51 free things to do in New York City (NYC) on Saturday, October 21, 2017
All events are free unless otherwise noted.
Two groups covering slightly different routes. A faster group will walk over every pedestrian-friendly ...
more >> bridge around the perimeter of Manhattan Borough (34 miles). The other group will do the same around the perimeter of Manhattan Island (31 miles). Starting with the George Washington Bridge from New Jersey to Manhattan, proceed clockwise around Manhattan and end with the Brooklyn Bridge from Brooklyn into Manhattan. There will be one ride on the Roosevelt Island Tramway for the faster group. Bring or buy lunch. There will be a few short breaks. Feel free to eat during the breaks or while walking.
This is a 3-hour tour that begins with a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge, an icon of New York City for ...
more >> over 125 years, with spectacular views of Manhattan and Brooklyn. The tour then moves on to a stroll of Brooklyn Heights, America’s and New York City’s first suburb. The tour then explores the neighborhood DUMBO before ending at the Fulton Ferry landing.
The 3-hour walking and subway tour covers the Financial District including Wall Street and the World ...
more >> Trade Center, SoHo, Little Italy and Chinatown. These are neighborhoods that simply can’t be fully appreciated from a bus. There will be one or two opportunities to sample tasty treats.
Greenwich Village is among Manhattan's most desirable and expensive residential neighborhoods. It's history, ...
more >> 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.
Although world famous, Harlem may be New York's best kept secret with some of the city's best architecture, ...
more >> 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.
Join a Manhattan Street Art Tour and experience the Lower East Side - SoHo, NoHo, Nolita and Little Italy. ...
more >> The Lower East Side of Manhattan is a playground for street artists, Soho is known to be one of NYC first permit Joint Live-Work Quarters for artists and the area received landmark designation in 1973. Noho and Nolita’s street art is either hidden in courtyards or on the more prominent street art facades. Learn about the history of the art of many famous and unknown artist.
Walk is about 3 miles. See some sites in Harlem and possibly listen to gospel music. Call to confirm ...
more >> that the walk is on.
Hear the story behind New York City's park in the sky. Weekly guided 75-minute walking tours led by knowledgeable ...
more >> volunteer guides will offer you an insider's perspective on the park's history, design, and landscape. Takes place Saturdays May 2 -October 31 2017.
10:00 am
free, no reservation required
Free fun for the whole family, including arts, crafts, antiques, plants, entertainment, games, and more.
New York City, NY; NYC
10:00 am
free, no reservation required
Children can pick a pumpkin from the pumpkin patch to decorate, ride a horse-drawn carriage along the ...
more >> river and dance along to a concert in this scenic Upper East Side park.
11:00 am
free, no reservation required
NYC Parks celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Art in the Parks program with a festival of art exhibits, ...
more >> performances, and hands-on art workshops. Inspired by the fleeting, free-flowing art “happenings” that popped up in parks across the city in the 1960s, “It’s Happening” will capture the same spontaneous spirit with approximately 50 performances and workshops, and 50 pieces of public artwork on display. The field will be transformed into a stage, museum, and art studio for sculpture, poetry, modern dance, crafts, and music for art lovers of all ages to enjoy.
11:00 am
free, no reservation required
Explore the Park’s central features including the Lake and Ramble woodland, then marvel at the views ...
more >> from Belvedere Castle. Route involves many hills, stairs, and uneven paths. 45 minutes.
11:00 am
free, no reservation required
A group for people to come together and share in the beautiful art of Origami - the ancient art of folding ...
more >> various mediums, most commonly paper. The word comes from the combination of the Japanese verb oru (to fold) and the noun kami (paper). Other materials often folded are fabric, wire mesh, sheet metal, tissue, thin plastic, cardboard, and straws.
11:00 am
free, no reservation required
Celebrate Mexico’s beloved 3,000-year-old tradition that commemorates friends and relatives who have ...
more >> passed away, with face painting, art making, performances and more.
11:00 am
free, no reservation required
Stretch it out with this free beginner’s yoga class for Adults 19+ with the staff of the Chinatown ...
more >> YMCA. No experience is necessary. Wear loose fitted clothing. It is recommended not to eat two hours before the class. Please bring your own yoga mat and a block. Participants will be required to sign a waiver.
1:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Stars: Gene Hackman, Barbara Hershey, Dennis Hopper. A coach with a checkered past and a local drunk ...
more >> train a small town high school basketball team to become a top contender for the championship. 114 min.
1:00 pm
free, no reservation required
If you collect, read, or are just interested in classic pulp magazines, you want to know about the Gotham ...
more >> Pulp Collectors Club. They are pulp readers and collectors who meet once a month to talk about their favorite subject: popular fiction magazines from the first half of the 20th century. They discuss what they've been reading along with new developments in the fields of reprints, movies, TV, auctions, conventions, "new pulp" fiction, and more.
1:00 pm
free, no reservation required
New York Opera Forum performs the complete opera by Charles Gounod. A live musical recital performed ...
more >> in concert with piano accompaniment.
1:00 pm
free, no reservation required
In collaboration with the New York Early Music Celebration 2017, award-winning carillonneur Julie Zhu ...
more >> plays a carillon prelude on the twenty-six church bells that ring out over Fifth Avenue. Immediately following, organist and Director of Music Daniel Hyde plays a handpicked program of North German and Dutch music, displaying the kaleidoscopic sounds of the Loening-Hancock gallery organ. Featuring works by J.S. Bach, Sweelinck, Scheidt, Buxtehude, Böhm, and Bruhns.
1:15 pm
Donations requested
After his death, writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) became a global icon of modern literature and a pop ...
more >> culture brand. Best known for his Gothic horror tales and narrative poem “The Raven,” Poe’s stories are the basis of countless films and TV episodes, and have inspired even more, as has his name and image. At least four American cities claim this literary legend as their own – Baltimore, Richmond, Philadelphia and New York: an NFL football team is named after one of his poems, and his image appears on everything from the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover to lunchboxes, bobbleheads and socks. Creating the detective fiction genre with “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” (1841), Poe wrote over 100 short stories and poems altogether, beginning with Tamerlane and Other Poems (1827), his first published work. Written and directed by Eric Stange (The War That Made America, American Experience: Murder at Harvard), the new documentary American Masters – Edgar Allan Poe: Buried Alive draws on the rich palette of Poe’s evocative imagery and sharply drawn plots to tell the real story of the notorious author.
2:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Fictionalized documentary showing the evolution of witchcraft, from its pagan roots to its confusion ...
more >> with hysteria in modern Europe. 91 min.
2:00 pm
free, no reservation required
New York City is a mecca for graffiti and street art, making it a very attractive playground for artists ...
more >> from around the world. Bushwick, in a working class district on the north side of Brooklyn adjacent to Williamsburg, has been attracting artists for some time now. The neighborhood has a fair collection of art studios and galleries, but it’s Bushwick’s industrial landscape that’s attracting the street artist. If you came looking for 1960′s Greenwich Village, you’ll find something brewing in Bushwick. Tour takes place Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
The tour explores the social and political history of the one of the most active and most famous squares ...
more >> in NYC through discussions about the people, history, architecture, and forces that have shaped its surroundings. You’ll hear how the square got its name, see where the legendary Tiffany & Co. once stood, and learn how to read the clock (yes, it’s a clock!) on the famous sculpture and so much more! This tour takes place every Saturday.
2:00 pm
free, no reservation required
The 3-hour walking and subway tour covers the Financial District including Wall Street and the World ...
more >> Trade Center, SoHo, Little Italy and Chinatown. These are neighborhoods that simply can’t be fully appreciated from a bus. There will be one or two opportunities to sample tasty treats.
Stars: Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Vincent Gardenia. A nerdy florist finds his chance for success and ...
more >> romance with the help of a giant man-eating plant who demands to be fed. 94 min.
2:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Stars: Charlie Hunnam, Robert Pattinson, Sienna Miller. A true-life drama, centering on British explorer ...
more >> Col. Percival Fawcett, who disappeared while searching for a mysterious city in the Amazon in the 1920s. 141 min.
2:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Nylon Wound is Joseph Parisi and Gregory Askins. This classical guitar duo will perform music ranging ...
more >> from the Renaissance to contemporary, including Bach, Mozart, Orff, Gershwin, The Beatles, and more.
2:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Highlights: 79th Street Boat Basin, Eleanor Roosevelt Sculpture, Homes of George and Ira Gershwin and ...
more >> Babe Ruth, The Warsaw Ghetto Memorial .
Program: Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943) Prelude in C sharp minor, Op. 3, No. 2 (1892) Franz Schubert ...
more >> (1797-1828) Impromptu in G flat major, D. 899; Op. 90, No. 3 (1827, published 1857) Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849) Fantaisie-Impromptu in C-sharp minor, Op. posthumous 66 (1834, published posthumously 1855) Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller (1904-1943) Alligator Crawl (1934). Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Op. 27, no. 2, "Moonlight" (1801). Scott Joplin (1868-1917) Bethena, A Concert Waltz (1905) George Gershwin (1898-1937) An American in Paris (1928) International concert pianist Phillip Dyson, from London, returns with another sensational show featuring some of the world's most popular and best loved piano classics.
2:30 pm
free, no reservation required
A roundlet of thwarted lovers, mistaken identity, cross-dressing, and inept swordplay – sound familiar? ...
more >> But this delirious farce was written by a sly, feminine hand…in the 17th century. Written by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. Translated by Catherine Boyle. Directed by Melody Brooks.
Kris Berwouts hosts a discussion about his new book. The conversation will address developments since ...
more >> the 1996 and 1998 wars in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, including the ongoing conflicts, current political impasse, and prospects for upcoming elections. Essential reading and essential discussion for anyone interested in DR Congo.
3:00 pm
$10 suggested donation
Nasty in the Kitchen and Pregnant Pauses - Staged readings of two unusual short plays that explore the ...
more >> feminine voice in work places. Contemporary tragedy combined with the humor that brings us together. Definitely not for women only.
3:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Did you know that the Lindy Hop was born in Harlem? The Harlem Swing Society is celebrating the Lindy ...
more >> Hop. Come and learn about the history of the dance as well as how the dance is done.
3:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Editor's Pick
PROGRAM: Avro Pärt: Fratres ("Brothers") Johannes Brahms: Violin Sonata No. 1 in G major, Op. 78 "Regensonate" ...
more >> Leoš Janacek (1854-1928) Sonata for Violin and Piano Maurice Ravel: Tziganne Featuring: Anna Rabinova in Recital.
3:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Editor's Pick
A father searches for his son, who has been missing since WW II, in post-war Poland. In his quest for ...
more >> the truth about his son, the father is forced to contemplate the elusive and coded nature of truth itself. 80 min. Presented by Annette Insdorf, author of the new book Intimations: The Cinema of Wojciech Has.
4:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Music by Elizabeth Austin, Burton Beerman, Richard Brooks, Richard Cameron-Wolfe, Edward Jacobs, Karl ...
more >> Kroeger, and Jody Rockmaker. This concert features international artists Jacqueline Horner-Kwiatek, Linda McClain, Elisabeth Halliday, Sharon Harms, Gina Cuffari, Andrea Rae Markowicz, and more.
4:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Forty-five minute organ meditations celebrating the diverse repertoire of the pipe organ. The program ...
more >> features the great repertoire of the organ on the 101-rank Pipe Organ built by Herman Schlicker and the 5 stop chamber organ built by Taylor and Boody Organ Builders. Takes place every Saturday from Sept. 9, 2017 to May 27, 2018.
4:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Soulful Sounds consist of college-educated young males having a passion for playing music. The group ...
more >> started out as a duo of the saxophonist and the keyboardist. However, over the years the band has expanded into a five-piece smooth ensemble. Soulful Sounds focuses on providing smooth live entertainment.
This book reveals the tainted origins of modern policing as a tool of social control and demonstrates ...
more >> how the expanded role of the police is inconsistent with community empowerment, social justice—even public safety. Alex Vitale and guests Kassandra Frederique (of the Drug Policy Alliance) and Victoria Law (author of Resistance Behind Bars: The Struggles of Incarcerated Women) will discuss how the implementation of alternatives to policing, like drug legalization, regulation, and harm reduction instead of the policing of drugs, has led to reductions in crime, spending, and injustice.
7:00 pm
free, no reservation required
A native of Uruguay, Pablo Rieppi lives and works in New York, where he is a member of The New York City ...
more >> Ballet Orchestra. The Houston Chronicle wrote, "Pablo Rieppi sparked a lot of buzz at intermission with his ability…he was rock solid no matter what position he had to contort into to play."
7:00 pm
free, no reservation required
An hour-long pre-concert discussion led by musicologists and scholars as they discuss the featured artist’s ...
more >> music and legacy, taking an in-depth look at their contributions to the genre. This discussion looks at the music and careers of Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra members, discussing their original composition and inspiration behind them.
7:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Another monotonous day in the dull life of a medical professor, disillusioned by his university work, ...
more >> students, wife and family. 106 min. Presented by Annette Insdorf, author of the new book Intimations: The Cinema of Wojciech Has.
Two friends, Tevo and Zizuke, dream of living carefree lives, making easy money and pairing off with ...
more >> mzungu (white) women. At their local hangout, they meet a mzungu woman who suggests they start an NGO. The scam is a huge success - or so it seems - until an international donor sends a filmmaker to document the NGO's nonexistent achievements and the situation takes an unexpected turn. This light-hearted comedy packs a deep and incisive critique of foreign aid and intervention in Africa. 83 min.
7:30 pm
$10 suggested donation
A roundlet of thwarted lovers, mistaken identity, cross-dressing, and inept swordplay – sound familiar? ...
more >> But this delirious farce was written by a sly, feminine hand…in the 17th century. Written by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. Translated by Catherine Boyle. Directed by Melody Brooks.
Program: Speech Chosen Voices Webern Drei Lieder, Op. 18 Davidovsky Cantione Sine Textu Eschandel This ...
more >> City Is a Stepping Stone Davidovsky Festino Boecker To Cut. To Paste Davidovsky Synchronisms No. 10 Crumb Night of the Four Moons With: Neil Beckmann, Student Guitarist
8:00 pm
free, no reservation required
New York is a skyscraper city and there is no better time to view Manhattan’s icons than after the ...
more >> sun sets and the lights go on. Fueled by competition and a dash of audacity, New York City is still producing one of mankind’s most remarkable skyline. NOTE** THIS TOUR SPENDS MUCH TIME INDOORS OR IN SUBWAYS AND GREAT FOR ALL WEATHER CONDITIONS. Please note they do utilize the subway on this tour so you will need $5 for subway.
Editor's Pick
Special guests, baritone Jeremy Huw Williams and pianist Paula Fan, with music by Gheoghe Costinescu, ...
more >> Michael Dellaira, Barbara Jazwinski, Darleen Mitchell, Brian Schober, Roger Vogel, and Beth Wiemann.
8:00 pm
free, no reservation required
Editor's Pick
Family "Liquid" Dinner is a Cabaret starring Kiley Caughey and Jessie Bangarang Atkinson featuring all ...
more >> music styles and special guest performers. Each performance has a different theme based on a stereotypical attendee of a family dinner like "Drunk Uncle" or "Angsty Teenager". Kiley and Jessie met at an open mic after both moving to NYC to pursue music and theatre. This is where they found their "NYC family". Come to dinner, they've saved you a place at the table!
Bob Dylan, Richard Pryor, Edgar Allen Poe, Jane Jacobs, James Baldwin, Jack Kerouac, Louis CK, Patti ...
more >> Smith, Joan Baez, and Truman Capote are just a few of the thousands of accomplished artists, writers, radicals, and performers who made their way through Greenwich Village. This tour, primarily focusing on the 1950s onward, visits the hangouts that have defined legendary people and the spirit of this iconic neighborhood.
11:00 pm
Pay-what-you-want admission policy...