Your weekend plans begin here, with a couple of dozen FREE and cheap things to in NYC this Veterans Day Weekend, including FREE admission to National Parks and historic sites such as the Statue of Liberty, and the annual Veterans Day Parade on Fifth Ave.
The NYC on the Cheap weekend list is $25 or less, and most things are FREE, so you can enjoy NYC more for less money.
Unless otherwise noted, street fairs are 10am to 6pm, rain or shine, so let’s hope for shine, especially for all the outdoor events.
So much to see and do and so little time.
This information is from 2018
Click here for 2019 information
Opening this Weekend
Gingerbread Lane 2018
Marvel at a small city of homemade gingerbread houses made entirely of edible gingerbread, royal icing and candy. More than 1,000 gingerbread houses are designed, baked, planned, built and decorated by chef Jon Lovitch over the course of an entire year, and this amazing annual construction is a four-time winner for being the world’s largest gingerbread house. Or Gingerbread lane.
- FREE with admission to the NY Hall of Science in Queens, through mid-January
Smorgasburg in Manhattan
The largest weekly open-air food market in the US, will be at the World Trade Center through Sunday. Foodies will find nearly 20 vendors serving delicious bites at Oculus Plaza from 12-7p each day. A beer garden will be open on November 8. Vendors include Ramen Burger, Red Hook Lobster Pound and Jianbing, with it’s menu of popular Shanghai savory crepes. Fine a list of all food purveyors here.
Smorgasburg goes indoors
Smorgasburg Winter Market moves to the former OfficeMax space inside the Atlantic Center in Fort Greene, at 625 Atlantic Ave. In addition to food vendors, it includes a couple of dozen vendors from Booklyn Flea. Saturdays 11am to 8pm and Sundays until 5pm. Indoors through the end of March 2019.
Any time
Visit one or more of these six war memorials in New York City and pay your respects to New Yorkers who served, and gave the ultimate sacrifice, in the Revolutionary War, Civil War, World War I, World War II and the Vietnam War.
Veterans Weekend street and bridge closures
Veterans Weekend parking regulations
Friday to Sunday
Just in time for holiday gift buying, including for yourself, attend this leading artist fair presented exclusively by Saatchi Art in New York, Los Angeles, London, Bristol, Sydney, and Melbourne. Following two successful editions in 2017, The Other Art Fair returns to Greenpoint’s Brooklyn Expo Center for a third installment showcasing more than 130 talented emerging artists, alongside a unique and immersive features program. Who knows, you might see the next Picasso
Through Nov. 15
Admire more than 100,000 unopened cans of food stacked into larger-than-life gravity-defying sculptures, before disassembly and donation to City Harvest for distribution to some 500 soup kitchens and food pantries across New York City. FREE at Brookfield Place.
Waiting for Godot
A brilliant staging of the classic Samuel Beckett play, part of the Lincoln Center White Light Festival, part slapstick comedy, part serious questions about the meaning of life and friendship. Does Godot ever arrive? Don’t wait to find out. Tickets start at $35.
Holiday Crafts Fairs this Weekend
Get a head start on your holiday shopping at these crafts fairs, offering one-of-a-kind handmade goodies for the entire family.
Artists & Artisans Shopping Fair – Sat. 11am-5pm at The LGBT Center, 208 W. 13th St between 7th and 8th Ave
American Fine Craft Show – Sat. and Sun. at the Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway
Grace Episcopal Church Christmas Fair – Sat. and Sun. at 802 Broadway at 10th St
The American Art Fair – Sat. to Tues., at Bohemian National Hall, 321 E. 73rd St between First and Second Aves.
Through Nov. 18
Eataly Flatiron Restaurant Fest
Eataly has done some remodeling since separating itself from disgraced co-founder chef Mario Batali, including removing his name, books and products. The “new” Eataly is celebrating with two-course lunch and dinner specials at all its sit-down restaurants, for either $18 or $28, depending on the restaurant, and $25 bottles of wine.
Friday in NYC
Smorgasburg Night Market is new, and for November and December only, unless it catches on and is expanded. It’s Fridays, at the Villian, a party apce at 307 Kent Ave. in Williamsburg. There’s also DJs. The Smorgasburg Night Market is open Fridays from 6pm until whenever.
- Admission is FREE, but a $25 ticket gets you priority admission along with two cocktails and a 20% discount on anything else you buy, whether that’s food, drink or merchandise.
Saturday in NYC
Central Park Community Block Party – 60th St between Fifth Ave and Madison Aves.
NYC Tourist Day Street Fair – 50th St between Sixth and Seventh Aves
Lower East Cider Fest – 6:30pm-9pm – Essex Street Market, 120 Essex St
Sunday in NYC
Veterans Day Parade – Show your American pride and give thanks to the US Military. Parade marches proudly up Fifth Ave., from 23rd St. to 52nd St., starting at 10:30am.
National Parks Commemorate Veterans Day With Free Admission and Special Events
The National Park Service will commemorate Veterans Day with special events and free admission nationwide on Sunday, November 11. Multiple parks and programs will emphasize the 100th anniversary of the Armistice of World War I.
- In 1918, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, the Armistice ended the fighting in World War I. A war that ravaged Europe also left its mark on America, influencing events and perspectives for decades to come.
SEE ALSO
Veterans day freebies and deals at restaurants
Veteran’s Day Parade Block Party – 53rd St between Madison and Sixth Ave
Lexington Avenue Fall Street Fair Festival – Lexington Ave between 42nd St and 57th St
Comic Arts Brooklyn – Pratt Institute, 395 Dekalb Ave, Brooklyn
Monday in NYC
Veterans Day Festival – Broadway between Liberty St and Battery Pl
Let’s hope the weather cooperates with all the outdoor events.
And if it doesn’t, here are some rainy day activities in NYC, besides re-arranging your sock drawer.
Now Open for the Holidays
No, you didn’t sleep through Halloween and Thanksgiving. The annual Bryant Park Winter Village is now open for the season, with FREE ice skating and more than 170 vendor kiosks for holiday shopping. Also this year is a a rink-side bar and food hall with a dozen food vendors.
The Winter Village opens at noon on Saturday, and to celebrate, Bryant Park and village sponsor Bank of America are treating the first 100 entrants to a free skate rental, a pair of red gloves courtesy and a cup of hot chocolate.
- The shops are open through Jan. 2. The ice skating rink is open through mid-March or later.
- Also now open for the season is ice skating at Rockefeller Center.
Must-See Museum Exhibits
Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow examines the meaning of citizenship for African Americans following the abolition of slavery, through Reconstruction and the rise of the Jim Crow era. By 1868, all persons born in the United States were citizens and equal before the law, but efforts to create an interracial democracy were contested from the start. A harsh backlash ensued, ushering in the “separate but equal” age of Jim Crow.
Marking the 150th anniversary of the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment – back in the news today with all the headlines about immigration and birthright citizenship – and featuring art, artifacts, photographs and media, the exhibition highlights the central role played by African Americans in advocating for their rights and also examines the depth and breadth of opposition to black advancement. Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow is part of New-York Historical’s new initiative to dedicate rotating gallery space to covering topics of freedom, equality, and civil rights in America.
- New York Historical Society, Central Park West at 76th St., through early 2019.
Also at New York Historical Society is the Harry Potter History of Magic exhibit.
See both exhibits for one price on the same ticket.
Pink: The History of a Punk, Pretty, Powerful Color – FREE exhibition organized by the museum’s director and chief curator, Dr. Valerie Steele. Pink features approximately 80 ensembles from the 18th century to the present, with examples by designers and brands such as Elsa Schiaparelli, Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Alessandro Michele of Gucci, Jeremy Scott of Moschino, and Rei Kawakubo of Comme des Garçons. The exhibition is organized by the museum’s director and chief curator, Dr. Valerie Steele, and will be accompanied by a book published by Thames & Hudson- The Museum at FIT (Fashion Institute of Technology), Seventh Ave. at 27th St., through early January 2019.
Every Friday in NYC
Freebie Friday – FREE admission to NYC museums including MOMA. No passes or coupons needed. Just go.
Get FREE admission to more than a dozen NYC museums with the IDNYC card. Enrollment is also FREE.
Freebie Friday: Family Fridays at MoMath – Solve puzzles, family-style, and learn how math affects everything, from music to space flight. 6:30pm, FREE The National Museum of Mathematics is at 11 E. 26th St.
Freebie Friday – Grand Central Neighborhood Tour. FREE every Friday at 12:30, docents from the Grand Central Partnership guide you through the history of the fabled Grand Central Terminal and some equally-fabled nearby landmarks including the Chrysler Building. There are no tickets, no reservations. Just meet at Sculpture court at 120 Park Avenue (southwest corner of East 42nd Street). Tour is 90 minutes.
Every Saturday in NYC
FREE Saturday admission at top NYC museums every Saturday all year includes the Jewish Museum and the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum.
Every Sunday in NYC
FREE Sunday admission at top NYC museums including Morgan Library and Museum.
FREE Flatiron Walking Tour – Join professional guides on a 90-minute journey through this vibrant neighborhood, viewing some of the City’s most notable landmarks, including the New York Life Insurance Building, the MetLife Clock Tower, the Appellate Courthouse and the famous Flatiron Building. Every Sunday at 11am, rain or shine. No advance registration is required. Comfortable walking shoes are recommended.
SEE ALSO
You now get FREE admission to more than 30 NYC museums and cultural institutions with the new CulturePass. It’s a new perk to use with your library card from the NYPL, Brooklyn Museum or Queens Museum systems.
The NYCOTC Free & Cheap Weekend Guide is $25 or less, with an occasional splurge because we deserve to treat ourselves once in a while.
NYC isn’t expensive when you know where to go and what to do, and we do. And we love to share.
- Unless a price is noted, our weekend list is FREE, but we usually remind you anyway.
- Unless otherwise noted, outdoor events are rain or shine, so let’s hope for shine.
- Street fairs are 11am to 6pm, unless otherwise noted.
Getting Around NYC – Know Before You go
FREE apps on subway track work and schedulng delays – Know what trains are bypassing what stations so you aren’t late for one of these free and cheap weekend events.
SEE ALSO Manhattan subway stations closed through Autumn 2018 for repairs
NYC official street closures website – Know what streets are closed when for street fairs, parades, political protests and more.
2018 NYC parking calendar – Know when you have to move your car, or not.
Where to eat at LaGuardia Airport – Top NYC restaurants and cafes are replacing fast food joints.
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Also, check the list of best free things to do in NYC any day of the week, including weekends.
Enjoy your free and cheap NYC weekend.
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