Stumblday's hand-checked ranking of the best free things to do in New York City the weekend of Oct 9–12, 2026: 88 picks, refreshed weekly.
88 picks · checked Sep 15
Restoration Plaza, Bedford-Stuyvesant, BrooklynA free three-day African food market takes over Restoration Plaza in Bed-Stuy, with Afrobeat, Amapiano and Soca sets between plates.
Restoration Plaza, Bedford-Stuyvesant, BrooklynA free three-day African food market takes over Restoration Plaza in Bed-Stuy, with Afrobeat, Amapiano and Soca sets between plates.
American Academy of Arts and Letters, Washington Heights, ManhattanBeyond My Ken · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsThe Final Fantasy artist's first New York institutional solo show: a Pandora frieze of drawings, free at Audubon Terrace from opening day.
American Academy of Arts and Letters, Washington Heights, ManhattanBeyond My Ken · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsThe Final Fantasy artist's first New York institutional solo show: a Pandora frieze of drawings, free at Audubon Terrace from opening day.
Wave Hill, Riverdale, BronxWave Hill's Hudson-view gardens open to everyone for nothing on the holiday, with a walking tour on Lenape women leaders called Saunksquas.
Wave Hill, Riverdale, BronxWave Hill's Hudson-view gardens open to everyone for nothing on the holiday, with a walking tour on Lenape women leaders called Saunksquas.
161st Street & Grand Concourse, Concourse, BronxTdorante10 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsFifty-plus vendors from 40-plus countries take over the Grand Concourse by Yankee Stadium for the market's final free day of the year.
161st Street & Grand Concourse, Concourse, BronxTdorante10 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsFifty-plus vendors from 40-plus countries take over the Grand Concourse by Yankee Stadium for the market's final free day of the year.
It lands the Friday before, plus every Friday until then. Unsubscribe anytime.
New York Hall of Science parking lot, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, QueensTdorante10 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsDozens of stalls cooking the food of dozens of countries fill a Flushing Meadows lot until midnight, free to walk in, with the season's end near.
New York Hall of Science parking lot, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, QueensTdorante10 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsDozens of stalls cooking the food of dozens of countries fill a Flushing Meadows lot until midnight, free to walk in, with the season's end near.
NYC Parks (citywide), All five boroughs, CitywideU.S. Army 353CAG by Staff Sgt. Emilie Lenglain · Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsOver 300 free screenings light up park lawns in all five boroughs, from Encanto to Lilo & Stitch and they start when the sun goes down.
NYC Parks (citywide), All five boroughs, CitywideU.S. Army 353CAG by Staff Sgt. Emilie Lenglain · Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsOver 300 free screenings light up park lawns in all five boroughs, from Encanto to Lilo & Stitch and they start when the sun goes down.
Doris C. Freedman Plaza, Central Park, ManhattanBronze, stone and concrete dogs on leashes take over the Central Park entrance at 60th and Fifth — Camille Henrot's first public show in New York.
Doris C. Freedman Plaza, Central Park, ManhattanBronze, stone and concrete dogs on leashes take over the Central Park entrance at 60th and Fifth — Camille Henrot's first public show in New York.
Hauser & Wirth, 542 West 22nd Street, Chelsea, ManhattanWikipettanko · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsKorean icon Lee Bul fills Hauser & Wirth with major new sculptures — cyborg bodies and glittering future ruins probing technology, nature and history.
Hauser & Wirth, 542 West 22nd Street, Chelsea, ManhattanWikipettanko · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsKorean icon Lee Bul fills Hauser & Wirth with major new sculptures — cyborg bodies and glittering future ruins probing technology, nature and history.
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.
Studio Museum in Harlem, Harlem, ManhattanBeyond My Ken · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsFree Sunday entry to the new Studio Museum on 125th Street, with Peggy Cooper Cafritz's collection, gallery talks and drop-in art-making.
Studio Museum in Harlem, Harlem, ManhattanBeyond My Ken · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsFree Sunday entry to the new Studio Museum on 125th Street, with Peggy Cooper Cafritz's collection, gallery talks and drop-in art-making.
El Museo del Barrio, East Harlem, ManhattanPaul Lowry from New York, EEUU de A · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsThe 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, ManhattanPaul Lowry from New York, EEUU de A · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsThe 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.
City Hall Park, Civic Center, ManhattanNielsoncaetanosalmeron · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsConcrete birds pluck pennies from the City Hall Park fountain and two bronze Lady Justices preside — Genesis Belanger's first big public show.
City Hall Park, Civic Center, ManhattanNielsoncaetanosalmeron · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsConcrete birds pluck pennies from the City Hall Park fountain and two bronze Lady Justices preside — Genesis Belanger's first big public show.
The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Concourse, BronxSam valadi · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsThree new shows open at the Bronx Museum in one free party, from Saya Woolfalk's cosmic collection picks to Alex Strada's park signage.
The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Concourse, BronxSam valadi · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsThree new shows open at the Bronx Museum in one free party, from Saya Woolfalk's cosmic collection picks to Alex Strada's park signage.
Breeze Hill, Prospect Park, BrooklynSixty-plus Brooklyn food businesses set up on Breeze Hill for a Sunday graze under turning leaves, with only a couple of weeks left in the season.
Breeze Hill, Prospect Park, BrooklynSixty-plus Brooklyn food businesses set up on Breeze Hill for a Sunday graze under turning leaves, with only a couple of weeks left in the season.
MoMA PS1, Long Island City, QueensKing of Hearts · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsA 22-ton wall of rubble from a Ciudad Juárez home anchors Teresa Margolles's first large US museum show, free across PS1's third floor.
MoMA PS1, Long Island City, QueensKing of Hearts · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsA 22-ton wall of rubble from a Ciudad Juárez home anchors Teresa Margolles's first large US museum show, free across PS1's third floor.
Prospect Park, BrooklynKing of Hearts · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsA free outdoor morning exploring nature in Prospect Park, starting at 10am.
Prospect Park, BrooklynKing of Hearts · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsA free outdoor morning exploring nature in Prospect Park, starting at 10am.
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Midtown, ManhattanMoMA stays open late with free entry for New York State residents, drop-in drawing, gallery talks and films in the theaters.
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Midtown, ManhattanMoMA stays open late with free entry for New York State residents, drop-in drawing, gallery talks and films in the theaters.
Mitsubishi Riverwalk, Bronx Park, Bronx Park / West Farms, BronxSnowFire · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsPaddle a canoe on the Bronx River, then watch a Haudenosaunee social dance at this Indigenous Peoples' Day celebration in Bronx Park.
Mitsubishi Riverwalk, Bronx Park, Bronx Park / West Farms, BronxSnowFire · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsPaddle a canoe on the Bronx River, then watch a Haudenosaunee social dance at this Indigenous Peoples' Day celebration in Bronx Park.
Pioneer Works, Red Hook, BrooklynPioneer Works throws open all three floors in Red Hook: artist studios, exhibitions, live music, a cephalopod demo and Caribbean comfort food.
Pioneer Works, Red Hook, BrooklynPioneer Works throws open all three floors in Red Hook: artist studios, exhibitions, live music, a cephalopod demo and Caribbean comfort food.
David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center, Upper West Side, ManhattanBogotá indie rock quartet Nicolás y Los Fumadores play their first-ever U.S. show, free in Lincoln Center's Rubenstein Atrium.
David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center, Upper West Side, ManhattanBogotá indie rock quartet Nicolás y Los Fumadores play their first-ever U.S. show, free in Lincoln Center's Rubenstein Atrium.
Pioneer Works, Red Hook, BrooklynBooker winner Marlon James talks The Disappearers with Colin Channer in Red Hook, then signs books before a Neon Christina DJ set.
Pioneer Works, Red Hook, BrooklynBooker winner Marlon James talks The Disappearers with Colin Channer in Red Hook, then signs books before a Neon Christina DJ set.
The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Grand Concourse, BronxDanTD · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsSaya Woolfalk's WoodsWoman remix of the Bronx Museum collection debuts at a free opening party with drinks, bites and the artists in the room.
The Bronx Museum of the Arts, Grand Concourse, BronxDanTD · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsSaya Woolfalk's WoodsWoman remix of the Bronx Museum collection debuts at a free opening party with drinks, bites and the artists in the room.
Tratman Playground, Westchester Square, BronxPixar's Coco plays free under the sky at a Bronx playground, one of the last NYC Parks outdoor movie nights listed this season.
Tratman Playground, Westchester Square, BronxPixar's Coco plays free under the sky at a Bronx playground, one of the last NYC Parks outdoor movie nights listed this season.
Industry City, Sunset Park, BrooklynIndustry City Gourmet Food and Drinks Tour at Industry City.
Industry City, Sunset Park, BrooklynIndustry City Gourmet Food and Drinks Tour at Industry City.
It lands the Friday before, plus every Friday until then. Unsubscribe anytime.
Big weekends coming up — save them now, plan later.
