The best things to do in Manhattan on Saturday of Labor Day weekend 2026, Sep 5 — hand-curated and refreshed weekly.
189 picks · checked Sep 2
Delacorte Theater, Central Park, Manhattan100-plus New Yorkers from all five boroughs record a live album onstage at the Delacorte — the Public's free season-closing pageant, five nights only.
Delacorte Theater, Central Park, Manhattan100-plus New Yorkers from all five boroughs record a live album onstage at the Delacorte — the Public's free season-closing pageant, five nights only.
Lincoln Center Plaza, Lincoln Square, ManhattanAsmik Grigorian sings Tatiana's letter scene on a screen the size of the Met's facade, with 2,500 free plaza seats below.
Lincoln Center Plaza, Lincoln Square, ManhattanAsmik Grigorian sings Tatiana's letter scene on a screen the size of the Met's facade, with 2,500 free plaza seats below.
Colonels Row, Building 405A, Governors Island, ManhattanDancing skyscrapers, giant rats, fossil-fuel-fighting flowers and Lady Liberty herself appear in a cardboard puppet circus with a live brass band.
Colonels Row, Building 405A, Governors Island, ManhattanDancing skyscrapers, giant rats, fossil-fuel-fighting flowers and Lady Liberty herself appear in a cardboard puppet circus with a live brass band.
Studio Museum in Harlem, Harlem, ManhattanFinal weekend of the Studio Museum's sixth 'F' show — 17 emerging artists of African and Afro-Latinx descent in the new 125th Street building. Closing day is a free Studio Sunday.
Studio Museum in Harlem, Harlem, ManhattanFinal weekend of the Studio Museum's sixth 'F' show — 17 emerging artists of African and Afro-Latinx descent in the new 125th Street building. Closing day is a free Studio Sunday.
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Poster House, Chelsea, ManhattanPoster House's history of New York's AIDS activism told entirely in printed graphics closes this weekend, alongside Act Black on the same ticket.
Poster House, Chelsea, ManhattanPoster House's history of New York's AIDS activism told entirely in printed graphics closes this weekend, alongside Act Black on the same ticket.
13 Crosby Street, Soho, Manhattan5,500 square feet of Korean skincare on Crosby Street — a discovery bar to test everything and a creator studio to film it.
13 Crosby Street, Soho, Manhattan5,500 square feet of Korean skincare on Crosby Street — a discovery bar to test everything and a creator studio to film it.
The Shed, Hudson Yards, ManhattanStep inside an original Black Mirror storyline at The Shed and become the protagonist of the episode.
The Shed, Hudson Yards, ManhattanStep inside an original Black Mirror storyline at The Shed and become the protagonist of the episode.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Upper East Side, ManhattanOfficial Met exhibition on view June 12–September 8, 2026.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Upper East Side, ManhattanOfficial Met exhibition on view June 12–September 8, 2026.
Poster House, Chelsea, ManhattanJoe Mabel · Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsA century of posters advertising Black American theatre and film, from race-film one-sheets to Broadway runs, in its final days at Poster House.
Poster House, Chelsea, ManhattanJoe Mabel · Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsA century of posters advertising Black American theatre and film, from race-film one-sheets to Broadway runs, in its final days at Poster House.
Taqueria El Califa de Leon, Flatiron, ManhattanThe Mexico City taqueria that became the world's first Michelin-starred taco counter lands in Flatiron with five tacos and nothing else.
Taqueria El Califa de Leon, Flatiron, ManhattanThe Mexico City taqueria that became the world's first Michelin-starred taco counter lands in Flatiron with five tacos and nothing else.
Bryant Park Lawn, Midtown, ManhattanAnother Believer · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsTim Allen and Sigourney Weaver spoof Star Trek on the Bryant Park lawn, where the 33rd season of free blanket cinema winds toward its finale.
Bryant Park Lawn, Midtown, ManhattanAnother Believer · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsTim Allen and Sigourney Weaver spoof Star Trek on the Bryant Park lawn, where the 33rd season of free blanket cinema winds toward its finale.
The Met Fifth Avenue, Upper East Side, ManhattanMay S. Young · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsThe Met's 250th-anniversary installation puts rarely seen prints of the Boston Massacre and revolutionary news on the wall.
The Met Fifth Avenue, Upper East Side, ManhattanMay S. Young · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsThe Met's 250th-anniversary installation puts rarely seen prints of the Boston Massacre and revolutionary news on the wall.
The Glade at Little Island, Meatpacking District, ManhattanLeslie Jamison, Eric Kim and Doreen St. Felix read new stories about New York's food scene at Little Island's outdoor Glade.
The Glade at Little Island, Meatpacking District, ManhattanLeslie Jamison, Eric Kim and Doreen St. Felix read new stories about New York's food scene at Little Island's outdoor Glade.
Metrograph, Lower East Side, ManhattanShane Fleming · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsZu, 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, ManhattanShane Fleming · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsZu, 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.
New World Stages, Stage 3, 340 West 50th Street, Hell's Kitchen, ManhattanThe Tony-winning spelling bee musical that pulls four audience members onstage to compete against the cast, live and unrehearsed.
New World Stages, Stage 3, 340 West 50th Street, Hell's Kitchen, ManhattanThe Tony-winning spelling bee musical that pulls four audience members onstage to compete against the cast, live and unrehearsed.
Lyceum Theatre, Theater District, ManhattanEpicgenius · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsMeg Stalter plays a boozy, cabaret-obsessed Mary Todd Lincoln in Cole Escola's comedy, in her final stretch before Bowen Yang takes over.
Lyceum Theatre, Theater District, ManhattanEpicgenius · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsMeg Stalter plays a boozy, cabaret-obsessed Mary Todd Lincoln in Cole Escola's comedy, in her final stretch before Bowen Yang takes over.
Downtown Boathouse at Pier 26, Tribeca, ManhattanVolunteers hand out kayaks, paddles and life jackets for free 20-minute paddles in a protected embayment off Pier 26 in Hudson River Park.
Downtown Boathouse at Pier 26, Tribeca, ManhattanVolunteers hand out kayaks, paddles and life jackets for free 20-minute paddles in a protected embayment off Pier 26 in Hudson River Park.
Marquis Theatre, 210 West 46th Street, Theater District, ManhattanThe Hawkins prequel staged with flying bodies, a burning house and illusions that make the Marquis feel structurally unsafe.
Marquis Theatre, 210 West 46th Street, Theater District, ManhattanThe Hawkins prequel staged with flying bodies, a burning house and illusions that make the Marquis feel structurally unsafe.
Palace Theatre, Theater District, ManhattanThe 1987 vampire movie becomes a four-Tony-winning rock musical at the Palace, with Shoshana Bean's 'Wild' as the peak.
Palace Theatre, Theater District, ManhattanThe 1987 vampire movie becomes a four-Tony-winning rock musical at the Palace, with Shoshana Bean's 'Wild' as the peak.
Madison Square Garden, Midtown, ManhattanAjay Suresh from New York, NY, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsHarry Styles plays back-to-back Garden nights on his 30-show residency — his only U.S. dates this year, with Jamie xx opening both.
Madison Square Garden, Midtown, ManhattanAjay Suresh from New York, NY, USA · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsHarry Styles plays back-to-back Garden nights on his 30-show residency — his only U.S. dates this year, with Jamie xx opening both.
iDen's Beijing Duck House, Midtown, ManhattanThe dining room that housed La Grenouille for six decades reopened September 1 as a Beijing duck house. The chef ran the kitchen at Taiwan's first three-Michelin-star restaurant.
iDen's Beijing Duck House, Midtown, ManhattanThe dining room that housed La Grenouille for six decades reopened September 1 as a Beijing duck house. The chef ran the kitchen at Taiwan's first three-Michelin-star restaurant.
Film Forum, Hudson Square, ManhattanCoppola's 1992 vampire fever dream in a 35mm print, closing out a Saturday of the Film Forum retrospective. Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins and practically no digital anything.
Film Forum, Hudson Square, ManhattanCoppola's 1992 vampire fever dream in a 35mm print, closing out a Saturday of the Film Forum retrospective. Gary Oldman, Winona Ryder, Anthony Hopkins and practically no digital anything.
Dan Bakery, Upper East Side, ManhattanA New Jersey pastry shop known for its layered honey cake opened its first Manhattan storefront on York Avenue this August. Central Asian baking, plus a coffee counter.
Dan Bakery, Upper East Side, ManhattanA New Jersey pastry shop known for its layered honey cake opened its first Manhattan storefront on York Avenue this August. Central Asian baking, plus a coffee counter.
Greenwich House Theater, West Village, ManhattanMarin Ireland's acclaimed play returns with Lupita Nyong'o opening a rotating star cast — this is its first full weekend of previews at Greenwich House.
Greenwich House Theater, West Village, ManhattanMarin Ireland's acclaimed play returns with Lupita Nyong'o opening a rotating star cast — this is its first full weekend of previews at Greenwich House.
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