Best NYC Free Events May 1-4

POSTED BY
Evelyn Kanter

As we tell you often, it’s easy to take a big bite out of The Big Apple without taking a similar big bite out of your wallet.

Be a NYC cheapskate with these FREE and cheap happenings this week through Friday, May 4, including FREE concerts in Lincoln Center and FREE museum admission.

All Week

Young Music Makers – High school bands from around the USA, Canada and as far away as Australia perform FREE at Lincoln Center, pretty much daily through the end of May, and mostly around the famous Lincoln Center Plaza and Fountain. Enjoy and applaud these talented young people inspired to make music.

Monday and Thursday

Birdwatching in Bryant Park – Watch the birdie! Join experts from the New York Audubon Society on FREE guided walking tours to help you identify and spot some of the 120 bird species known to visit this oasis of green in Midtown.

Tours are Monday mornings and Thursday evenings through the end of May.

Tuesday and Friday

Stargazing – Look to the stars with members of the Amateur Astronomers Association, who bring their high-powered telescopes to the High Line on Tuesdays, and to the Fountain Plaza at Lincoln Center on Thursdays.

At dusk. FREE

Wednesday, May 2

1978: The NYC Parks/New York Times Photo Project – These images document the lives we led in 1978 in NYC parks, including Coney Island and Central Park. Here’s the backstory: During the New York City newspaper strike from August to November 1978, the Parks Dept. hired eight NY Times photographers to document the City’s parks. This exhibit features highlights of their 3,000 images. It is an astounding exhibit, FREE to see, at the Arsenel Gallery in Central Park.

Opening reception at 6pm, then open weekdays 9m to 5pm, through fall
Photo of beloved Mayor Koch chatting with New Yorkers in an unidentified park courtesy NYC Dept. of Parks.

Ocean Locomotion: Bio-Inspiration from the Sea – Discover how sea life impacts everything, including technology, at this FREE discussion at the American Museum of Natural History. Marine biologist Frank Fish talks about his work studying how marine animals move, and how that inspires innovation in engineering. For 21+ only, with I.D. RSVP required for admission.

7pm at the Cullman Hall of the Universe (doors open at 6:30pm). Use entrance at CPW and 81st St.

Thursday, May 3

Black Ballerina – Directed and produced by Frances McElroy, this documentary tells the story of several black women from different generations who fell in love with ballet. Six decades ago, Joan Myers Brown, Delores Browne, and Raven Wilkinson faced racism in pursuit of careers in classical dance. Today, young dancers of color continue to face formidable challenges breaking into the overwhelmingly white world of ballet. FREE, at the Library for the Performing Arts, at 6pm.

Registration required to ensure space

Friday, May 4th

Star Wars Movie Marathon Day – May the Fourth be with you today. Celebrate Star Wars at a FREE screening of Star Wars films at the Housing Works Bookstore Cafe, 126 Crosby St. in Soho., from 10am to 6pm.