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Free events for Friday, 09/20/13
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Free Events, Free Things to Do in New York City!  Read More

Are you looking for free things to do in New York City (NYC) on September 20, 2013?

44 free events take place on Friday, September 20 in New York City. Don't miss the opportunities that only New York provides! Exciting, high quality, unique and off the beaten path free events and free things to do take place in New York today, tonight, tomorrow and each day of the year, any time of the day: whether it's a weekday or a weekend, day or night, morning or evening or afternoon, December or July, April or November! These events will take your breath away!

New York City (NYC) never ceases to amaze you with quantity and quality of its free culture and free entertainment. Check out September 20 and see for yourself. Summer or Winter, Spring or Fall! Just click on any day of the calendar above and you'll find most inspiring and entertaining free events to go to and free things to do on each day of September . Don't miss the opportunities that only New York provides!

Some events take place all year long: same day of the week, same time there are there for you to take advantage of. One of the oldest free weekly events in Manhattan is Dixieland Jazz with the Gotham Jazzmen, which happen at noon every Tuesday. Another example of an event that you can attend all year round on weekdays is Federal Reserve Bank Tour, which takes place every week day at 1 pm (but advanced reservations are required). You can take at least 13 free tours every day of the year, except the New Year Day, July 4th, and the Christmas Day. If you are classical music afficionado, you can spend whole day in New York going from one free classical concert to another. If you love theater, then New York gives you an option to attend plays and musicals free of charge, or at deep discount. You just need to have information about it. And we are here to make that information available to you.
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that only New York provides:
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44 free things to do in New York City (NYC) on Friday, September 20, 2013

All events are free unless otherwise noted.

Editor's Picks

free events nyc Cast of the Musical Closer Than Ever performs
free events nyc Violin Works by Bach and Ysaye
free events nyc German Documentary: one world famous musician, two private lives (in West and East Berlin) until The Wall falls
free events nyc One of the most sought-after ensembles in the United States, The Orion String Quartet
More Editor's Picks for 09/20/13
        

Workshop | Tai Chi in the Park


Increase physical balance, strength, and mental focus. Learn the ancient Chinese martial art with expert Alex Hing. No experience is necessary. Hing also teaches Tai Chi at the China Institute and Sacred Sounds Yoga. He has practiced martial arts for over 30 years in San Francisco and New York City, including 10 years with Tai Chi grand master William C. C. Chen.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:30 am
Free

Lecture | Transatlantic Relations on the Eve of the Bundestag Elections


NSA and Prism, cyber security and data protection, the balance between national security and personal freedom—all these questions are of great interest during the German election campaign this year. What impact will these discussions have on the partnership between Germany and the United States? What will be on the transatlantic agenda for the next German government? What are the chances and challenges of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership? Harald Leibrecht, Coordinator of Transatlantic Cooperation in the Federal Foreign Office and a member of the German Bundestag since 2002, will discuss the transatlantic partnership in the light of the upcoming Bundestag Elections.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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9:00 am
Free

Tour | All-in-One Downtown Tour


This tour utilizes your feet and the New York City Subway* to transport you from Lower Manhattan, the birthplace of New York, through Wall St and the Financial District, Greenwich Village, SoHo, Chinatown and Midtown Manhattan. There will be ample opportunities for memorable pictures. You'll get the chance to savor NY's best pizza and cannoli and other treats, learn how to play NY handball, maybe bargain with a shopkeeper in Chinatown, observe a game of street chess in Greenwich Village, people watch and window shop in SoHo, and kick back on the Highline Park. Along the way, you'll master the subway and learn about New York's Finest!
   New York City, NY; NYC
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10:00 am
Free

Workshop | Catch and Release Fishing


Grab a pole and relax on the Harlem Meer while you wait for a bite from one of the many species of fish that live in its diverse aquatic ecosystem! Poles available to borrow; must release fish after catching them. Free for families and individuals; groups larger than 5 must reserve at least 2 weeks in advance. Adult with photo I.D. must accompany all children.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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10:00 am
Free

Tour | Lower Manhattan Tour


It is here, as much as anywhere, where American history started. It's where the first US Congress assembled and produced the Bill of Rights and where President George Washington took his first oath of office. It's here where the world's most important stock exchange and one of the most famous bridges stand. And it is here where an unspeakable tragedy took place and where a rebirth is underway.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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10:00 am
Free

Conference | Re-Thinking Literature


Re-Thinking Literature brings together philosophers, writers, critics and theoreticians of literature and art, to examine what, in the 21st Century, is understood when we speak about “literature.” We still ask familiar questions such as “What is the situation of the writer today? What does literature mean today?” but ask them today undetermined by preexisting “isms,” past the dogmas of recent years, post-Post, as it were. Re-Thinking Literature seeks new, multiple perspectives for the meaning and significance of the cultural construct “literature” today—and examines how a younger generation of literary thinkers and practitioners deals with it.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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10:30 am
Free

Tour | Cathedral Tour


Explore the Cathedral's newly cleaned and restored Nave. Learn about the art, architecture and history of this great sacred space from 1892 to the present.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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11:00 am
$6

Workshop | Park Pétanque


Learn to play pétanque, the popular European game anchored in precision, patience, and camaraderie from members of La Boule New Yorkaise, NYC’s championship-winning club.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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11:00 am
Free

Fair | Street Fair


   New York City, NY; NYC
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11:00 am
Free

Tour | Federal Reserve Bank Tour


Learn about central banking functions that Federal Reserve System performs and see Bank's vault of international monetary gold on bedrock of Manhattan Island, five stories below street level. Learn why Federal Reserve has "Federal" in its name, while it's a private bank, not Federal at all. Congressman Ron Paul considers the Federal Reserve "both corrupt and unconstitutional" Tour times: 11:15 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 1:15 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 3:15 p.m., and 4:00 p.m.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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11:15 am
Free

Dance Performance | Kenji Ouellet's Piece Touchee No. 2: A Non-Visual Performance


Presented as part of the Moving Sounds 2013 festival, this non-visual performance by Kenji Ouellet centers on the touch sense. The performance explores how sounds, music, language and narrative can be translated into the medium of touch. The piece is performed directly on the body of the visitor, who does not move actively.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:00 pm
Free

Performance | The Nerve Tank presents Glory Road, the Woeful Myth of Sisyphus


The Nerve Tank, a world-class theater innovator, brings the woeful myth of Sisyphus to life. Sisyphus, a daring and clever king who outwitted the gods on many occasions, is sentenced by Zeus to the absurd and eternal fate of pushing a boulder uphill only to have it roll back down. The Nerve Tank’s interactive encounter with this story features a 6 1/2-foot metal sphere pushed along the Plaza, overseen by a dancing Persephone, Queen of the Underworld. Sisyphus’ labor is to play the “boulder” in narrative order, which is filled with technology that triggers audio and video fragments as it moves. The task is impossible, yet he's forced to keep going – and through his punishment he celebrates his stubborn pride. Times: 12-1:30pm & 4-6pm (20-minute performances on loop)
   New York City, NY; NYC
12:00 pm
Free

Lecture | The Politics of Religious Freedom


With Elizabeth Shakman Hurd, Associate Professor of Political Science, Northwestern University. Moderated by Jack Snyder Robert and Rene Belfer Professor of International Relations, Department of Political Science. What happens when social difference is conceived through the prism of religious rights and religious freedom? This paper explores the consequences of a religious rights model for both politics and religion, arguing that it singles out groups for legal protection as religious groups; molds religions into discrete faith communities with clean boundaries, clearly defined orthodoxies, and senior leaders who speak on their behalf; and privileges a modern liberal understanding of "faith."
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:15 pm
Free

Concert | Bach at Noon


The keyboard works of Bach offered in 30-minute meditations by Patrick Allen, organist and master of choristers, and Phillip Lamb, organ scholar.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:20 pm
Free

Tour | Grand Central and Its Neighborhood


Discover architecture and social history of Grand Central neighborhood; learn secrets of Whispering Gallery in Grand Central Terminal; gaze upon hubcaps and roadsters on side of Chrysler Building; discover favorite Midtown Manhattan hangout of Mercury, Hercules, and Minerva; learn why Pershing Square isn’t really square; visit original Lincoln Memorial by Daniel Chester French. Award-winning tour led by urban explorer, historian, and storyteller Justin Ferate.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:30 pm
Free

Concert | Kuni Mikami, Pianist with Lionel Hampton's Big Band


Born in Tokyo, Japan, Kuni Mikami came to the United States in 1975. He continues to play for many of the top big-bands around including: the Lionel Hampton Orchestra; Duke Ellington; Cab Calloway; Illinois Jaquet; and George Gee Orchestra.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:30 pm
Free

Film | Brian Helgeland's 42 (2013): Jackie Robinson's Story


With Harrison Ford, Chadwick Boseman, Alan Tudyk. Jackie Robinson's story is told in this biopic from writer/director Brian Helgeland. Robinson paved a new road for minorities by being the first African-American to play in Major League Baseball since the racial barrier was put in place in the late 1800s. 128 min.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
Free

Tour | Cathedral Tour


Explore the Cathedral's newly cleaned and restored Nave. Learn about the art, architecture and history of this great sacred space from 1892 to the present.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
$6

Workshop | Learn Fencing in the Park


Take a stab at the modern sport of fencing with masters from Manhattan Fencing Center. No prior experience needed and equipment is provided.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
Free

Workshop | Learn Juggling in the Park


Test your coordination and dexterity with free juggling lessons in the park. All skill levels are welcome to join in the fun. Equipment is provided. Lessons are weather permitting. You'll be surprised that Alex and Jordan can often be found outside tossing pins in the snow!
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
Free

Lecture | Constructing a House and a History in Newport’s Gilded Age: Catharine Lorillard Wolfe’s Vinland


In the early 1880s, tobacco heiress and New York art collector, Catharine Lorillard Wolfe, the first female benefactor of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, hired the Boston architects Peabody & Stearns to create a Newport summer “cottage.” The finished stone façade that she and her architects conceived resembled no other residence in Newport. It would be named Vinland to commemorate local legends of Viking explorations in this region, a subject which fascinated the patron. Speaker Margaret R. Laster is an art historian specializing in nineteenth-century art, architecture, and material culture. She has held research positions in museums and cultural institutions in New York, Chicago, Boston, and Washington D.C.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:15 pm
Free

Symposium | TEDxSVA: The Future of Cities


An event about the future of cities, TEDxSVA is a daylong initiative that gathers TEDx communities from around the world to host events highlighting local urban innovators, organizers, stewards and builders. Speakers focus on themes such as art, education, food, health, housing, play, public space and safety.
   New York City, NY; NYC
1:30 pm
Free

Film | Brian Helgeland's 42 (2013): Jackie Robinson's Story


With Chadwick Boseman, T.R. Knight, Harrison Ford. Biographical sports film about the life of baseball player Jackie Robinson, who wore jersey number 42. 128 Minutes.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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2:00 pm
Free

Tour | Greenwich Village Tour


Greenwich Village is among Manhattan's most desirable and expensive residential neighborhoods. It's history, however, betrays it's monied status. The Village, with it's quiet, shaded streets, lined with lovely brick and brownstone townhouses, was once the incubating ground of artistic, social and political movements that have helped shape US history. From the Beats to the Folk Movement, from workers rights to gay rights, the Village has often been the center of it all.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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2:00 pm
Free

Tour | Harlem Tour


Although world famous, Harlem may be New York's best kept secret with some of the city's best architecture, food, music and people. Harlem's history is also one of the city's most dramatic, having gone through many ethnic, cultural and socioeconomic changes over the past roughly 400 years, which have resulted in a diverse array of places of worship, theaters, homes and eating establishments.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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2:00 pm
Free

Lecture | What Is Color in Poetry or Is It the Wild Wind in the Space of the Word?


Poet Dorothea Lasky presents a lecture exploring the mystical and practical relationships between color and poetry. Her most recent collection is “Thunderbird” (Wave Books, 2013).
   New York City, NY; NYC
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2:00 pm
Free

Concert | Flute Competition Finals


Program: IBERT Concerto for Flute and Orchestra, Op. 37
   New York City, NY; NYC
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4:00 pm
Free

Performance | Cast of the Musical Closer Than Ever performs


The cast from the Off-Broadway musical - Jenn Colella, George Dvorsky, Christiane Noll, Sal Viviano - join the show's creators, David Shire and Richard Maltby, Jr. for this live event featuring performances and a CD signing. This will be a wristbanded event -- wristbands available at the store starting at 9:00 am.
   New York City, NY; NYC
5:00 pm
Free

Concert | 3 Folk Music Acts


5:30 Gareth Dunlop - Northern Irish folk-pop 6:05 Chris McFarland - Springsteen meets the Replacements 6:40 Kris Gruen - Americana-influenced new folk
   New York City, NY; NYC
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5:30 pm
Free

Park Walk | Central Park Sunset Tour


Join Free Tours by Foot as they stroll through the park and tell the epic story of New York's green oasis. Once described as the lungs of the city, Central Park brings a breath of fresh air to New York's crowded urban terrain. What started out as the rocky and desolate northern fringes of a rapidly expanding city is today amongst the world's most famous and beloved public parks. Originally intended to bring people of all walks of life together -- a people's park -- Central Park lives up to it's original designs. With over 843 acres of meadows, hills, ball fields and bodies of water, it's impossible not to find something to enjoy in Central Park.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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5:30 pm
Free

Dancing | Square Dance in the Park


Square Dance returns to the Big City! Dust off those cowboy boots and belt buckles, because the Park Square Dance is back! They're making it even bigger and better this year with more music, more food, and more excitement. Music: Warm up with local bluegrass and country groups, then do-si-do the night away with a live caller and boot-stomping bands on the main stage. No experience? No partner? No problem! They'll pair y'all up and teach ya the steps. Fun: Try your hand at some classic lawn games, learn how to lasso, and ham it up in the photo booth Win: They've got western themed giveaways, and chances to win Southwest Airlines tickets and Bryant Park goodies, so you won't want to miss this one. Food and music start at 5:30pm. Dancing starts around 6:15pm.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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5:30 pm
Free

Park Walk | The High Line Sunset Tour


The area around the High Line Park was a vital business district of New York City, supplying fresh fruits, French Cheeses and Russian caviar as well as fresh meats to City markets. The hustle and bustle of the streets induced the City to elevate the railroad trains delivering goods to the commercial buildings. When interstate truck traffic made the railway outdated, it fell into ruin, only to be regenerated as a park.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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5:30 pm
Free

Opening Reception | Joe Fusaro on Paper


New York artist Joe Fusaro is inspired by the language of the human figure. Fusaro’s drawings and mixed media works capture the basic emotion and fragility of simple gestures. Personal memories and photographs are transformed and reinterpreted into complex and dynamic compositions that capture movement without restraining it. In the presence of his large works on paper, the viewer is invited to become a witness and enter a sacred space that is created between Fusaro and his subject.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Screening | Student Social Documentaries


A screening of documentary films directed by members of the MFA Social Documentary Film Class of 2013.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Lecture | Ethical Considerations: Spirituality in Art and Therapy


This lecture by author, clinician and Art Therapy faculty member Lisa Furman explores how spirituality figures into the practice of art therapy. Using case examples and current ethical theory, Furman provides suggestions on how to address religious content in client artwork that may be in conflict with the therapist’s personal spiritual beliefs.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
Free

Performance | Everyday Inferno Theatre Co.'s The Golden Hour: 5 Site-Specific Short Plays


This hour-long production will be performed as a free one-night-only event. The evening will include plays written by Gina Femia (Williamstown Theatre Festival, New Georges), Skylar Fox (IRNE Award winner), and Essie Martsinkovsky (NYC Fringe Festival) and directed by Karyn Joy DeYoung (The Gallery Players, NYC Fringe Festival), and Laura Hirschberg (Edinburgh Fringe).
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
Free

Film | German Documentary: one world famous musician, two private lives (in West and East Berlin) until The Wall falls


German Documentary: A Father's Music (2007), 105 minutes. In German with English subtitles. Igor Heitzmann, dir. Shortly after the Wall came down, the Austrian conductor Otmar Suitner ended his long-standing career at the State Opera in East Berlin. Parkinson's Syndrome was causing his hands to tremble. A conductor who had achieved world fame at Bayreuth could not control the baton. Music disappeared from his daily life. But the fall of the Wall brought something new: changes to his family life. For decades Suitner had two private lives, one with his wife in East Berlin, the other one with his mistress and their son, Igor, in the west of the divided city
   New York City, NY; NYC
6:30 pm
Free

Concert | Violin Works by Bach and Ysaye


Program: Bach E Major Partita BWV 1006 Bach D minor Partita BWV 1004 Ysaye Solo Sonata No.2 Described as “the most distinctive violinist of her generation” by Anna Picard in the Independent on Sunday, Ruth Palmer won a Classical BRIT award for her debut recording of Shostakovich with the Philharmonia, and subsequently recorded discs for EMI and AVIE, both with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic. Her latest award-winning CD, Hidden Acoustics, featuring solo Bach and Bartok, on Nimbus Alliance, accompanied her concert series, also called Hidden Acoustics: "hugely impressive" (The Guardian).
   New York City, NY; NYC
6:30 pm
Free

Reading | 2013 Rona Jaffe Foundation Writers’ Awards Reading


With Tiffany Briere, Ashlee Crews, Kristin Dombek, Margaree Little, Kirstin Valdez Quade, and Jill Sisson Quinn. The Rona Jaffe Foundation provides support to women writers in the early stages of their writing careers.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Performance | Comedy Variety Week


Part of 7 nights of free comedy and variety. Tonight: Musical Variety Night Live music by Ibex - Dagger (The PIT) - Camille Theobald I - Pop Roulette - Camille Theobold II - Will & Julie: Character Karaoke - Camille Theobold III - Squirm and Germ
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Dance Performance | Music/Dance Improvisation: Argento Ensemble & New Chamber Ballet / Wet Hands / Ensemble Mise-en


7:00PM: Argento Ensemble and New Chamber Ballet perform works by Georg Friedrich Haas, Beat Furrer, Anton Webern, Nina Young, and Michel Galante 8:30PM: Wet Hands (Mokre ruce) - Music/Dance improvisation 10:00PM: Ensemble Mise-en performs world premieres of new works by Austrian and American composers - Matthias Kranebitter (will be in attendance), Peter Jakober, Mirela Ivicevic, Matthew Hough, and Moon Young Ha
   New York City, NY; NYC
7:00 pm
Free

Performance | No Name... & A Bag O' Chips Comedy/Variety Show


With: comics Liam McEneaney (Comedy Central’s “Premium Blend”), Oni Perez (South Beach Comedy Festival) and a few surprises.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
No cover...

Film | Documentary: Sven Zellner's Price of Gold (2012)


This astounding film is the first to document the illegal gold-diggers in Mongolia's Gobi Desert risking their lives for a few grams of the precious mineral. While the speculative market value of gold in the Western world holds little relation to any tangible yardstick, the film describes in very direct and stark images what it means to prospect for gold by hand, in brutal conditions eerily reminiscent of the California Gold Rush during the late 19th-century. 86 min.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:30 pm
$10 suggested admission

Concert | One of the most sought-after ensembles in the United States, The Orion String Quartet


The Orion String Quartet is one of the most sought-after ensembles in the United States. Since its inception, the quartet has been consistently praised for the fresh perspective and individuality it brings to performances, offering diverse programs that juxtapose classic masterpieces with notable works by living composers.
   New York City, NY; NYC
8:00 pm
Free
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