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You are here: Home / NYC Cheap Weekend / NYC Free & Cheap Weekend May 17-19
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NYC Free & Cheap Weekend May 17-19

POSTED BY
Evelyn Kanter

best of new york_nyconthecheap.com

Your weekend plans begin here, with a couple of dozen FREE and cheap things to do this mid-May weekend.

Everything we suggest is $25 or less, and most are FREE and family-friendly, so you can enjoy more NYC for less money.

That just happens to be the NYC on the Cheap motto – get more NYC for less money.

There’s so much to see and do in NYC and never enough time to see and do it all.

Let’s hope the weather cooperates with outdoor events. 

But if it doesn’t, here are some rainy day activities in NYC, besides re-arranging your sock drawer.

Know before you go:

Weekend street and bridge closures

See also

FREE museum admission on weekends

Best way to get FREE tickets for The Vessel at Hudson Yards

Best places in NYC to enjoy cherry blossoms


What to do in NYC Today, Friday

100 Things to do in NYC Before You DieMeet Me at Westsider Books

Join NYC on the Cheap Editor Evelyn Kanter for the launch of my new NYC guidebook, 100 Things to Do in NYC Before You Die. 

Meet me at Westsider Books, 2246 Broadway, for a book launch party, on Friday, May 17th, 7pm to 9pm, to check out the guidebook and the other great books, records and CDs at this special indie bookstore, and chat about the best city on the planet, your favorite NYC museum, restaurant or retail shop, and more.

  • Westsider Books is next to Staples and across the street from Broadway, between 80th and 81st Streets.

Meet me at Jones Wood Foundry. 

Tues., May 21, 5:30p-7:30p

Jones Wood Foundry, 401 E. 76th St., bet. First and York Aves.

Happy Hour drinks & complimentary nibbles


Today and Saturday

nyc free eventsHamlet: Princess of Denmark

What if Hamlet had been a woman?  Could that have made a difference for the would-be monarch?Fans of Shakespeare can explore these questions as Shakespeare in Bryant Park returns for the 2019 season with a production of Hamlet: Princess of Denmark, performed by The Drilling Company.Women have played Hamlet as a man throughout history, but rarely has the Melancholy Dane been portrayed as a female. Known for its bold and imaginative takes on the Bard’s work, The Drilling Company is the perfect troupe to present one of history’s most-produced plays in a new light.Hamlet: Princess of Denmark runs May 16-18, and again next weekend, May 23-25, 7pm–9pm.  FREE, of course.It’s an informal and welcoming way to experience world-class performing arts while enjoying a spring picnic.

  • More than 200 blankets are available to borrow at the Bryant Park Shop + Info tent, and food and drink are available for purchase.

What to do in NYC on Saturday

Essex Street Market NYCEssex Market Grand Opening Celebration

In case you haven’t heard, Essex Market has moved across the street to modern, shiny new digs, and they are celebrating with an all day event with FREE food tastings, live music, cooking demos, discounts, and giveaways that include a FREE re-usable Essex Market grocery tote bag to tote home goodies by NYC-based vendors.  Also, when you purchase anything, you’ll get a FREE raffle ticket.  All in all, a taste deal.  

The new Essex Market is at 88 Essex Street, directly across the street from the old Essex Market.  The celebration is 11am to 5pm. 

Here’s the schedule of events:

Live music and performances on the mezzanine

  • Colombian and Dominican music by live bands Yotoco, Palortré and dj tres dos
  • Performance and mask-making workshop by Junktown Duende and Yesenia Selier of The Loisaida Center
  • Dance performances by the seniors at Grand Street Settlement
  • Coloring with children’s book illustrator Aaron Meshon (who designed our mural!)

Mini-classes and demos in the Essex Kitchen. Seating and participation is on a first-come, first-serve basis.

  • 11am – Colorful Kids Cooking with The Creative Kitchen
  • 11:45am – Fresh Bites: Free Cooking Classes at Essex Market (translated into Spanish & Chinese!)
  • 12:45pm – Cooking With Granny teaches a generations-old kimchi recipe
  • 1:45pm – Food Adventures with Spoons Across America – Fun & Healthy Kids’ Cooking
  • 2:30pm – Mediterranean Delights Demo with Samesa
  • 3pm – Intro to Medicinal Herbalism with Flower Power Herbs & Roots
  • 3:30pm – Homemade Ice Cream with L.E.S. Ice Cream Factory
  • 4pm – Couscous From Scratch with Zerza Moroccan Food
  • 4:40pm – Creative Cupcake Decorating with Sugar Sweet Sunshine Bakery

Frieze Sculpture

Frieze NY is the big annual art show on Randall’s Island, with over-the-top daily ticket prices starting at $57.  Fuggedaboudit.  Instead, see some of the best art from Frieze NY artists FREE in Rockefeller Center.

Frieze Sculpture is a major new public art initiative with significant sculptures across the Rockefeller Center campus by 14 international artists including Goshka Macuga, Ibrahim Mahama, Joan Miró, Paulo Nazareth, Sarah Sze and Hank Willis Thomas.

Frieze Sculpture is curated by Brett Littman of the Isamu Noguchi Foundation and Garden Museum in Queens, and presented in partnership with world-leading galleries.

  • Take a FREE docent-led tour of the sculptures at Noon. 
  • The sculptures are on site through June 28th.

What to do in NYC Saturday and Sunday

free events for kidsChildren’s Festival

Enjoy the museum’s annual FREE Children’s Festival at the National Museum of the American Indian in Lower Manhattan and explore the Taíno culture of the Caribbean.

Hands-on activities include hammock weaving, decorating clay pots, making a maraca, or making a sun design magnet to take home. Interactive dance led by Irka Mateo (Taíno) and traditional storytelling with Bobby Gonzalez (Taíno).

  • This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council.  
  • 11am to 5pm both days.
  • NMAI has FREE admission year-round.

 

Sacred Sites Open House WeekendSacred Sites Weekend

Visit and tour NYC’s religious treasures during The New York Landmarks Conservancy’s ninth annual Sacred Sites Open House weekend.
 
This year’s theme is “From Medieval to Modern: Celebrating New York’s Religious Art and Architecture.’’
 
The Sacred Sites Open House Weekend is always special, this year even more, because the recent devastating fire at Notre Dame in Paris has made us all think about our cultural landmarks, religious and not.

Friday through Sunday in NYC

Open for the Season

governors island

The New Art Dealers Alliance returns to the Island for NADA House, an exhibition spanning three houses on Colonels Row featuring work by 45 artists from NADA’s international network of galleries and nonprofits.  . More info here.

Fabulous food and beverage vendors include newcomers like Neapolitan Express and Perros Y Vainas and returning favorites like Little Eva’s and Taco Vista. Also returning are bike rentals from Blazing Saddles and Citi Bike and the thrilling zip line and other fun activities at Adventures at Governors Island.

Governor Island is open daily through Oct. 31.

Check the ferry schedule here

 

See next page for more

FREE and cheap things to do

Saturday and Sunday

including street fairs and must-see museum exhibits

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Posted by Evelyn Kanter on May 17, 2019 | Updated May 18, 2019 Filed Under: Jewish New York · NYC Cheap Weekend · NYC Free Tagged With: Sacred Sites Open House Weekend

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NYC does not have to be expensive when you know where the deals and freebies are.

We’re here to help you save money on NYC restaurants, theater, museums, shopping, events and more, as we have been doing since 2010.

Get more NYC for less money with NYCOTC. That’s our motto and we’re sticking to it.

Contact us: info@nyconthecheap.com

Who We Are

Your chief guide is Evelyn Kanter, a lifelong New Yorker and award-winning professional journalist.

Evelyn Kanter is a former consumer reporter for WABC-TV Eyewitness News and WCBS Radio Newsradio 88, the author of several NYC travel guidebooks and mobile apps, and zillions of newspaper and magazine articles, including for the NY Times, NY Post, NY Daily News and New York Magazine. Nobody  can match those NYC credentials.

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If you’d like to help keep NYCOTC in the business of helping you save money, this is a great way to do it. It’s a win-win because the direct links save you both time searching for great deals and money.

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100 Things to do in NYC Before You Die

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