free things to do in New York City
Free events for Thursday, 09/18/25
<

September 2025

>
Su Mo Tu We Th Fr Sa
 123456
78910111213
14151617181920
21222324252627
282930    
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 18, 2025?

19 free events take place on Thursday, September 18 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 18 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.
Join the Club!

Go!
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!

19 free things to do in New York City (NYC) on Thursday, September 18, 2025

All events are free unless otherwise noted.
        

Workshop | Pick-Up Pickleball


An exciting fusion of badminton and tennis, pickleball has been proven to strengthen muscles, boost cardiovascular health, and enhance brain function. First come first serve basis.
   New York City, NY; NYC
Join the Club!
Go!
9:00 am
Free
Workshops, September 18, 2025, 09/18/2025, Pick-Up Pickleball

Film | The Sound of Music (1965): Musical Drama with Julie Andrews


Celebrating 60 years of the heartwarming musical; a young novice is sent by her convent in 1930s Austria to become a governess to the seven children of a widowed naval officer. Director: Robert Wise Cast: Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Richard Haydn, Peggy Wood Julie Andrews is an English actress, singer, and author, and one of the last surviving leading actresses from the Golden Age of Hollywood. She has garnered numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over seven decades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, two Emmy Awards, three Grammy Awards, and six Golden Globe Awards as well as nominations for three Tony Awards. She has been honoured with an Honorary Golden Lion, the Kennedy Center Honors in 2001, the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award in 2007, and the AFI Life Achievement Award in 2022. She was made a dame by Queen Elizabeth II in 2000.
   New York City, NY; NYC
Join the Club!
Go!
11:00 am
Free
Films, September 18, 2025, 09/18/2025, The Sound of Music (1965): Musical Drama with Julie Andrews

Film | McHale's Navy (1964): Technicolor Comedy


The crazy crew of McHale decide to use their PT boat as an off-track betting parlor and run in to lots of trouble when they owe money to some marines and a horse they bought causes a Japanese sub to run aground. Director: Edward Montagne Cast: Ernest Borgnine, Joe Flynn, Tim Conway, Carl Ballantine, Gary Vinson, Billy Sands
   New York City, NY; NYC
Join the Club!
Go!
2:00 pm
Free
Films, September 18, 2025, 09/18/2025, McHale's Navy (1964): Technicolor Comedy

Workshop | Photo-Based Creative Writing Session


This event is an afternoon of creative writing inspired by photographs. No formal writing experience is required - just enthusiasm and curiosity to see where writing takes you. Come write freely and meet other people who love writing for the sake of writing!
   New York City, NY; NYC
Join the Club!
Go!
2:30 pm
Free
Workshops, September 18, 2025, 09/18/2025, Photo-Based Creative Writing Session

Museums | Discover the Colors of Korea


Curator Eleanor Hyun dives into the vibrant traditions and stories behind Korean artworks, offering fresh perspectives and hidden details. Note: Space is limited; first-come, first-served.
   New York City, NY; NYC
Join the Club!
Go!
3:00 pm
Free
Museumss, September 18, 2025, 09/18/2025, Discover the Colors of Korea

Workshop | Cardio Boxing Workout


Enjoy a full-body workout incorporating boxing techniques, cardio, and strength training and various coordination exercises. No gloves necessary.  For Adults 18+
   New York City, NY; NYC
Join the Club!
Go!
5:00 pm
Free
Workshops, September 18, 2025, 09/18/2025, Cardio Boxing Workout

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
Join the Club!
Go!
5:00 pm
$5, tickets required
Museumss, September 18, 2025, 09/18/2025, Thursday Evening Exploring the Photography Museum

Film | They Died with Their Boots On (1941): Biographical Western War Film with Errol Flynn


The portrayal of General Custer, the famed cavalryman, in this hoof-and-thunder chronicle tracing his career from dandyish West Point plebe to Civil War hero to frontier legend immortalized by the Battle of Little Big Horn. Director: Raoul Walsh Cast: Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Arthur Kennedy, Sydney Greenstreet Errol Flynn was an Australian and American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Olivia de Havilland, and reputation for his womanising and hedonistic personal life. His most notable roles include Robin Hood in The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938), which was later named by the American Film Institute as the 18th-greatest hero in American film history, the lead role in Captain Blood (1935), Major Geoffrey Vickers in The Charge of the Light Brigade (1936), and the hero in a number of Westerns.
   New York City, NY; NYC
Join the Club!
Go!
5:30 pm
Free
Films, September 18, 2025, 09/18/2025, They Died with Their Boots On (1941): Biographical Western War Film with Errol Flynn

Movie in a Park | Brazilian Romantic Tragedy Black Orpheus


As part of Hispanic Heritage Month, enjoy an outdoor screening of the 1959 Brazilian classic Black Orpheus, a timeless retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice myth set during Rio’s Carnival. The evening begins with a live performance by Rumbamena Dance Company, followed by the award-winning film under the night sky. 
   New York City, NY; NYC
Join the Club!
Go!
6:00 pm
Free
Movie in a Parks, September 18, 2025, 09/18/2025, Brazilian Romantic Tragedy Black Orpheus

Opening Reception | Decorative Bookplate Art Competition Exhibition


This exhibition showcases the beautiful bookplates that took part in our a 2025 bookplate competition. The winning bookplate would go ahead to take home $500 and be pasted on books added to the library’s collection. In honor of the library and its collective conservation efforts which have been integral for decades, come see the library’s visual identity as envisioned by artist members.
   New York City, NY; NYC
Join the Club!
Go!
6:00 pm
Free
Opening Receptions, September 18, 2025, 09/18/2025, Decorative Bookplate Art Competition&nbsp;Exhibition

Opening Reception | Food, Fashion & the Female Form 


Blending painting, sculpture, video, and installation, Chloe Wise humorously explores how identity is shaped through consumption, image-making, and cultural desire. Drawing on art history and advertising, her meticulously crafted works, often featuring hand-painted casts of food, blur fiction and reality while parodying the structures that frame and commodify the body.
   New York City, NY; NYC
Join the Club!
Go!
6:00 pm
Free
Opening Receptions, September 18, 2025, 09/18/2025, Food, Fashion & the Female Form&nbsp;

Lecture | Influential Dancer Explores Classical indian Dance Form, Bharatanatyam


Priyadarsini Govind is an influential dancer in the world of Bharatanatyam, one of the eight classical Indian dances. For this lecture, Govind presents and performs around Bharatanatyam, showing how universal human emotions are interpreted and transformed through the lens of classical dance.
   New York City, NY; NYC
Join the Club!
Go!
6:00 pm
Free
Lectures, September 18, 2025, 09/18/2025, Influential Dancer Explores Classical indian Dance Form,&nbsp;Bharatanatyam

Opening Reception | Language, Desire & Surveillance Installation 


This exhibition presents a multi-sensory installation that probes how language, desire, and institutions shape embodied experience. Featuring a three-story video projection and new sculptures, the work immerses viewers in the unsettling sensation of a body under surveillance and infiltration. 
   New York City, NY; NYC
Join the Club!
Go!
6:00 pm
Free
Opening Receptions, September 18, 2025, 09/18/2025, Language, Desire & Surveillance Installation&nbsp;

Talk | Learning about Alternative Literature & Zines


From Tumblr threads to self-published novels, alternative literature is rewriting how we tell stories and who gets to tell them. This event will explore how alt-lit remixes cultural narratives and creates community beyond traditional publishing, diving into a world shaped by parasocial relationships, the internet, and all of the media therein, including fan fiction, zines, newsletters, and forums. Featuring a panel of experts from 4N, Choo Choo press, and Acacia Magazine, followed by a zine swap and mixer, this event aims to offer a countercanon rooted in passion, identity, and connection.
   New York City, NY; NYC
Join the Club!
Go!
6:00 pm
Free
Talks, September 18, 2025, 09/18/2025, Learning about Alternative Literature & Zines

Book Club | Luddite Book Club: The AI Con


Stop scrolling and put down your phone… this Offline Book Club is a space for in-person conversation about the role technology plays in our world. The AI Con: How to Fight Big Tech's Hype and Create the Future We Want by Emily M. Bender and Alex Hanna (2025) "A wide-ranging take-down of 'AI hype' across its many forms. Readers will be prepared to push back at work, as a consumer in the marketplace, as a skeptical newsreader, and as a citizen holding policymakers to account."
   New York City, NY; NYC
Join the Club!
Go!
6:30 pm
Free
Book Clubs, September 18, 2025, 09/18/2025, Luddite Book Club:&nbsp;The AI Con

Screening | Rendez-vous of the Docks (Le Rendez-vous des quais) (1955): Historic, Controversial French Political Drama Film


Banned in France for nearly thirty years, this film stands as a vital work of political cinema and  chronicle of working-class life in postwar Marseille.  This film is set against the backdrop of the early 1950s dockworkers’ strikes in Marseilles, when the workers—discovering they were unwittingly loading weapons by day and unloading coffins by night—go on strike in opposition to France’s war in Vietnam. The film was censored for 30 years for its anti-colonial, anti-war message and open solidarity with the labor movement, and only rediscovered decades later. Director: Paul Carpita Cast: André Abrias, Jeanine Moretti, Roger Manunta In French with English subtitles.
   New York City, NY; NYC
Join the Club!
Go!
6:30 pm
Free
Screenings, September 18, 2025, 09/18/2025, Rendez-vous of the Docks (Le Rendez-vous des quais) (1955): Historic, Controversial French Political&nbsp;Drama Film

Concert | Latin Grammy-Winning All-Women Mariachi Band


Experience the enchanting sounds of Flor de Toloache, the Latin Grammy-winning and Grammy-nominated all-female mariachi band that is breaking boundaries with their innovative blend of traditional and contemporary Latin American music. 7PM DOORS 7:15PM DJ SET 8PM SHOW
   New York City, NY; NYC
7:00 pm
Free
Concerts, September 18, 2025, 09/18/2025, Latin Grammy-Winning All-Women Mariachi Band

Jazz | One of New York City's Hottest Jazz Bands


The improvisational group East Axis brings their musical expertise for an unforgettable night of improvisational jazz. Featuring renowned musicians Eric McPherson on drums, Kevin Ray on bass, Scott Robinson on sax, and Matthew Shipp on piano, the band finished second in the JazzTimes Critics Poll for 2021 New Artist for their freshman release, Cool with That. No Subject, their critically lauded 2023 follow-up album, was deemed "full of layers, shadings, and unexpected rhythms; an open soundscape that defies labels," by All About Jazz magazine. 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
7:30 pm
Free
Concerts, September 18, 2025, 09/18/2025, One of New York City's Hottest Jazz Bands

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
Join the Club!
Go!
8:00 pm
Free
Comedy Clubs, September 18, 2025, 09/18/2025, Standup Show
Complimentary Tickets

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

Musical | "A Must See" Musical Directed by Emmy Nominee

Regular Price: $87
CFT Member Price: $0.00

Performance | Edge-of-Your-Seat Spectacular Show

Regular Price: $91
CFT Member Price: $0.00
Join the Club!

Go!