Stumblday's hand-checked ranking of the best free things to do in New York City on Friday night, Sep 25: 15 picks, refreshed weekly.
15 picks · checked Sep 21
Pioneer Works, Red Hook, BrooklynHanif Abdurraqib hosts a free Climate Week night of music, poetry and flood science with Hurray for the Riff Raff and Eileen Myles in Red Hook.
Pioneer Works, Red Hook, BrooklynHanif Abdurraqib hosts a free Climate Week night of music, poetry and flood science with Hurray for the Riff Raff and Eileen Myles in Red Hook.
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Whitney Museum of American Art, Meatpacking District, ManhattanAjay Suresh from New York, NY, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsThe Whitney opens every floor for five free evening hours — the 2026 Biennial, Minnie Evans and terrace views over the Hudson.
Whitney Museum of American Art, Meatpacking District, ManhattanAjay Suresh from New York, NY, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsThe Whitney opens every floor for five free evening hours — the 2026 Biennial, Minnie Evans and terrace views over the Hudson.
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Ferry Point Park (softball field), Throggs Neck, BronxBob Weiniger · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsThis year's Project Hail Mary, Ryan Gosling's amnesiac-astronaut blockbuster, screens free on a softball field in Ferry Point Park.
Ferry Point Park (softball field), Throggs Neck, BronxBob Weiniger · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsThis year's Project Hail Mary, Ryan Gosling's amnesiac-astronaut blockbuster, screens free on a softball field in Ferry Point Park.
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Bloomingdale Park (playground), South Shore, Staten IslandTdorante10 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsTom Cruise's original Top Gun gets a free outdoor screening at the Bloomingdale Park playground on Staten Island's South Shore.
Bloomingdale Park (playground), South Shore, Staten IslandTdorante10 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsTom Cruise's original Top Gun gets a free outdoor screening at the Bloomingdale Park playground on Staten Island's South Shore.
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David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center, Lincoln Square, ManhattanEnvironmentalists David Suzuki and Tara Cullis perform their own love story at a dinner table in this free Lincoln Center play.
David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center, Lincoln Square, ManhattanEnvironmentalists David Suzuki and Tara Cullis perform their own love story at a dinner table in this free Lincoln Center play.
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Callahan-Kelly Playground (basketball courts), Cypress Hills, BrooklynTdorante10 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsThe filmed original-cast Hamilton plays free on the basketball courts at Callahan-Kelly Playground, blanket seating under the sky.
Callahan-Kelly Playground (basketball courts), Cypress Hills, BrooklynTdorante10 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsThe filmed original-cast Hamilton plays free on the basketball courts at Callahan-Kelly Playground, blanket seating under the sky.
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Dyckman Marina (Inwood Hill Park), Inwood, ManhattanTdorante10 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsA free family movie at dusk on the Hudson at Inwood's Dyckman Marina, a late-season NYC Parks outdoor screening at the top of Manhattan.
Dyckman Marina (Inwood Hill Park), Inwood, ManhattanTdorante10 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsA free family movie at dusk on the Hudson at Inwood's Dyckman Marina, a late-season NYC Parks outdoor screening at the top of Manhattan.
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Elmhurst Park (playground), Elmhurst, QueensTdorante10 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsGoat, the animated tale of a tiny goat crashing a pro roarball league, screens free for families at the Elmhurst Park playground.
Elmhurst Park (playground), Elmhurst, QueensTdorante10 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsGoat, the animated tale of a tiny goat crashing a pro roarball league, screens free for families at the Elmhurst Park playground.
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Greenlight Bookstore, Fort Greene, BrooklynTomwsulcer · CC0 · Wikimedia CommonsGreenlight and CLMP throw a free drinks-and-books mixer with Brooklyn indie presses and authors, plus a raffle for a bag of new titles.
Greenlight Bookstore, Fort Greene, BrooklynTomwsulcer · CC0 · Wikimedia CommonsGreenlight and CLMP throw a free drinks-and-books mixer with Brooklyn indie presses and authors, plus a raffle for a bag of new titles.
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Bronx River Art Center, West Farms, BronxJim.henderson · Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsBronx poets Lorraine Currelley, Ngoma Hill and Betty Pierre trade spoken word with multi-instrumentalist Tony Crawford at Bronx River Art Center.
Bronx River Art Center, West Farms, BronxJim.henderson · Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsBronx poets Lorraine Currelley, Ngoma Hill and Betty Pierre trade spoken word with multi-instrumentalist Tony Crawford at Bronx River Art Center.
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Chelsea Green, Chelsea, ManhattanRanger2danger · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsSpread a blanket on West 20th Street for a free dusk screening of Pixar's Monsters, Inc. from NYC Parks' Movies Under the Stars.
Chelsea Green, Chelsea, ManhattanRanger2danger · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsSpread a blanket on West 20th Street for a free dusk screening of Pixar's Monsters, Inc. from NYC Parks' Movies Under the Stars.
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Central Library, Dweck Cultural Center Auditorium, Prospect Heights, BrooklynShortlisted writers for this year's BPL Book Prize read and talk at Central Library — the award that has honored Kaveh Akbar and Mosab Abu Toha.
Central Library, Dweck Cultural Center Auditorium, Prospect Heights, BrooklynShortlisted writers for this year's BPL Book Prize read and talk at Central Library — the award that has honored Kaveh Akbar and Mosab Abu Toha.
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The World's Borough Bookshop, Jackson Heights, QueensDeans Charbal · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsQueens writers Eugene Lim and Nita Noveno read alongside Indian novelist Jeyamohan, author of White Elephant, at a Jackson Heights bookshop.
The World's Borough Bookshop, Jackson Heights, QueensDeans Charbal · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsQueens writers Eugene Lim and Nita Noveno read alongside Indian novelist Jeyamohan, author of White Elephant, at a Jackson Heights bookshop.
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Community Bookstore, Park Slope, BrooklynRhododendrites · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsCritics from the Yale Review, NYRB, the Times and n+1 talk about the craft and future of book reviewing at Park Slope's Community Bookstore.
Community Bookstore, Park Slope, BrooklynRhododendrites · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsCritics from the Yale Review, NYRB, the Times and n+1 talk about the craft and future of book reviewing at Park Slope's Community Bookstore.
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West Harlem Piers, Manhattanville, ManhattanJim.henderson · Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsThe final free bingo night of Riverside Park Conservancy's series on the West Harlem Piers, with prizes each game and Hudson sunset views.
West Harlem Piers, Manhattanville, ManhattanJim.henderson · Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsThe final free bingo night of Riverside Park Conservancy's series on the West Harlem Piers, with prizes each game and Hudson sunset views.
Add to calendarBig weekends coming up — save them now, plan later.
