Free & Cheap Things to Do Labor Day Weekend

Your free and cheap weekend plans begin here, with a couple of dozen things to do this long Labor Day Weekend.

Free and cheap things to see and do include FREE concerts and film screenings, FREE opera in Lincoln Center, the final days of the popular Downton Abbey exhibit, the last Friday fireworks of the summer at Coney Island, the annual West Indian Day Parade and the annual Washington Square Art Show.

Whew, we’re exhausted already and the three-day Labor Day Weekend hasn’t even started.

Everything on the NYC 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.

Today through Monday

Met Opera Summer HD Festival Festival- Ten performances from the Met’s Live in HD series of cinema transmissions on a gi-normous outdoor screen covering the front of the opera house itself. The 2018 schedule includes favorites as Madame Butterfly and Der Rosenkavalier.

Downton Abbey: The Exhibition – The Crawleys will see you now, through Monday, Sept. 3, when they pack up and leave town.

So this is your last chance to get up close and personal with actual Downton Abbey fashions and household furnishings that sprawl over three floors in Midtown.

Drool over luscious costumes, sumptuous family rooms, the kitchen and servants quarters below stairs, plus see unseen footage from the popular series.

NYC Unicycle Festival – It’s described as four days of fun on one wheel. The annual festival brings together recreational riders, world-class performers, mountain and off-road unicycle enthusiasts, mono-wheel vehicle inventors, circus enthusiasts, extreme sports riders and lessons for those who have never tried a unicycle. It’s a massive schedule that includes Governors Island, Coney Island and Central Park. Here are the highlights:

Friday – Brooklyn Unicycle Day. Festivities begin Friday afternoon with a mass ride over the Brooklyn Bridge to Coney Island. Meet-up at 2 pm next to City Hall (Manhattan) at the base of the Brooklyn Bridge for a 3pm start of a one wheel parade across Brooklyn. More details
Saturday and Sunday – Main events are on Governors Island, Noon to 5pm both days. Activities include races, competitions, exhibitions, and a variety of unicycle sports including basketball, hockey and sumo. For fans of extreme riding, the Hell on Wheel trials course challenges riders throughout the day. World-famous riders display their skills, and the rest of us can try one-wheel riding. DJ Sky King keeps the one-wheel tempo rocking. More details

Starting Monday

Broadway Week – The annual two-for-one tickets to top Broadway shows is Sept. 3-16. BOGO tickets for top shows, such as The Lion King, already are sold out.

NYC Free & Cheap on Friday

South Street eaport Museum – Enjoy FREE Friday afternoon admissions through the summer. Visit the historic museum with its exhibitions of how NYC became a world port, and tour the historic ships docket at the between 3pm and 7pm.

NYC Free and Cheap Friday and Saturday

Shakespeare in the Park – A “Gangs of New York”-styled Macbeth, set in the mid-1800s when early settlers fought for turf in the infamous Five Points area. This is a full FREE production of the famous Shakespeare play, produced by the Drilling Company, part of the Bryant Park Picnics series, with no dress code, no tickets, and no lines. More than 200 blankets are free to borrow and spread out and relax while enjoying the performance, and food and beverages available for purchase

7pm to 9pm on the Upper Terrace, Bryant Park.
If you miss it this weekend, no worries. There are performances on the same schedule next weekend, Sept. 7/8, the final weekend of the series.

NYC Free and Cheap Friday through Monday

Washington Square Outdoor Art Exhibit — this annual showcase of top local artists and artisans festival takes over the sidewalks on University Place, from East 12th Street to East Third Street, including around the perimeter of Washington Square Park. This is not ordinary street fair schlock. These are juried and vetted artists. Friday through Monday, Noon to 6 p.m., and again next weekend.

Warning – Another website that opens automatically with LOUD music, so mute your device if you don’t want to scare the neighbors.

NYC Free and Cheap Saturday through Monday

39th Richmond County Fair — Staten Island’s own festival includes performing dog shows, an 1800s style flea circus and magic show, rides, ice cream tastings and more. This is a ticketed event at Historic Richmondtown. Tickets are $45 for a family of four, with unlimited rides and games. Children under 30 inches tall are free.

11am to 6pm all three days

NYC Free & Cheap on Saturday

Silent Disco -Don headphones and party on the pier with hundreds of all-ages revelers at this Quiet Clubbing event featuring two live DJs spinning tunes of different genres. Switch DJs with a flick of a switch and sway along to the same song as your friends or tap to your own tune. First-come, first-equipped, there may be a wait for headphones as the night goes on. Bring a photo ID to “rent” the headphones, which is returned to you when you return the headphones.

5:30 -10:30pm – Pier I @ 70th St.

Washington Sq N. Fair – Washington Square North between University and MacDougal
Times Square Summer Expo Street Fair – Broadway between 47th and 57th St
Hester Street Fair’s Lobster and Beer Event – Corner of Hester and Essex St
Brooklyn Bazaar Block Party – Lexington Ave between Grand and Classon, 1pm to 8pm

NYC Free & Cheap Sunday

Astor Place Festival – Astor Place between Broadway and Lafayette

Brazilian Day Festival – Celebrate all things Brazilian, with music, dancing and food, including such top performers as Anna Furtado. On Sixth Ave., between 46th to 56th Streets and also on 46th St between Seventh and Madison Aves.

Note – The website opens with LOUD music and an announcement, so mute your device before opening it to avoid scaring the neighbors.

The Sculpture Garden opens at 7pm. Concerts begin at 8pm and are 60-90 minutes long, and you may stay in the Sculpture Garden until it closes at 10pm. In the event of rain, concerts will be held in The Agnes Gund Garden Lobby, and the Museum’s 54 Street entrance will open at 7:30 p.m.
The exhibition galleries are closed during Summergarden. The Garden Bar, on the northeast end of the Sculpture Garden, features a selection of homemade snacks, draft beer, wine, and nonalcoholic beverages. In the event of rain, the Garden Bar is closed.

NYC Free and Cheap Monday, Labor Day

New York Caribbean Carnival Parade – Celebrate all the cultures of the Caribbean and the spirit of Carnival at one of the biggest, most colorful and most musical parades of the year in NYC. The website also has information on ticketed events for steel band concerts, reggae concerts and more.

Parade is 11am to 6pm on Eastern Parkway, starting at Schenectady Ave and ending at Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn.

These streets will be closed for the West Indian American Day Parade and Festival at the discretion of NYPD:

St. John’s Place between Kingston Avenue and Franklin Avenue
Franklin Avenue between St. John’s Place and President Street
President Street between Franklin Avenue and Washington Avenue
Washington Avenue between President Street and Lincoln Place
Classon Avenue between President Street and Eastern Parkway
Buffalo Avenue between Eastern Parkway and East New York Avenue
Rochester Avenue between East New York Avenue and Sterling Place
Ralph Avenue between Eastern Parkway and East New York Avenue
East New York Avenue between Howard Avenue and Utica Avenue
Eastern Parkway between Howard Avenue and Grand Army Plaza
Flatbush Avenue between Grand Army Plaza and Caton Avenue
Ocean Avenue between Empire Boulevard and Parkside Avenue
Butler Place between Grand Army Plaza and Sterling Place
St. Johns Place between Underhill Avenue and Grand Army Plaza
Rockaway Parkway between East New York Avenue and Rutland Road
Parkside Avenue between Park Circle and Flatbush Avenue
Bedford Avenue between Eastern Parkway and Empire Boulevard
Empire Boulevard between Flatbush Avenue and Nostrand Avenue
Nostrand Avenue between Empire Boulevard and Linden Boulevard
Lincoln Place between Eastern Parkway and East New York Avenue

30th Avenue Labor Day Festival – 30th Ave between Steinway and 29th St, Astoria, Queens

Mah Jongg Marathon – Watch and learn. 1pm to 6pm, in Bryant Park,

Where to Cool Off in NYC

It’s hot out there. So here are the best places to cool off.

NOTE – Public NYC pools are open through Sunday, Sept. 9. Lifeguards at NYC beaches are on duty through Sunday, Sept. 9.

Best FREE NYC outdoor pools in Manhattan

Best FREE NYC outdoor pools in Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx and Staten Island

Best NYC beaches you can get to by subway

Best NYC rooftop bars with a breeze and a view

Best NYC outdoor beer gardens

Discount tickets for NYC harbor cruises with cool breezes and great views

What to do on a rainy day in NYC

NYC isn’t expensive when you know where to go and what to do, and we do. And we love to share.

The NYCOTC Free & Cheap Weekend Guide is $25 or less, with an occasional splurge because we deserve to treat ourselves once in a while.

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.

Must See Museum Exhibits

Rockwell, Roosevelt and the Four Freedoms – You’ve seen these Norman Rockwell images all your life and know them well. But nothing compares with seeing them in person. This timely exhibit about freedom is at the New York Historical Society.

The exhibit commemorates the 75th anniversary of publication of the illustrations in 1943, to support the WWII war effort, and remain a timely explanation of why Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Worship, Freedom from Want and Freedom from Fear are universal and important to every one of us, every day.

Sunday Free & Cheap

Summergarden at MOMA – FREE outdoor classical music and jazz concerts in the Sculpture Garden featuring the talented musicians of NYC’s The Juilliard School and Jazz at Lincoln Center. Titled New Music for New York, each Sunday evening in July. Seating is first-come first-served, and museum admission is not required. The Sculpture Garden may close if attendance reaches maximum capacity. Entrance to Summergarden is through the Sculpture Garden gate on West 54 Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues.

The Sculpture Garden opens at 7pm. Concerts begin at 8pm and are 60-90 minutes long, and you may stay in the Sculpture Garden until it closes at 10pm. In the event of rain, concerts will be held in The Agnes Gund Garden Lobby, and the Museum’s 54 Street entrance will open at 7:30 p.m.
The exhibition galleries are closed during Summergarden. The Garden Bar, on the northeast end of the Sculpture Garden, features a selection of homemade snacks, draft beer, wine, and nonalcoholic beverages. In the event of rain, the Garden Bar is closed.

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.

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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Let’s hope the weather cooperates for outdoor events. If not –

5 FREE and cheap things to do in NYC on a rainy day

Best FREE things to do in NYC any day of the year

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.

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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.

#NYCfree @nyccheap

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.