Labor Day means the end of FREE summer events and the beginning of FREE autumn events, including a FREE day at the US Open. Save money and enjoy NYC on the cheap with one or more of these FREE and frugal concerts, lectures, opera and more, then see our special round-up of FREE and cheap weekend events on Friday.
We’re also now including $15 or less events, because there are are some great events for $15 or less you would miss if we don’t tell you about them.
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- Today, Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 5
Met Opera HD Festival – This is the final night of ten days of FREE opera performances outdoors on a giant screen in Lincoln Center Plaza. Tonight it’s a rarely performed Bizet opera.
Starting today:
20 at 20 – See Off-Broadway shows for $20 for 20 days. More than 30 Off-Broadway shows are participating in this annual ticket deal, through Sept. 25.
Broadway Week – Get two-for-one tickets to Broadway Shows
- Tuesday, Sept. 6
Cheap eats: Get a FREE Dairy Queen Frappe today only
Sessions at the Circle: Leslie Odom Jr. – See the Tony Award-winning star of Hamilton FREE in concert at the Shops at Columbus Circle. He’ll probably be offering us songs from his first solo album, released recently. Get there well before the 6PM “curtain time” or you won’t be able to get into the room where it happens, which is on the second floor.
Learn conversational Chinese – Learn the basics of Chinese, from how to say hello to how to say goodbye, at FREE classes over ten Tuesdays, beginning today, at the Mid-Manhattan Library.
Strangers in the West: The Syrian Colony of NYC 1880-1900 – Hear the story of the Arab-speaking immigrants who settled in NYC more than a century ago, from what is now Syria, Iraq and Iran, settling mainly on the lower west side of Manhattan, around the area that became the site of the World Trade Center, an area then known as Little Syria. They were peddlers and merchants, midwives and doctors, priests and journalists, performers and impresarios. They capitalized on the orientalist craze sweeping the United States by opening Turkish smoking parlors, presenting belly dancers on vaudeville stages, and performing across the country in native costume This FREE illustrated talk is by author NYC scholar and historian Linda Jacobs, who wrote the book. 6:30PM at the Skyscraper Museum, also located in what was Little Syria. Although the event is FREE, an RSVP to programs@skyscraper.org is required for admission, which also includes the chance to visit the galleries.
Stargazing at the High Line – Every Tuesday until October 25th, take a closer look at the stars, FREE. Peer through high-powered telescopes provided by the knowledgeable members of the Amateur Astronomers Association of New York to see rare celestial sights. At the Diller-von Furstenberg Sundeck, on the High Line at West 14th Street
Wednesday, Sept. 7
German youth orchestra concert – The Orchester Die Arche, made up of 54 young Bavarian musicians, perform a FREE classical music concert at the German Consulate General on Wednesday, September 7, 2016. This talented group raised their own money to visit New York, including their flight, including seven concerts, 100 hours of street music, a musical dinner, and of course a lot of rehearsal hours behind them. The concert includes Rachmaninov’s Pianto Concerto No. 2 and Dvorak’s “From a New World” along with classic and modern chamber music. Admission is free, but an RSVP is required. The concert is at 6PM at the German Consulate General, 871 United Nations Plaza.
The Newest Dish on Jewish Fish – If you’ve ever wondered why the popularity of smoked sable, gefilte fish and lox has spread (pardon the pun) from Jewish homes and Jewish delis to the wider population, this is the program for you. Get the dish on fish at this lecture with foodies and authors Ina Yalof (Food and the City) and Ezra Glinter (Modern Jewish Cookbook). And if you’re hungry for more (yikes, another pun), stay for a special tour of the current exhibit, “Nourishing Tradition: Jewish Cookbooks and the Stories they Tell”. Tickets are $15 with no service fee . At the Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th St., at 7PM.
- Thursday, Sept. 8
Community Day at the US Open – FREE admission to the tournament grounds, and your chance to see men’s and women’s doubles, mixed doubles, junior competition. Gates open from noon to 6PM.
- Friday, Sept 9
Living Memorial Concert for 9/11 – A group of young musicians is giving four FREE concerts over four days, starting today, in honor of the victims, families and friends of September 11.
Friday Freebies – See our list NYC museums with FREE Friday admission.
Know about an event you’d like to see included on NYC on the Cheap? email us at info@nyconthecheap.com.
We’ll have information about free and cheap events in NYC on our regular Friday morning posting.
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