The JS Guide to Getting Everything for Free in New York City

In the Concrete Jungle, you don’t need a gym membership to get your butt in shape. Get your pre-work burn on with early-morning pilates, yoga, tai chi, and Zumba during Riverside Park’s Summer on the Hudson sessions or join The Rise, NYC's outdoor group fitness classes every weekday at 6:30 a.m. (circuit training in Brooklyn's Grand Army Plaza on Tuesdays; bootcamp-style core workouts in Bryant Park on Wednesdays). If you're looking for something that doesn't necessarily feel like a workout (like we always are), head to Bryant Park where you can sign-up for a competitive round of ping pong and free fencing lessons (all equipment provided)—or, you're one of the lucky few who can ride the happy waves of workout-induced endorphins and make it through a traditional exercise, Lululemon in Lincoln Square hosts Sunday Salutations and a running club. Beyond Manhattan, Brooklyn has its fair share of workouts, too: don't miss first-come, first-serve kayaking in Brooklyn Bridge Park June through August (life jackets and breathtaking views of the Brooklyn Bridge are gratis) and basketball clinics for 7-17 year-olds which include yoga warm-ups and flag football agility training.

Throughout history, filmmakers have nursed an ardent love affair with Manhattan—there's just something about its sleepless streets, soaring skyscrapers, and enduring landmarks. NYC returns the industry love with a slew of free film series. There’s Movies Under the Stars hosted at different park venues throughout the boroughs, SummerScreen in Williamsburg's McCarren Park that plays cult classics like When Harry Met Sally and Die Hard every Wednesday, and the eight-week running Movies with a View in Brooklyn Bridge Park. At Hudson Riverflicks on Pier 63, where you can cozy up on a picnic blanket during Wednesdays in July and August for screenings of this year's biggest family blockbusters, while on Monday nights June through August, the HBO Bryant Park Summer Film Festival runs classic films preceded by WB cartoons come sunset.

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When Pandora just isn’t cutting it anymore, hit the streets for the real thing. Melodies of the classic sort can be found at the Manhattan School of Music, where most performances don't require tickets. Summer's annual Central Park SummerStage Festival hosts artists of every genre—jazz, Latin, rock, hip-hop—at Rumsey Playfield on various nights throughout the season. (While some headliners require tickets, the majority of shows are free.) You'll be happy to know that nearly every show is free at the Lower East Side's dimly-lit Rockwood Music Hall, where you can catch intimate performances by rising singer-songwriters and acoustic groups trying to make it to the big time. There's also the GMA Friday Summer Concert Series in Central Park, whose 2019 line-up featured free performances from big-name artists like Blink 182, Pitbull, and Taylor Swift.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Museum of Natural History, The Guggenheim, The Frick—perusing the revered halls of America’s greatest museums can cost upwards of $25 per entry. But one June night a year (the 11th this go-round), the annual Museum Mile Festival allows visitors admission to some of the biggest institutions on the Upper East Side—while Night at the Museums, on June 25th, offers free entrance and programming for 15 spots downtown including the 9/11 Memorial Museum. Time your visit right and you'll gain entry to some of the hottest museums in town without shelling out a dime. The MoMA hosts UNIQLO Free Fridays every week from 4-8 p.m. And spots like the American Folk Art Museum, the Bronx Museum of the Arts, The Museum at FIT, the New York Transit Museum Gallery and Store (inside Grand Central Terminal) as well as the rows of galleries along the streets of Chelsea don't charge a thing year-round.

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NYC was made for walking. (Jealous of our grid system, Boston?) Central Park is the city's nature playground—an 843-acre green stamp on an otherwise gray jungle of steel and concrete home to iconic landmarks like the Bethesda Fountain, Strawberry Fields, Belvedere Castle, Sheep Meadow, and flower-filled Conservatory Garden. The High Line, an elevated train track turned urban park in the Meatpacking District, attracts some 5 million visitors a year with its manicured landscaping, temporary art installations, and killer vistas of the cityscape. Stay after sundown on summer Tuesdays (April through October) for expert-guided stargazing through telescopes. Or, get an alternate view of the Manhattan skyline from the waterside esplanade along Gantry Plaza State Park, bordering the borough of Queens. Over in Brooklyn, Prospect Park—nestled between the Park Slope, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, Ditmas Park, and Windsor Terrace neighborhoods—is essentially the borough's own version of Central Park (no surprise it was also designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux) with 585 acres to leisurely wander.

Forget fancy (and pricey) prix-fixe menus and saddle up for some free grub that doesn’t skimp on quality instead. The Crocodile Lounge over on 14th Street is famous for handing out free pizza every day (all you have to do is buy a drink). On Bleecker Street, Blind Tiger Ale House puts out two pounds' worth of Murray's Cheese selections and fresh baguettes every Wednesday at 6 p.m. Early riser? Head over to Spring Lounge in Nolita on Sunday mornings for free bagels and all the toppings—or at 5 p.m. on Wednesdays for complimentary hot dogs marinated in their weekly beer of choice. Not to mention there are over 50 farmers markets scattered throughout the city, where up-and-coming chefs often host live cooking demonstrations and complimentary tastings. Among our favorites is Smorgasburg, a joint flea and food market that operates in Williamsburg on Saturdays and Prospect Park on Sundays.

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Few indulgences are as expensive as booze, but New York has plenty of options to sip and save. Could there be anything better than free wine or chocolate? Bottlerocket, in the Flatiron District, offers both on evenings Thursday through Saturday. At Astor Wines and Spirits in NoHo, free tastings are held every night (sometimes there's even more than one!). Meanwhile, in Brooklyn, Coney Island Brewing Company hosts free daily tours where you get to try out novel varieties like Cotton Candy Kölsch, Mermaid Pilsner, Hard Ginger Ale, and Irish Goodbye.

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Not many cities throw a party like the Big Apple, and if you love a crowd, these events are sure to please. The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade marches from Central Park to Herald Square and you can watch the spectacular Fourth of July Fireworks, blast off of barges along the East River or Hudson (depending on the year). Or if you're a Paddy's Day fan, come during the St. Patrick's Day Parade, the oldest parade in the U.S. During the spring and summer months, street fairs pop up all around New York's neighborhoods (check the listings for times and locations), though they're hard-pressed to match the pop-up holiday markets that spread good cheer in Columbus Circle, Bryant Park, and Union Square. This year, June 22nd marks the annual Coney Island Mermaid Parade—led by folksinging siblings Arlo and Nora Guthrie—which starts on Surf Avenue and West 21st, making its way to Steeplechase Plaza. The same week, you'll find NYC's PrideFest street fair—an LGBTQIA+, family-friendly party with DJs, talent shows, food, and a whole lot of love.

New York isn’t just an adult’s playground—there’s fun to be had by all age groups. A handful of bookstores throughout the city hold free readings for the little ones, including Sunday storytime at the Flatiron Books of Wonder. The whole gang will love seeing their favorite critters—tigers, gorillas, zebras, penguins—at the world-famous Bronx Zoo, which offers general admission gratis on Wednesdays (with a suggested donation). Every first Friday of the month, the Children's Museum of Manhattan opens its Upper West Side doors from 5-8 p.m. for free entry to interactive exhibits on everything from cartoons to music and adventures with Dora the Explorer. Budding artists can also take to painting or sculpting during by-donation-only Thursdays (4-6 p.m.) at the Children's Museum of the Arts.

Manhattan is entrenched in the nation’s history—it remained the hub of American life throughout the Revolutionary War, the Great Depression, and World War II, even serving (if only briefly) as capital in 1789. You can stand in the very place George Washington was sworn in as president at Federal Hall on Wall Street. Grand Central Terminal, with its elaborately painted soaring ceiling, has served as a gateway to the city since its founding in 1903 and holds many secrets about the city's past and present. Every Friday at 12:30 p.m., two Grand Central Partnership historians lead a free 90-minute tour through the station's whispering gallery as well as the nearby Chrysler Building. In September, Little Italy is ground zero for New York's annual 11-day Feast of San Gennaro, which celebrates the heritage and history of the Italian immigrants who first came to America in the early 20th century. The New York Public Library hosts tons of (read: 93,000) free exhibitions, readings, and collections featuring artists and lecturers year-round; you can check out upcoming events here.

You know the saying: “If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere”—and there’s certainly no end to NYC’s creative pursuits. All are welcome to the bimonthly Brooklyn Poets Reading Series, where you can hear verse from up-and-coming and established local talents. You needn't shell out for expensive Broadway tickets when The Public Theater's Free Shakespeare in the Park is in session. Theater buffs queue up as early as 6 a.m. for free tickets to the summer season's public performances of some of Shakespeare's greatest works—The Tempest, Much Ado About Nothing, King Lear—which run four weeks a year at Central Park's Delacorte Theater (and, in the past, have featured esteemed actors like Meryl Streep, Patrick Stewart, and Natalie Portman).