Stumblday's hand-checked ranking of the best things to do in New York City the weekend of Sep 18–20, 2026: 500 picks, refreshed weekly. Concerts, festivals, art, markets, and free outdoor events.
500 picks · checked Sep 7
St. Ann's Warehouse (streets of Downtown Brooklyn & Lower Manhattan), DUMBO / Downtown Brooklyn, BrooklynFifty life-size buffalo puppets stampede through Downtown Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan with gospel choirs, dancers and marching bands in tow.
St. Ann's Warehouse (streets of Downtown Brooklyn & Lower Manhattan), DUMBO / Downtown Brooklyn, BrooklynFifty life-size buffalo puppets stampede through Downtown Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan with gospel choirs, dancers and marching bands in tow.
Mulberry Street, Little Italy, ManhattanMusikAnimal · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsThe feast's centrepiece: floats, celebrities and the gondola down Mulberry Street.
Mulberry Street, Little Italy, ManhattanMusikAnimal · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsThe feast's centrepiece: floats, celebrities and the gondola down Mulberry Street.
Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd, Harlem, ManhattanAdjoajo · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsHarlem's 57th African American Day Parade rolls up Adam Clayton Powell Blvd, with Grambling State's famed Tiger Marching Band leading the line.
Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvd, Harlem, ManhattanAdjoajo · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsHarlem's 57th African American Day Parade rolls up Adam Clayton Powell Blvd, with Grambling State's famed Tiger Marching Band leading the line.
Madison Avenue, 38th to 27th Street, NoMad, ManhattanMariachis, charros on horseback and folklórico dancers take over Madison Avenue for the 32nd Mexican Independence Day Parade — free and loud.
Madison Avenue, 38th to 27th Street, NoMad, ManhattanMariachis, charros on horseback and folklórico dancers take over Madison Avenue for the 32nd Mexican Independence Day Parade — free and loud.
Broadway theaters (various), Theater District, ManhattanLast call on 2-for-1 Broadway: Wicked, Hadestown, Oh, Mary! and 20-plus more at half price before the fall window slams shut this weekend.
Broadway theaters (various), Theater District, ManhattanLast call on 2-for-1 Broadway: Wicked, Hadestown, Oh, Mary! and 20-plus more at half price before the fall window slams shut this weekend.
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.
Elmont, Long IslandMiscellaneous Items in High Demand, PPOC, Library of Congress · Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsThe rebuilt Belmont Park runs its first live racing in years, anchored Friday by the Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup returning from Saratoga, with the Floral Park and Forever Together stakes Saturday.
Elmont, Long IslandMiscellaneous Items in High Demand, PPOC, Library of Congress · Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsThe rebuilt Belmont Park runs its first live racing in years, anchored Friday by the Grade 1, $1 million Jockey Club Gold Cup returning from Saratoga, with the Floral Park and Forever Together stakes Saturday.
Studios and galleries throughout Bushwick, Bushwick, BrooklynBrooklyn's largest open-studios festival: hundreds of Bushwick studios, galleries and creative spaces open their doors free all weekend.
Studios and galleries throughout Bushwick, Bushwick, BrooklynBrooklyn's largest open-studios festival: hundreds of Bushwick studios, galleries and creative spaces open their doors free all weekend.
Delacorte Theater, Central Park, ManhattanAcabashi · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsTaylor Mac and Matt Ray's queer rock-opera song cycle lands at the Delacorte in concert form — free, one weekend only, closing Central Park's season.
Delacorte Theater, Central Park, ManhattanAcabashi · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsTaylor Mac and Matt Ray's queer rock-opera song cycle lands at the Delacorte in concert form — free, one weekend only, closing Central Park's season.
Fifth Avenue, 68th to 86th Street, Upper East Side, ManhattanLederhosen, dirndls and dozens of German, Austrian and Swiss bands march Fifth Avenue from 68th to 86th before the party spills into Central Park.
Fifth Avenue, 68th to 86th Street, Upper East Side, ManhattanLederhosen, dirndls and dozens of German, Austrian and Swiss bands march Fifth Avenue from 68th to 86th before the party spills into Central Park.
38th Ave between Main & Prince St, QueensDowntown Flushing rings in the harvest moon with a lantern-lit evening parade off Main Street — lion dances and drums in Queens' biggest Chinatown.
38th Ave between Main & Prince St, QueensDowntown Flushing rings in the harvest moon with a lantern-lit evening parade off Main Street — lion dances and drums in Queens' biggest Chinatown.
Recente, East Village, ManhattanTwo bartenders from Dante's World's Best Bar years opened their first restaurant, a coastal Italian aperitivo bar with a courtyard garden. Weekend brunch begins this month.
Recente, East Village, ManhattanTwo bartenders from Dante's World's Best Bar years opened their first restaurant, a coastal Italian aperitivo bar with a courtyard garden. Weekend brunch begins this month.
The Jewish Museum, Upper East Side, ManhattanThe Jewish Museum New York · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsJewish ceremonial silver shown with Christian treasures from Prague's St. Vitus Cathedral, in the Warburg mansion on Museum Mile.
The Jewish Museum, Upper East Side, ManhattanThe Jewish Museum New York · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsJewish ceremonial silver shown with Christian treasures from Prague's St. Vitus Cathedral, in the Warburg mansion on Museum Mile.
Lynn F. Angelson Theater, East Village, ManhattanChekhov's first staged play gets a 100-minute overhaul from a Chekhov scholar, with Sam Underwood as the man everyone keeps trying to save.
Lynn F. Angelson Theater, East Village, ManhattanChekhov's first staged play gets a 100-minute overhaul from a Chekhov scholar, with Sam Underwood as the man everyone keeps trying to save.
Emily Warren Roebling Plaza, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Dumbo, BrooklynVintage buses line up beneath the Brooklyn Bridge for a free day of boarding, activities and waterfront photos.
Emily Warren Roebling Plaza, Brooklyn Bridge Park, Dumbo, BrooklynVintage buses line up beneath the Brooklyn Bridge for a free day of boarding, activities and waterfront photos.
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.
8th Ave between 59th & 60th St, BrooklynLion dancers, lanterns and mooncakes sweep down 8th Avenue as Brooklyn's Chinatown celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival with its annual parade.
8th Ave between 59th & 60th St, BrooklynLion dancers, lanterns and mooncakes sweep down 8th Avenue as Brooklyn's Chinatown celebrates the Mid-Autumn Festival with its annual parade.
New York Hall of Science parking lot, 47-01 111th St, Corona, QueensQueens Night Market roars back from its US Open break — nearly 100 stalls of world food and crafts behind the Hall of Science until midnight.
New York Hall of Science parking lot, 47-01 111th St, Corona, QueensQueens Night Market roars back from its US Open break — nearly 100 stalls of world food and crafts behind the Hall of Science until midnight.
City Island Avenue, Bay St to Schofield St, City Island, BronxThe New York Times · Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsThe Bronx's nautical village turns its main avenue into a two-day open-air fair — local art, live music and seafood with real island breeze.
City Island Avenue, Bay St to Schofield St, City Island, BronxThe New York Times · Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsThe Bronx's nautical village turns its main avenue into a two-day open-air fair — local art, live music and seafood with real island breeze.
Upper East Side, ManhattanJet Lowe · Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsSimon Stone's North American premiere resets Chekhov's last play in present-day Seoul, performed in Korean with English captions inside a transparent glass house in the Armory's Wade Thompson Drill Hall.
Upper East Side, ManhattanJet Lowe · Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsSimon Stone's North American premiere resets Chekhov's last play in present-day Seoul, performed in Korean with English captions inside a transparent glass house in the Armory's Wade Thompson Drill Hall.
Brooklyn Heights, BrooklynBrooklyn Bridge Park closes the twenty-sixth season of Movies With A View with a free family screening of How to Train Your Dragon on Pier 1's Harbor View Lawn, the Manhattan skyline behind the screen.
Brooklyn Heights, BrooklynBrooklyn Bridge Park closes the twenty-sixth season of Movies With A View with a free family screening of How to Train Your Dragon on Pier 1's Harbor View Lawn, the Manhattan skyline behind the screen.
Rumsey Playfield (SummerStage), Central Park, ManhattanClyde Charles Brown · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsNYC's biggest Oktoberfest takes over Central Park's Rumsey Playfield right after the Steuben Parade — steins, brats and oompah bands.
Rumsey Playfield (SummerStage), Central Park, ManhattanClyde Charles Brown · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsNYC's biggest Oktoberfest takes over Central Park's Rumsey Playfield right after the Steuben Parade — steins, brats and oompah bands.
House of Yes, Bushwick, BrooklynRaffi Asdourian · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsHouse of Yes throws open its Bushwick corner for a free all-day block party with DJs, performers and the club's signature costumed chaos.
House of Yes, Bushwick, BrooklynRaffi Asdourian · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsHouse of Yes throws open its Bushwick corner for a free all-day block party with DJs, performers and the club's signature costumed chaos.
St. James Theatre, 246 West 44th Street, Theater District, ManhattanCeline Dion hijacks a Titanic museum tour and retells the whole film through her own back catalogue — four Tony nominations, closing in September.
St. James Theatre, 246 West 44th Street, Theater District, ManhattanCeline Dion hijacks a Titanic museum tour and retells the whole film through her own back catalogue — four Tony nominations, closing in September.
Big weekends coming up — save them now, plan later.
