By Karen Rubin, Travel Features Syndicate, goingplacesfarandnear.com
New York City’s summer cultural season kicks off with the 47th Annual Museum Mile Festival – the Big Apple’s “biggest block party”–on Tuesday, June 10, from 6 to 9 pm, rain or shine. Walk the mile on Fifth Avenue between 82nd Street and 104th Street and visit eight of New York City’s finest cultural institutions, open free during these extended hours: The Metropolitan Museum of Art (82nd St); Neue Galerie New York(86th St); Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (89th St); Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum (91st St); The Jewish Museum (92nd St); Museum of City of New York (mcny.org,103rd St.); El Museo del Barrio (104th St.); and The Africa Center (109th St). Neighbohood partners participating include the New York Academy of Medicine, the Church of the Heavenly Rest, Asia Society, and AKC Museum of the Dog join in this celebration. Arrive early and target your priority museums first because this extremely popular event draws huge crowds, which makes the fabulous street entertainment all the more appreciated. Children’s activity guides (and chalk for street art!) available. (https://www.nyctourism.com/events/museum-mile-festival/)
Jazz Age Lawn Party on Governors Island (11 am-5 pm, June 14-15 and August 9-10. 11 am-5 pm), starts with a magical ferry ride from Battery Park or the Brooklyn Navy Yard. People come dressed to the 9s in 1920s/Gatsby-style outfits, bringing picnics and take part in the music and zeitgeist of the 1920s. With music and dancing led by festival founder and host Michael Arenella & His Dreamland Orchestra and a score of other entertainers. Entertainments are interspersed with fun events like dance lessons and a period bathing suit contest. This isn’t free. Tickets and info at https://jazzagelawnparty.com. (Reserve a ride on the ferry, from South Street or Brooklyn to access the location, https://www.govisland.com/plan-your-visit/ferry)
The New York Philharmonic Concerts in the Parks, Presented by Didi and Oscar Schafer, take place June 4–7, 2025. Gustavo Dudamel leads the series for the first time. Dudamel conducts the NY Phil in four free outdoor concerts at the Great Lawn in Central Park, Manhattan (June 4); Van Cortlandt Park, Bronx (June 5); Prospect Park, Brooklyn (June 6); and Cunningham Park, Queens (June 7); program to be announced. These performances begin at 8:00 p.m. and conclude with fireworks. (Following the Concerts in the Parks, New York Philharmonic musicians perform a free indoor concert,on June 8, at 4 p.m., at St. George Theatre in Staten Island.)
Lincoln Center’s fourth annual Summer for the City, offers hundreds of free and Choose-What-You-Pay performances and cultural activities from June 11–August 9, including performances of the Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center at Choose-What-You-Pay prices. (Schedule, https://www.lincolncenter.org/series/summer-for-the-city.
Public Theater’s cherished Free Shakespeare in the Park, returns to the iconic, revitalized Delacorte Theater in Central Park after a nomadic season, performing ‘Twelth Night” August 7-Sept. 14. The star-studded cast includes stars b (Antonio), Bill Camp (Sir Toby Belch), Khris Davis (Orsino), Peter Dinklage (Malvolio), Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Andrew Aguecheek), Junior Nyong’o (Sebastian), Lupita Nyong’o (Viola), Sandra Oh (Olivia), Daphne RubinVega (Maria), and Moses Sumney (Feste). Famously, tickets are available for that day at distribution points in Central Park and the boros, a daily digital lottery (TodayTix), and standby line at the Delacorte. But you can get a reserved seat by becoming a Supporter Plus with a gift of $300 or more (with year-round benefits). To learn more, or to make a contribution: 212.967.7555 or visit publictheater.org, https://publictheater.org/productions/season/2425/fsitp/twelfth-night/
The Delacorte reopens in July with a full schedule of tours, special events, and performances (For a full list of reopening events, visit publictheater.org/about/forever-public.)
In June 2025, the Public Theater’s Mobile Unit will tour a new production of Much Ado About Nothing, directed by Rebecca Martinez, across all five boroughs. From August 28 – September 1, Public Works will present an adaptation of PERICLES, with music and lyrics by Troy Anthony and directed by Carl Cofield at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine.
A very different Shakespeare-in-the-park experience comes from New York Theatre, which creates and reinvigorates audiences for the theatre by presenting free productions of popular and forgotten classical plays in public spaces throughout the City. This season, see Shakespeare’s “All’s Well that Ends Well”. Free performances are Tuesday-Sunday, 7 pm, at Central Park (June 3-22, with special evenings June 4, Bring Your Dog Night at 6:30; Family Nights, June 12, 21, 26, July 1; Pride Night, June 20); Carl Schurz Park (June 24-29), and Battery Park (July 1-6). Tickets are free, but you need to reserve. Nyclassical.org, info@nyclassical.org.
City Parks Foundation’s 2025 season of Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage, New York City’s iconic outdoor performing arts festival, is bringing more than 70 free and benefit shows to Central Park and 13 neighborhood parks across the five boroughs. Returning for its 39th year, the festival showcases established and emerging artists, highlighting an expansive array of talent, from diverse performances from across the globe to artists serving as curators to iconic DJs showcasing cultural sonic journeys and features a multitude of genres including jazz, hip-hop, indie-rock, salsa, reggae, Afrobeat, soul, pop, global, contemporary dance. Performances are free and open to the public, with the exception of ticketed benefit concerts in Central Park (www.SummerStage.org).
Bryant Park’s Picnic Performances, presented by Bank of America, is a free summer concert series May 30-Sept. 13 featuring music, dance, theater performances and movie screenings offering a diverse lineup of artists and performances from NYC cultural institutions (https://bryantpark.org/activities/picnic-performances)
Highlights:
New York City Opera (June 26 & 27, Opera Goes to Hollywood; Sept. 4, 5, Carmen)
Contemporary Dance (June 5-Limon Dance Company; June 6, 13; )
Jazz Mobile (June 14)
Emerging Music Festival (June 20, 21)
New York Guitar Festival, July 3 & 4
Carnegie Hall Citywide (July 11, 18, 25, Aug 1, 8
World Music Institute (Aug. 15)
New York City Circus Festival (Aug. 16)
Belongo (Aug 22)
Accordians Around the World (Aug 29)
The Town Hall (Aug 30)
American Symphony Orchestra (Sept 12)
Free seating is first-come, first-served, so arrive early (performances start at 7 pm) and bring your blanket to sit on. Food is available for sale. (https://bryantpark.org/activities/picnic-performances for schedule, bryantpark.org)
The High Line isn’t only one of the city’s most enchanting places – an elevated garden trail lined with art installations that zigs and zags amid modern windowed high rises – it is also an open-air theater, music and events venue (Star Gazing, Vinyl Nights, docent-led High Line Tour), throughout the year. A perpetual “happening.” (https://www.thehighline.org/art/performances/) or doNYC
Hudson River Park turns its four-mile riverfront into a cultural mecca with hundreds of free and exciting events, from sunset dance parties and live music to hands-on science and waterfront workouts. Expanded offerings this summer include six nights of Broadway-caliber performances with Broadway By The Boardwalk at Clinton Cove, and the debut of Science After Dark, a new series that invites curious adults to explore local ecology and learn from experts while socializing in unique Park settings. The crowd-favorite series, Jazz at Pier 84 presents star-studded musicians bringing smooth tunes to the Park at sunset. Pier 45 offers Dance Is Life! in July hosted by The Ladies of Hip Hop. Sunset Salsa returns to Pier 76 in July with lessons led by world-renowned dancers, offering instruction to everyone, from novices to advanced dancers, followed by an open dance party. https://hudsonriverpark.org/, https://hudsonriverpark.org/the-park/piers-and-places/
Little Island is a magical place that must be experienced (really recommend you listen to the free audio tour describing its landscape design). From June through September, Little Island presents over 110 performances across dance, music, theater, dance and opera ($25 tickets at littleisland.org and https://www.todaytix.com/nyc/category/little-island). In addition, there are free concerts Wednesday-Sunday in the Glade. With over 110 performances across music, theater, dance, opera and more, it’s the ultimate outdoor stage for New York’s best artists. (Tickets, https://www.todaytix.com/nyc/category/little-island)
The Perelman Performing Arts Center (PAC NYC) is presenting the New York premiere of Passengers, a theater, circus and dance experience written, directed and choreographed by Tony Award® nominee Shana Carroll (Water for Elephants). Performances begin June 12 with an opening on June 15, for a limited run through June 29, 2025. Montréal’s acclaimed contemporary physical theater troupe The 7 Fingers express their hopes and dreams through an astonishing blend of cirque, music, and dance, telling human stories with superhuman skills. Poetic goodbyes. Anticipatory reunions. Fateful encounters. Each moment unfolds with breathtaking wonder and heartwarming storytelling. Performances are at PAC, 251 Fulton St. Tickets start at $30 and are available online at PACNYC.org or by calling 212-266-3000. (PAC NYC offers $30 ticket savings programs for audiences under 30, responders and educators. Student discounts of up to 50% are also available.)
Not-to-Be-Missed Exhibits
No surprise that in response to overwhelming demand, the Anne Frank House is extending its world premiere presentation of Anne Frank The Exhibition at the Center for Jewish History in New York City through October 31, 2025. Originally scheduled for just three months, tickets sold out within one week of opening on January 27, 2025, demonstrating the demand for this extraordinary experience. Anne Frank The Exhibition is the first time the Anne Frank House presents a pioneering experience outside of Amsterdam to immerse visitors in a full-scale recreation of the Annex rooms, fully furnished (unlike Amsterdam), where Anne Frank, her parents and sister, and four other Jews spent two years hiding to evade Nazi capture. Four exhibition galleries immerse visitors in place and history through video, sound, photography and animation; and more than 100 original collection items from the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam. Anne Frank The Exhibition shows Anne Frank not as a victim but through the multifaceted lens of her life—as a girl, a writer, and a symbol of resilience and strength. This is a story inspired by one of the most translated books in the world. Timed entry tickets are available at AnneFrankExhibit.org. Center for Jewish History, 15 West 16th Street, New York, N.Y. between 5th and 6th Avenues, https://goingplacesfarandnear.com/landmark-anne-frank-the-exhibition-in-nyc-personalizes-holocaust-as-never-before/
The New York Historical’s newest exhibit, Blacklisted: An American Story, an Exhibition Examining the Red Scare, the Hollywood Blacklist, and Its Impact on American Culture, on view June 13 – October 19. Blacklisted captures the tensions of the domestic Cold War, revealing how global politics infiltrated America’s entertainment industry in the late 1940s and 50s through a government crackdown on artistic expression. New York’s first museum, New York Historical (formerly New-York Historical Society) is a leading cultural institution covering 400 years of American history. A museum of museums and a collection of collections (the Tiffany lamps are exquisite), it is home to the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library, the Center for Women’s History, the DiMenna Children’s History Museum, and the future American LGBTQ+ Museum. The New York Historical, 170 Central Park West (77th Street), New York, NY 10024, 212-873-3400, nyhistory.org.
The American Museum of Natural History is presenting Apex: The Largest Stegosaurus Ever Discovered, one of the largest and most complete stegosaurus fossils ever found, a 150-million year old stegosaurus measuring 27 feet long and 11.5 feet tall, discovered in Dinosaur, Colorado, through 2028. A destination that takes you to other worlds, Richard Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation at the American Museum of Natural History offers fabulous innovative exhibitions. Admission by timed entry, reserved online. Open daily, 10 am–5:30 pm. American Museum of Natural History, 200 Central Park West, 212-769-5606, amnh.org.
If Summer in the City starts with the Museum Mile Festival, for me, it finishes with the US Open Tennis Championships, the fourth and final Grand Slam tournament of the year. The tournament dates back to 1881, and since 1978, the tournament has found its home at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens’ Flushing Meadows Corona Park, a magnet for the best tennis talent worldwide .The tournament takes place August 24–September 7. Insiders tip: the week before, it is free to watch the thrilling play of the qualifiers’ tournament, and see the tennis stars practice. (usopen.org, https://tickets-center.com/search/US-Open-Tennis-tickets/)
For more to do and see in New York City, including information on free museums and exhibits and walking tours and arts and entertainment on a budget, visit nyctourism.com.
_____________________________
© 2025 Travel Features Syndicate, a division of Workstyles, Inc. All rights reserved. Visit goingplacesfarandnear.com and travelwritersmagazine.com/TravelFeaturesSyndicate/. Blogging at goingplacesnearandfar.wordpress.com and moralcompasstravel.info. Visit instagram.com/going_places_far_and_near and instagram.com/bigbackpacktraveler/ Send comments or questions to FamTravLtr@aol.com. Bluesky: @newsphotosfeatures.bsky.social X: @TravelFeatures Threads: @news_and_photo_features ‘Like’ us at facebook.com/NewsPhotoFeatures
