Stumblday's hand-checked ranking of the best things to do in New York City the weekend of Sep 11–13, 2026: 513 picks, refreshed weekly. Concerts, festivals, art, markets, and free outdoor events.
513 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.
Lower Manhattan skyline, Financial District, ManhattanKing of Hearts · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsTwin beams from 88 searchlights rise miles over Lower Manhattan for the 25th anniversary of 9/11 — visible across all five boroughs, dusk to dawn.
Lower Manhattan skyline, Financial District, ManhattanKing of Hearts · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsTwin beams from 88 searchlights rise miles over Lower Manhattan for the 25th anniversary of 9/11 — visible across all five boroughs, dusk to dawn.
Arthur Ashe Stadium, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, QueensThe men's title closes the US Open in Arthur Ashe Stadium on the final Sunday.
Arthur Ashe Stadium, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, QueensThe men's title closes the US Open in Arthur Ashe Stadium on the final Sunday.
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.
Josie Robertson Plaza, Lincoln Center, Lincoln Square, ManhattanMore than 150 dancers in white move in silence across Lincoln Center's plaza to mark September 11.
Josie Robertson Plaza, Lincoln Center, Lincoln Square, ManhattanMore than 150 dancers in white move in silence across Lincoln Center's plaza to mark September 11.
From what visitors opened, saved and marked going this week.
Citywide — Spring Studios, Gotham Hall & more, Citywide (Midtown & Tribeca hubs), ManhattanPeak NYFW falls entirely on this weekend — roughly 70 official SS27 shows citywide, plus The Bureau's publicly ticketed runway series at Gotham Hall Friday.
Citywide — Spring Studios, Gotham Hall & more, Citywide (Midtown & Tribeca hubs), ManhattanPeak NYFW falls entirely on this weekend — roughly 70 official SS27 shows citywide, plus The Bureau's publicly ticketed runway series at Gotham Hall Friday.
Diversity Plaza, Jackson Heights, QueensDiversity Plaza becomes NYC's biggest Himalayan food festival for one Sunday: 30+ vendors slinging $1 momos, live music and dance and a crawler-wide vote for the Momo Championship Belt.
Diversity Plaza, Jackson Heights, QueensDiversity Plaza becomes NYC's biggest Himalayan food festival for one Sunday: 30+ vendors slinging $1 momos, live music and dance and a crawler-wide vote for the Momo Championship Belt.
Bryant Park, Midtown, ManhattanThe American Symphony Orchestra closes Bryant Park's Picnic Performances with a free lawn concert marking 25 years since 9/11 — bring a blanket.
Bryant Park, Midtown, ManhattanThe American Symphony Orchestra closes Bryant Park's Picnic Performances with a free lawn concert marking 25 years since 9/11 — bring a blanket.
Green-Wood Cemetery, Sunset Park, BrooklynGreen-Wood's free 25th-anniversary gathering: words of remembrance and live music from sunset on a hilltop with a clear view of the Tribute in Light.
Green-Wood Cemetery, Sunset Park, BrooklynGreen-Wood's free 25th-anniversary gathering: words of remembrance and live music from sunset on a hilltop with a clear view of the Tribute in Light.
Brooklyn Museum, Prospect Heights, BrooklynThe Brooklyn Museum opens its survey of sculptor Michael Richards — killed in his World Trade Center studio on 9/11 — deliberately on the 25th anniversary of his death.
Brooklyn Museum, Prospect Heights, BrooklynThe Brooklyn Museum opens its survey of sculptor Michael Richards — killed in his World Trade Center studio on 9/11 — deliberately on the 25th anniversary of his death.
The Town Hall, Midtown, ManhattanRhododendrites · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsRufus and Martha Wainwright, Christopher Guest and Michael McKean toast their father and friend at Town Hall, with Judd Apatow holding the mic.
The Town Hall, Midtown, ManhattanRhododendrites · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsRufus and Martha Wainwright, Christopher Guest and Michael McKean toast their father and friend at Town Hall, with Judd Apatow holding the mic.
International Center of Photography, Lower East Side, ManhattanA closing-soon solo presentation on ICP's first floor, included with the ticket you are already buying for the building's other shows.
International Center of Photography, Lower East Side, ManhattanA closing-soon solo presentation on ICP's first floor, included with the ticket you are already buying for the building's other shows.
5th Ave between E 79th & E 80th St, ManhattanElite distance runners race a mile down Fifth Avenue on a crisp Sunday morning.
5th Ave between E 79th & E 80th St, ManhattanElite distance runners race a mile down Fifth Avenue on a crisp Sunday morning.
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.
Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC), Financial District, ManhattanGustavo Dudamel leads the NY Philharmonic and the Soldiers' Chorus of the U.S. Army Field Band at the World Trade Center on the 25th anniversary of 9/11, with a Julia Adolphe world premiere.
Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC), Financial District, ManhattanGustavo Dudamel leads the NY Philharmonic and the Soldiers' Chorus of the U.S. Army Field Band at the World Trade Center on the 25th anniversary of 9/11, with a Julia Adolphe world premiere.
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.
BAM Fisher, 321 Ashland Place, Fort Greene, BrooklynElizabeth Marvel and Gabby Beans re-enact the verbatim Senate testimony of Christine Blasey Ford and Anita Hill in a gripping documentary play at BAM.
BAM Fisher, 321 Ashland Place, Fort Greene, BrooklynElizabeth Marvel and Gabby Beans re-enact the verbatim Senate testimony of Christine Blasey Ford and Anita Hill in a gripping documentary play at BAM.
USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, QueensFinals weekend on the US Open grounds without a stadium seat: two days of watch parties on the big screens in Louis Armstrong Stadium and Fountain Plaza — plus Zedd turning Armstrong into a dancefloor Saturday.
USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, QueensFinals weekend on the US Open grounds without a stadium seat: two days of watch parties on the big screens in Louis Armstrong Stadium and Fountain Plaza — plus Zedd turning Armstrong into a dancefloor Saturday.
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.
St. Paul's Chapel, Trinity Church Wall Street, Financial District, ManhattanWil Blanche · Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsA bell cast at Whitechapel rings four sets of five strikes outside St. Paul's Chapel — the FDNY salute to the fallen, open to anyone who shows up.
St. Paul's Chapel, Trinity Church Wall Street, Financial District, ManhattanWil Blanche · Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsA bell cast at Whitechapel rings four sets of five strikes outside St. Paul's Chapel — the FDNY salute to the fallen, open to anyone who shows up.
The Museum of Modern Art, Midtown, ManhattanMoMA's Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera survey enters its final week, the two Mexican modernists hung in dialogue rather than apart.
The Museum of Modern Art, Midtown, ManhattanMoMA's Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera survey enters its final week, the two Mexican modernists hung in dialogue rather than apart.
Fort Greene Park: Monument Plaza, BrooklynA monument's stone plaza becomes a live-jazz stage for an afternoon of free outdoor music and community gathering.
Fort Greene Park: Monument Plaza, BrooklynA monument's stone plaza becomes a live-jazz stage for an afternoon of free outdoor music and community gathering.
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.
Get next week's board in your inbox before it publishes — one email, every Friday.
Big weekends coming up — save them now, plan later.
