Your weekend plans begin here, with a couple of dozen FREE and cheap things to do this final weekend of July weekend, including FREE outdoor music and dance performances at Lincoln Center, NYC Restaurant Week and more.
There’s so much to see and do in NYC and never enough time to see and do it all.
All events are FREE and family-friendly, unless otherwise noted.
The NYC on the Cheap motto is get more NYC for less money.
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.
Unless otherwise noted, street fairs are 10am to 6pm.
Know before you go:
Weekend street and bridge closures
See also
FREE museum admission every weekend
Where to beat the heat at NYC parks and beaches
Already Underway
NYC Restaurant Week
Nearly 400 top NYC restaurants are serving specially priced three-course meals $26 at lunch and $42 at dinner, the same price as last year.
This is your chance to splurge on a gourmet meal in such top-rated locally owned restaurants as the 21 Club, Delmonico’s and the Russian Tea Room.
There are participating restaurants in all five boroughs, and you can search by location or type of food.
Of course, as always, beverages, taxes and tip are additional.
Additional information here, including tips and tactics for getting Restaurang Week reservations.
Lincoln Center Out of Doors
There are three weeks of FREE music and dance performances, film screenings, comedy shows and more at this annual event, through August 11.
Lincoln Center Out of Doors showcases NYC-based dancers, performers and musicians alongside top international artists, representing many of the immigrant cultures of NYC and the diversity of music and dance traditions in America.
Friday – Concert by Jeff Tweedy
Saturday – the sounds of old-school, Texas Chicano R&B, park as Adrian Quesada (formerly of Grupo Fantasma) brings the 2018 album Look at My Soul: The Latin Shade of Texas Soul to life with the help of Tejano trailblazers Johnny Hernandez of Little Joe & the Latinaires, Ruben Ramos, and a mutigenerational all-star Texas band.
Sunday – includes dance performanes by the Sri Lankan Dance Academy of New York and music performancs by Las Caras Lindas de Mi Gente Negra.
See the full schedule here. Including times and locations on the Lincoln Center campus.
What to do in NYC on Friday
Carnegie Hall Citywide
Enjoy FREE concerts Fridays in July and August in Bryant Park.
- 6pm on the Stage, facing Sixth Avenue
What to do in NYC Friday to Sunday
Thunderbird American Indian Powwow
Now in its 41st year, this three-day cultural exchange features inter-tribal dance competitions between more than 40 Indian Nations — including the Cherokee, Choctaw, Delaware, Hopi, Kiowa, Kuna, Lakota, Matinecock, Navajo, Osagem, Rappahanock, San Blas, Santo Domingo, Shinnecock, Taino and Winnebago. About 200 participants will wear colorful costumes and perform ancient rituals such as Gourd Singing and Hoop, Smoke, Grass and Yaqui Deer dances in the apple orchard. They’ll compete in such categories as Old-Style Traditional and Fancy-Dress for monetary prizes, fun and glory.
Prices run from $5 to $16, and part of the proceeds will fund a Native American scholarship program.
It’s a spectator event, and several thousand people are expected. But it’s also a great social gathering for many of the participants, who travel from around the United States and even Canada, Mexico, Peru and Puerto Rico.
As in past years, Lewis Mofsie — a Brooklyn native who is half Hopi and half Winnebago — will be the master of ceremonies. A retired public school art teacher, he’s a nationally recognized authority on Native American history and culture.
Bonfire ceremonies are scheduled for both nights, and crafters will sell their products (i.e. Kachina dolls, jewelry, weaved embroidery), while food vendors will offer such dishes as alligator jerky, baked bread with honey and cinnamon, and Navajo tacos. Fry bread, a plate of deep-fried confection, is always a popular item. It’s usually eaten with stew or a handful of strawberries sprinkled on top.
At the Queens County Farm Museum, which spreads over 47 acres. Take a break from the Powwow and go on hayrides, get up close to animals in a petting zoo, and frolic in the countless gardens. In operation since 1697, Queens Farm is the Big Apple’s only working, undisturbed farm with livestock, heavy machinery, planting fields and a vineyard.
- At the Queens County Farm Museum, 73-50 Little Neck Pkwy. in Glen Oaks, and there’s free on-site parking.
- The gates open on Friday at 6 p.m. and on the weekend days at 10 a.m.
- Performances are Friday, 7 to 10 p.m., Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. and 7 to 10 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.
- The bonfires are scheduled for Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., weather permitting.
What to do in NYC on Saturday
Family Festival at the High Line
Everyone has a story to tell—histories, fantasies, and curiosities. Learn how to tell yours loudly, boldly, and creatively. Young artists, families, and caregivers are invited to make monumental stories inspired by artist Simone Leigh’s Brick House, the first monumental work of art on the new High Line Plinth.
Presented in partnership with the Sugar Hill Children’s Museum of Art & Storytelling in Staten Island, this is an artist-led drop-in workshops to explore the many dynamic ways to share your story with the public.
- FREE, 10am to 1pm,
- Registration is recommended to ensure space
Saturday Street Fairs
Unless otherwise noted, street fairs are 10am to 6pm.
Festival of the Americas Street Fair
- Sixth Ave. between 42nd and 56th St
Bleecker St Pompeii Festival
- Bleecker St., between Sixth and Seventh Aves.
What to do Sunday in NYC
A Great Day in Harlem
This annual event kicks off Harlem Week events. This year’s A Great Day in Harlem salutes the music of Bill Withers. The festival features R&B, Gospel, Latin, Jazz, music and dance, arts and crafts, activities for the kids, and more. Dance offering Arts & Crafts, Food & Beverages, Corporate Exhibits, General Exhibitors & Vendors., and
- FREE, Noon to 8pm in U. S. Grant National Park
- See the full Harlem Week schedule here.
FREE Salsa Dancing in the Park
Learn to dance like a pro at these Salsa, Cha-Cha and Bachata lessons and group social dances led by master teachers from the Piel Canela Dance and Music School and featuring DJ Ray Colon.
- 6pm to 9:30pm at Hudson River Park, Pier I, at 70th St.
Sunday Street Fairs
Unless otherwise noted, street fairs are 10am to 6pm.
30th Avenue Astoria Street Fair Festival
- 30th Avenue between Steinway and 29th St, Astoria
Bryant Park Area Street Fair
- 41st Street between Broadway and Sixth Ave
Vanderbilt Y Lexington Avenue Street Fair Festival
- Lexington Avenue between 42nd and 52nd St
Take a Dip
NYC Outdoor Swimming Pools
NYC has FREE outdoor swimming pools in every borough. They are open daily 11am to 7pm through mid-September.
NOTE – NYC outdoor pools will stay open until 8pm this weekend, due to the heat wave in NYC
Directory of outdoor pools in Manhattan
Directory of outdoor pools in Brooklyn
Directory of outdoor pools in Queens
Directory of outdoor pools in Bronx and Staten Island
Directory of sprinkler showers in NYC Parks
Need more things to do in NYC?
My new book is full of them. 100 Things to be exact.
100 Things to Do in New York City Before You Die is a great guide to discovering the quirky treasures of NYC, or re-discovering some of the most famous spots in the world.
Available online and in bookstores now.
NYC Beaches
NYC beaches are open for the season through Labor Day Weekend, with lifeguards, food kiosks and fun in the sun, sand and surf.
There are 14 miles of public beaches within the NYC boundaries.
Lifeguards are on duty 10am to 6pm daily, and for the third year in a row, free sunscreen is available at sunscreen stations similar to stations for hand sanitizer.
Here is our guide to the best beaches in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island you can get to by subway.
What do you think about this? We welcome your comments.