Your weekend plans begin here, with a couple of dozen FREE and cheap things to do this first weekend of May, including the annual Janes’s Walks FREE walks in all five boroughs and a day of FREE music and dance performances celebrating Lincoln Center’s 60th anniversary.
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
Street closures for 5 Boro Bike Tour on Sunday
See also
FREE museum admission on weekends
FREE museum admission first weekend of the month
Best way to get FREE tickets for The Vessel at Hudson Yards
Best places in NYC to enjoy cherry blossoms
Friday to Sunday in NYC
Governor’s Island Opens for the Season
Free ferries through Sunday – All ferries to Governors Island will be FREE opening weekend, through this Sunday, May 5, including daily service from Lower Manhattan and weekend service from Brooklyn (and return trips are always free).
Join the fun, because everything on the car-free island is open for the season, and programming also is underway.
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. There are special events and performances on Saturday at their opening reception. 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..
Jane’s Walk NYC
Where to start? Jane’s Walk is an annual event held the first weekend in May worldwide, but NYC is the original and the largest, because urban activist Jane Jacobs, who changed how we live and work and walk and ride in cities, lived and worked here in NYC.
Jane’s Walk walks are FREE, led by experts including local librarians, experts in art, architecture and history, and just plain locals who want to share their love of their neighborhoods with others, and share stories.
There are hundreds of Jane’s Walks in New York City this weekend, far too many to list here.
Want to take a walk through Haunted Midtown? There’s a walk for that.
Learn about the Audubon bird murals? There’s a walk for that.
Find the ghosts of the Polo Grounds, where Willie Mays played for the New York Giants? There’s a walk for that.
You get the idea. Whatever your interests, you can find one or more to fit.
Search the Jane’s Walks NYC website by date, location or specific interest.
Many Jane’s Walks are family friendly, and the ones that are wheelchair accessible are marked as such.
All the walks are FREE. Registration is recommended to ensure space and limit group size.
Take a walk this weekend with Jane’s Walks.
Fado Festival NY
The Fado Festival NY is a celebration of the iconic Portuguese musical tradition that has ancient roots, but is ever moving forward.
Attend FREE performances of music from the traditional to contemporary by top Portuguese musicians, all weekend at Brookfield Place, formerly known as the Winter Garden.
- Concerts are at 7:30pm on Friday and Saturday and 2p on Sunday.
- See the Fado Festival NY website for details about performers, and additional events in the Ironboound District of Newark, home of the largest Portuguese popularion in the Tri-State Area..
Saturday in NYC
Lincoln Center Block Party
Lincoln Center celebrates its 60th birthday with a full day of FREE live music and dance performances, film screenings, family-friendly events and activities and more.
The Lincoln Center 60th Anniversary Block Party features something for all ages and interests throughout the iconic Lincoln Center campus.
The all-day block party celebrates the anniversary of the groundbreaking for an arts and culture complex that changed the West Side forever and set the stage (pun intended) for modern arts and culture complexes in other cities, including the Kennedy Center in Washington DC.
Although everything is FREE, some events require registration.
Since there are events in several locations at the same time, check the full event schedule to help you plan your day celebrating Lincoln Center’s 60th birthday
Designing Women Market
Shop the beautiful wares at this year’s springtime Designing Women Market and celebrate the Center for Women’s History at the New-York Historical Society.
The NYHistory Store will host talented women designers, entrepreneurs, and makers offering a variety of hand-made items ranging from Victorian-inspired jewelry to embroidered silk jackets to Tiffany-pattern scarves. Plus, there will be discounts, giveaways, and a raffle., and it’s FREE to visit the store.free to the public. See you there!
It’s FREE attend the market and watch “We Rise.” narrated by Meryl Streep and featuring the song “We Are Here” written and composed by Alicia Keys.
Does not include general Museum Admission, but If you spend more than $25 at the market, you get 2 for 1 admission to the Museum – which means either your purchase or your admission is FREE.
Be sure to visit the exhibit Hudson Rising, which traces the cultural, commercial and environmental importance of one of the world’s most important rivers.
Meet this year’s Makers: https://shop.nyhistory.org/p…/meet-our-spring-2019-designers
Learn More: https://shop.nyhistory.org/…/spring-annual-designing-women
What do you think about this? We welcome your comments.