free things to do in New York City
Free events for Thursday, 08/26/21
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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 August 26, 2021?

38 free events take place on Thursday, August 26 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 August 26 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 August . 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!

38 free things to do in New York City (NYC) on Thursday, August 26, 2021

All events are free unless otherwise noted.
        

Workshop | Tai Chi in Midtown


Learn and master this Chinese martial art for health and self-defense. Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7:30am-8:30am through Aug 31. All ages and levels are welcome. Classes are rain or shine. Please maintain six feet of social distance and wear a mask.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:30 am
Free

Workshop | Park Yoga


Get your yoga on in this summer with Now Yoga. Breathe, move, and stretch. This is an open-level vinyasa class, all are welcome. Bring your own yoga mat, and they recommend a bottle of water. Thursdays, July 22-September 23, 2021
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:30 am
Free

Concert | Piano Concert Outdoors


Piano concert series, showcasing ragtime, stride, and jazz pianists. Today: For seven years, Frank Owens was music director for NBC TV's Showtime at the Apollo. Owens has played and conducted abroad, including the conducting A Fourth of July Celebration of American Jazz, Pop and Broadway in Moscow. Owens was resident pianist at Mortimer's for over six years, and appeared several times a year at the Hotel Carlyle's Bemelman's Bar. He appeared at the Blue Note with Ruth Brown of Broadway's Black and Blue, having arranged and conducted her album, Fine and Mellow.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:30 pm
Free

Dance Performance | Broken Record: Dance About the Cycles of Life


A New York-based choreographer shares her vision for intimate storytelling and her talent for making physically and emotionally challenging dances. In a duet, she delves into the cycles we find ourselves in.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
Free

Book Club | What We Carry: A Novel of Overcoming Tragedy


A discussion of Kalyn Fogarty's novel about a woman who deals with a miscarraige. Hosted by Kelly Coyle-Crivelli.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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3:00 pm
Free

Workshop | Mah Jongg Social


Players of all skill level are welcome to play. Socials are hosted and organized, and players play the National Mah Jongg League style. Participants are welcome to borrow equipment, or bring their own Mah Jongg sets.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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3:00 pm
Free

Museums | European Fine Art: Vermeer, Rembrandt and More


This museum of fine art was open to the public in 1935. Its permanent collection features masterpieces by major European artists from the Renaissance to the early 20th century. Exhibitions also include sculptures, furniture, porcelain items and more. Masks are required. Children under 10 are not admitted.
   New York City, NY; NYC
4:00 pm
Pay-what-you-wish, advanced reservation...

Author Reading | Recipes Remembered: A Celebration of Survival (in-person and livestream)


Written by June Hersh, this is a historical and culinary journey that will feed your heart and soul. The book contains more than 80 remarkable stories gleaned from personal interviews with Holocaust survivors and their families. Each story is paired with the survivor’s cherished recipes, creating a timeless cookbook with more than 170 entries as diverse as the survivors themselves. A soon-to-be-released 10th anniversary edition is a testament to the resilience and tenacity of the Holocaust survivor community, which turned tragedy to triumph and has imbued us all with faith, hope, and optimism.
   New York City, NY; NYC
5:00 pm
Free

Concert | Fabulous Five: Musical Selections from Bach, Bartok, Broadway and the Beatles


Performers: Victoria Paterson, violin Hiroko Taguchi, violin Philip Payton, viola Peter Sachon, cello Clara Warnaar, cajon
   New York City, NY; NYC
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5:00 pm
Free

Concert | Accordion Music: Argentine Tango, Balkan, Jewish and More


Enjoy different music styles for this little-known instrument.
   New York City, NY; NYC
5:30 pm
Free

Workshop | Crossfit Workout


End your Thursday with a little sweat. The class is open to all levels.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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5:30 pm
Free

Workshop | Martial Arts Workshop


Learn Jeet Kune Do and the basics of self-defense.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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5:30 pm
Free

Author Reading | The Presidents vs. the Press: The Longtime Struggle


From George Washington to the present day, presidents have quarreled with, attacked, manipulated, denigrated—and sometimes even jailed members of—the media. Scholar Harold Holzer traces the clashes between chief executives and the Fourth Estate throughout history.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Concert | A Trio of Singers


Family ties become performance magic with this rousing trio of vocal artists. They transform folk music influences into an arresting harmonic blend.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Workshop | Amp'd Workout


Hit the grass and push your body to new limits in this class that combines bodyweight strength and cardio, challenging both your energy systems and motor control. This class is open to all levels. Thursdays, May 6-October 28, 2021 Registration opens every Tuesday at 10:00am for classes the following week.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Jazz | Jazz in a Park, Plus a Film Screening


6:00pm – 7:30pm: First, a concert with a highly regarded tenor saxophonist who has played with Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers, Frank Foster, and Richard “Groove” Holmes, as well as with Charlie Parker’s bandmate Red Rodney. 8:00pm: Then, a screening of Mary Lou Williams: The Lady Who Swings the Band, a story of tragedy and triumph seen through the eyes of a jazz prodigy.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Dance Lesson | Learn to Dance Soca


Representing Trinidad and Tobago, a Soca powerhouse instructor mixes traditional folklore with popular dance styles, bringing the dynamic Caribbean energy of carnival season to Downtown Brooklyn. This performance will be followed by a short lesson featuring group movement to embody the spirit and history of Soca music. This is all done to the latest Soca hits and live percussion for you to enjoy, dance and sweat to.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Dance Lesson | Midtown Dance: Salsa and Social Dancing


Enjoy an outdoor salsa class in the heart of Midtown Manhattan. Each week, participants will learn from New York City's most eclectic salsa instructors. Then, show off your moves on the dance floor with a full hour of social dancing. Check-in begins at 5:45PM. Dance instruction begins at 6PM. Social Dancing begins at 7PM. Participants are welcome to bring their own partner, continue to dance solo, or dance with someone new. Participants will be given stickers to indicate their preferences. Thursdays, July1-August 26, 2021
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Concert | Music and Performance in a Garden


A series of live performances, large and small, taking place in several East Village gardens in August. All shows are free. With: Claudi Cleo Berlin Flotilla Debarge Heather Litteer
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
Free

Workshop | Run Club


Meet to run, walk and jog along the stunning waterfront. All levels welcome. Thursdays, June 17-September 30, 2021.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
Free

Movie in a Park | Everybody's Talking About Jamie (2021): Adaptation of London Musical by Renowned Choreographer


Inspired by true events, Everybody's Talking About Jamie is the film adaptation of the award-winning hit musical from London's West End, about Jamie New (Max Harwood), a teenager in a blue collar English town with a dream of life on stage. While his classmates plan their livelihoods after graduation, Jamie contemplates revealing his secret career ambition as a fierce and proud drag queen. His best friend and his loving mom shower him with endless support, but his unsupportive dad, an uninspired career advisor, and some ignorant school kids attempt to rain on his sensational aspirations. In rousing and colorful musical numbers, Jamie and his community inspire one another to be more accepting, and to see the value in facing adversity stepping out of the darkness into the spotlight. 7:00 PM: Doors Open 8:10 PM: Pre-Show Drag Performance 8:25 PM: Introductions with director Jonathan Butterell (Broadway's Nine, Fiddler on the Roof, The Light in the Piazza) and stars Max Harwood & Lauren Patel 8:30 PM: Film Begins Masks are required at all times.
   New York City, NY; NYC
7:00 pm
Free

Author Reading | Untold: Defining Moments of the Uprooted (virtual)


This anthology is a collection of 31 real stories that explore the South Asian experience in the U.S., U.K., and Canada through the lens of identity, being, and relationships. The reading will feature three writers featured in the collection.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Discussion | A Conversation on Memoir with Oscar Winner Sally Field and Others (livestream)


A discussion showcasing the way artists pursue their visions.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Jazz | A Tribute to Jazz Legend Charlie Parker (livestream)


The event will feature a trio -- guitarist, bassist and drummer -- performing original music in tribute to the great Mr. Charlie Parker.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Gallery Talk | Artist Talk (virtual)


Learn about resident Erin Johnson’s latest work by way of the letters between closeted lovers Rachel Carson and Dorothy Freeman. Using a generative text training app, you’ll collaboratively draft speculative letters, filling in the gaps created in their correspondence after they burned many of their letters. The letters will be collected and drafted into a collective zine of speculative fiction. Erin Johnson is an artist living and working in Brooklyn. Her single and multi-channel video installations blend documentary, experimental, and narrative filmmaking devices and foreground the ways in which individual lives and sociopolitical realities merge. Comprised of footage of site-specific performances, the videos explore how power structures are communicated through relationships, focusing on histories of nationalism and place.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
donations requested...

Concert | Outdoor Live Concert Against the Backdrop of the City Skyline


Featruing a jazz-rock trio.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Classical Music | Philharmonic Orchestra: Bollywood Classics, Human Emotion and More (virtual)


The Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, led by Miran Vaupotic, perform a diverse selection of contemporary works, distinguishable by compositional themes of nuclear physics, human emotion, historic locales, and Bollywood classics. Program Ben Marino Yrast 2.0 Rai Worthington In Passages Shirley Mier Of Lakes and Legends Kamala Sankaram Bhadke
   New York City, NY; NYC
7:00 pm
Free

Concert | Singer with a 4-Octave Vocal Range


An award-winning New York vocalist in demand by many. Her styles include jazz, blues, pop, and R&B.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Workshop | Evening Zumba Workshop


Zumba instructor Lisa G leads an exercise and dance class which combines Latin and African dance steps. Thursdays, July 1-September 2, 2021
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:30 pm
Free

Dance Performance | Internationally Recognized Choreographer Explores Jazz and Lindy Hop (livestream; available through Sept. 9)


An impressive company examines the parallels between Jazz and Lindy Hop, an African American dance that emerged from Harlem in 1920s. The choreographer is an award-winning dancer and educator.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:30 pm
Free

Movie in a Park | In the Heights (2021): Lin-Manuel Miranda's Musical Ode to a Neighborhood


A film version of the Broadway musical in which Usnavi, a New York bodega owner, saves every penny every day as he imagines and sings about a better life. Directed by Jon M. Chu Stars: Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:00 pm
Free

Play | Merry Wives: Shakespeare Adaptation in the Park


Set in South Harlem, amidst a vibrant and eclectic community of West African immigrants, This adaptation of The Merry Wives of Windsor is a New York story about tricks of the heart, performed in the heart of the city. A raucous spinoff featuring the Bard's most beloved comic characters, this hilarious farce tells the story of the trickster Falstaff and the wily wives who outwit him in a new celebration of Black joy, laughter, and vitality. NOTE: Tickets are available only through a digital lottery. Seats are not guaranteed. See below for details.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:00 pm
Free

Movie in a Park | The Karate Kid (1984): Bullied Teen's Revenge


A martial arts master agrees to teach karate to a bullied teenager. Director: John G. Avildsen Stars: Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue   Doors at 6:00 PM, movie starts at sundown
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:00 pm
Free

Comedy Club | Comedy Under the Stars


After a year like 2020, we could all use a laughter intervention. For nearly 15 years, this outdoor comedy shows in public spaces and parks have enriched lives and let audiences soak up free Vitamin D without a drink minimum. This is a one-of-a-kind experience that they promise will be less sweaty and awkward than your last hot yoga class. Expect stellar talent and big laughs from the unique cultural asset that is NYC's stand-up scene.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:00 pm
Free

Movie in a Park | Steven Spielberg's Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981): Classic Adventure with Harrison Ford


In 1936, archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the U.S. government to find the Ark of the Covenant before Adolf Hitler's Nazis can obtain its awesome powers. Director: Steven Spielberg Stars: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman Movie starts at sunset.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:00 pm
Free

Concert | The Undisputed "Queen of Merengue"


Justly known as "La Reina del Merengue," Santo Domingo's own Milly Quezada has released 34 albums of Latin dance music over a 45-year recording career. Whether as a solo artist, alongside luminaries such as the Fania All-Stars or with her family band, Quezada has been the defining voice of bachata and merengue for multiple generations and one of the Dominican Republic's best known musical titans. Her 2020 hit "Gracias a Ti," was dedicated to frontline healthcare professionals who worked through COVID-19, and her most recent song is central to a national campaign on behalf of the Dominican Republic. Come dressed to impress and dance for a greatest hits performance from this four-time Latin Grammy Award winner. Please note: This performance is open to general admission. Beginning 10 minutes before the show, non-ticketed guests will be invited to claim any available seats, first-come, first-served. Over 1,000 free seats will be available, but they cannot guarantee admission.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:00 pm
Free

Jazz | Latin Jazz Sounds


Seven youth ensembles, some of NYC's finest musicians, bring Latin and jazz standards to life.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:15 pm
Free

Open Mike | Thursday Night Open Mic (livestream)


A weekly online open mic. All art forms are welcome.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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9:00 pm
Free
Complimentary Tickets

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

Classical Music | Choral Work by Haydn and More at a Landmark Venue

Regular Price: $59
CFT Member Price: $0.00

Play | A Play About a Famous Artist

Regular Price: $35
CFT Member Price: $0.00
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