Stumblday's hand-checked ranking of the best date night in Manhattan the weekend of Oct 16–18, 2026: 22 picks, refreshed weekly.
📱 Get the weekend's top 5 by text, every Thursday →22 picks · checked Sep 28
NewFest venues (announced in September), Various, ManhattanNew York's largest LGBTQ+ film festival returns for an eleven-day 38th edition of premieres, shorts programmes and filmmaker Q&As.
NewFest venues (announced in September), Various, ManhattanNew York's largest LGBTQ+ film festival returns for an eleven-day 38th edition of premieres, shorts programmes and filmmaker Q&As.
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Rose Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Columbus Circle, ManhattanThe Cuban pianist turns 85 with an all-star quintet: Joe Lovano, Terence Blanchard, John Patitucci and Marcus Gilmore.
Rose Theater, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Columbus Circle, ManhattanThe Cuban pianist turns 85 with an all-star quintet: Joe Lovano, Terence Blanchard, John Patitucci and Marcus Gilmore.
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Metrograph, Lower East Side, ManhattanZu, Don't Play with Fire, Knock Off and Time and Tide play Metrograph in an 11-film Tsui Hark survey — two of them on 35mm prints.
Metrograph, Lower East Side, ManhattanZu, Don't Play with Fire, Knock Off and Time and Tide play Metrograph in an 11-film Tsui Hark survey — two of them on 35mm prints.
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Roxy Cinema, Tribeca, ManhattanTen days of one-night-only indie screenings with filmmaker Q&As in the Roxy Hotel's basement cinema, from world premieres to cult anniversaries.
Roxy Cinema, Tribeca, ManhattanTen days of one-night-only indie screenings with filmmaker Q&As in the Roxy Hotel's basement cinema, from world premieres to cult anniversaries.
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Film Forum, South Village, ManhattanFilm Forum's 25-film centennial for Poland's Andrzej Wajda includes new 4K restorations of Ashes and Diamonds, Kanal and Man of Iron.
Film Forum, South Village, ManhattanFilm Forum's 25-film centennial for Poland's Andrzej Wajda includes new 4K restorations of Ashes and Diamonds, Kanal and Man of Iron.
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James Earl Jones Theatre, Theater District, ManhattanEpicgenius · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsSolea Pfeiffer and Liisi LaFontaine play outlaw twins passing for white in 1893 Texas, with Ledisi and Luke James in Angelica Chéri's new musical.
James Earl Jones Theatre, Theater District, ManhattanEpicgenius · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsSolea Pfeiffer and Liisi LaFontaine play outlaw twins passing for white in 1893 Texas, with Ledisi and Luke James in Angelica Chéri's new musical.
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Metrograph, Lower East Side, ManhattanNobuhiko Obayashi's man-eating-piano haunted house plays on 35mm at Metrograph, right up against midnight.
Metrograph, Lower East Side, ManhattanNobuhiko Obayashi's man-eating-piano haunted house plays on 35mm at Metrograph, right up against midnight.
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The Public Theater (Martinson Hall), NoHo, ManhattanRyan J. Haddad's world premiere about a dentist uncle who handed his theater dreams to his nephew opens at the Public, with Beth Malone in the cast.
The Public Theater (Martinson Hall), NoHo, ManhattanRyan J. Haddad's world premiere about a dentist uncle who handed his theater dreams to his nephew opens at the Public, with Beth Malone in the cast.
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Laura Pels Theatre, Midtown / Theater District, ManhattanRoundabout's new Off-Broadway musical follows one beating heart, two families and a transplant team through 24 hours. Kait Kerrigan wrote the book and Anne and Ian Eisendrath wrote the score.
Laura Pels Theatre, Midtown / Theater District, ManhattanRoundabout's new Off-Broadway musical follows one beating heart, two families and a transplant team through 24 hours. Kait Kerrigan wrote the book and Anne and Ian Eisendrath wrote the score.
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David H. Koch Theater, Lincoln Center, ManhattanDEGA MD · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsSeven programs at the Koch Theater, from Balanchine's full-length Jewels to Pithoprakta, revived after decades off the company stage.
David H. Koch Theater, Lincoln Center, ManhattanDEGA MD · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsSeven programs at the Koch Theater, from Balanchine's full-length Jewels to Pithoprakta, revived after decades off the company stage.
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Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, Theater District, ManhattanPatina Miller and Denée Benton lead Jocelyn Bioh's biting Miss Ghana 1986 pageant comedy, newly opened on Broadway after its Off-Broadway hit.
Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, Theater District, ManhattanPatina Miller and Denée Benton lead Jocelyn Bioh's biting Miss Ghana 1986 pageant comedy, newly opened on Broadway after its Off-Broadway hit.
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HERE Arts Center, SoHo, ManhattanJoey Arias gets abducted by aliens and climbs a King Kong skyline in Basil Twist's puppet fever dream — the downtown cult hit returns home.
HERE Arts Center, SoHo, ManhattanJoey Arias gets abducted by aliens and climbs a King Kong skyline in Basil Twist's puppet fever dream — the downtown cult hit returns home.
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Todd Haimes Theatre, Times Square, ManhattanEpicgenius · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsBill Irwin adapts and stars in Molière's hypochondria farce, with Rachel Bloom and Brooks Ashmanskas, in early previews on 42nd Street.
Todd Haimes Theatre, Times Square, ManhattanEpicgenius · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsBill Irwin adapts and stars in Molière's hypochondria farce, with Rachel Bloom and Brooks Ashmanskas, in early previews on 42nd Street.
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The Public Theater (Newman Theater), NoHo, ManhattanLondon's Olivier-winning folk musical lands at the Public: 15 actor-musicians spin Fitzgerald's backward-aging tale in a Cornish fishing village.
The Public Theater (Newman Theater), NoHo, ManhattanLondon's Olivier-winning folk musical lands at the Public: 15 actor-musicians spin Fitzgerald's backward-aging tale in a Cornish fishing village.
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Upper East Side, ManhattanThe Costume Institute's new blockbuster reframes fashion as fine art, with sculptural gowns staged alongside masterpieces from the Met's collection.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Upper East Side, ManhattanThe Costume Institute's new blockbuster reframes fashion as fine art, with sculptural gowns staged alongside masterpieces from the Met's collection.
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Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, Theater District, ManhattanThe campy cult film becomes a glittering Broadway musical comedy of vanity, immortality and dueling divas at the Lunt-Fontanne.
Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, Theater District, ManhattanThe campy cult film becomes a glittering Broadway musical comedy of vanity, immortality and dueling divas at the Lunt-Fontanne.
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Imperial Theatre, Theater District, ManhattanEpicgenius · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsBilly Crystal turns the house he lost in the Palisades fires into a solo memory play, written by him and directed by Scott Ellis.
Imperial Theatre, Theater District, ManhattanEpicgenius · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsBilly Crystal turns the house he lost in the Palisades fires into a solo memory play, written by him and directed by Scott Ellis.
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Hudson Theatre, Theater District, ManhattanEpicgenius · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsJulia Louis-Dreyfus makes her Broadway debut beside Ed Harris, Allison Janney and Joe Keery in a Palm Springs family blowup — previews now.
Hudson Theatre, Theater District, ManhattanEpicgenius · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsJulia Louis-Dreyfus makes her Broadway debut beside Ed Harris, Allison Janney and Joe Keery in a Palm Springs family blowup — previews now.
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Vivian Beaumont Theater, Lincoln Square, ManhattanPhoto: Andreas Praefcke · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsBradley Whitford and Tom Blyth face off in Aaron Sorkin's courtroom drama, staged by Michael Arden on the Beaumont's wide thrust.
Vivian Beaumont Theater, Lincoln Square, ManhattanPhoto: Andreas Praefcke · CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsBradley Whitford and Tom Blyth face off in Aaron Sorkin's courtroom drama, staged by Michael Arden on the Beaumont's wide thrust.
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Longacre Theatre, Theater District, ManhattanSam Tutty and Christiani Pitts play two strangers who spend three days crossing New York together in this original Broadway musical.
Longacre Theatre, Theater District, ManhattanSam Tutty and Christiani Pitts play two strangers who spend three days crossing New York together in this original Broadway musical.
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Audible's Minetta Lane Theatre, Greenwich Village, ManhattanA headphone horror play from London: every seat gets binaural audio as an audiobook session goes deadly wrong, starring Owen Campbell.
Audible's Minetta Lane Theatre, Greenwich Village, ManhattanA headphone horror play from London: every seat gets binaural audio as an audiobook session goes deadly wrong, starring Owen Campbell.
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Lena Horne Theatre, Theater District, ManhattanEpicgenius · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsHenry VIII's six wives take back the mic in Six, an 80-minute pop-concert musical at the Lena Horne where each queen sings her side.
Lena Horne Theatre, Theater District, ManhattanEpicgenius · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsHenry VIII's six wives take back the mic in Six, an 80-minute pop-concert musical at the Lena Horne where each queen sings her side.
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