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Category: Free

  • 2015 NYC Free Outdoor Movies

    movie-projector

    A fun (and free) way to spend a summer evening in New York City is to attend one of the outdoor summer film festivals.

    Bryant Park hosts the 2015 HBO Summer Film Festival.  The movies are shown on Monday nights June 22nd – August 24th.  Films on the 2015 schedule include Ghostbusters, The Killers, The Poseidon Adventure, I’m No Angel, Badlands, Footloose, Marathon Man, Desk Set, Chinatown, and Back to the Future.

    The Intrepid Museum’s Free Summer Movie Series has one of the most unusual locations. You watch the films on the deck of the Intrepid Aircraft Carrier!  You’re encouraged to bring a lawn chair or blanket and a picnic (no alcoholic beverages).  The 2015 series starts May 22nd with Top Gun. The remainder of the series takes place Thursday evenings from July 9th  – August 6th. Films include October Sky, Moon, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Apollo 13, and Wall-E.  A special guest will introduce each film.

    The Central Park Film Festival features free films for one week during the month of August. The films are shown in an area just north of the Sheep Meadow, mid-park at 69th Street.  The 2015 dates are August 25th – 29th. The film list has not been announced yet.

    Brooklyn Bridge Park shows films in a setting with great nighttime views of the city.  The Syfy Movies with a View series shows free outdoor movies on the Harborview Lawn at Pier 1  Thursday nights, July 9th – August 27th.  The 2015 theme is films that take place in one 24 hour time period. The films are High Noon, Sharknado 2, Attack the Block, Clue, Friday, Dr. Strangelove, Dazed and Confused, and Die Hard.

    River Flicks features free outdoor movies in Hudson River Park on Manhattan’s West Side waterfront.  There are two versions of River Flicks – “Big Hit Wednesday” on the Pier 63 Lawn and “Family Fridays” on Pier 46.  The 2015 Wednesday series includes The Imitation Game, Neighbors, Selma, St. Vincent, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, Boyhood, and Interstellar.  The 2015 Family Fridays series includes SpongeBob: Sponge Out of Water, The BoxTrolls, Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, Annie (2014), Jumanji, Paddington, and Hook.

    Films on the Green is a series of free outdoor French film screening in New York City parks. Fridays May 29 – July 31, with a special screening on September 10th. The locations vary and include Central Park, Washington Square, Tompkins Square Park, Riverside Park Pier 1, and other park locations throughout the city. 2015 films include Caramel, Pepe Le Moko, Priceless, Zarafa, Goha, Queen to Play, La Derive, La Collectionneuse, and The Rabbi’s Cat.

     
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  • Free Public Art Exhibit in Central Park’s North End

    In celebration of Central Park’s 35th Anniversary, non-profit organization CreativeTime and the Central Park Conservancy present “Drifting in Daylight: Art in Central Park.”

    Billed as a “springtime pathway of art,” the project is an exhibit of eight site-specific “performative, participatory, and perceptual” artworks throughout the north end of the park.

    The exhibit opens May 15th and continues Fridays and Saturdays, noon to 6:00 p.m. through June 20, 2015.

    The artworks, as described on the CreativeTime website,  sound innovative and entertaining. There’s solar-powered ice-cream that captures the colors of Central Park sunset, mobile performances, a postbox for sending messages to those who have no earthbound address,  recreation of classic Central Park movie scenes, and the S.S. Hangover sets sail in Harlem Meer.

    See descriptions of all of the art installations, with locations, here.

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  • 43 Free Things to Do in NYC

    The folks at JetSetter.com just published a good list of free things to do in NYC. It’s a slide-type list with lots of nice photos, which is nice.

    Read the article here.

    Suggested freebie activities include free tours, events, museum visits, films, music, and more.

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  • Global Beat Festival 2015

    The Global Beat Festival at Brookfield Place features three nights of free performances under the Winter Garden’s magnificent vaulted glass ceiling.

    The festival explores music from all over the world, and each evening’s performance features two groups from different traditions.

    The free concerts take place from 8:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. each night, May 7 – 9, 2015.

    Visit the ArtsBrookfield website for details.

     
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  • 2015 St. Patrick’s Day Parade in NYC

    One of the great free forms of entertainment in New York City is to attend one of the city’s many parade. The annual St. Patrick’s Day parade is one of the big ones.
    St. Patrick’s day is March 17th and the parade starts at 11:00 a.m. at 44th Street. It continues up Fifth Avenue up to 79th Street. The parade finishes around 4:30 – 5:00 p.m.

    There are no floats are automobile in this parade, just lots of marching units (150,000 – 250,000 marchers!) and bands.

    Visit the parade’s website for details.

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  • Macy’s Flower Show, March 22 – April 4, 2015

    Each spring Macy’s decks out their store with lavish floral displays. The theme for this year’s show is “Art in Bloom.”

    The flower displays are in the stores retail areas. There is no fee to attend.

    Official information at Macy’s website.

    Macy’s is located on 34th Street, between Sixth and Seventh Avenues.

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  • Free Shakespeare in the Park 2015


    Shakespeare in the Park has announced that their 2015 shows will be “The Tempest” May 27 – July 5 and “Cymbeline” July 27 – August 23.

    The big name star for this year’s productions is Sam Waterston, who will play the lead role in “The Tempest.”

    Shakespeare in the Park is an annual event, with free plays produced by The Public Theater staged at the outdoor stage at Central Park’s Delacort Theater.

    There are three ways you can get tickets.  You can wait in line (often a long line) at the Delecorte Theater on the day of the performance. The tickets are distributed at noon. Each person age 5 and older can get up to two tickets, while supplies last.  There will also be ticket vouchers distributed at certain other locations throughout the season. These alternative distribution sites change daily. See the boroughs ticket distribution schedule.  Or, you can enter the virtual ticket lottery online to try to get tickets. You enter the lottery between midnight and noon on the day of the performance and you’ll receive an email after noon letting you know if you were selected to receive tickets.

    See the “Tickets” page at the Shakespeare in the Park website for details.

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  • Holiday Caroling Under the Washington Square Arch

    If you’re going to be in NYC Christmas Eve, head over to the Washington Square Arch from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. for the traditional singing of Christmas carols.

    The Rob Susman Brass Quartet provides the music and leads the crowd in singing holiday favorites. The Washington Square Association hands out complementary song books.

    It’s a great way to celebrate the season.

    More info.

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  • Empire State Building 2014 Holiday Music-to-Light Shows

    The lighting of the top of the Empire State Building changes regularly to mark holidays and special events (see the official tower lights calendar). During the holiday season, the lights are blue and white with a candle flickering antenna in honor of Chanukah and red and green with red and white candy stripes in honor of Christmas.

    At 7:00 p.m. Dececember 20 – 24, the top of the tower will light up with a special holiday music and light show with lights synched to music broadcast over iHeartMedia’s 106.7 Lite fm and via the iHeartRadio mobile app. Each of the shows will be different, with different music.

    If you can’t see the shows in person, they will be posted after the fact on the Empire State Building’s YouTube channel.

  • Winter's Eve at Lincoln Square – December 1st, 2014


    Winter’s Eve at Lincoln Square is a big festival with lots of free music, food tastings, and holiday cheer. The event is put on by the Lincoln Square Business Association and sponsored by Time Warner. Activities take place along Broadway from the Time Warner Center to 68th Street.

    The celebration begins with a tree lighting in Dante Park at Broadway and 63rd Street at 5:30 p.m. There’s first-rate entertainment lined up for the Dante Park stage, including Arlo Guntrie and his family, and Billy Porter (Tony Award-Winning star of Kinky Boots).

    Entertainers will take to the area’s sidewalks and public spaces, performing music, juggling, ice sculpting, and more.

    Over 30 of the neighborhood’s restaurants will participate with food tastings at a nominal cost ($1 – $4) at three outdoor locations. The food tastings take place from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. See a list of items planned for the food tastings.

    Many neighborhood stores and institutions will host special activities throughout the evening. See the entertainment list.

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