With Memorial Day Weekend just past us, we have unofficially launched into the beginning of summer in New York City! It’s the best time to try out new things and explore the big apple outdoors and all it has to offer. From a Broadway show to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, free concerts and enjoying classical music outdoors, we have everything you need for a good month! If you’re a first-time visitor, you’ll want to spend as much time as you can exploring the city. I’ll be helping you avoid tourist traps and beat the summer heat with the best happenings in town! Try out the best restaurants and see the best things all a short walk to public transportation. June is going to be a great time and the best way to spend the month is with friends and family in the greatest city in the world!
Here is everything we’re looking forward to this month!
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! The views are almost as good as the music!
This is a big one! This is one of those things New Yorkers wait for all year! It’s taking place from June 8th-June 19th and you can view the feature and short film lineup here! With 110 feature films and 43 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! It’s also so nice to see the representation from directors that are female, POC and in the LGBTQ community.
In a film festival mood this month? Don’t worry, there are plenty to attend! And that includes the Brooklyn one! It runs through the 9th. With 159 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!
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 13th, so it’ll be a summer full of fun outdoor activities!
Brookfield Place is one of our favorite spots to spend time because they always have cool stuff going on! This summer, they will have a DJ, pickleball courts, a Portside vineyard , Pride celebrations and so much more! Their full schedule is out on their site now but it’s running all summer long and you will not want to miss out on the fun!
Presented by HERO, this is an experiential immersive space featuring 8 interactive kids atmospheres. There are areas such as the bloom garden, which is a ball pit in a flowering garden under a digital sky and a mushroom forest, where your kids can bounce around on mushroom themed items! It’s a lot of fun and a great place to bring your family!
The Standard, High Line Hotel is launching their La Plaz, which is a Mexico City inspired interactive installation in their outdoor plaza. Mexican artist and designer Sofia Elías is featured along with her jewelry line available at The Shop, Blobb. The food concept is Jugando a Jugar, inspired by Mexico City and will be here until September 9th!
Playland is a historic amusement park and waterfront destination. They are officially open with a pool, beach and season passes. We love how simple it is to get to on the ferry! Attend movie nights, see fireworks, check out entertainment on their main stage and so much more!
If you’re looking for a fun way to see the whole city, this is it! The boat trips are an hour and a half and it is a communal table where you pedal around Manhattan to help propel to boat. It’s not necessary, but you can totally sit in a lounge seat and just enjoy the views, but the pedaling is some good exercise for fun! You can book one seat or rent the whole boat for 26 people and the best part is it’s BYOB so you can bring whatever you’d like to sip on! There’s a deckhand and master captain there, so you know you’re in good hands. Connect to the bluetooth sound system and you’ll be on your way!
Father’s Day Activities
Father’s Day is June 16th 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 and the Mets are playing, so be sure to plan around those 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. Check out our Father’s Day gift guide for any shopping needs here!
On June 18th 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 The Met, Neue Galerie New York, The Guggenheim, Cooper Hewitt, Museum of NYC and El Museo del Bario. 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!
Who likes free movies?! Everyone? I thought so! Bryant Park has another really cool summer happening every Monday starting this month. There are concessions that open at 5PM and the movies start around 8PM. This is a great activity to do with friends, it gives you plenty of time after work to take a moment before running there. This is a popular spot, not just because it’s one of the best free things in the city, but because so many people can go to it and it happens so often. The schedule comes out early this month!
Calling all foodies, you are going to want to check this one out! Smorgasburg is the largest open air food market here! This is one of the more popular attractions food-wise in the city. They have a ton of different vendors with food ranging from BBQ to cookies to ice cream to sandwiches and all the way back. You’ll want to keep up with their schedule, though, to make sure you know which locations are open on which days and times and that’s all on their site here. They also have their full list of vendors to scope out on there. With several different locations, you can find the closest to you and head over! This is also one of the more popular events for families and is super kid friendly!
Have you heard of the BEAST? Arguably, it’s one of the coolest adventures NYC has to offer!It’s a pretty cool speedboat that will take you on a splashing ride down the Hudson River. If you’re an adrenaline junkie, this is something for you! They claim that it’s like a rollercoaster, but one that’s on water and I would have to agree with that statement! If you’re wondering what this boat has it’s “1400 BHP-horsepower with two ZF 3000 marine gears powered by twin Hamilton Jets, rocketing you through the water at a heart-pounding 40 knots (about 45 mph)!” You will definitely get splashed, so I recommend wearing something you’re okay getting wet in. Also accessories such as hats, sunglasses and loose earrings probably aren’t the best to wear on it, as they could fly off. It’s almost like a boat tour of the city, too. Do you dare to book tickets?!
This is the 42nd Annual Coney Island Mermaid Parade! It will be taking place June 22nd 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!
The Public Theater puts it on every summer but this year they are undergoing renovations, so it will be on tv! PBS will air Much Ado About Nothing, Merry Wives of Windsor, Richard III and Hamlet all month long. So theater fans, you will not be missing out!
The Summer Solstice is the longest day of the year, so you’ll want to make sure it’s a day that’s not wasted! Whether that means doing something you love or taking time to relax. This year, it’s on Thursday, June 20th. One of the best events going on this summer is actually the Summer Solstice Music Festival, which is put on by Grand Central Partnership! Located on Park Avenue between East 39th and East 54th streets, this is a huge festival with some top tier talent. If you’re looking for something to do with friends, check this out!
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!
Celebrate Juneteenth
Juneteenth is a day where we celebrate the end of Slavery in the United States. It’s on June 19th 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! You can start celebrating on the 13th with events leading up to the 19th. And it’s a paid holiday in NYC, so take the day to celebrate this important day!
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 30th 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. Their site has hotels as well if you’re coming in from out of town. Let’s celebrate!!
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.
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!
One of our favorite restaurants for the summer is docked on a boat! The Grand Banks is located on the Hudson River on Pier 25 and is most known for being an oyster bar. The drinks are fantastic and I highly recommend the lobster roll! This is the perfect date night spot for the summer months, just make sure you get a reservation because they do book up quickly!
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 8th and is a 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!
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 fun breakfast!
Located on 37th street, the Rooftop Cinema Club is officially back! Tickets are on sale now through 7/7, 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. The lineup is great, full of classic rom coms, too! I swear, they only show the best movies there!
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!
The Governors Ball Music Festival is a major festival here in New York. With performers like Post Malone, The Killers and SZA, this will be a major event you won’t want to miss out on! It’s taking place June 7th-9th, 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!
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 8th and 9th, so quickly approaching this month. Dress in your best roaring 20s looks and get your jazz dance moves on! If you miss it, there are some August dates, though.
Governors Island
Speaking of Governor’s Island, they have so much to do! One of my favorite ways to relax is at QC spa. It’s not a secret, but it definitely is less crowded and less booked during the week versus a weekend but always worth it for the relaxation and views. Island Oyster is having a Sunset Soirée on June 11th in support of Friends of Governors Island, a nonprofit committed to the growth of Governors Island. Finally, Collective Retreats is the most amazing place to stay! They have fantastic dining options, experiences such as yoga retreats and so much more. It’s a great place to get away for a weekend!
This is basically a Woodstock for kids under the age of 12! It’s back this year and will run from June 14th-15th. With two 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!
For more NYC things to do, visit here!
