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12 completely free things to do in New York City this May
By
Anthony Schneck
Published Apr 28, 2025
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Brooklyn Conservatory of Music
By
Anthony Schneck
Published Apr 28, 2025
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It probably feels like both an eternity and a millisecond since the dark days of winter, when those bleak weeks of January loomed over your social calendar. Now that April showers have dutifully brought May flowers, it’s time to get back to celebrating life in New York City and enjoy some of the best it has to offer.
As always, we don’t want your exuberance to get you into debt. So here are some of the best 100% free, grade-A events and activities to consider adding to your calendar this May. Get out there and bask in the bursting effervescence of life!
Contemplate your mortality at Green-Wood Cemetery ...
Green-Wood Cemetery’s “Sunday in the Cemetery” will be “a daylong exploration of mortality.” What does that mean? A series of talks and activities that cover everything from weaving to environmentally friendly burial options — and so much more. It’s happening Sunday, May 4, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. You can RSVP to individual events here.
… then come back at the end of the month for a concert
Green-Wood’s 25th annual Memorial Day concert appropriately memorializes composers interred at the cemetery, including Fred Ebb and Leonard Bernstein. The concert is Monday, May 26, from 2 to 4 p.m., and you can get your free tickets here (there is, however, a $10 suggested donation).
May means tulips and more.
Submerge yourself at a marine science festival
Figuratively submerge, of course. The SUBMERGE Marine Science Festival returns to Pier 84 at Hudson River Park (at 44th Street), promising a family-friendly day of interactions with the marine wildlife and habitats that form most of the city’s boundaries. Kids in particular should enjoy mucking around in tanks containing who-knows-what (kidding, everything is above-board, so to speak!). The festival is Saturday, May 17, starting at 11 a.m. and lasting until 3 p.m.
Get your bike street legal and go for a ride
Happy Cycle de Mayo! That’s Cinco de Mayo for bike riders, in case you didn’t know. This year, the nonprofit Pineapple Ride is teaming up with the Department of Transportation to host an event that provides free bike lights, free bike tune-ups and free hot beverages to attendees. That’s a lot of free things! The idea is to make biking in the city as accessible and safe as possible. To claim the free stuff, all you have to do is get down to Caesar’s Bay in Bensonhurst between 4 and 7 p.m. on Monday, May 5.
A scene from a previous year's BBB Block Party.
Kenny Rodriguez
Celebrate Black art at a Greenpoint block party
Organizers of the BBB Block Party say it won’t just be the ultimate cookout; it will be “transforming the block into a space of celebration, expression, and connection.” Expect dancing – and dance classes – music, art, food and a good time. It’s put on by Beyond the Black Box and Triskelion Arts, and starts at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 17, on Greenpoint’s Banker Street between Calyer Street and Meserole Avenue.
Meet the city’s urban wildlife in the Bronx
Another family-friendly event that lets kids get up close and personal with the city’s critters is the Urban Wildlife Festival. On Saturday, May 10, from noon to 3 p.m. in the Bronx’s St. Mary’s Park, wild animals will make interactive appearances in games, displays and other activities. It’s the perfect chance to get a dose of the great outdoors in the heart of the nation’s biggest city.
Check out the Satellite Collective’s Tribeca Show
Satellite Collective brings back its annual Tribeca Show, with this year’s edition featuring artists Lora Robertson and the collective’s founder, Kevin Draper. There will also be a wide range of prints, photography and sculpture on view for aesthetes hoping to escape the tourists that will start flooding the city’s more famous museums during warmer months. You can see the show at Tribeca’s Mriya Gallery May 8-18.
Open Stages Music Festival returns Saturday, May 10 from 3 to 6 p.m.
Brooklyn Conservatory of Music
Hang out in Park Slope for a day of free music
The Brooklyn Conservatory of Music’s Open Stages Festival is now in its fifth year, with dozens of performances on stages throughout Park Slope. All the shows happen on Saturday, May 10, from 3 to 6 p.m., and while the full lineup has yet to be announced, bluegrass will certainly ring out through the streets. You can keep track of everything by downloading the festival guide on the Bloomberg Connects app.
Watch the Japan Parade and eat delicious Japanese food
Now a staple of May in the city, the Japan Parade and its associated festivities will go down on Saturday, May 10, starting at 11 a.m. and finishing at 5 p.m. This year’s grand marshal — Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto himself — epitomizes Japanese cuisine’s high status in America. The parade starts at 1 p.m. and runs down Central Park West from 81st to 67th Streets, while the fair will take up a block on 72nd Street from Central Park West to Columbus Avenue.
Go on a walking tour to learn more about niche NYC history and neighborhoods
Are you curious about the history of tattooing on the Bowery? Or maybe you’ve always wondered why civil rights and jazz icon Hazel Scott is buried in Flushing Cemetery? Jane’s Walk, from the Municipal Art Society of New York, offers dozens of guided and self-guided tours across the city at the beginning of May. Whether you want to meet up with a group or explore a neighborhood by yourself, you’re sure to find something appealing. It’s free, but because space is limited, you do have to RSVP for the guided tours. They’re happening May 2-4.
Stop to smell the tulips … at the Macy’s Flower Show
You’re welcome to smell roses, too. There’s rarely a (good, non-Knicks) reason to head to 34th Street and Seventh Avenue, but this May is the exception. The annual Macy’s Flower Show is officially on display, coming a little later than in years past, but with promises to be bigger and better than ever. You can catch all the blooms now through May 18 at the retail outlet’s flagship 34th Street location.
Learn everything there is to know about pigeons
New York City's humble, ubiquitous avian residents may not be subject to the same level of vitriol as the city’s other unofficial mascot (rats), but they don’t exactly command attention or interest most of the time. That’s not the case at “All About Pigeons,” an event from the Urban Park Rangers that will give you hands-on activities, bird-watching tips and historical pigeon insights. The pigeon trifecta! Make your way down to Staten Island’s Seaside Wildlife Nature Park on Sunday, May 11, at 11 a.m. to become your friend group’s resident pigeon expert.
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Anthony Schneck
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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