New York City in July is alive with activities that blend culture, music, sports, art, and culinary adventures, offering something for every kind of explorer. Whether it’s your first visit or your hundredth, there’s something fresh to experience this week and beyond.
Listeners in town today can start their evening with the Alive After Five Happy Hour Cruise, a breezy party on the water where you’ll mingle with locals and take in skyline views with a cold drink in hand. For Broadway lovers, Thursdays mean Broadway in Bryant Park, where from 12:30 to 1:30 PM, free performances by hit shows bring world-class theater to the heart of Midtown.
Art seekers shouldn’t miss the Path of Liberty Night Tour, an immersive walking tour that dynamically explores American liberty and equality through a large-scale public art installation, concluding with illuminated views from the waterfront and a stroll through dramatic, history-steeped Wall Street.
Sports fans will have no trouble finding excitement: catch the New York Yankees playing the Seattle Mariners tonight at Yankee Stadium, starting at 7:05 PM, or circle back on July 25 when they take on the Philadelphia Phillies—on that day, the first 18,000 visitors also receive a free gift. Basketball enthusiasts can grab tickets to see the New York Liberty, last season’s WNBA Champions, face the Phoenix Mercury on July 25 at Barclays Center for a taste of high-energy women’s sports.
Music pulses through the city. The Rise Up NYC summer concert series kicks off July 19 at Wingate Park in Brooklyn with Beanie Man, Patrice Roberts, and others, offering world-class performances across the boroughs entirely for free. Over at Astoria Park, the Waterfront Summer Concert Series lights up Thursday nights in July, with live music from 7 to 9 PM on the Great Lawn. Don’t miss the Broadway Sings ABBA tribute shows at The Cutting Room, with performances on July 11 and July 25, promising a joyful, singalong night. For a taste of nostalgia or something modern, SummerStage brings free outdoor concerts to Central Park’s Rumsey Playfield throughout the summer, featuring acts like The Roots and Camilo.
If your idea of summer is time outside, New York’s parks shine in July. Take a refreshing break in the city’s free outdoor public pools—Astoria Pool in Queens stands out for its skyline views, and the brand-new Gottesman Pool in Central Park is a local favorite. Try a yoga class on Bryant Park’s lawn, free every Tuesday at 10 AM and Wednesdays at 6 PM through mid-September. Biking along the Hudson or through Central Park remains a classic, energetic way to see the city’s sights at your own pace.
Hidden gems abound for those willing to wander off the beaten path. The Satin Dollz Show & Dinner at a Times Square Diner transforms a meal into a step back into the 1940s and 1950s, with live pin-up style singing and dancing. For night owls, a rooftop bar—think 230 Fifth or The Ready—offers dazzling views and a true New York vibe.
If you crave unique, only-in-New-York vibes, try a night sightseeing bus tour to glimpse the city’s illuminated marvels, or book a seat at an underground jazz club in the West Village where music legends are born nightly. Food lovers can take self-guided walks through Chinatown, Little Italy, or Harlem to sample everything from dim sum to cannoli to soul food, or explore new flavors at pop-ups and food festivals popping up in places like Brooklyn Bridge Park and Smorgasburg.
There’s always a festival, a pop-up, a market, or a show just a subway ride away in the city that never sleeps. For those looking to escape for a day, the Wildwoods Boardwalk in New Jersey, just two and a half hours away, was crowned the country’s top boardwalk and makes for a classic retro getaway complete with fireworks and ocean breezes.
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