free things to do in New York City
Free events for Friday, 05/20/11
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Free Events, Free Things to Do in New York City!  Read More

Are you looking for free things to do in New York City (NYC) on May 20, 2011?

30 free events take place on Friday, May 20 in New York City. Don't miss the opportunities that only New York provides! Exciting, high quality, unique and off the beaten path free events and free things to do take place in New York today, tonight, tomorrow and each day of the year, any time of the day: whether it's a weekday or a weekend, day or night, morning or evening or afternoon, December or July, April or November! These events will take your breath away!

New York City (NYC) never ceases to amaze you with quantity and quality of its free culture and free entertainment. Check out May 20 and see for yourself. Summer or Winter, Spring or Fall! Just click on any day of the calendar above and you'll find most inspiring and entertaining free events to go to and free things to do on each day of May . Don't miss the opportunities that only New York provides!

Some events take place all year long: same day of the week, same time there are there for you to take advantage of. One of the oldest free weekly events in Manhattan is Dixieland Jazz with the Gotham Jazzmen, which happen at noon every Tuesday. Another example of an event that you can attend all year round on weekdays is Federal Reserve Bank Tour, which takes place every week day at 1 pm (but advanced reservations are required). You can take at least 13 free tours every day of the year, except the New Year Day, July 4th, and the Christmas Day. If you are classical music afficionado, you can spend whole day in New York going from one free classical concert to another. If you love theater, then New York gives you an option to attend plays and musicals free of charge, or at deep discount. You just need to have information about it. And we are here to make that information available to you.
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The quality and quantity of
free events,
free things to do
that happen in New York City
every day of the year
is truly amazing.

So don't miss the opportunities
that only New York provides:
stop wondering what to do;
start taking advantage of
free events to go to,
free things to do in NYC
today!

30 free things to do in New York City (NYC) on Friday, May 20, 2011

All events are free unless otherwise noted.
        

Workshop | Tai Chi in the Park


Increase physical balance, strength, and mental focus. Learn the ancient Chinese martial art with expert Alex Hing. No experience is necessary! Hing also teaches Tai Chi at the China Institute. He has practiced martial arts for over 25 years in San Francisco and New York City, including 10 years with Tai Chi grand master William C. C. Chen.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:30 am
Free

Tour | Federal Reserve Bank Tour


Learn about central banking functions that Federal Reserve System performs and see Bank's vault of international monetary gold on bedrock of Manhattan Island, five stories below street level. Learn why Federal Reserve has "Federal" in its name, while it's a private bank, not Federal at all. Congressman Ron Paul considers the Federal Reserve "both corrupt and unconstitutional" Five tours daily on the hour.
   New York City, NY; NYC
9:30 am
Free

Talk | Learn about the Peoples of the Plains


With Laura Browarny.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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10:00 am
Free

Gallery Talk | The Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Room


An expert leads informal discussions in the room and answers questions. Two sessions: 10am-1pm and 1:30pm -3pm.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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10:00 am
Free

Workshop | Bridge Club for Advanced Beginners


Are you a Bridge buff? Put on your game face and show off your best moves. For advanced beginner players only. Join the fun and meet new friends!
   New York City, NY; NYC
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10:30 am
Free

Workshop | Teach Yourself Using Online Resources


Hands on using wireless laptops. Explore Library databases and free websites that will help you learn a variety of skills and subjects. Prepare for many academic, civil service and professional licensing exams using LearningExpressLibrary, available from home with your library card.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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10:30 am
Free

Tour | Cathedral Tour


Explore the Cathedral's newly cleaned and restored Nave. Learn about the art, architecture and history of this great sacred space from 1892 to the present.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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11:00 am
$6

Workshop | Ping Pong in the Park


Test your skills at state-of-the-art tables. Paddles and balls are provided free of charge.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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11:00 am
Free

Workshop | In the Loop Knitting & Crocheting Club


Are you a crafter? Join this knitting and crocheting club, led by teacher and designer Ina Braun of Tante Sophie Knitting Studio, to create garments for charitable organizations.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:00 pm
Free

Tour | Times Square Exposé Walking Tour


A free, behind-the-scenes walking tour of Times Square. Visit historic theatres, new sites, and the best of the neighborhood during this walking tour through the Crossroads of the World.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:00 pm
Free

Tour | Grand Central and Its Neighborhood


Discover architecture and social history of Grand Central neighborhood; learn secrets of Whispering Gallery in Grand Central Terminal; gaze upon hubcaps and roadsters on side of Chrysler Building; discover favorite Midtown Manhattan hangout of Mercury, Hercules, and Minerva; learn why Pershing Square isn’t really square; visit original Lincoln Memorial by Daniel Chester French. Award-winning tour led by urban explorer, historian, and storyteller Justin Ferate.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:30 pm
Free

Concert | Terry Waldo, Ragtime Pianist


Ragtime expert & stride pianist Terry Waldo is a protege of the late Eubie Blake. He has produced over 40 albums and wrote the definitive book This is Ragtime - just republished at Jazz At Lincoln Center with a new introduction by Wynton Marsalis. His 26-part radio series with the same title, produced for National Public Radio, fueled the 1970's ragtime revival.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:30 pm
Free

Tour | Cathedral Tour


Explore the Cathedral's newly cleaned and restored Nave. Learn about the art, architecture and history of this great sacred space from 1892 to the present.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
$6

Screening | Short Films on and by Native Americans


Featuring UNRESERVED: The Work of Louie Gong, Writing the Land, Airplane, Button Blanket, and Preston Singletary: Echoes, Fire, and Shadows. Start times are 1pm and 3pm.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
Free

Film | French Film: Jacques Demy's Academy Award-Nominated The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)


With Catherine Deneuve. A young ballerina is torn between the composer who loves her and the impresario determined to fashion her into a great dancer. 91 min.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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2:00 pm
Free

Dance Performance | “Git-Hoan” Dancers


An exciting performance from the celebrated Tsimshian dance troupe.
   New York City, NY; NYC
2:00 pm
Free

Workshop | Shopping Online: A Guide to Bargain-Hunting


Hands on using wireless laptops. Learn about safe, secure, and reputable shopping websites that offer money-saving deals and rebates.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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2:30 pm
Free

Opening Reception | Group Show: Foreclosed. Between Crisis and Possibility


This group exhibition expands on meanings of the word foreclosure by investigating how certain narratives are expelled by particular social, political, and economic conditions. Cutting across the psychic and the spatial, discourse and the documentary, this show investigates a sense of crisis, expulsion of meaning, and systemic collapse in the contemporary moment. Ranging from photography to performance, the artworks challenge the paralyzing rhetoric of crisis and explore possibilities within everyday experience. The ideas and questions put forth by this exhibition will be actively interrogated through a series of public platforms, events, and working sessions. With works by Kamal Aljafari, Yto Barrada, Tania Bruguera, Claude Closky, Harun Farocki, Allan Sekula, and David Shrigley, among others.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Opening Reception | Jason Bailer Losh's Chinese Take Out


Born in Denison, Iowa in 1977 the artist lives and works in Brooklyn.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Opening Reception | Painting: Hiroaki Tatei's Last Samurai


A solo exhibition of Hiroaki Tatei (1937-1995), an artist who was from Fukushima Prefecture. Born in what is now South Korea, Tatei was a singular and highly individualistic painter who never swerved from his desire to create and show his work on his own terms. Tatei moved with his family to Japan in 1945 and later graduated from the Musashino Art School. He has exhibited widely. His painting, which moved through many artistic stages, boasts bright and startling color and distortion, and at times includes masks from the Japanese Noh Theater and Chinese Peking Opera. In addition, Tatei was inspired by the plastic arts of Mexico and the Mayan and Aztec civilizations and this influence shaped part of his career, as did his travels throughout the United States and Europe.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Reading | Cuba Inside and Out: Launch of Review 82


This launch of a special Cuban issue of the acclaimed journal will feature comments by Editor Daniel Shapiro (Americas Society), Guest Creative Editor José Manuel Prieto (author, Nocturnal Butterflies of the Russian Empire, Rex), and Guest Academic Editor Anke Birkenmaier (Indiana University; author, Alejo Carpentier y la cultura del surrealismo en América Latina); and readings of poetry and prose by Cuban writers Juan Carlos Flores, Reina María Rodríguez, and Rolando Sánchez Mejías—some of whom live on the island, others in Europe—and translations by Kristin Dykstra (University of Illinois). All of the participants have contributed texts to Review 82. This program will be conducted in English and Spanish with simultaneous translation.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Performance | No Name Comedy/Variety Show


“No Name and A Bag O’ Chips” Comedy/Variety hosts comics Adrienne Iapalucci (New York Comedy Festival, "Last Comic Standing"), Liz Miele (Comedy Central’s “Live At Gotham,” “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart”) and Luke Thayer (“The Tyra Banks Show,” MTV.com). As always, "No Name" house band The Summer Replacements featuring Alex "The Assassin" De Suze and Carl (Baby Freak) Fortunato, will be on hand to funk things up.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
No cover...

Discussion | Recollections of 52nd Street, the Jazz Club


Willard Jenkins and Dan Morgenstern reminisce.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Concert | Sing We EnchantedL A Festival of Songs for the Season


New York Harmony and Shape-note Songs.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Concert | Sunset Singing Circle


Don’t be shy! Raise your voice and join singer/guitarist Terre Roche as the sun sets over the Hudson River for enchanting evenings of folk songs, rounds and chants. Novice and experienced singers of all ages are welcome.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Concert | Juilliard String Quartet Seminar


Recital Performances by quartets from around the globe who are coached by the members of the world-famous Juilliard String Quartet. The results are displayed during these concerts on the seminar's final day.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:30 pm
Free

Film | John Ford's Oscar Winner The Quiet Man (1952): Followed by a Discussion with Gabriel Byrne


With John Wayne, Maureen O’Hara and Barry Fitzgerald. A disgraced American boxer retires to Ireland, where he finds love. 129 min.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:00 pm
Free

Concert | Kings County Ramblers, Country Jam Band


Kings County Ramblers are a scrappy group of pickers emerging on the Brooklyn scene. Playing a great style of music that brings together bluegrass, ragtime, Americana and improvisational jamming. Everything from fast paced cookin’ with gas to slow eerie numbers of old. The way music is supposed to be--a good time celebration. On this occasion the band features Mark Wyatt, Guitar/Vocals and Emily Hultman, Banjo/Vocals.
   New York City, NY; NYC
8:00 pm
Free

Jazz | Jessica Lurie Ensemble


Led by saxophonist-singer Jessica Lurie, the Jessica Lurie Ensemble borrows both musicians and sounds from New York’s experimental jazz scene but stops just short of joining the party. Harmonic daring and virtuosity lead instead to Eastern European, folk , New Orleans, and other idioms, tied up in a cohesive package by Lurie’s wickedly inventive songwriting. Hear it all on the ensemble’s recent release, Shop of Wild Dreams, which features New York staples Todd Sickafoose, Allison Miller, Erik Deutsch, and—in an inspired move—banjo virtuoso Brandon Seabrook.
   New York City, NY; NYC
9:00 pm
No cover, no...

Performance | Thank You, Robot’s Summer Fridays Comedy Show


Summer Friday’s is a showcase for independent and established improv teams. For each show, two teams join Thank You, Robot to perform sets of unscripted comedy, never seen before and never to be seen again.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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10:30 pm
$5
Complimentary Tickets

to shows, concerts ... (CFT Deals!)

Broadway | Broadway Show!

Regular Price: $101
CFT Member Price: $0.00

Concert | Christmas Concert

Regular Price: $55
CFT Member Price: $0.00
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