With Memorial Day Weekend behind us now kicking off into the summer months, the warmer weather brings special events to New York City summer! We always have the best things to do her in the city, but summertime is a whole new energy! The High Line, Yankee Stadium, Broadway shows and music festivals will always be at the top of our list. But just in case you are searching for more things to do, we have created an entire list or guide, shall I say, for you to follow in the month of June.
Here is everything we’re looking forward to this month!
Taylor Swift Exhibit
When we saw the Museum of Art and Design was having a Taylor Swift exhibit, I knew I had to get ticket s for my family! The exhibit is a look at her entire career so far and the coolest thing is they even have some of her music video looks on display! I would say that the MoAD are selling out quickly, so you will want to snag tickets now! The experience is a timed entry and the exhibit closes on September 4th, which sounds far away but they are filling slots quickly.
Gazillion Bubble Show
This family friendly show is at New World Stages! It’s an experience with bubble magic, lasers, soapy masterpieces and so much fun! This is the perfect weekend activity, especially if you have younger kids. I’ve never seen bubbles this cool before! It’s running about an hour long with no intermission and they recommend wearing no sensitive fabrics due to the bubbles. Grab your tickets!
North River Sailing
We love to get on the water and see all the amazing views of the city. North River Sailing is a company that will give you a tour of Manhattan–from the water! Begin at Brooklyn Bridge and they even offer sunset cruises! What’s really unique about them is they are BYOB and super chill, so they will even let you help sail if you’d like! I highly recommend for a day activity or to end the day and watch the sun set. They have 4 sails a day and tickets are available on their site.
Harry Potter Exhibition
Who else has kids that are Harry Potter fans? Or are you a fan yourself?! We are so thrilled for this exhibition, we can’t stop talking about it! There is interactive story telling, some BTS film making magic and you feel like you’re in the wizarding world! We prepped the exhibition by watching some of the movies to get into the spirit! Tickets are available now and this is a great family activity. Use my code: HPX10 for 10% off tickets!
Go To a Yankees Game
See a baseball game! Baseball season is still at the beginning of the season! Whether you’re a Yankees or Mets fan, get your tickets to support your team! Sporting events in the city are a good time to spend extra time with those you love and do something fun. This is something that’s fun to do both with family and friends. My kids love to go to games, it’s always fun to go as a family and enjoy fun baseball food and watch a game!
Destination Cosmos
We love checking out new experiences and this one is close to us in Battery Park, located in Tribeca, so it was easy to get to for us! You can escape reality and enter a world where you can view over 150 pieces of art in an area that has 2 floors! It’s a crossover between the world of art and history, so it’s educational and fun!
Blast Off (to space) Show
The Brooklyn Children’s Museum has a great new show this month that is fun and a great way to kick off the summer! You feel as though you’re on a space shuttle in outer space exploring! This one person performance is best recommended for kids ages 4-10 and a great way to teach your children that anything is possible. It’s running the 17th, 22nd, 24th and 25th, so you have a few dates to choose from, but you will want to grab tickets quickly!
The Greens Rooftop Pier 17
Seaport has really stepped it up in recent years! There are always really cool things going on over there, especially this year. Firstly, you can rent out mini lawns with your friends to hang out at, so you can be outside, but still have your own space. There is also a restaurant and bar, as well as a patrón patio! Next, the Greens Rooftop on Pier 19 has their Summer Concert Series going on all summer featuring bands and musicians we all love! The views are almost as good as the music!
Celebrate Pride Month
June is Pride Month! There are so many things going on in the city this summer throughout the entire city to celebrate, but let’s begin with the Pride March. It’s taking place Sunday, June 25th and will begin on 5th and 25th at noon. Pride Fest is the same day and begins around 11AM. There will be a ton of great entertainers, exhibitors, activities, food and so much more! Check out NYC Pride’s site for all of the month-long festivities. Christina Aguilera is headlining Pride Island this year, too! Let’s celebrate!!
National Doughnut Day
This is more of a silly holiday, but I think it’s a fun excuse to go grab doughnuts! It’s the first Friday of June and several doughnut spots will be participating with great giveaways. For instance, Dunkin normally does a free doughnut with a coffee purchase and Krispy Kreme does free doughnuts in general- 1 per person. Check in with your local doughnut spots to see if they are participating! It’s a great way to kick off the weekend!
Sunset Salsa
Every Tuesday night at Hudson River Park, they are having a sunset salsa session! No-not the dip! If you like to get your groove on, this is not only a fun date spot, but in general it’s a great way to break up the week and have a good time. Located on Pier 76, go get your dance on! Registration is not required but recommended.
Tribeca Film Festival
This is a big one! This is one of those things New Yorkers wait for all year! It’s taking place from June 7th-June 18th and you can view the feature and short film lineup here! With nearly 110 feature films and over 40 short films, there are plenty to see. As always, the movie screenings will have live events afterwards, as well as music performances, special appearances and so much fun!
Photoville
As the 12th consecutive year commences, this free photography festival is a must-go in NYC! Located primarily at Brooklyn Bridge Park, they also have open air exhibitions throughout all 5 boroughs. With over 80 exhibitions to check out, you can spend the entire day or month seeing all of them!
Uptown Night Market
On W 133rd street, you can find one of the best events in town! Uptown night market has tons of food vendors, live music and so much fun to offer. It’s every second Thursday of the month from 4pm-10pm and in my opinion the food is outstanding! Bring the family or go with friends!
Barbie Pop Up
The Malibu Barbie Cafe is in the Seaport just in time to hype you up for the movie! Ticket prices depend on time of day, but you can get a 90 minute cafe experience with an entree and side item all included. Additional menu items are available for purchase and everything is Barbie themed! Gemma and I checked it out and had the best time! I mean, everything was pink, how could we not?
Midtown Rooftop Cinema Club
Located on 37th street, the Rooftop Cinema Club is officially back! Tickets are on sale now through 7/2, so you will want to run and grab them. It’s a great activity with friends or for a date night. They have a full schedule on their site with plenty of times and choices. They really only show the best movies there!
Brooklyn Film Festival
In a film festival mood this month? Don’t worry, there are plenty to attend! And that includes the Brooklyn one! Opening night is June 2nd and it runs through the 11th. With 150 films in the competition for Grand Chameleon Award, there’s plenty to see. What’s really cool is that some of the screenings will be available virtually, especially because this is an international film festival. Passes and tickets are on sale now!
Bryant Park Picnic Performances
What’s better than live music in one of the best places? Bryant Park has a series of Picnic Performances, where you can go on the lawn and lay out your blankets and have a picnic while watching the arts come to life. The season has already begun and the lineup is one you will not want to miss! It’s like an outdoor concert in the city. There are dance performances, the NYC Opera will be singing, emerging artists will appear, Carnegie Hall music and so much more! This is all going on through September, so it’ll be a summer full of fun outdoor activities!
Hudson Yards Big Screen
Speaking of big screens in the city, Hudson Yards has a big screen and they are ready to provide some entertainment. It’s running through October 31st, which is amazing! They will be airing major games, tournaments and international sporting events. The full schedule is available on their site and it’s great to go with friends to watch some games!
Shakespeare in the Park
If you’re a theatre fan, I think this is one of the more popular attractions we have in the summers! And even if you’re not a huge theatre person, it is a great experience to go see one of these shows. Also, it’s free, you just have to make sure to grab tickets before going! The Public Theater puts it on every summer and sometimes they change the setting of the plays, so it could take place in present day, for instance. It’s been going on for over 60 years, so this is a great year to go! Hamlet is running from June 8th to August 6th.
Museum Mile Festival
On June 13th from 6PM-9PM, the Museum Mile Festival will be taking place in the city! It’s almost a 30 block stretch on the Upper East Side, which could count as probably one of the greatest block parties the city has ever seen. The museums participating this year are El Museo del Barrio, Neue Galerie New York, The Guggenheim, Cooper Hewitt, The Africa Center, Museum of NYC and The Jewish Museum. This will be happening rain or shine and there will be musicians, art activities that are great for children, tons of food trucks and so much more! It begins at The Met and this is one of the best free events this month!
Summer Stage Festival
The Summer Stage Festival is put on by The City Parks Foundation. They partner with Capital One to bring live performances to the city. It’s actually a really cool festival, they have every genre you can imagine. It’s the largest, most accessible, free admission outdoor festival in NYC! Something cool they do is sometimes there are free digital performances you can view. You’ll want to check them out this summer!
Gov Ball
The Governors Ball Music Festival is a major festival here in New York. With performers like Lizzo and Kendrick Lamar, this will be a major event you won’t want to miss out on! It’s taking place June 9th-11th, so very quickly and if you don’t have tickets yet, run! This year it’s in Corona Park in Flushing Meadows. Show off your best festival looks and enjoy some music!
Jazz Age Lawn Party
Governors Island knows how to party! All of you jazz fans will thrive this summer! It’s roaring 20s themed and taking place on June 10th and 11th, so quickly approaching this month. Dress in your best roaring 20s looks and get your jazz dance moves on!
NYC Kids Fest
This is basically a Woodstock for kids under the age of 12! It’s back this year and will run from June 23rd-25th. With three different locations, you’ll be sure to find one close to your home! They have workshops and live performances, making it the ultimate weekend activity! Check out the lineup on their site and make plans to go!
Mastercard New York Mini 10K
Whether you’re a runner yourself, or you just like to be supportive on the sidelines, you’ll want to make sure to take note of this race! It starts at 8AM on June 10th and is the 51st running year of this women’s only race. Fun fact: this race was founded in 1972 and is not named Mini for being a short distance at all, it actually is named after miniskirts! Female power!
Coney Island Mermaid Parade
TheAnnual Coney Island Mermaid Parade! It will be taking place June 17th and registration is open if you’d like to participate in the parade. It’s a celebration of ancient mythology and so much fun to dress up for! They also aim to create self-esteem for everyone as well. Grab your costume, some friends and go!
Celebrate Juneteenth
Juneteenth is a day where we celebrate the end of Slavery in the United States. The NYC celebration is on June 16th-June 18th and it’s an incredibly important day to teach our children about, as it was a such a horrible part of the history of this country. Freedom is something we haven’t always had here, but it really is amazing to have it now. The city has a lot going on to celebrate this day, such as the Juneteenth Festival! And it’s now a paid holiday in NYC, so take the day to celebrate this important day.
Father’s Day Activities
Father’s Day is June 18th this year! Obviously, plan accordingly to do activities the man in your life enjoys! But if you’re struggling to come up with ideas, I have a few for you! First of all, the Yankees are playing, so be sure to plan around any games. Brunch is always a good idea! Public Kitchen and Bistrot Leo are some great options. Also, consider a cruise around NYC on Bateaux, where you can enjoy the views, brunch and drinks. Or plan either a night away or day trip to Governors Island! They have plenty of fun things to do there like glamping and they have great restaurants.
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