Image via Complex Original
Living in New York City means having Where did my paycheck disappear to? moments on a weekly basis. But this fall, resolve to hold onto that damn thing for dear life. This fall, live a frugal, yet rich life by taking advantage of all things priceless.
Navigate the cash-siphoning world of NYC entertainment with our help. You can have it all—the festivals, the cocktails, and the culture—for free-ninety-nine. Here's your guide to fall, done right by your wallet: 25 Free Things To Do in NYC This Fall.
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Williamsburg Spelling Bee
Date: The first Monday of every month
Time: 7:30 p.m. (Sign up at 7 p.m.)
Location: Pete's Candy Store (709 Lorimer St.), Brooklyn
Perfect For: Proving that spelling bees aren't just for brainy 10-year-olds
Website: petescandystore.com
It's back to school season, and admit it, part of you misses learning. Find an excuse to hit the books (specifically, the dictionary) at Pete's Candy Store in Williamsburg for the monthly bee. Make up for your lack of 6th-grade game by spelling words correctly and chatting up girls with ease. And if you forget that silent m in "mnemonic," wash away the shame with a strong drink. Everyone wins. Except the guy who instituted that silent m. He sucks.
Stargazing on the High Line
Date: Every Tuesday
Time: Dusk
Location: Somewhere on the High Line (depends on night sky conditions)
Perfect For: Sealing the deal with your new shorty
Website: thehighline.org
It's tough coming up with new and exciting date ideas, especially if you're trying to do it without spending a dime. Not only is stargazing on the High Line free, you get to use high-powered equipment and get expert-level advice from scientists. Then, once you're done checking out space's heavenly bodies, you can attend to other ones.
Free Comedy and a Free Beer at Irish Exit
Date: Every Tuesday
Time: 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Location: The Irish Exit (978 2nd Ave.)
Perfect For: Heckling comics with your boys
Website: irishexitnyc.com
Ordinarily when comedy is free, it isn't very good. However, you'll get a chance to see comedians who have been on Letterman, HBO, Saturday Night Live and Comedy Central every Tuesday at Irish Exit. And even if they aren't up to par, the free beer will give you the courage necessary to heckle them. Of course, you might get verbally abused. But these are the risks you run.
Everything is better with free beer—people would go to funerals if they advertised free beer.
Target Free Days at Wave Hill Gardens
Date: Every Tuesday and Saturday
Time: 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Location: Wave Hill Gardens (West 249th St. and Independence Ave.), Bronx
Perfect For: Appreciating sweater weather with wifey
Website: wavehill.org
Wave Hill's perennially gorgeous gardens are even more awe-inspiring in just-cool-enough-weather, when the green transitions into fall's rich palette. Perfect for pretending you're far, far, away from the city, since it actually smells like fall here. Instead of street meat and the fermented body odor of hobos, try crisp leaves. An escape, indeed!
Shaken & Stirred Burlesque
Date: Every Wednesday
Time: 9:30 p.m.
Location: The Delancey (168 Delancey St.)
Perfect For: Bringing out her inner-freak
Website: thedelancey.com
This night has mischief written all over it. Three hour-long burlesque from different weekly performers will certainly get your blood pumping, as will the go-go shows that last till the Delancey closes. If you've never experienced burlesque before, and you're feel a little anxious, don't worry: The complimentary shots served after each show will settle your nerves.
Thain Family Forest
Date: Free Admission on Wednesdays and Saturdays
Time: All day Wednesday; 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. on Saturday
Location: New York Botanical Garden (Bronx River Pkwy. at Fordham Rd.), Bronx
Perfect For: Curing your city blues when you're too broke for a real vacation
Website: nybg.org
Swallowed by 50-acres of 17th-century trees in NYBG's Thain Family Forest, you won't just feel like you've found an escape within the city—it's as if you've escaped this world entirely. Trampling golden leaves and acorns, you'll meander through the woods with your winter wifey like something from a storybook fantasy. There won't be a pinch strong enough to remind you that you're in the Bronx.
Central Park Moonlight Ride
Date: First Friday of every month
Time: 10 p.m.
Location: Columbus Circle (59th St. and 8th Ave.)
Perfect For: A late-night date
Website: times-up.org
Central Park is massive, but no activity ensures you'll conquer the sprawling terrain like a near 10-mile bike ride. The late night aspect of the ride adds an exciting, ominous touch to your excursion, but don't fear—there's safety in numbers!
Smorgasburg
Date: Every Saturday and Sunday through November 18, 2012
Time: 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Location: Saturdays on the Williamsburg Waterfront (between North 6th and North 7th St.) and Sundays at the Tobacco Warehouse in DUMBO (28 Water St.), Brooklyn
Perfect For: When you're wearing pants with an elastic waistband
Website: brooklynflea.com/smorgasburg
The uber-popular Brooklyn Flea had a food baby and named it Smorgasburg, the foodie spectacular that features over 100 drool-inspiring local food vendors, from fried anchovies from Bon Chovie, to stroopwafel ice cream sandwiches from the Good Batch. Thanks to a newly-acquired liquor license you can wash it all down at SmorgasBar, which showcases beer, wine, and spirits produced in Brooklyn.
Feast of San Gennaro
Date: Saturday, September 13 to Tuesday, September 23, 2012
Time: 11:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. (midnight on Fridays and Saturdays)
Location: Mulberry St. (from Canal St. to Houston St.)
Perfect For: Mopping up a hangover with zeppoles
Website: sangennaro.org
What began as a religious tradition to honor the Patron Saint of Naples has become a wild convergence of street vendors peddling Italian fare, namely bracciole, cannolis, and the occasional fried Oreo for good measure. We're not mad at the transformation, but the colossal crowds can be irritating. Go during the week or in the early afternoon to avoid the mayhem.
"Regarding Warhol: Sixty Artists, Fifty Years"
Date: September 18 – December 31, 2012
Time: Tuesday to Thursday, Sunday: 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday: 9:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Location: The Metropolitan Museum of Art (1000 Fifth Ave.)
Perfect For: To satisfy Warhol skeptics and admirers alike
Website: metmuseum.org
Andy Warhol's contribution to contemporary art is showcased like never before at the MET's fall exhibition. The event features 45 of Warhol's original works along with 100 pieces from 60 other artists he influenced, both during his lifetime and after.
Mad. Sq. Eats
Date: Friday, September 21 to Friday, October 19
Time: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Location: Madison Square Park (the intersection of 5th Ave. and Broadway at 23rd St.)
Perfect For: Taking a break from the Subway lunch
Website: madisonsquarepark.org
Fall and relaxation go well together, so ease you way through the two dozen-plus vendors posted up in Madison Square Park, including Asiadog, Red Hook Lobster Pound, and Momofuku Milk Bar for an easy dinner-on-the-go, or lunch-break mini-feast.
FAB! Festival and Block Party
Date: Saturday, September 22, 2012
Time: 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Location: East 4th Street Cultural District (between 2nd Ave. and Bowery)
Perfect For: Meeting one of those "I like art"-type girls
Website: fabnyc.org
If you're an artist, or interesting in the state of the art, this is an event you can't miss. You'll have a chance to experience cabaret and vaudeville shows, Hula and Tahitian dance workshops, demonstrations from masters in the culinary arts, get inside knowledge on how to make it as an artist, and enjoy the poetry of Miguel Pinero, among other things. Seriously, when's the next time you'll get to see Japanese Taiko drumming?
Brooklyn Book Festival
Date: Sunday, September 23, 2012
Time: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Location: Brooklyn Borough Hall and Plaza (209 Joralemon Street), Brooklyn
Perfect For: Boosting your cred with intellectuals
Website: brooklynbookfestival.org
Two-hundred-and-fifty authors. Twelve stages. One-hundred-and-fifty exhibits. The largest book festival in the northeast will be mobbed by nearly 40,000 word-lovers looking to rub elbows with writers and participate in thoughtful discussions. With standout panels like "Who Gives a Sh*t About Literary Magazines?" and "¡The Punctuation Show! (How to Use Tiny Symbols to Make Meaning Without %$^&#* Up)" and quirky events ranging from Librarian Olympics to Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations Pub Quiz, nerding out has never been easier (or more fun).
Dumbo Arts Festival
Date: Friday, September 28 to Sunday, September 30, 2012
Time: Friday, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday, 12 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Sunday, 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Location: Between Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges, Brooklyn
Perfect For: Experiencing international art outdoors
Website: dumboartsfestival.com
There are several reasons why you shouldn't miss a thing at the Dumbo Arts Festival: the work of 500 international artists will be displayed, using streets, parks, buildings, waterfronts and the sky as canvasses; a video projection on the Manhattan Bridge; a floating sculptural garden; and the pièce de résistance: an exhibit that lets you be a superhero. The interactive display will be projected onto a building, and allow you to fly, shoot light beams, grow in size, and more. If that's not enough to get you going, you must hate fun.
Global Festival
Date: Saturday, September 29, 2012
Time: 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Location: Central Park (The Great Lawn)
Perfect For: Philanthropically-minded indie-rock heads
Website: globalcitizen.org
Free music is awesome, but free music for a cause is better. Neil Young, Foo Fighters, the Black Keys, Band of Horses, and K'naan will tackle Central Park's Great Lawn to raise money and awareness to fight global poverty. To get your hands on tickets, head to the festival's website, and enter the lottery. The only catch? To enter, you need to take action by donating to a worthy cause, learning about the issues, and sharing the festival's petition with friends. A music festival that forces you to be a good person? Hard to argue with that.
Atlantic Antic Street Fair
Date: Sunday, September 30, 2012
Time: 12 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Location: Atlantic Avenue (from Hicks St. to Fourth Ave.), Brooklyn
Perfect For: Eating an entire avenue's worth of global grub
Website: atlanticave.org
Take everything you've come to expect about street fairs (vendors hawking 3-packs of white T-shirts and fried versions of packaged snacks) and toss it into the Hudson. The Atlantic Antic is everything you want a street fair to be, sourcing its goods from local purveyors, and trading the bouncy castles for a plethora of diverse global entertainment that pays homage to the mile-long stretch the fair takes over. (Okay, the bouncy castle might still be there, but really, that's a good thing.) Plus, being the largest street festival in the city, it gives you plenty of time to explore and revel in autumn's cool breeze.
Medieval Festival
Date: Sunday, September 30, 2012
Time: 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Location: Fort Tryon Park
Perfect For: A day with your nerdcore bros
Website: nycparks.com
You may be skeptical about medieval fairs being the coolest thing in the world, but the 90,000 people that show up each year for the Medieval Festival don't think so. There will be jesters, jugglers, era-specific clothing, dancing, sword fighting, maidens. Still not sold? At the end of the afternoon, there will be a four-way joust by knights on horseback. Real horses. Fake knights. The real possibility of awesomeness.
Apple Festival
Date: Sunday, October 7, 2012
Time: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Location: Queens County Farm Museum (73-50 Little Neck Pkwy.), Queens
Perfect For: Entertaining younger siblings or girlfriends
Website: queensfarm.org
Everyone gets a little nostalgic, but instead of reminiscing about Nickelodeon and your Nintendo 64, relive your childhood with a sibling or significant other at the Apple Festival. All your favorite pastimes will be present: apple juice, apple cider, apple pie, and record breaking. Yes, staffers will be preparing the country's largest apple cobbler on-site. You get to watch. And eat.
"WWII & NYC"
Date: Fridays, starting October 5
Time: 6 p.m. to 8 p.m
Location: New York Historical Society (170 Central Park West)
Perfect For: Impressing an intelligent woman
Website: nyhistory.org
If you're a history buff, this exhibit will leave you stuffed, especially those authentic documents on the Japanese surrender. Over 300 objects will be on display, including films, photographs, paintings, posters, and music from that crucial era in American history. And even if history isn't normally your thing, fort and battleships are sure to appeal to the little kid in you.
Open House New York
Date: Saturday, October 6 and Sunday, October 7, 2012
Time: Varies
Location: Varies
Perfect For: Getting into buildings without catching a charge
Website: ohny.org
Some of New York's most interesting spots are only available to those with serious status, but Open House New York provides the opportunity to get behind-the-scenes looks and first peeks at buildings that haven't even opened yet, including the Wythe Hotel and Prospect Park's Lakeside Complex. You can see the new renovations to the Public Theater, check-in on the High Line's progress, and even get a rare glimpse of the New York Marble Cemetery. And all without having to risk being arrested for breaking-and-entering!
Tompkins Square Park Halloween Dog Parade
Date: TBA
Time: TBA
Location: Tompkins Square Park (500 East 9th St.)
Perfect For: Charming a fellow canine fanatic
Website: firstrunfriends.org
Everybody thinks that their dog is cuter and more adorable than everyone else's dog, so why not come out and prove it? Some owners choose more elaborate, homemade costume for their pups, while others lean towards more understated outfits, but regardless, dogs in costume are always excellent. Get out there and stunt.
Pumpkin Festival
Date: Saturday, October 27, 2012
Time: 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Location: Central Park Bandshell (Enter at 72 St.)
Perfect For: The obligatory fall date
Website: nycgovparks.org
A pumpkin patch date with your significant other—it's been done before, but only because it's a classic. In addition to being outside in crisp weather, where it's appropriate to link arms for warmth, you can score points helping little kids move large pumpkins. Another bonus: there's a haunted house. Nothing like cheap jump-scares to get you into each other's laps.
Pumpkin Sail in Central Park
Date: Sunday, October 28, 2012
Time: 4:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Location: Dana Discovery Center (inside Central Park on 110th Street between 5th and Lenox Avenues)
Perfect For: Wooing a new girl
Website: support.centralparknyc.org
Ahoy, gourdes! Set your butchered jack-o-lantern off onto the high seas with a new lady friend. Will your relationship your pumpkin sink or float—nobody knows! This isn't some kind of metaphor. No, this is real.
Sail a flaming pumpkin and get ready for October 31.
Village Halloween Parade
Date: Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Time: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. to participate; 7 to 10 p.m. to watch
Location: 6th Ave. (between Spring St. and Canal St.)
Perfect For: Mischief and revealing costumes
Website: halloween-nyc.com
Do you always have great costume ideas, but nothing ever comes of them? Maybe you need the promise of a real event to debut your wild creation. The Village Halloween Parade is the place for thousands of New Yorkers to show off their wild, unbridled creativity. Also, people wear next to no clothes on Halloween. Do we have to spell this shit out?!
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Date: Thursday, November 22, 2012
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
Location: Starts at 77th St. and Central Park West, Finishes at 34th St. Macy’s and Herald Square
Perfect For: When the fam is in town
Website: macys.com
Fewer events are more famous and celebrated in the entire United States than the Macy's Day Parade. Not only do you get to see incredible balloons, every year there are performances from music's heavy-hitters and the casts from popular Broadway shows. Just make sure you get there early, because you will want to make sure you have a great spot to see everything. Seriously, 44 million people don't watch the parade by accident.