From attending a lunchtime concert to seeing art at a museum, there are a lot of free things to do in New York City.
It’s amazing to travel to New York City, and because of all the activities you can do without spending anything, it’s also a lot of fun to visit the city if you’re on a budget. Whether you want to see a movie, do a tour, enjoy a view, or do something else, you can do so in NYC without spending a dime.
In this guide to the best free things to do in NYC, I included a large variety of activities that won’t cost you a penny, including free museums, events, places to explore, and much more!
Free Things To Do in New York City
Go to the American Folk Art Museum
The American Folk Art Museum is one of the best museums in New York City and it’s located on the Upper West Side at 2 Lincoln Square. Admission to the museum is always free.
At this museum, you can learn about folk art and other types of art by self-taught artists. The collection of the museum consists of 8,000 objects that are from the 18th century till the present day.
The works that you can find at the museum are from all over the world, as well as from America.
In addition to seeing the museum’s exhibitions, you can also attend events at the museum. For example, sometimes there are live music events that you can attend for free as well.
Address: 2 Lincoln Square, New York, NY 10023
Relax at the Pier 35 Swings and Enjoy a View
At Pier 35, which you can find on the Lower East Side, close to the Manhattan Bridge, there are large swinging benches that you can sit on to enjoy a view of the Manhattan Bridge, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the East River.
There are four swings that all have space for two people.
In addition to the swings, there are steps next to the swings where you can also sit down to enjoy the view when the swings are occupied.
Attend a Free Lunchtime Concert at the Brooklyn Academy of Music
The Brooklyn Academy of Music is an organization that was established in 1859. It consists of several venues where you can attend a large variety of performances.
Each year, there are free lunchtime concerts that you can attend at MetroTech Commons, which you can find at Brooklyn Commons, which is located at 100 Myrtle Avenue, near the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
The concerts take place during the summer months.
Address: 30 Lafayette Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217
Ride the Staten Island Ferry
The Staten Island Ferry is a ferry system that moves people between Staten Island’s St George and Manhattan’s Whitehall Street.
There are ten vessels in total, and you can ride the ferries for free.
This is a very fun free activity in NYC, as you can enjoy a great view of the city and its landmarks while you are on the ferry. For example, you can get a great view of the Statue of Liberty and the city’s skyline.
The Staten Island Ferry is the only direct connection by public transport between the two boroughs of Manhattan and Staten Island, and it started its operation in 1817.
The ferry ride takes about 25 minutes in total and you can ride the ferry 24 hours a day.
Do a Free Tour of the Brooklyn Brewery
The Brooklyn Brewery is a brewery that is located in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood. The brewery produces many different styles of beer, such as lagers, hazy IPAs, and a variety of other styles.
You can do a free tour of the brewery on Sundays. During this tour, you can learn about the history of beer, you can learn about the brewing process, and the tour covers the story of the Brooklyn Brewery.
In addition to that, you can taste the beer of the Brooklyn Brewery during this tour.
The free tours on Sunday take place every hour from 1 PM till 6 PM. You don’t need a reservation if you want to do this tour. This is also great if you’re looking for free things to do in Brooklyn.
Address: 79 N 11th St, Brooklyn, NY 11249
Explore Little Island
Little Island is an artificial island that you can find in the Hudson River in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood.
You can get to the island by crossing one of the footbridges that connect Little Island to Hudson River Park.
Little Island is a park with a modern design that consists of 132 tulip structures that support it. Each of the tulip structures has a different height, which causes the island to have a hilly landscape. The park opened in 2021 and you can go here for free.
One of the free activities that you can do here is go for a relaxing walk during which you can enjoy a view of the Hudson River.
Another activity that you can do at Little Island is attending a show at the amphitheater of Little Island. There are both paid and free shows, but most of the shows are free to attend.
See a Free Movie at a Park
At many parks throughout New York City, you can see free movies during the months of spring and summer.
One of the free movie events is the “Paramount+ Movie Nights” event, which takes place at Byrant Park. During the months of June, July, and August, many movie screenings take place during which you can sit on the lawn and see a movie while also seeing the city’s skyline.
Another park where you can see a movie is Brooklyn Bridge Park. You can see free outdoor movies here on Thursday evenings during July and August. You can see the East River and the skyline of Manhattan while seeing a movie here.
Go to the Museum at FIT
The Museum at FIT is a museum that is part of the Fashion Institute of Technology.
The museum has a permanent collection that consists of more than 50,000 items, including garments and accessories. The items are from many periods in time, from the 18th century till the present day.
You can often attend exhibitions at the museum that focus on a particular style or type of garment, and each exhibition is at the museum for a limited amount of time.
Admission to the museum is free, and the museum is open from Wednesday through Sunday. Going to the museum is also one of the best things to do in Chelsea.
You can also attend various events at the museum. For example, there are talks, tours, and other types of events. Most of the events at the Museum at FIT have no admission fee, so besides visiting the museum, it can also be great to check out the events if you’re looking for free things to do in New York City.
Address: 227 W 27th St, New York, NY 10001
Enjoy a Relaxing Stroll at the Brooklyn Heights Promenade
You can find the Brooklyn Heights Promenade along the East River. This is a walkway where you can go for a walk to enjoy a view of the Brooklyn Bridge, the skyline of Manhattan, and the New York Harbor. Doing so is also one of the best things to do in Brooklyn Heights.
Besides going for a relaxing walk at the promenade, you can also relax at one of the benches that you can find next to the walkway.
At the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, there are several monuments with plaques with information through which you can learn about the history of the monuments.
Visit the Brooklyn Botanic Garden on Weekdays During the Winter Season
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is a beautiful botanical garden that you can find in Prospect Park. Usually, you have to pay to visit the garden, but when you visit the Brooklyn Botanic Garden on weekdays from December through February, you can pay what you wish.
The garden has a size of 52 acres and you can find thousands of species of plants at various specialty gardens.
For example, there is a garden where you can see plants that are native to New York City and surrounding areas.
Another garden is the “Discovery Garden”. This is an immersive garden where children can learn about nature through hands-on experiences.
You can also go to the “Tropical Pavilion” where you can find all kinds of species that grow in a tropical forest. For example, you can see palm trees, rubber tree species, banana plants, and other types of plants at this place.
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is also great if you’re looking for things to do in Prospect Heights.
See the Most Famous Sculptures of the Financial District
There are many famous sculptures in New York City. Some of these are situated in the Financial District and seeing these is a great free thing to do in New York City.
One of the sculptures that you can find here is Charging Bull. This is a large bronze sculpture of a bull that you can find close to Bowling Green. The bull is a symbol of Wall Street and a symbol of financial prosperity.
Another bronze sculpture that you can find in the Financial District is “Fearless Girl”. This is a bronze sculpture of a girl that is about women and gender diversity in top management teams of firms, and it was made by the artist Kristen Visbal.
At the Federal Hall, you can find a statue of George Washington, the first President of the United States who was born in 1732. The state was made in 1883.
Relax at Domino Park
Domino Park is one of the best parks in New York City. You can find Domino Park in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg, next to the East River and the Williamsburg Bridge.
You can find the park on the site of a former sugar refinery that dates back to 1882. The refinery produced the “Domino” brand of sugar and you can still see some structures of this former refinery at the park.
At the park, there are various lawns that you can sit on to relax with a view. You can also go for a walk to sit on one of the benches at the park. Relaxing there is also one of the best things to do in Williamsburg.
Go to a Free Concert at the Amphitheater at Coney Island Boardwalk
The Coney Island Boardwalk is a boardwalk that you can along Coney Island’s shore, and next to the Atlantic Ocean. The boardwalk has a length of almost 3 miles and runs along various attractions in the neighborhood, such as the New York Aquarium.
On the boardwalk, you can find the “Amphitheater at Coney Island Boardwalk”. This is a venue that opened in 2016 where you can attend free concerts.
These free concerts take place during the summer months, and you don’t need a ticket for these concerts.
The Amphitheater at Coney Island has a capacity of 5,000 and is an open-air venue that is covered.
Address: 3052 W 21st St, Brooklyn, NY 11224
See Jackson Square
Jackson Square is one of the most famous parks in New York City.
It is one of the oldest parks in the city and it opened in the year 1888, but the history of the park dates back to a much earlier year.
You can find it in Greenwich Village, so the park is also great if you’re looking for things to do in Greenwich Village.
You can go for a relaxing stroll at the park while you can check out the trees and fountain of the park. You can also relax by sitting on one of the park’s benches.
Go to a Free Event of BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn
BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! is the longest-run outdoor arts festival that you can attend for free in New York City. It is held annually at the Lena Horne Bandshell in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park.
You can see great performances at multiple stages by both local artists and artists from all around the world.
At the festival, you can listen to many genres of music, including jazz, indie, and other genres.
There are also other types of events that take place at the festival. For example, there are dance shows and film screenings.
Each year about 250,000 people attend one of the free performances of BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!
Do a Self-Guided Tour of the City
A self-guided tour is a tour that you can do by yourself without paying a fee. You simply download an app to your phone or download a route and then go for a walk in the city while you use the app or route to guide you.
At each stop that this tour takes you, you can learn about that stop by reading information or by listening to an audio guide, and you can then go to the next stop when you like.
A self-guided tour is a free and easy way to see the city’s sights, and it provides you with a lot of flexibility, as you can decide by yourself where you go at your own pace.
On the web, you can find a lot of organizations that offer self-guided tours. Depending on where in the city, you want to walk, you can choose one that suits you best.
Attend an Event at the Brooklyn Public Library
The Brooklyn Public Library is Brooklyn’s public library system, which has several branches that you can find across the borough.
Besides being a great place to read books, the library is also great if you want to attend a free event in New York City.
Many different types of events take place at the library, such as author talks, book discussions, workshops, live music performances, and much more. Some of these events are great for the whole family.
If you want to see which free events are taking place this week, you can check out the calendar of the library.
In addition to attending the library’s free events, you can also see the buildings of the building from the outside (for free), some of which have a beautiful architectural style.
The main branch of the library, called the Central Library, is a designated New York City Landmark and features a beautiful, grand entrance that is decorated with bronze sculptures.
Address: 10 Grand Army Plz, Brooklyn, NY 11238
Explore Washington Square Park and See the Washington Square Arch
Washington Square Park is a large park that you can find in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village. The park is perfect if you want to have a relaxing time and see nature, as there are several lawns, many trees, and lots of beautiful flowers at the park.
You can bring a blanket and lie down in the grass to have a picnic, as Washington Square Park is also one of the best picnic spots in NYC.
A variety of free events take place at the park that you can attend. For example, sometimes you can listen to live music at Washington Square Park.
The park is also home to the Washington Square Arch, which is a historic monument that commemorates the first President of the US, George Washington. This is very interesting to see.
Take Photos at the Most Beautiful Places in New York City
A fun activity, and one that you can do for free, provided you have your phone with you, is taking photos of the most beautiful places in the city, many of which are free to check out.
For example, you can check out one of the most famous bridges in New York City, such as the large bridges that span the East River, or a smaller bridge, such as the Bow Bridge in Central Park.
There are a lot of famous buildings in New York City that are great to take photos of as well. For example, the Flatiron Building is a building with a unique and beautiful design that is great for photography.
You can also go to a viewpoint and take photos of the skyline of Manhattan. One of the best places for this is Brooklyn Bridge Park, from where you can get an amazing view of the skyline of Manhattan.
Be a Guest of a TV Show Taping
Lots of television shows are taped in New York City and these shows have a live audience. You can be an audience member for free, but you have to get a ticket first.
Some of the most famous television shows are taped in the city. For example, the shows “Saturday Night Live”, “The Daily Show”, and “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” are some of the shows that are taped in the city.
To get a ticket for one of these shows you need to register in advance. Although this is free to do, for many shows it is hard to get a ticket because of the demand and limited supply of tickets. Some of the shows have a lottery to allocate tickets.
Walk The High Line
The High Line is an elevated linear park that is located in several neighborhoods in Manhattan.
The High Line was created on a part of the former New York Central Railroad.
The section that is now The High Line was abandoned in 1980. It was transformed into a public park in 2009, but the park has expanded a few times since that moment.
Going for a walk at the park is one of the most relaxing free activities in NYC, and when you do so you can enjoy the nature of the park and the views of the city that surrounds it. Because of the linear structure of the park, there is only one route that you can walk.
See Art at The Bronx Museum
The Bronx Museum is a museum with a collection of all kinds of contemporary works of art made by American artists and works of art and design by artists from all across the world.
The museum’s permanent collection includes lots of sculptures, works on paper, photographs, paintings, and other types of works.
You can also see various temporary exhibitions at the museum that are at The Bronx Museum for a limited amount of time, and there are all kinds of events, including events for families, that you can attend.
The museum is free to visit and open from Wednesday through Sunday.
Address: 1040 Grand Concourse, Bronx, NY 10456
Attend a Free Event at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
The Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts complex that is the home of various professional performing arts organizations.
Some of the professional performing arts organizations that are housed here include the New York City Ballet, the New York Philharmonic, and the Metropolitan Opera.
You can find these organizations at various buildings at the complex. For example, you can find them at the Metropolitan Opera House and the David Geffen Hall.
There are many events that you can attend for free at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, from live readings to film screenings to live jazz music.
You can look see which events you can attend for free at the Lincoln Center on the complex’s website.
Attend a Free Talk at The Skyscraper Museum
The Skyscraper Museum is a museum that is located in Lower Manhattan. At this museum, you can learn about something that you can find a lot of in New York City: skyscrapers.
The museum has no admission fee. This is also great if you want to do something with children for free, as the Skyscraper Museum is one of the best museums for kids in New York City.
At the museum, you can learn about the various aspects of skyscrapers. For example, you can learn about the technology of skyscrapers, what it is like to live inside a skyscraper, the design of these buildings, and a variety of other aspects.
In addition to that, you can learn about the history of skyscrapers at the museum.
Attending a talk at the museum is also a great free thing to do in NYC. There are all kinds of free book talks and lectures related to skyscrapers.
Address: 39 Battery Pl, New York, NY 10280
Explore Central Park
Central Park is the most famous park in New York City and it is located in the middle of Manhattan, between the Upper East Side and the Upper West Side.
The park has a size of 843 acres and is a great place to go if you want to relax when you are in the city. You can go for a walk or bike ride, or you can sit down somewhere to enjoy the park’s nature and view of the surrounding skyscrapers.
There are many spaces where you can sit on the grass, such as the Great Lawn and Sheep Meadow.
There are also many free events that you can attend throughout the year. For example, you can see a show of the Shakespeare in the Park event.
You can also attend the annual Global Citizen Festival during which you can listen to great live music and attend talks.
See the Polonsky Exhibition of The New York Public Library’s Treasures
The New York Public Library, one of the city’s public library systems is a library system with several branches throughout the city where you can read books and attend events, including free ones.
The organization has collected and preserved lots of objects for more than 125 years.
The Polonsky Exhibition of The New York Public Library’s Treasures is an exhibition through which you can see the highlights of the millions of items that are in the collection.
You can see the exhibition for free.
Some of the types of objects that you can find at the museum include letters, works of art, recordings, and many other items.
If you want to explore the treasures of the library by yourself, you can do the Treasures Audio Guide.
You can also do a free 45-minute guided tour, which takes place two times per day from Monday to Saturday.
Address: 476 5th Ave, New York, NY 10018
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NYC Free Things To Do Tips
Some of the places that I mentioned in this article are situated near each other. That means that it’s easy to do two or more of the free things to do in NYC in one day as you can walk between the places. That way, you don’t have to spend anything on a cab or public transport.
For example, you can find The Skyscraper Museum, the Charging Bull statue, and Federal Hall near each other, and it is easy to walk between these places. You can also first go to Jackson Square and then visit Little Island, as these places are near each other as well.
Free Things To Do in NYC Map
This was my list of free things to do in New York City. As you see, there’s a lot you can do if you’re on a budget in the city!