free things to do in New York City
Free events for Thursday, 01/08/26
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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 January 8, 2026?

16 free events take place on Thursday, January 8 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 January 8 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 January . 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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The quality and quantity of
free events,
free things to do
that happen in New York City
every day of the year
is truly amazing.

So don't miss the opportunities
that only New York provides:
stop wondering what to do;
start taking advantage of
free events to go to,
free things to do in NYC
today!

16 free things to do in New York City (NYC) on Thursday, January 8, 2026

All events are free unless otherwise noted.
        

Workshop | Central Park Running Session (All Levels Welcome)


If you prefer not to run alone or are looking to improve your running performance, you can run with a club! Open to runners of all levels. Weekly changed routes through the park. Coaches, training, running company and inspiration!
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 am
Free
Workshops, January 08, 2026, 01/08/2026, Central Park Running&nbsp;Session (All Levels Welcome)

Workshop | Learn How To Play Mah-Jongg


Mah-Jongg is a four-person tile game of skill, strategy, and luck! Learn the rules and mechanics of American Mah-Jongg. Attend a two hour group lesson with instructor Susan Richards. Sets and a few cards provided, but you are encouraged to bring your own cards.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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10:00 am
Free
Workshops, January 08, 2026, 01/08/2026, Learn How To Play Mah-Jongg

Film | The Sting (1973): Caper Film Starring Paul Newman & Robert Redford


Two grifters team up to pull off the ultimate con. Director: George Roy Hill Cast: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw Paul Newman was an American actor, film director, racing driver, philanthropist, and entrepreneur who received numerous awards, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, three Golden Globe Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, a Silver Bear, a Cannes Film Festival Award, and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. Robert Redford is an American actor and filmmaker who has received numerous accolades such as an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and two Golden Globe Awards, as well as the Cecil B. DeMille Award in 1994, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 1996, the Academy Honorary Award in 2002, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2005, the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2016, and the Honorary Cesar in 2019. In 2014, he was named by Time as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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11:00 am
Free
Films, January 08, 2026, 01/08/2026, The Sting (1973): Caper Film Starring Paul Newman & Robert Redford

Classical Music | Afternoon Bach


Take a momentary respite from a busy day to enjoy a selection of organ works by Johann Sebastian Bach in an intimate venue.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:20 pm
Free
Concerts, January 08, 2026, 01/08/2026, Afternoon Bach

Film | The Good Earth (1937): Oscar-Winning Old Hollywood Drama Film


Although married Chinese farmers Wang and O-Lan initially experience success, their lives are complicated by declining fortunes and lean times, as well as the arrival of the beautiful young Lotus. Director: Sidney Franklin Cast: Paul Muni, Luise Rainer
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
Free
Films, January 08, 2026, 01/08/2026, The Good Earth (1937): Oscar-Winning Old Hollywood Drama Film

Classical Music | 19th Century French Works for Wind Quartet (In Person AND Online!)


Step into the vibrant musical salons of early 19th-century Paris where a forgotten repertoire of wind quartets once flourished alongside the better-remembered quintet repertoire. In this unique program, Quodlibet (Kelsey Burnham, flute, Elise Bonhivert, clarinet, Rachel Nierenberg, horn, and Aaron Goler, bassoon) resurrects three remarkable works that exemplify the sophisticated and underplayed chamber music of the period, giving listeners a scintillating glimpse into a fascinating and obscure repertoire that deserves renewed attention.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:15 pm
Free
Concerts, January 08, 2026, 01/08/2026, 19th Century French Works for Wind Quartet (In Person AND Online!)

Film | Darren Aronofsky's Caught Stealing (2025): Black Comedy Crime Thriller Film with Austin Butler


Burned-out ex-baseball player Hank Thompson unexpectedly finds himself embroiled in a dangerous struggle for survival amidst the criminal underbelly of 1990s New York City, forced to navigate a treacherous underworld he never imagined. Director: Darren Aronofsky Cast: Austin Butler, Regina King, Zoë Kravitz, Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber, Vincent D'Onofrio Darren Aronofsky is a filmmaker whose films are noted for their surreal, dramatic, and often disturbing elements, frequently in the form of psychological realism. His accolades include a Golden Lion and a Primetime Emmy Award, as well as nominations for the Academy Awards, the Golden Globe Awards, and the British Academy Film Awards.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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2:00 pm
Free
Films, January 08, 2026, 01/08/2026, Darren Aronofsky's Caught Stealing (2025): Black Comedy Crime Thriller Film with Austin Butler

Gallery Talk | Expert Insights: Art and Culture of Ancient Egypt


Explore the art, culture, and symbolism of ancient Egypt in an intimate gallery talk. Experts guide small groups through select objects, sharing fresh insights, untold stories, and close-up perspectives on the craftsmanship and historical context of these works. Attendees will also have the chance to ask questions and engage directly with the discussion. 
   New York City, NY; NYC
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3:00 pm
Free
Gallery Talks, January 08, 2026, 01/08/2026, Expert Insights: Art and Culture of Ancient Egypt

Museums | Explore Contemporary Craft, Art & Design


On the first Thursday of the month, contemporary makers, designers, and artisans take center stage. Museum visitors can explore exhibitions that highlight innovative approaches to craft and design, from traditional techniques to cutting-edge technologies, and discover the creative processes behind the objects that shape everyday life. Spend the evening moving through galleries that celebrate material experimentation, skilled making, and cross-disciplinary innovation.
   New York City, NY; NYC
5:00 pm
Free
Museumss, January 08, 2026, 01/08/2026, Explore Contemporary Craft, Art & Design

Museums | Thursday Evening Exploring the Photography Museum


This museum is the world’s leading institution dedicated to photography and visual culture. It was founded in 1974 to champion “concerned photography”—socially and politically minded images that can educate and change the world. Through its exhibitions, education programs, community outreach, and public programs, the museum offers an open forum for dialogue about the power of the image.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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5:00 pm
$5, tickets required
Museumss, January 08, 2026, 01/08/2026, Thursday Evening Exploring the Photography Museum

Film | Lili (1953): Classic Romantic Musical


An MGM technicolor musical spectacular! Naive country girl Lili falls in with a circus troupe, navigating personal dramas, all while performing with, and loving, a tortured puppeteer. Director: Charles Walters Cast: Leslie Caron, Mel Ferrer, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Zsa Zsa Gabor
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free
Films, January 08, 2026, 01/08/2026, Lili (1953): Classic Romantic Musical

Lecture | Learn More about Claude Monet


This talk by Eleanor Sypher will dive into the life of Claude Monet (1840-1926), one of the foremost landscape painters in Western Art. He intuitively understood how the eye perceives light and color, as expressed in his plein air paintings. Monet hoped to document the French countryside with his series of Haystacks, Rouen Cathedral, and waterlilies which he portrayed in his garden at Giverny. In 1908, he made a quick trip to Venice and some of those images are now on display at The Brooklyn Museum.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
$5, RSVP required
Lectures, January 08, 2026, 01/08/2026, Learn More about Claude Monet

Opening Reception | Mirror Images: Working With Portraits & Presence


This exhibition presents a focused selection of paintings spanning three decades, bringing together group portraits alongside works in self-portraiture, still life, landscape, and architecture. The show highlights artist Marcia Marcus’s formal approach to portraiture and her sustained attention to presence, gaze, and the inner life of her subjects.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free
Opening Receptions, January 08, 2026, 01/08/2026, Mirror Images: Working With Portraits & Presence

Discussion | Artist & Curator Discuss New Animations Exhibition


Artist Marina Zurkow and curator Christiane Paul will discuss Zurkow’s exhibition, Parting Worlds, and her Hyundai Terrace Commission at the Whitney Museum of American Art. The conversation will explore the three software-driven animations shown at the museum — Mesocosm (Wink, TX) (2012), The Earth Eaters (2025), and The River is A Circle (2025) — in the context of the artist’s broader practice. Zurkow’s work has consistently engaged with the complexity of ecological and social systems and the effects of their temporal and cyclical structure. The artist will discuss how she has addressed planetarity, our interdependence with Earth as a planet, geological time, and fossil fuel formation across various media in different presentation formats. Zurkow’s work process and the technicalities of creating her art — from animation and software to card games and food-based pieces — will also be a focus of the dialogue. The conversation will investigate environmental change due to human intervention, natural evolution, and the role of art in probing possibilities of renewal.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free
Discussions, January 08, 2026, 01/08/2026, Artist & Curator Discuss New Animations Exhibition

Concert | Heavy Folk Nordic Music with FRÄNDER


Celebrating the visionary, boundary-pushing artistry of the Nordic countries, audiences are invited to transport themselves to the north for a night. Founded one decade ago in Håga, Sweden, FRÄNDER unites Swedish and Estonian traditions with a bold modern edge, creating a contemporary “heavy folk” sound that is both acoustic and richly powerful. Now a standout voice on the Nordic folk scene, they deliver an evocative soundscape inspired by ancient northern woodlands.  The band members include founding siblings Gabbi Dluzewski (Swedish mandola and vocals) and Daniel Dluzewski (double bass and vocals), performing alongside Gabbi’s wife Säde Tatar (flute and vocals), percussionist Andreas Berglund, and fiddler Gabriella Josefsson. Together, they create a sound that is at once ancient, modern, and unmistakably their own. There are two ways to access this event: 1. General Admission, first-come first-served. Just show up! 2. Fast Track opening the Monday before the event at noon.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:30 pm
Free
Concerts, January 08, 2026, 01/08/2026, Heavy Folk Nordic Music with&nbsp;FR&Auml;NDER

Comedy Club | Standup Show


Catch some of the best comedians at this free weekly stand-up show, featuring a lineup of rising stars and seasoned favorites. Past performers include Sheng Wang, Mark Normand, Dan Soder, Annie Lederman, and more.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:00 pm
Free
Comedy Clubs, January 08, 2026, 01/08/2026, Standup Show
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Complimentary Tickets

to shows, concerts ... (CFT Deals!)

Play | Broadway Stars in a Play About Lifelong Friendship

Regular Price: $77
CFT Member Price: $0.00

Classical Music | Music by One of The Most-Performed Living Classical Composers at a Landmark Venue

Regular Price: $40
CFT Member Price: $0.00