Stumblday's hand-checked ranking of the best free things to do in New York City on Saturday night, Sep 19: 24 picks, refreshed weekly.
24 picks · checked Sep 7
Morningside Park to Columbia University campus, Morningside Heights, ManhattanThe beloved free lantern procession turns 15: handmade illuminated lanterns float from Morningside Park up to Columbia's campus for one night.
Morningside Park to Columbia University campus, Morningside Heights, ManhattanThe beloved free lantern procession turns 15: handmade illuminated lanterns float from Morningside Park up to Columbia's campus for one night.
Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park, Battery Park City, ManhattanFree three-night light-art festival on the Battery Park City waterfront: 15+ large-scale installations, projection mapping, DJs, food trucks and a Saturday silent disco.
Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park, Battery Park City, ManhattanFree three-night light-art festival on the Battery Park City waterfront: 15+ large-scale installations, projection mapping, DJs, food trucks and a Saturday silent disco.
Industry City, Sunset Park, BrooklynIndustry City throws its Oktoberfest Party with Gun Hill Brewing's Festbier on tap — steins, food and music in the Sunset Park courtyards.
Industry City, Sunset Park, BrooklynIndustry City throws its Oktoberfest Party with Gun Hill Brewing's Festbier on tap — steins, food and music in the Sunset Park courtyards.
Morningside Park: West 113th St Picnic Area, ManhattanMorningside Park's community festival fills the West 113th Street lawn with music and neighborhood spirit where Harlem meets Morningside Heights.
Morningside Park: West 113th St Picnic Area, ManhattanMorningside Park's community festival fills the West 113th Street lawn with music and neighborhood spirit where Harlem meets Morningside Heights.
David Rubenstein Atrium, Lincoln Center, Lincoln Square, ManhattanElectro-soul collective Britton & The Sting make their Lincoln Center debut with LOVE FIRE, a free show that turns concert into ritual.
David Rubenstein Atrium, Lincoln Center, Lincoln Square, ManhattanElectro-soul collective Britton & The Sting make their Lincoln Center debut with LOVE FIRE, a free show that turns concert into ritual.
Industry City, Sunset Park, BrooklynLee Burridge closes All Day I Dream's New York summer with a rare eight-hour open-to-close set on Industry City's Sunset Park waterfront.
Industry City, Sunset Park, BrooklynLee Burridge closes All Day I Dream's New York summer with a rare eight-hour open-to-close set on Industry City's Sunset Park waterfront.
Industry City, Sunset Park, BrooklynA famously faithful Neil Young & Crazy Horse tribute rides into Industry City's bandshell — hours of feedback-drenched jams in the open air.
Industry City, Sunset Park, BrooklynA famously faithful Neil Young & Crazy Horse tribute rides into Industry City's bandshell — hours of feedback-drenched jams in the open air.
Mulberry Street, Little Italy, ManhattanWCBS broadcasts live from Mulberry Street for three hours on the feast's first Saturday.
Mulberry Street, Little Italy, ManhattanWCBS broadcasts live from Mulberry Street for three hours on the feast's first Saturday.
Third Avenue, 66th–86th Streets, Upper East Side, ManhattanTwenty car-free blocks of Third Avenue, 66th to 86th — the Upper East Side's big Manhattan Chamber of Commerce street fair, with craft booths, food vendors and nonprofit tables.
Third Avenue, 66th–86th Streets, Upper East Side, ManhattanTwenty car-free blocks of Third Avenue, 66th to 86th — the Upper East Side's big Manhattan Chamber of Commerce street fair, with craft booths, food vendors and nonprofit tables.
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.
Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, QueensTdorante10 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsDowntown Jamaica's annual harvest street festival closes Sutphin Boulevard off Jamaica Avenue for a day of craft stalls, merchandise vendors and street-fair food.
Sutphin Boulevard, Jamaica, QueensTdorante10 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsDowntown Jamaica's annual harvest street festival closes Sutphin Boulevard off Jamaica Avenue for a day of craft stalls, merchandise vendors and street-fair food.
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.
King Jagiello Plaza, Central Park, ManhattanFree Sunday-afternoon social dancing on the plaza above Turtle Pond - swing, jump blues, hot jazz and cha chas, with lessons in the breaks.
King Jagiello Plaza, Central Park, ManhattanFree Sunday-afternoon social dancing on the plaza above Turtle Pond - swing, jump blues, hot jazz and cha chas, with lessons in the breaks.
Culture Lab LIC, Long Island City, QueensFree outdoor concerts in Culture Lab's Long Island City lot - two or three bands a night and the season closes this weekend.
Culture Lab LIC, Long Island City, QueensFree outdoor concerts in Culture Lab's Long Island City lot - two or three bands a night and the season closes this weekend.
Union Square, ManhattanNYC Parks screens Shrek (2001) free on the North Plaza of Union Square Park, one of the last outdoor movies of the season.
Union Square, ManhattanNYC Parks screens Shrek (2001) free on the North Plaza of Union Square Park, one of the last outdoor movies of the season.
Industry City, Sunset Park, BrooklynA guided crawl through Industry City's food halls and makers inside the converted Bushwick Terminal warehouses on the Sunset Park waterfront.
Industry City, Sunset Park, BrooklynA guided crawl through Industry City's food halls and makers inside the converted Bushwick Terminal warehouses on the Sunset Park waterfront.
Midtown East, ManhattanThe Noguchi Museum reunites Isamu Noguchi with Lever House seventy years after his unrealized plan for its plaza, filling the lobby and courtyard of Gordon Bunshaft's 1952 landmark with sculpture, models and.
Midtown East, ManhattanThe Noguchi Museum reunites Isamu Noguchi with Lever House seventy years after his unrealized plan for its plaza, filling the lobby and courtyard of Gordon Bunshaft's 1952 landmark with sculpture, models and.
Financial District, ManhattanPhotograph by Mike Peel ( www.mikepeel.net ). · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsPrintemps stages its Fall/Winter 2026 runway show inside the Red Room at One Wall Street, the landmarked 1920s Hildreth Meiere mosaic chamber, with the looks shoppable straight off the runway afterwards.
Financial District, ManhattanPhotograph by Mike Peel ( www.mikepeel.net ). · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsPrintemps stages its Fall/Winter 2026 runway show inside the Red Room at One Wall Street, the landmarked 1920s Hildreth Meiere mosaic chamber, with the looks shoppable straight off the runway afterwards.
Bay Terrace Playground: Bay Terrace Playground, QueensAn outdoor circuit training hour at Bay Terrace Playground in northeast Queens, timed for the cooler end of the day — free and open to whoever turns up.
Bay Terrace Playground: Bay Terrace Playground, QueensAn outdoor circuit training hour at Bay Terrace Playground in northeast Queens, timed for the cooler end of the day — free and open to whoever turns up.
Broadway (Waverly Pl–14th St), Greenwich Village, ManhattanBroadway goes car-free from Waverly Pl to 14th St for a free all-day street fair — food stalls, vendor tables and prime downtown people-watching.
Broadway (Waverly Pl–14th St), Greenwich Village, ManhattanBroadway goes car-free from Waverly Pl to 14th St for a free all-day street fair — food stalls, vendor tables and prime downtown people-watching.
Loreley Beer Garden, Lower East Side, ManhattanSix weeks of liter steins, twelve sausages and a heated Rivington Street garden, with free keg tappings Saturdays and a pig roast Sundays.
Loreley Beer Garden, Lower East Side, ManhattanSix weeks of liter steins, twelve sausages and a heated Rivington Street garden, with free keg tappings Saturdays and a pig roast Sundays.
Mulberry Street, Little Italy, ManhattanDetroit Publishing Co. , publisher · Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsThe Giglio Band plays the feast — the brass tradition that carries Italian-American street festivals.
Mulberry Street, Little Italy, ManhattanDetroit Publishing Co. , publisher · Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsThe Giglio Band plays the feast — the brass tradition that carries Italian-American street festivals.
LeFrak Center at Lakeside, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, BrooklynMoliere's most subversive comedy plays open-air at Lakeside with live cello, a five-actor cast and a Labor Day curtain that costs nothing.
LeFrak Center at Lakeside, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, BrooklynMoliere's most subversive comedy plays open-air at Lakeside with live cello, a five-actor cast and a Labor Day curtain that costs nothing.
Industry City, Sunset Park, BrooklynFree live jazz and blues sessions fill an industrial Brooklyn venue evenings, drawing musicians and listeners alike.
Industry City, Sunset Park, BrooklynFree live jazz and blues sessions fill an industrial Brooklyn venue evenings, drawing musicians and listeners alike.
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