside Avenue, 65th Street to Roosevelt Avenue, Woodside, QueensTdorante10 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsWoodside Avenue closes from 65th Street to Roosevelt Avenue for Queens' big Saturday street festival — vendor rows and food stalls in the heart of Little Manila, right on the 7 line.
David Zwirner, 533 West 19th Street, Chelsea, ManhattanTwelve enormous Thomas Ruff photographs built from compressed images of the World Trade Center attacks, shown for the 25th anniversary.
David Zwirner, 533 West 19th Street, Chelsea, ManhattanTwelve enormous Thomas Ruff photographs built from compressed images of the World Trade Center attacks, shown for the 25th anniversary.
Wingate Park: Lawn Area, BrooklynToss magnetic darts and soft axes at Wingate Park for a quick afternoon of friendly competition.
Wingate Park: Lawn Area, BrooklynToss magnetic darts and soft axes at Wingate Park for a quick afternoon of friendly competition.
Morningside Park: West 113th St Picnic Area, ManhattanWest Harlem's summer jazz tradition returns to Morningside Park with live music and warm evening vibes.
Morningside Park: West 113th St Picnic Area, ManhattanWest Harlem's summer jazz tradition returns to Morningside Park with live music and warm evening vibes.
Industry City, Sunset Park, BrooklynSake meets cheese in an unexpected pairing at Industry City with a brewery tour.
Industry City, Sunset Park, BrooklynSake meets cheese in an unexpected pairing at Industry City with a brewery tour.
New York Public Library, Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Midtown, Manhattan(vincent desjardins) from Paris, France · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsWinnie-the-Pooh's original stuffed animals, a Gutenberg Bible and Jefferson's handwriting, free inside the Fifth Avenue library.
New York Public Library, Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, Midtown, Manhattan(vincent desjardins) from Paris, France · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsWinnie-the-Pooh's original stuffed animals, a Gutenberg Bible and Jefferson's handwriting, free inside the Fifth Avenue library.
Hispanic Society Museum and Library, Washington Heights, ManhattanThe Hispanic Society opens its own holdings across Spain and Latin America, hung to ignore the national borders they were catalogued by.
Hispanic Society Museum and Library, Washington Heights, ManhattanThe Hispanic Society opens its own holdings across Spain and Latin America, hung to ignore the national borders they were catalogued by.
Hispanic Society Museum and Library, Washington Heights, ManhattanAlfonso Lozano · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsThe Hispanic Society turns its lens on the neighbourhood immediately around it, uptown Manhattan seen by the artists who live there.
Hispanic Society Museum and Library, Washington Heights, ManhattanAlfonso Lozano · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsThe Hispanic Society turns its lens on the neighbourhood immediately around it, uptown Manhattan seen by the artists who live there.
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