Stumblday's hand-checked ranking of the best free things to do in New York City on Sunday, Sep 13: 79 picks, refreshed weekly.
79 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.
PAC NYC — open-air on the World Trade Center campus, Financial District, ManhattanFormer Broadway and national tour cast members of the Tony-winning musical reunite for a free, one-time-only open-air concert on the World Trade Center campus for the 25th anniversary of 9/11.
PAC NYC — open-air on the World Trade Center campus, Financial District, ManhattanFormer Broadway and national tour cast members of the Tony-winning musical reunite for a free, one-time-only open-air concert on the World Trade Center campus for the 25th anniversary of 9/11.
Arthur Avenue at E 187th St, Belmont, BronxArthur Avenue becomes an open-air Italian feast — porchetta and mozzarella from the block's legendary shops, live music and a full Bronx street party.
Arthur Avenue at E 187th St, Belmont, BronxArthur Avenue becomes an open-air Italian feast — porchetta and mozzarella from the block's legendary shops, live music and a full Bronx street party.
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.
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.
LeFrak Concert Hall, Kupferberg Center for the Arts, Flushing, QueensThe ASO's 9/11 memorial program — Copland's Fanfare, Mahler's Tenth Adagio, Walker's Lyric for Strings — repeats free indoors at LeFrak Concert Hall.
LeFrak Concert Hall, Kupferberg Center for the Arts, Flushing, QueensThe ASO's 9/11 memorial program — Copland's Fanfare, Mahler's Tenth Adagio, Walker's Lyric for Strings — repeats free indoors at LeFrak Concert Hall.
Astoria, QueensDetroit Publishing Co. (w) , publisher. · Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsAstoria's end-of-summer street fair closes 31st Street from Ditmars Boulevard to 21st Avenue for food vendors, retail stalls and kiddie rides. Free to walk in.
Astoria, QueensDetroit Publishing Co. (w) , publisher. · Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsAstoria's end-of-summer street fair closes 31st Street from Ditmars Boulevard to 21st Avenue for food vendors, retail stalls and kiddie rides. Free to walk in.
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.
Industry City, Sunset Park, BrooklynA free afternoon of Grateful Dead covers draws jam-band fans to Industry City's industrial-cool venue for Sunday sessions.
Industry City, Sunset Park, BrooklynA free afternoon of Grateful Dead covers draws jam-band fans to Industry City's industrial-cool venue for Sunday sessions.
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.
Sixth Avenue, 23rd–34th Streets, Chelsea / NoMad, ManhattanEleven blocks of Sixth Avenue close to cars from 23rd to 34th Street for the weekend's largest street fair — food stands, crafts and bargains from Chelsea to Herald Square.
Sixth Avenue, 23rd–34th Streets, Chelsea / NoMad, ManhattanEleven blocks of Sixth Avenue close to cars from 23rd to 34th Street for the weekend's largest street fair — food stands, crafts and bargains from Chelsea to Herald Square.
Junction Boulevard, Roosevelt Avenue to 35th Avenue, Corona, QueensCorona's big annual street fair takes over Junction Boulevard from Roosevelt to 35th Avenue on US Open men's-final Sunday — a Latin-flavored boulevard of food, music and vendor rows.
Junction Boulevard, Roosevelt Avenue to 35th Avenue, Corona, QueensCorona's big annual street fair takes over Junction Boulevard from Roosevelt to 35th Avenue on US Open men's-final Sunday — a Latin-flavored boulevard of food, music and vendor rows.
Car-Free Montague Street, Brooklyn Heights, BrooklynMontague Street goes car-free for a free back-to-school block party — obstacle course, crafts, storytimes and a dance party pitched at the 0–12 set.
Car-Free Montague Street, Brooklyn Heights, BrooklynMontague Street goes car-free for a free back-to-school block party — obstacle course, crafts, storytimes and a dance party pitched at the 0–12 set.
Port Richmond Avenue, Port Richmond, Staten IslandLa Colmena's seventh annual parade brings Folklórico dancers, live music and floats down Port Richmond Avenue for Mexican Independence Day — free and all ages.
Port Richmond Avenue, Port Richmond, Staten IslandLa Colmena's seventh annual parade brings Folklórico dancers, live music and floats down Port Richmond Avenue for Mexican Independence Day — free and all ages.
Ralph Ellison Plaza, Hamilton Heights, ManhattanA free three-hour community jazz session on the riverside plaza at 150th Street, with a rotating cast of local players. Come and go as you like.
Ralph Ellison Plaza, Hamilton Heights, ManhattanA free three-hour community jazz session on the riverside plaza at 150th Street, with a rotating cast of local players. Come and go as you like.
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.
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.
Get next week's board in your inbox before it publishes — one email, every Friday.
Big weekends coming up — save them now, plan later.
