This post lists hundreds of free things to do in NYC.
We include the best free things to do, free nighttime activities, free things to do with kids, and free museums, attractions, and activities.
As local tour guides who live on a budget in NYC, we know just about everything there is to do in NYC without paying a cent and we share those activities in this post.
We also asked for feedback from the roughly 230,000 members of our popular NYC Travel Tips Facebook group for suggestions and you can find them at the bottom of this post.
Lastly, throughout this post, we have sprinkled videos of our guides giving tours or providing helpful tips.
For example, in the video below, Katie, a guide with us, Free Tours by Foot, lays out a 1-day itinerary with only free things to do.
- Top 10
- Free Nighttime Activities
- Free Things to Do with Kids
- More Free Museums, Attractions, and Activities
- Free By Season, Month, & Day
- Other Things to Do in NYC
TOP 10 FREE ATTRACTIONS AND ACTIVITIES
There are so many free and cheap things to do in NYC that it's possible to spend a few days in NYC and pay only for food and accommodation.
This is one of the best facts about New York City!
When looking into the cost of a trip to NYC, you can breathe easy knowing there is so much to do here for free!
Below are the top 10 free activities and attractions not to be missed.
1. Stroll through Central Park
This pastoral escape from the hustle and bustle of the city streets is everything you imagined it would be.
With wide-open spaces, rides, zoos, sculptures, shade trees, ponds, and lakes, there are so many things to do.
In this video, Katie takes you on a virtual walking tour through the southern half of Central Park.
Our guide to Central Park has information about the activities in the park as well as a downloadable and free self-guided tour.
Other ways to explore the park are with our GPS-led audio tour (just $2.99) or one of our pay-what-you-wish guided tours of Central Park.
2. Walk Across the Brooklyn Bridge
This bridge is loved by locals and visitors alike and offers great views of the city and the harbor.
It also has a fascinating history behind it.
And best of all, there is no cost to cross the bridge and pedestrians have their own walkway free of cars and bicycles.
Our guide to walking the Brooklyn Bridge can help you to have the best experience possible.
And in the video below, Tour Guide Katie takes you on a virtual tour across the bridge starting from the Brooklyn side.
If you would like a guided experience, check out our GPS-led audio tour or join one of our pay-what-you-wish Brooklyn Bridge tours.
3. Ride the Staten Island Ferry
Take a free ferry ride from Manhattan to Staten Island and back again.
Whether you ride it during the day or at night, you will get spectacular views of Lower Manhattan, New York Harbor, and the Statue of Liberty.
And, in this video, Canden, also a guide with Free Tours by Foot, takes you on a virtual ride on the Staten Island Ferry.
You might enjoy our free audio tour to accompany you on your journey.
For other ways to get out on the water, see our post about NYC's boat tour options.
You may also be interested in other free ways to view the Statue of Liberty.
4. Visit the 9/11 Memorial
Located in a simple, spacious wide-open plaza in Lower Manhattan, this memorial to the lost lives of 9/11 is an essential feature of New York City.
The memorial is free to visit.
It's quite a large memorial with many adjacent features, all of which Katie shows you in the video below.
The National September 11th Museum, which is next to the memorial, is free to visit on Monday evenings from 5:30 pm to 7 pm.
The museum covers the tragic events of 9/11 through artifacts, documents, film, recordings, and more.
5. Explore NYC Neighborhoods
An excellent and free way to spend your time in NYC is to visit its most popular neighborhoods.
It's the neighborhoods that give the city its character and there are no entry tickets!
Just walking around the city's neighborhoods is a treat.
Our Top Ten neighborhoods to visit are:
- Greenwich Village
- Times Square
- Lower East Side
- SoHo
- Midtown Manhattan
- Harlem
- Wall Street and Financial District
- Chinatown
- Little Italy
- Brooklyn Heights
We have even more profiles on our NYC neighborhoods explained post.
6. Walk the High Line
The High Line, a unique park, is built on an abandoned and repurposed elevated railroad.
The story of how the park came to be is fascinating and the views of the Hudson River and the surrounding streets of Chelsea and Midtown are unparalleled.
Our guide to the High Line will help you plan your visit and get the most out of this interesting urban park.
And Katie takes you on a virtual walk along the High Line in the video below.
At the northern end of the High Line, you'll be at Hudson Yards where you can see The Vessel, a one-of-a-kind feat of innovative architecture.
7. Visit a Free Museum
NYC has more museums than you can count and many of them are free to visit!
Here are just a few museums that are always free or have free days/hours. See our list below for even more.
- 9/11 Museum and Memorial - free Monday evenings
- Brooklyn Museum - first Saturday of every month after 5 pm
- National Museum of the American Indian - always free
- Museum of the City of New York - always free
- American Folk Art Museum - always free
- Bronx Museum Of The Arts - always free
- Socrates Sculpture Park - always free
- Queens Museum - always free
Be sure to check our extensive list of free NYC museums.
8. See the Splendor of Grand Central Station
From its massive celestial ceiling to its secret 'whispering gallery', there is no train station like it in the world.
Grand Central also has an amazing history and architectural details and quirks that you can read about in our guide to Grand Central Terminal.
We also lead walking tours here, and Katie samples what you will see in the video below.
We also cover this information in our audio tour with GPS, though not free, is just $1.99 to download.
9. Best Free Things To Do By Season
All four seasons in NYC bring with them all sorts of free activities.
In the fall, the leaves in Central Park turn into beautiful shades of gold, red and orange. The Halloween Parade and the Macy's Day Thanksgiving Day Parade are tremendous fun.
In the winter you can find free ice skating, take a pay-what-you-wish holiday lights tour, see the Rockefeller Christmas Tree and see the fantastic Dyker Heights Christmas Lights.
In the summer, you can cool off in the water, watch free movies outdoors, and see dozens of free concerts like Summerstage.
And of course, you have the famous free Shakespeare in the Park performances hosted in Central Park by the Public Theater.
See the full section below on seasonal and monthly free things to do in NYC.
10. Get an All-Inclusive Tourist Attraction Discount Pass
An all-inclusive tourist discount pass affords you free entry into most of NYC's most popular attractions and tours all for one low price.
While the passes themselves aren't free, if you plan your itineraries well, you will end up getting one or two attractions for free each day.
There are several different types of passes, so be sure to read our comparison post to learn about how you can save the most money on your trip.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
See a TV Show Taping
Learn how you could become a member of an audience of over a dozen popular TV shows for free, including The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and the Late Show with Stephen Colbert!
Though these tapings are free, to be a member of a live audience could take up several hours of your day.
Katie gives the lowdown on how most of the shows regarding tickets and what to expect on the day of your visit.
Hear Gospel Music
Many churches, particularly in Harlem and Brooklyn, open up their doors on Wednesdays and Sundays for religious services that are heavy on gospel music.
One of the most famous churches known for its gospel service while being welcoming to visitors is Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem.
But be forewarned, you are expected to remain for the entirety of the service.
Here is an excerpt from our Harlem walking tour where Tour Guide Derrick warns you about how long a gospel service can be.
There are no tickets, but donations are welcome.
Find out where you could experience NYC gospel music.
Check Out Street Art
New York has some of the best street art in the world and Bushwick in Brooklyn is one neighborhood where you can see a lot of world-renowned artists.
For example, the Bushwick Collective is essentially a free outdoor street art gallery.
There are many places to see street art in NYC.
Visit Little Island
Opened in 2021, this unique public park is not like anything you've probably seen before!
Little Island is a 'floating' park built on concrete piles rising up from the river and culminating into what resemble tulip pots!
It's free to visit Little Island and explore all of its features.
Only the live performances have a cost to attend.
And in this video, Kyle, also a guide with Free Tours by Foot, takes you on a virtual walk of Little Island.
Head to Coney Island
Visit one of the most iconic places in NYC! Stroll along Coney Island's famed boardwalk. Dip your feet in the ocean.
There's an amusement park there, though it isn't free.
But at night, the lights from the rides give Coney Island an extra exciting atmosphere.
FREE THINGS TO DO AT NIGHT
Several activities mentioned above, like riding the Staten Island Ferry, walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, and strolling along the High Line are free to do at night as well as during the day.
This section lists even more free nighttime activities.
Take a look at our post on things to do at night in NYC which has a section dedicated to free activities and attractions to enjoy in the evening.
Take a Free Night Tour
Our downloadable PDFs of self-guided tours are free and can be used at night.
For under $3, you can take one of our GPS-led audio tours and enjoy them at night as well as during the day.
You can also take one of our free guided night tours, which are:
- Midtown Manhattan
- 911 Memorial and Brooklyn Bridge
- High Line
- Central Park.
- Ghost Tours
Enjoy Free Skyline Views
New York is known for its skyline. You don't need to pay any money to get spectacular skyline views day or night.
There are many locations where you can find free skyline views, like the one below from the Brooklyn Heights promenade.
Make sure to have that camera ready!
Read our post on where to find the best free skyline views, which include the Staten Island Ferry, the Brooklyn Bridge and more.
Take the Roosevelt Island Aerial Tram
The Roosevelt Island Aerial Tram offers an almost-free, jaw-dropping 360-degree view of New York City and it runs past midnight every night.
It is a commuter tram that crosses over the East River to Roosevelt Island and costs the same as a subway ride.
So, it's almost free, and if you already have an unlimited MetroCard, you might consider it free.
Katherine shows you how to ride the Roosevelt Island Tram with some visitor tips for exploring Roosevelt Island.
Roosevelt Island has quite a number of things to see and you can use our free, self-guided tour of Roosevelt Island to explore the area.
Take an Almost-Free Ferry Ride
Though the East River Ferry is not free, it is just $4 and runs well past 9 pm (21:00) every night.
Like the Roosevelt Island Tram, the East River Ferry is a commuter ferry, but anyone can sit back and take in the nighttime (and daytime) views from the water.
Read our post on the East River Ferry for details as well as suggestions of what you can do at each of the neighborhoods the ferry goes to.
Go to a Free Museum
As noted above, there are dozens of free museums in NYC.
There are quite a few museums that stay open late and are free to visit during those late hours.
Just a few are:
- National September 11th Museum - Mondays 5:30 pm to 7 pm
- Whitney Museum - free Fridays 5 pm-10:00 pm
- Morgan Library & Museum - Fridays from 5 pm - 7 pm
- Japan Society - Fridays 7 pm - 9 pm
See a full listing here.
Enjoy a Free Party at a Museum
For a more festive nighttime activity, these below museums have free nighttime events that are more like a party than a museum.
You can see their art exhibits, as well as hear live music, dance to a DJ, or watch films.
Usually, refreshments including alcoholic beverages are available for purchase.
- First Saturdays at the Brooklyn Museum
- K2 Friday Nights at the Rubin Museum
- Library After Hours at the New York Public Library
See the Bright Lights of Times Square
Times Square can be explored 24 hours a day. It is especially exhilarating at night as the neon lights and billboards are abuzz.
Be there just before 12:00 a.m. to take part in the Midnight Moment.
See our guide to Times Square which lists things to do in the area at night and also during the day.
People-Watch
Times Square, day or night, is ideal for people-watching.
Just grab a seat on the big red stairs at the TKTS Booth and watch the world go by.
Other places and neighborhoods where you'll see some colorful characters at night are:
Explore Rockefeller Center
This complex of buildings centered around its iconic promenade is very lively at night.
Lots of people come for the Top of the Rock observation deck, but there is more to see.
It is especially charming in the winter when the promenade is transformed into an ice-skating rink and the famous Rockefeller Christmas Tree is put up.
Use our free self-guided tour of Rockefeller Center to locate the sights you can see at night.
Go Stargazing
From April to October, members of the Amateur Astronomers Association bring high-powered telescopes to various parks in NYC.
The public is invited for free to gaze at the stars, planets, and moon. Experts are there to answer questions.
Check the AAA website for dates and locations as they vary.
See a Free Comedy Show
New York is known for its comedy clubs.
Though most do charge a cover price or require tickets, there are free comedy and improv shows around the city.
Here are a few we like:
- Bomb Shelter Comedy Club in Times Square
- Rodney's Comedy Club on the Upper East Side
- Pete's Candy Store in Williamsburg
You can find free comedy at many other locations from Free Stand Up NYC and on Evite.
If you can spend a little money, read our post on affordable comedy clubs in NYC.
Seasonal Night Activities
After dark, you have many activities unique to each season. In the warmer months, especially summertime the choices are endless.
You have a long list of outdoor movies, free concerts of every genre of music, and theater performances, including Shakespeare in the Park and Broadway in Bryant Park to choose from.
In the fall, you can see the amazing Halloween Parade and take a Ghost Tour or see the leaves changing color in Central Park.
In winter and around the holidays, you can see the Holiday Lights, go ice-skating, and celebrate New Year's Eve in Times Square.
Browse our list of monthly things-to-do posts for more ideas when you are in town.
And take a look at our post on things to do at night in NYC which has a section dedicated to free activities and attractions to enjoy in the evening.
FREE THINGS TO DO WITH KIDS
As you probably have realized, many free things to do mentioned in other sections are also appropriate for families.
This section lists even more things to do with your kids for a memorable visit to New York City.
Visit Central Park
With the number of things to do for kids in Central Park year-round, you would think it was created just for them!
Here’s just a sampling of free activities in Central Park:
- Play on the many statues like Alice in Wonderland
- Hear a free story by the Hans Christian Andersen statue on Saturdays from June to September
- Become a scientist at Belvedere Castle, which houses the Henry Luce Nature Observatory
- Watch the model sailboats in the Conservatory Water Pond. You can bring your own small boat to launch onto the water or rent one there.
There are dozens of more activities for kids and families in Central Park, so be sure to read our post things to do in Central Park.
Go to a Kid-Friendly Museum
Many of the major museums in NYC are well-suited for kids and have free admission for children under certain ages.
Additionally, NYC has quite a few museums created just for children. Some are free all the time while others have free days/hours.
These are among the best:
- South Street Seaport Museum - always free at the ticket booth
- Queens County Farm Museum - always free
- American Museum of Natural History - always free for residents of the Tri-State area at the ticket booth
Some museums admit children for free, but adults must pay admission. Still this is a great way to save if you are traveling with a number of chilren.
Here are a few that children will enjoy, noting the age at which children are admitted free.
- Brooklyn Botanical Garden - free under 11
- Metropolitan Museum of Art - free under 12
- Museum of Modern Art - free under 16
For a full listing of children's museums, see our post on things to do with kids in NYC.
Check out our post on free museums in NYC for even more options.
Playgrounds and Parks
Though Central Park is the granddaddy of them all, there are many other awesome playgrounds and parks for kids throughout the city. Here are three we highly recommend.
Brooklyn Bridge Park is a huge park in DUMBO, Brooklyn and is one of the most popular parks in the city to bring kids to frolic.
Little ones can ride the historic Jane’s Carousel. Though the carousel does cost $2, it is worth it. It's one of the top 10 things to do with kids in Brooklyn.
Washington Square Park has separate playgrounds for toddlers and older children.
In summer the fountain is on and they can splash around and romp in the water. There’s lots of music for them to dance to!
Bryant Park has free kids’ programs that include juggling lessons, puppet shows, and a kids’ reading room with StoryTime.
Play Indoors in and around Rockefeller Center
Too cold to play outdoors? Let the little ones run wild in the mega-stores in Rockefeller Center.
Check out the Lego Store, Nintendo World, and the famous toy store FAO Schwarz with the giant keyboard made famous in the movie Big.
There’s also M+M World and the Disney Store in Times Square.
See our map of 25 things to do with kids in Midtown Manhattan for both free and non-free activities.
Explore Grand Central Terminal
Another great indoor activity is visiting Grand Central.
Kids can learn about the zodiac lesson from the celestial ceiling and learn about acoustics from the secret “whispering gallery”.
Choo-choo lovers can watch trains depart from 44 platforms, more than any other train station in the world.
In the winter see the free holiday train show
See other ways you and your children can enjoy the station in our guide to Grand Central.
Free Music and Theatrical Productions
Though many of the free musical and theatrical performances for kids take place outdoors in the warmer months, you can find some that take place year-round.
- Theatreworks
- Washington Market Park
- CityParks PuppetMobile
- Madison Square Park
- Hip to Hip
- Harlem Meer Festival
You can also find theater for kids that are very inexpensive such as the Theater for Children with tickets for approximately $6.
If you can spend a bit more, check out the New Victory Theater in Times Square with quality productions just for kids year-round.
Another show that is great for kids and adults is There are multiple ways to get good deals on tickets.
See our post on getting discount tickets for Blue Man Group.
Lastly, if you are here in February, you can catch Kids’ Night on Broadway, an annual event where children 18 years old and under can attend a Broadway show for free when accompanied by a full-paying adult.
Ride the Subway
Chances are you will be taking the subway while you are here.
Take advantage of the free and engaging activities to be found on subways and in subway stations!
Hear live music, see magicians, and more. Read our post about the subway and street performers, to find out where to find the best performers.
The whole family can admire the unique art in the subway as some stations have art installations and special tiled murals and artwork relating to the neighborhood.
For example, the 81st Street Station by the American Museum of Natural History has a large, tiled of mosaics of replicas of fossilized bones and prehistoric creatures.
The 14th Street-8th Avenue station in Chelsea is filled with mischievous bronze creatures by sculptor Tom Otterness.
If you want to be led to the best subway art, we have a pay-what-you-wish subway art tour.
TIP: Use our post on Navigating the Subway to learn the ins and outs of the subway system.
Seasonal Activities for Kids
Summer in NYC keeps the kids busy with water activities, outdoor movies, playgrounds, and theatrical performances.
The fall has the Halloween Parade, Thanksgiving Parade, and pumpkin-related events galore, like the Great Pumpkin Flotilla in Central Park.
In winter, they can go ice skating and see the holiday lights, including the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.
Spring has Easter egg hunts, Governors Island opens for the season, and baby animals abound at the Bronx Zoo.
See the Seasonal/Monthly section below for more information.
Be sure to look at the monthly posts for the time you are visiting, as they have a section dedicated to things to do with kids, including some free events
MUSEUMS, ATTRACTIONS, AND ACTIVITIES
This section provides you with a list of free attractions and includes items mentioned in the other sections.
We've broken this down into 3 sections.
- free museums (both art and historical)
- free attractions (memorials, historic buildings, etc.)
- free activities (music, tours, etc)
NOTE: Free usually means pay-what-you-wish or donation, though many places are really free.
FREE MUSEUMS
Below we've listed the top ten museums you can visit for free.
We've noted which are always free and which have specific days/hours when you do not have to pay to enter.
- Museum of the American Indian - always free
- New York Public Library - always free
- Museum of the City of New York - always free when you purchase tickets at the museum
- Museum of Modern Art - free Fridays for NYC residents 4 pm-8 pm
- American Museum of Natural History - always free for residents of the Tri-State area
- Guggenheim Museum - free Monday and Saturday, from 4 to 5:30 pm
- National September 11th Museum - free Mondays 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
- Whitney Museum - free Fridays 5 pm-10:00 pm
- South Street Seaport Museum - always free when you purchase tickets at the museum
For a comprehensive list of museums and cultural institutions in NYC that are either always free or offer free days/hours, click here.
FREE ATTRACTIONS
We encourage you to read through all the sections of this post for other attractions to visit such as Grand Central Terminal, the Brooklyn Bridge, and the High Line.
You can also see our post on NYC Attractions which lists both free and paid sights to see and activities to do.
Historical Sights and Memorials
- 9/11 Memorial
- Federal Hall
- Castle Clinton
- Memorials in Battery Park
- Irish Hunger Memorial
- Belvedere Castle in Central Park
- John Lennon 'Imagine' in Strawberry Fields
- African Burial Ground National Museum
- City Hall Tours
- New York City AIDS Memorial
- General Ulysses S. Grant National Memorial (Grant’s Tomb)
- Soldiers and Sailors Monument
- Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace
- Alexander Hamilton Grange National Memorial
- Alice Austen House Museum
- BLDG 92 at the Brooklyn Navy Yard
- Dyckman Farmhouse
- Harbor Defense Museum
- King Manor Museum
- Lefferts Historic House
- Wyckoff House
- The Old Stone House
Zoos and Aquariums
- Bronx Zoo - Wednesdays all-day
- Staten Island Zoo Wednesdays 2 pm-4:45 pm
- New York Aquarium Wednesdays 3 pm-5 pm from Memorial Day to Labor Day and 3 pm - 3:30 pm the rest of the year.
Botanical Gardens and Farms
- New York Botanical Garden Wednesdays all-day
- Queens Botanical Gardens Wednesdays 3 pm-6 pm
- Wave Hill Cultural Center Tuesdays 9 am-12 pm
- Queens County Farm Museum is always free
Historic Houses of Worship
Historic Graveyards and Cemeteries
- Greenwood Cemetery
- Trinity Church
- St. Paul's Chapel in Lower Manhattan
- First Shearith Israel Graveyard in Chinatown
- St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery in the East Village
Libraries That Are Also Museums
- New York City Public Library
- Schomburg Center in Harlem
- New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
- New York Society Library
- Brooklyn Historical Society
Iconic Buildings to Photograph
- Statue of Liberty
- Chrysler Building
- One World Trade Center (the Freedom Tower)
- Flatiron Building
- Dakota Apartments
- The Friends Apartment
- New York Stock Exchange
- Woolworth Building
- Trump Tower
- United Nations
- The Stonewall Inn
FREE ACTIVITIES
Throughout this post, we list other great free activities like walking across the Brooklyn Bridge, exploring Central Park, and strolling along the High Line.
Here are a bunch of free activities in NYC you can enjoy for free year-round.
For more ideas, see our master post on things to do in New York City.
See Free Art
In addition to the many free art museums, there are also plenty of art galleries in Chelsea and Soho.
You can also see brilliant street art in Bushwick.
See our post on free museums in NYC for a long list of options.
Hear Free Music
Year-round you can hear performances of all sorts of music, from pop, classical, jazz, and more. Some venues are
- Trinity Church
- Library for Performing Arts
- American Folk Art Museum
- New York Public Library
- Schomburg Center
In the warmer months, from late May to early September, there are many free concert series.
See our Summer Guide to NYC for a long list.
Go to a Gospel Performance
For another free music experience, you can see free gospel performances in Manhattan and Brooklyn.
See our post on where to see the best free gospel performances in NYC.
Attend a Free TV Show Taping
There is no cost at all to see the taping of a TV show and there are many to choose from.
Tapings take place during the day, even for late-night talk shows like the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and the Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
See our post on how to get free tickets to a TV show taping.
See Free Breathtaking Views of NYC
There are many locations where you can find free skyline views.
One of the most impressive free views is from Brooklyn Bridge Park in DUMBO, located just across the East River from Lower Manhattan.
If you can spend a few bucks, you might like to go to a rooftop bar and order a soda or a drink. While not free, the view will be worth the reasonable amount you spend.
If you can splurge, we encourage you to go to one of the observatories for outstanding 360 views of NYC.
You can find prices and descriptions from our post comparing the Empire State Building, Top of the Rock, and One World Observatory, Edge and Summit.
Free Performances, Classes, Movies, and More!
These parks offer a wide range of programs that include free activities like music, dancing, movies, readings, nature exploration, boating, arts, theater, classes, fitness, and activities just for kids. The list is endless!
Bryant Park in Midtown Manhattan hosts over 1,000 free activities a year including theater, dance, movies, classes, games, birdwatching, fencing juggling, chess, ice skating, and so much more!
Hudson River Park has many free activities throughout the year, including water activities, classes, music, dance, and movie series.
There are too many programs to list here, but you can find hundreds of free activities on the NYC Parks Department’s website.
Get Fit
You can participate all year in free fitness classes through the Shape Up Program.
In the warmer months, you can find free yoga classes at Brooklyn Bridge Park and do tai-chi or learn how to fence in Bryant Park.
See our Summer Guide to NYC for a full listing of sports and fitness activities.
Be Entertained by Street Performers
New York City has some of the best subway musicians, buskers, and performers.
Our post about where to find New York City Street Performers and Subway Music will lead you right to them!
Sun Gaze
Join the Amateur Astronomers Association on the High Line to safely look at the sun through telescopes designed to observe sunspots.
See their website for dates.
Go to a Rollerskating Dance Party
From mid-April to late October, on most Saturdays and Sundays, the Central Park Dance Skaters Association has a free “Skate Circle” party with a DJ in Central Park.
Commune with Nature in a Park
There are loads of parks in NYC, but these are our favorites:
- Central Park with expansive green spaces and statues and monuments
- Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village for great people-watching and a funky, fun vibe
- Prospect Park is a bit off the beaten track and located in the gorgeous Park Slope neighborhood
Get a Free Drink
Free Brewery Tours
New York City is home to several craft breweries, and a couple of them offer free tours of their facilities -- and sometimes even free samples of beer!
Our post on taking a free brewery tour tells you which breweries offer tours, how to get to them, and what else to do in the area.
Wine Tastings
In the early evenings, wine shops all over the city have wine tastings where you can sample usually 4-6 different wines.
Here are wine shops that have tastings several times a week.
- Astor Wines in the East Village
- Union Square Wines in Union Square
- Chelsea Wine Vault in the Chelsea Market
Pair your wine with a free, self-guided tour of the neighborhoods! We also have audio tours and our pay-what-you-wish tours as well. Find out about all of these tours here.
Happy Hour
For other free drinks, you can take advantage of Happy Hours in many bars, pubs, and lounges in NYC. Happy Hours often have a “Buy one, Get one” deal.
So while not entirely free, it’s still a good deal. See our post on Happy Hours in NYC.
Watch a Free, Practically Professional Basketball Game
The West 4th Street Basketball Courts, known informally as “The Cage” is famous for its high-quality players.
NBA scouts regularly come by looking for the next Michael Jordan.
You can join the audience standing along the fence on 6th Avenue and West 4th Street in Greenwich Village. You can also join in a pick-up game...if you dare!
While in the Village, use our post about things to do in Greenwich Village. You might enjoy our pay-what-you-wish tours of Greenwich Village.
See a Parade
NYC has some of the biggest and best parades in the world! Among the best are the Halloween Parade, the Mermaid Parade, and Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade.
See our Seasonal section below for a listing of more parades.
Festivals and Street Fairs
To get more information on these and other festivals throughout the year, see our monthly posts. See below for links to each month of the year.
- San Gennaro Festival in Little Italy
- Chinese New Year Parade in Chinatown
- 9th Avenue Food Festival in Hell’s Kitchen
- Egg Rolls, Egg Creams and Empanadas on the Lower East Side
- Atlantic Antic in Brooklyn Heights
- Harlem Week Festival in Harlem
Free Seasonal Activities
The four seasons in NYC bring with them activities unique to that time of the year.
What is so great about NYC is that you can always find fantastic free things to do at any time of the year.
The highlights of free activities are:
Summer offers the chance to see dozens of free movies and concerts and attend a free performance of Shakespeare in Central Park.
In the fall, nothing could be more fun than watching (or even marching in) the Village Halloween Parade.
Seeing the leaves change color in Central Park is also very special.
Winter brings free, festive things to do, like seeing the Holiday lights around Midtown and other neighborhoods.
And there is nothing like the iconic Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree.
Spring is filled with flowers at the free Macy's Flower Show, the Cherry Blossom Festival, and the buds sprouting in the High Line Park.
See our Seasonal section below for more ideas.
In addition to the free activities we’ve listed so far, you can find more if you purchase an all-inclusive tourist discount pass.
Though the pass does cost money, you can plan your itinerary so that you get one or two attractions for free for each day you have the pass.
Here are the Top Ten attractions included in the big three tourist passes.
- Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
- Hop-on-hop-off Bus Tour
- National September 11th Museum
- Circle Line River Cruise
- Top of the Rock Observation Deck
- Radio City Music Hall Stage Tour
- Madame Tussauds Wax Museum
- Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum
- Museum of Modern Art
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
This list is just a handful of the dozens of attractions, activities, and discounts included in tourist passes.
Our post comparing tourist passes can show you how to make the most of your trip budget.
FREE THINGS TO DO BY SEASON, MONTH, OR DAY
Free Monthly Activities
Our monthly posts include a section on free things to do that month. This includes special events, parades, and festivals, that are held during that month.
We also created a post on when is the best time to visit NYC, which includes a section on the cheapest times.
Free Seasonal Activities
Winter Holiday Season
- Christmas Activities
- Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting
- Ice Skating
- New York Holiday Lights Tour
- New Year's Eve in Times Square
Spring
- Easter Parade and Easter Bonnet Festival
- St. Patrick's Day Parade
- Cherry Blossoms in Parks and Botanical Gardens
- Fleet Week
Summer
- Shakespeare in the Park
- Governors Island
- Summerstage Concerts
- New York City Beaches
- See our Summer Guide to NYC for many more free activities
Fall
- Little Italy's San Gennaro Festival
- Village Halloween Parade
- Ghost Tours
- Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
TIPS FROM LOCALS AND TRAVELERS
We hope this post provided you with more than enough free things to do to keep you busy and your wallet full!
When we asked the members of our New York Travel Tips Facebook group what their favorite free things to do in NYC, we got a lot of great responses which we share below.
By the way, you don't need to be a member to read the posts, comments, and suggestions.
So check the group out when you are finished reading this post.
Perhaps the best free thing to do in New York is to explore the city on foot. We locals love to do this and our group members do too.
Here are some of their recommendations. You can look back through this post to find information on these places.
Along those lines, here’s another one of our favorite free things to do, and group member Patricia’s as well.
You can do this anywhere in the city! So walk, sit and watch, then walk some more!
We suggest Times Square and Washington Square Park in Greenwich Village as the most fascinating places to people-watch.
As you may know, there are five observatory decks in NYC, they are expensive (though we think going to one is worth it).
Here are some ways to get free views of NYC. Though they aren't from 1200 feet in the sky, the views are breathtaking. Have your camera ready to go!
Though not free, the Roosevelt Tram is the cost of a subway ride -- which is a great price to get an awesome sky-high view of New York City.
New York City has some of the finest museums in the world and the art scene is unparalleled.
Here are some group members' favorite free museums and galleries.
Going to these two museums gives you a chance to explore two neighborhoods you might not otherwise visit. The Neue is on the Upper East Side and the Folk Museum on the Upper West Side.
Here in December? You are in luck. The holidays in New York City are something special - and it’s all free to enjoy.
These are just a small sampling of the amazing things you can do in NYC for free! Enjoy!
