free things to do in New York City
Free events for Wednesday, 02/21/24
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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 February 21, 2024?

36 free events take place on Wednesday, February 21 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 February 21 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 February . 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!

36 free things to do in New York City (NYC) on Wednesday, February 21, 2024

All events are free unless otherwise noted.

Editor's Picks

free events nyc Tour of New York City Hall
free events nyc Standards from the American Songbook
free events nyc The Taste of Things (2023): The Cook and the Gourmet, with Juliette Binoche
free events nyc The Two-State Delusion & Israel at War (online)
free events nyc Works by Mozart and More for Orchestra and Voice
free events nyc Threshold al fresco: Contemporary Dance on Ice
More Editor's Picks for 02/21/24
        

Discussion | Curatorial Roundtable (online)


A talk with Jo Ying Peng, an independent curator currently based in Mexico City who runs Vernacular Institute. Her practice ranges across curatorial, editorial, and cinematic boundaries to expand possibilities beyond linear narratives. The Curatorial Roundtable, an international forum for curators and institutional leaders to discuss formative and current projects, is hosted by Steven Henry Madoff, founding chair of the MA Curatorial Practice at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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9:00 am
Free

Tour | 13 Tours, All City Neighborhoods, Any Time Of The Day, Choose One Tour Or Many


These free tours take place at various times during the day, all day long. You can make reservations for as many tours as your schedule allows. SoHo, Little Italy and Chinatown Brooklyn Bridge, Brooklyn Heights + DUMBO 3 Hour Lower Manhattan Harlem Chelsea and the High Line 6 Hour Downtown Combined Greenwich Village Central Park Lower Manhattan Midtown Manhattan Grand Central Terminal Graffiti and Street Art Tours World Trade Center
   New York City, NY; NYC
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10:00 am
Free

Lecture | Buddhist Demons: Tibetan Art and the Symbolism of Fierce Imagery (online)


Maud Leclair leads an exploration of the intricate world of demonic symbolism in Tibetan art.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:00 pm
Free

Discussion | Russia’s Rule in Occupied Ukraine (online)


Since 2014, Russia has occupied almost one-fifth of the Ukrainian territory, but little is known about its rule in these areas besides Crimea. Our panel of social scientists will examine how Russia establishes its control of territories it has seized, the realities of life under occupation, its short-term and long-term consequences, and the prospects of restoring political and economic life in de-occupied territories. Speakers: -- David Lewis, Professor of Global Politics at the University of Exeter; Senior Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London -- Tatiana Zhurzhenko, Researcher at the Centre for East European and International Studies (ZOiS), Berlin -- Oleksandr Melnyk, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Institute of Communication, Culture, Information and Technology at the University of Toronto -- Franziska Exeler, Research Fellow at the Centre for History and Economics and Magdalene College, University of Cambridge; Lecturer of History at Freie Universität Berlin
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:00 pm
Free

Tour | Tour of New York City Hall


One of the oldest continuously used City Halls in the nation that still houses its original governmental functions, New York's City Hall is considered one of the finest architectural achievements of its period. Constructed from 1803 to 1812, the building was an early expression of the City's cosmopolitanism. City Hall is a designated New York City landmark, and its rotunda is a designated interior landmark as well.
   New York City, NY; NYC
12:00 pm
Free

Discussion | Youth Shaping Rights: A Dialogue with the Obama Foundation Scholars


This lunch event will provide an opportunity to explore how young leaders are shaping the future of human rights. Panelists will engage in discussions with the community around impactful human rights leadership and the pivotal role of youth-led groups in driving positive change. Panelists: -- Glory Oguegbu, 2023-2024 Obama Foundation Scholar, Founder and Executive Director, Glow Initiative for Economic Empowerment; CEO, Renewable Energy Technology Training Institute (RETTI), Nigeria -- Daniel Calarco de Oliveira, 2023-2024 Obama Foundation Scholar President, Observatório Internacional da Juventude (International Youth Watch), Brazil
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:10 pm
Free

Classical Music | Bach at Noon (In Person and Online)


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

Workshop | Adult Chorus


Directed by Church Street School of Music, the chorus is open to all who love to sing. Learn contemporary and classic songs and perform at community events throughout the year.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
Free

Jazz | Standards from the American Songbook


Jazz guitarist Bill Wurtzel and guests play standards from the American Songbook. Bill Wurtzel began playing guitar at age 9, and was a radio and TV country music performer by age 12. He attended art school and had a career as an award-winning advertising creative director. He continued to play professionally and switched to music full time in 1989. Bill has played worldwide with many jazz legends, including the Count Basie Countsmen, Wild Bill Davis, Bill Doggett, Jimmy McGriff, the Harlem Blues & Jazz Band, singers Gloria Lynne and Terri Thornton, as well as Paul Simon. Bill is a director of the Jazz Foundation of America.
   New York City, NY; NYC
1:00 pm
Free

Lecture | The Reality of Myth for Yiddish Writers in Weimar Germany (online)


Berlin in the Weimar Republic (1918-1933) — though peripheral to the centers of Yiddish culture in the United States, Poland, and the Soviet Union — offered financial windfalls and business opportunities for migrants with foreign currency, particularly for writers with contact to the American Yiddish press. Moreover, Germany, unlike Poland, maintained diplomatic and economic relations with the Soviet Union, which allowed writers sympathetic to the Bolshevik Revolution a safe haven. The heyday of Yiddish culture in Berlin was relatively short-lived, dating from about 1921 until about 1926, after which the Soviet Union had achieved political stability and began to invest, at least for the next decade, in a wide series of Yiddish-language cultural institutions. Nevertheless, Berlin was an important way-station in the development of modern Yiddish culture and particularly a Yiddish avant-garde. In historical terms, it is always necessary to distinguish between "myth" and "reality"; for Yiddish writers in interwar Berlin, however, what is fascinating is the degree to which myth and reality informed and interpenetrated one another. In this lecture, Marc Caplan will examine the historical significance and legendary allure of Weimar culture by considering three of its most significant Yiddish writers: Moyshe Kulbak, Dovid Bergelson, and Der Nister ("the hidden one," Pinkhes Kahanovitch). Speaker Marc Caplan is a native of Louisiana and a graduate of Yale University.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
Free

Film | Blackkklansman (2018) Directed by Spike Lee, Starring John David Washington and Adam Driver


Ron Stallworth is the first African-American detective to serve in the Colorado Springs Police Department. Determined to make a name for himself, Stallworth bravely sets out on a dangerous mission: infiltrate and expose the Ku Klux Klan. The detective soon recruits a more seasoned colleague, Flip Zimmerman, into the undercover investigation of a lifetime. Together, they team up to take down the extremist hate group as the organization aims to sanitize its rhetoric to appeal to the mainstream. Director: Spike Lee Cast: John David Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier, Topher Grace Spike Lee is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His work has continually explored race relations, issues within the black community, the role of media in contemporary life, urban crime and poverty, and other political issues. Lee has won numerous accolades for his work, including an Academy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards, and more. John David Washington is an American actor and the son of actor Denzel Washington. His breakthrough role came playing Ron Stallworth in Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman (2018), for which he received both Golden Globe Award and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations. Washington has since gained leading roles in films such as Tenet (2020), Malcom & Marie (2021), Beckett (2021), Amsterdam (2022), and The Creator (2023). He made his Broadway debut in the revival of the August Wilson play The Piano Lesson (2022). Adam Driver is an American actor. Recognized for his collaborations with auteur filmmakers, he is the recipient of various accolades, including nominations for two Academy Awards, four Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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2:00 pm
Free

Workshop | Figure Drawing


Challenge your artistic skills by drawing the human figure. Each week a model will strike short and long poses for participants to draw. Artists/ educators will offer constructive suggestions and critique. Materials provided, and artists are encouraged to bring their own favorite media.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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2:00 pm
Free

Book Discussion | The Chaos Agent: AI Thriller (online)


In author Mark Greaney's latest thriller, artificial intelligence leads to shockingly real danger for the Gray Man.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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3:00 pm
Free

Discussion | Monsters Beyond the Screens: A Post-Zoom Meditation (in-person and online)


This roundtable featuring Jimenez Lai, Irena Haiduk, and Timotheus Vermeulen starts with a brief introduction by Jimenez Lai. Lai will introduce the event and give a short overview of his own work. Following him, Timotheus Vermeulen will delve into an exploration of screens, zoom, monsters, and other intriguing -isms in a 15-minute presentation. Continuing the intellectual thread, Irena Haiduk will take the floor offering insights into her work and presenting her own 10-minute reflection on screens, zoom, monsters, or other -onomies. A roundtable discussion and Q&A moderated by Jimenez Lai will follow the presentations.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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3:30 pm
Free

Book Club | The Lover (1984) by Marguerite Duras


An international best-seller with more than one million copies in print and a winner of France's Prix Goncourt, The Lover has been acclaimed by critics all over the world since its first publication in 1984. Set in the prewar Indochina of Marguerite Duras's childhood, this is the haunting tale of a tumultuous affair between an adolescent French girl and her Chinese lover. 
   New York City, NY; NYC
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4:30 pm
Free

Book Discussion | Wasteland: The Secret World of Waste and the Urgent Search for a Cleaner Future (online)


What happens to the things we throw away? From the sewers of London to the landfills of Ghana, the multi-billion dollar waste management industry has created environmental crises worldwide while facilitating the modern global economy of disposable goods. Author Oliver Franklin-Wallis uncovers the stories behind what we discard and where it goes—and seeks to provide solutions to this increasingly urgent situation.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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5:00 pm
$6.24

Book Discussion | Entranced Earth: Art, Extractivism, and the End of Landscape (in-person and online)


Jens Andermann's book is a sweeping analysis of the lasting effects of neocolonial extractivism in Latin American aesthetic modernity from 1920 to the present.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Book Discussion | Summer Wheat: Forager


Artist Summer Wheat celebrates the launch of her debut monograph, in conversation with Jen Sudul Edwards.   The Future (and past) is Female: Summer Wheat’s whimsical, often tongue-in-cheek tableaux in rich jewel tones punctuated with bright neons, teem with fantastical figures that memorialize tribes of women hunting, collaborating, celebrating, and ultimately replacing millennia of images of male rulers and warriors. Summer Wheat’s unique formative experiences with art growing up in Oklahoma were shaped by the aesthetic and conceptual drive of Native American art and Indigenous culture. Bridging those early influences with the canon of Western art (from ancient art to medieval tapestries) and popular references such as astrology and comic books, the artist’s work centers female archetypes in her expansive practice of painting, sculpture, and large-scale installation. For the artist’s first monograph, curator Jennifer Sudul Edwards discusses the wide range of subjects that inform Wheat’s work, including the artist’s interest in alchemy. Curator Anne Ellegood in conversation with the artist discusses Wheat’s sculptural work, large-scale installations, and first foray into building a freestanding architectural space. Jennifer Krasinski explores Wheat’s unique approach to painting; her impressive wall works resemble a cross between intricate beadwork and the pixel-like structure of a digital image.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Discussion | A Discussion on Tennis Sensation Naomi Osaka


Host Nick McCarvel leads a compelling panel discussion featuring tennis pros Andrea Petkovic, Leslie Allen, and sportswriter Ben Rothenberg. They'll delve into tennis sensation Naomi Osaka’s profound influence on the sport of tennis, discussing her journey, the evolving conversation around mental health in pro tennis, transformative changes in women's sports, and much more.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
$5

Classical Music | Flute Music


   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Poetry Reading | Poetry Magazine Launch


LONESOME Press is an independent journal of art, poetry, music, and personal essays curated by poet Monique Erickson. LONESOME Press is for misfits, outsiders, and loners.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free
6:00 pm
Free

Workshop | Writing in Response to Art


Writer maura nguyễn donohue facilitates a writing workshop on the theme of passages, in conjunction with the exhibition An-My Lê: Between Two Rivers/Giữa hai giòng sông/Entre deux rivières. This workshop takes place in person in the galleries of the musuem. Writing prompts will be available in English, Vietnamese, and French. This event offers a space for connectedness and healing through art. At each session, a guest writer will introduce different works of art and offer a series of creative writing prompts. They offer a calm, supportive, and welcoming environment for anyone interested in writing in response to art in the company of fellow writing enthusiasts. Participants will have the option, but not obligation, to share some of their new work with others.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Lecture | Social Inequality in Brazil


Speaker: Marcelo Medeiros, Senior Research Scholar
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:10 pm
Free

Film | The Taste of Things (2023): The Cook and the Gourmet, with Juliette Binoche


The story of Eugenie, an esteemed cook, and Dodin, the fine gourmet with whom she has been working for over the last 20 years. Director: Anh Hung Tran Stars: Juliette Binoche, Beno?t Magimel, Emmanuel Salinger 135 min.
   New York City, NY; NYC
6:30 pm
Free

Discussion | Building on an Art Collection (in-person and online)


With: Francisco de Goya y Lucientes, “Trabajos utiles (Useful Work),” ca. 1816-1820, brush and Indian ink and wash on paper, 10 3/8 x 7 3/8 inches Alison de Lima Greene is the Isabel Brown Wilson Curator of Modern & Contemporary Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. A 2010 Fellow at the Center for Curatorial Leadership, she has organized numerous exhibitions, and her recent projects have profiled Mark Rothko, Mike and Doug Starn, and Pipilotti Rist. Working closely with Harry Cooper, Kate Nesin, and Mark Godfrey, she co-curated the traveling Philip Guston Now exhibition. Karen Wilkin is an independent curator and critic. The author of monographs on Stuart Davis, David Smith, Anthony Caro, Kenneth Noland, Helen Frankenthaler, Giorgio Morandi, and Hans Hofmann, she has organized exhibitions of their work internationally. She is a regular contributor to Hudson Review, New Criterion, and Wall Street Journal. Wilkin teaches in the New York Studio School’s MFA program. Andrea Woodner is a sculptor, cellist, collector of drawings and horsewoman. She received a Bachelor of Arts from Bennington College, and served apprenticeships with sculptors Isaac Witkin and Anthony Caro, and with metal fabricator Bob Walcott in the 1970s and 80s while making sculpture in White Creek, NY, London, and New York City. She then attended Harvard University’s Graduate School of Architecture and Planning, and received a Masters in Architecture from Columbia’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation. In 1995, Woodner founded the Design Trust for Public Space, dedicated to the wellbeing and understanding of public space in New York City. Woodner was its first Director and served as its President until 2016. In 2016 Woodner launched the Hercules Art/ Studio Program, with facilities in lower Manhattan, providing affordable studio and meeting space for artists beginning their careers in New York City. Woodner lives in New York City and Millbrook, NY.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
Free

Talk | Dressing the Screen: The Best Fashion Shows in Movies


Question: What do The Women, Funny Face, The Devil Wears Prada, Cruella and Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris have in common?  Discover the answer thanks to a new book by Grazia d’Annunzio and Sara Martin that explores the captivating history of the best - and fake - defilés de mode in films, along with the fabulous costume designers who conceived them. 
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
Free

Lecture | The Birth and Life of Ukrainian Electroacoustic Music


Ukrainian composer Alla Zagaykevych will discuss the emergence of the Ukrainian electroacoustic music in the 20th century, how it was influenced by futurism, the collaboration between Ukrainian and European avant-garde artists (Luigi Rusolo and Eugène Deslaw), early Ukrainian cinema, and European electroacoustic music. She will also discuss the development of the first synthesisers by artists of Ukrainian origin (optophonic piano by Baranov-Rossine, 1916, Max Brand synthesiser, 1957), the Khrushchev Thaw and Kyiv Musical Avant-Garde, Ukrainian electroacoustic music “musique concrete,” the emergence of Ukrainian algorithmic composition in the works of Leonid Hrabovskyi. She will conclude by examining electroacoustic music since 1991, modern genres of electroacoustic music, works by Ukrainian composers, and sound artists during the Russian war against Ukraine.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
Free

Workshop | Wednesday Evening Yoga


Instructor Margaret Tobin leads an hour-long session for all those who would like to bring attention to their body. Open to all levels.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:30 pm
Free

Performance | 3 Works of Performance Art


A suite of performances by Raven Chacon on the occasion of his solo exhibition, A Worm’s Eye View from a Bird’s Beak. Chacon will work with a troupe of collaborators to perform some of his most notable scores including Round, Scream Out of Each Window and selections from For Zitkála Šá. Featuring performances by Bob Bellerue, Raven Chacon, Alison Coplan, Isabel Crespo, Martin D Fowler, Stefanie Hessler, Kite, and Katie Porter.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Book Discussion | Elegy by Dawoud Bey (In Person AND Online)


Dawoud Bey is perhaps best recognized for his street photography and portraiture. But over the past decade his projects have focused instead on landscapes across the country, searching for early Black presences and historical memories embedded in our geography. Bey’s new book, Elegy, unites those projects in one volume. Bey takes viewers to the historic Richmond Slave Trail in Virginia, where Africans were marched onto auction blocks; to the plantations of Louisiana, where they labored; and along the last stages of the Underground Railroad in Ohio, where fugitives sought self-emancipation. Bey speaks about retelling history through photography with New York Times writer Siddhartha Mitter.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Talk | An Evening with Photographer Anthony Barboza


Anthony Barboza is a founding member of the legendary Kaimonge Workshop, a collective of Black photographers established in New York City in 1963, and his portfolio includes portraits of James Baldwin, Miles Davis, Aretha Franklin, Isaac Hayes, and Dizzy Gillespie.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Discussion | The Two-State Delusion & Israel at War (online)


Paradoxically, just four months after Hamas used its base in Gaza to launch an unprecedented massacre in Israel's south, calls for a "two-state solution"--that magical incantation of Western diplomacy--have reached a fever-pitch. Indeed, pressure is growing to skip the niceties of negotiations and recognize Palestinian statehood now. Why is the Biden Administration pushing this dangerous idea? What does the effort to revive the two-state solution tell us about the state of the U.S.-Israel relationship? How are Israel and America thinking about the escalation on Israel's northern border and the risk of more violence in Judea and Samaria? And how does all of this relate to the Iranian threat, and President Biden's failed strategy to contain Iran and its proxies? To answer these questions and more, Tikvah is hosting a strategic briefing with chairman Elliott Abrams, in discussion with Mosaic editor and Warren R. Stern Senior Fellow of Jewish Civilization Jonathan Silver.
   New York City, NY; NYC
7:00 pm
Free

Classical Music | Works by Mozart and More for Orchestra and Voice


MSM Symphony Orchestra; MSM Opera Theatre; Danielle Jagelski, Conductor; George Manahan, Conductor. Program Kaija Saariaho (1952-2023), Travers?e from L'Amour de loin Mozart (1756-1791), Overture to Le nozze di Figaro Ethel Smyth (1858-1944), Overture to The Wreckers Jules Massenet (1842-1912), Act I of Cendrillon
   New York City, NY; NYC
7:00 pm
Free

Dance Performance | Threshold al fresco: Contemporary Dance on Ice


Le Patin Libre presents Threshold al fresco, a contemporary dance revolution on ice. Audience members can watch Threshold al fresco for free if they arrive early and stand by the rink until the show starts. Le Patin Libre pushes the boundaries of traditional figure skating and put their own "spin" on the sport. Their style evolved to become what many now call "contemporary dance on ice". Le Patin Libre was founded in 2005, by Alexandre Hamel, then a competitive figure skater. The first performances were modestly offered on frozen ponds, during winter carnivals organized by most cities and villages in Qu?bec. On some nights, Hamel and his companions rented hockey ice arenas and turned them into wild dancing parties. Le Patin Libre developed its unique style based on the choreographic possibilities of glide. Glide allows the human body to move through space while being liberated from walking, running, crawling and other natural gestures.
   New York City, NY; NYC
8:30 pm
Free

Master Class | Piano Master Class


Piano Master Class with Alexandre Moutouzkine.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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10:00 pm
Free
Complimentary Tickets

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

Classical Music | Mozart, Ravel and More

Regular Price: $50
CFT Member Price: $0.00

Musical | A Musical About Show Business

Regular Price: $70
CFT Member Price: $0.00
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