free things to do in New York City
Free events for Wednesday, 05/11/22
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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 11, 2022?

38 free events take place on Wednesday, May 11 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 11 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!

38 free things to do in New York City (NYC) on Wednesday, May 11, 2022

All events are free unless otherwise noted.

Editor's Picks

free events nyc High Line Tour: From Freight to Flowers
free events nyc Reconsidering Work, Life, and Meaning During the Great Resignation (online)
free events nyc Israel's Moment: International Support for and Opposition to Establishing the Jewish State, 1945-1949 (online)
free events nyc African Fusion Night Dance Party
free events nyc Swing Dance: The American Cultural Experience
More Editor's Picks for 05/11/22
        

Workshop | Core Body Boot Camp


This is a core strength workout. They do boot camp style exercises, so think pushups, situps, planks, squats, burpees, etc. There's a lot of smiles and laughing involved, too... (and the high fives will come back as we leave the COVID era behind!) Not sure how to do burpees? Pike jumps? Dragon Pushups? That's fine! We'll teach you. This is an awesome way to rock your body and get fit fast. They welcome all fitness levels. Even if you have not worked out in years we want you to join us. Working out with fun, encouraging people in a group setting is better than trying to do this all on your own.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 am
Free

Birdwatching | Morning Bird Walk


Start your day off right with a bird walk at the height of spring migration. Beginners and advanced birders alike can enjoy this walk. Wednesdays, May 4-25, 2022
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:30 am
Free

Birdwatching | Battery Bird Walk


Meet at the Netherlands Memorial Flagpole located at the entrance to Battery Park on the corner of Broadway, Battery Place, and State Street. Join Gabriel Willow and The Battery Conservancy to explore the diversity of migrating birds that find food and habitat in The Battery. Wednesdays, April 20-May 25, 2022
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:00 am
Free

Workshop | Figure Al Fresco


This event offers a unique setting to observe and sketch the human figure. Each week a model will strike short and long poses for participants to draw. An artist/educator will offer constructive suggestions and critique. Drawing materials provided, and artists are encouraged to bring their own favorite media.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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10:00 am
Free

Park Walk | High Line Tour: From Freight to Flowers


Hear the story behind New York City's park in the sky: an insider's perspective on the park's history, design, and landscape.
   New York City, NY; NYC
10:00 am
Free

Fair | Street Fair


Free fun for the whole family, including arts, crafts, antiques, plants, entertainment, games, and more.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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10:00 am
Free

Workshop | Juggling in the Park


Jugglers use the park throughout the year to provide free classes to the public. Stop by for a quick lesson, stay for the whole time, or just enjoy watching them put their skills to the test. They're a friendly group and open to drop-ins, even if you catch them outside of the regular juggling lessons. All skill levels welcome. Equipment is provided.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:00 pm
Free

Talk | Reconsidering Work, Life, and Meaning During the Great Resignation (online)


The New York Times reports that an estimated 25 million Americans left their jobs in the second half of 2021--the highest number since the Bureau of Labor Statistics has recorded. Known as The Great Resignation, this post-pandemic period of a mass exodus from the world of work is far more complex than it seems. Terri Trespicio, author of the new book Unfollow Your Passion, whose TEDx talk, "Stop Searching for Your Passion" has more than 7 million views, will lead an insightful hour of ideas and discussion as we reframe work, ambition, and yes, passion in our work and our lives.
   New York City, NY; NYC
12:00 pm
Free

Park Walk | Central Park Conservatory Garden Walk (online)


Central Park's six-acre formal garden is getting a makeover. Learn about the Garden’s restoration, which will allow it to bloom brighter than ever.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:30 pm
Free

Concert | Midtown Music


Accomplished musicians playing live music in a pop-up performance. Linger and listen for a song or two, come across an unexpected soundtrack during lunch or on your commute home, and be surprised by the melodies of midtown. Today: Terry Waldo's Gotham City Band.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:30 pm
Free

Jazz | Ragtime/Tin Pan Alley Piano in the Park


Todd Robbins is a New York City based performer who plays Ragtime and classic Tin Pan Alley - and is renowned for his work in Coney Island, off Broadway, and as an author of several books. Whether a sideshow, magic, circus, jazz, or burlesque act, Todd is a master of popular entertainment and can be seen on YouTube, heard playing piano with Woody Allen's Jazz Band (he has recorded two albums with that group), or watched as host on the Investigation Discovery Channel’s new series, True Nightmares.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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12:30 pm
Free

Book Discussion | Israel's Moment: International Support for and Opposition to Establishing the Jewish State, 1945-1949 (online)


Drawing on new research in government, public and private archives, Jeffrey Herf's book explores the political realities that underpinned support for and opposition to Zionist aspirations in Palestine in the wake of the Holocaust and during the onset of the Cold War. Herf explores the role of the United States, the Arab States, the Palestine Arabs, the Zionists, and key European governments from Britain and France to the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia and Poland. His findings reveal a spectrum of support and opposition that stood in sharp contrast to the political coordinates that emerged during the Cold War, shedding new light on how and why the state of Israel was established in 1948 and challenging conventional associations of left and right, imperialism and anti-imperialism, and racism and anti-racism.
   New York City, NY; NYC
1:00 pm
Free

Gallery Talk | Multitudes: Exhibition Tour


From extraordinary early American portraits and dazzlingly complex quilts to playful whimsy bottles, delicately hand-tinted photographs, and fragments of rare twentieth-century art environments, this is an exhibition that celebrates six decades of collecting at the American Folk Art Museum across four centuries of folk and self-taught art.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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1:00 pm
Free

Film | The Fast and the Furious (2001): Car Stunt Extravaganza with Vin Diesel, Paul Walker


An undercover cop gets pulled into a gang that races cars late at night through city streets when the leader is suspected of stealing electronic equipment. Directed by Rob Cohen Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Michelle Rodriguez 107 minutes
   New York City, NY; NYC
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2:00 pm
Free

Workshop | Elements of Nature Drawing


A community of artists of all skill levels are inspired by our surroundings to create with drawing materials, pastels and watercolors. Embolden your artwork amidst the flower-filled and seasonally evolving palette of the verdant gardens. An artist/educator will provide ideas and instruction. Materials provided, and artists are encouraged to bring their own favorite media.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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2:00 pm
Free

Book Discussion | The Lioness: From New York Times Bestellling Author Chris Bohjalian (online)


A luxurious African safari turns deadly for a Hollywood starlet and her entourage in this riveting historical thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of The Flight Attendant.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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4:00 pm
Free

Classical Music | J.S. Bach and more..


Simon Herron, Percussion. Program: PHILIPPE HUREL Tombeau in memoriam Gérard Grisey (1999) JUDD GREENSTEIN We Shall Be Turned (2006) JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH Keyboard Concerto in D minor, BWV 1052
   New York City, NY; NYC
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4:00 pm
Free

Workshop | Farming 101 Workshop: Soil and Seed Starting


Learn to manage the health of your vegetable garden soil through a deeper understanding of its composition and biology.   This workshop will also cover compost and soil amendments, and will lead participants through the process of starting seeds for later transplant. The workshop is designed for those with little to no experience.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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4:30 pm
Free

Concert | Midtown Music


Accomplished musicians playing live music in a pop-up performance. Linger and listen for a song or two, come across an unexpected soundtrack during lunch or on your commute home, and be surprised by the melodies of midtown. Today: Terry Waldo's Gotham City Band.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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4:30 pm
Free

Workshop | Game Nights in the Park


Stop in during weekly game nights and socials to learn a new game, hone your skills, and meet new people
   New York City, NY; NYC
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5:00 pm
Free

Birdwatching | Spring Birding Tour


Discover the surprising diversity of birds that call the park home during migratory season with guided tours by NYC Audubon, led by environmental educator and urban naturalist Gabriel Willow. The park is a hotspot for avian visitors and birders alike. Past sightings include warblers, tanagers, vireos, thrushes, and even a Chuck-will’s-widow.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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5:00 pm
Free

Birdwatching | Birding Tour of the North Woods


Discover birding in the more serene northern part of the Park during the height of songbird migration. Wednesdays, April 27-May 25, 2022
   New York City, NY; NYC
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5:30 pm
Free

Classical Music | Works for Violin by J.S.Bach and Tchaikovsky (in-person and online)


McCall Andersen, violin prodigy. Program: JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH Partita No. 2 in D minor for Solo Violin, BWV 1004 PETER TCHAIKOVSKY Concerto in D Major for Violin and Piano
   New York City, NY; NYC
5:30 pm
Free

Book Discussion | A Diary of the Plague Year: An Illustrated Chronicle of 2020


Elise Engler’s book is one year of a daily drawing/painting project that lasted from late 2015 to President Biden’s inauguration in January, 2021. Made each morning from the first headlines she heard from her bedside radio, Engler’s vibrant immediate images recapture what it was like to live through 2020- bringing texture, feeling, and even charm to what we might not remember and what we will never forget.
   New York City, NY; NYC
6:00 pm
Free

Opening Reception | Takashi Murakami: An Arrow Through History


Murakami bridges the physical and digital realms. An Arrow through History incorporates Gagosian’s first use of virtual reality, featuring a digital rendering of the  gallery
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Dancing | African Fusion Night Dance Party


Dance Party, hosted and produced by Talia Castro-Pozo, includes superb bands and expert dance instruction for extraordinary dancing experiences. Learn the steps from 6pm - 7pm and then test out your new moves to live music from 7pm to 8:30pm. Featuring music and an African-fusion dance workshop by Sekou McMiller, Babacar Top, and The Artist Collective. Curated by famed Artist/Choreographer Sekou McMiller inspired by his extensive travels to Cuba and Senegal, "African Fusion Night" is an exciting collaboration rooted in movement and rhythm stemming from the African Diaspora, specifically the Sabar culture of Senegal, Afro Beat from West Africa and Afro Cuban dance and music Featuring some amazing international musicians and instructors from New York City, Cuba and Senegal .
   New York City, NY; NYC
6:00 pm
Free

Classical Music | Music for French Horns and more


Julie Landsman Legacy Concert. Program: PIETRO MASCAGNI (arr. Jeffery Kirschen) Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana FRANZ STRAUSS Introduction, Theme, and Variations RICHARD WAGNER Prelude to Act 3, "Die Meistersinger" JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH Cello Suite no. 1 JAMES NAIGUS Polaris for Four Horns and Piano JAMES NAIGUS Pastoral Scenes for Two Horns and Piano ANDREA CLEARFIELD Ha-Galgal for solo horn MANNING SHERWIN (arr. John DeWitt) A Nightingale Sang in Berkely Square LOUIS SCHWADRON Mam on a High Wire ENGELBERT HUMPERDINCK (arr. Patrick Milando) Prelude to Hansel and Gretel GEORG PHILIPP TELEMANN (arr. Kyle Anderson) Overture in G Major, TWV 55:G1 “La Musette.” WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (arr. John Shephard) Soave sia il vento from "Cosi Fan Tutte" MORTEN JOHANNES LAURIDSEN (arr. Devin Corbleigh-Morrison) O Magnum Mysterium TRADITIONAL (arr. John Shephard) Hayvaynu Shalom A'laychem
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Workshop | Sunset Yoga


Namaste! Unwind from the day with outdoor yoga. Immerse yourself in this meditative practice- surrounded by the Hudson's peaceful aura. Strengthen the body and cultivate awareness in a relaxed environment as your instructor guides you through alignments and poses. All levels are welcome. Bringing your own mat is encouraged, as provided accessories are first come first serve.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Dancing | Swing Dance: The American Cultural Experience


Superb bands and expert dance instruction. Instruction by Gaby Cook and AJ Howard Live music by Charenee Wade's Band of Swing Known for expert vocal improvisational ability and her seriously swinging groove, Brooklyn native Charenee Wade evokes a classic jazz sound akin to Betty Carter and Sarah Vaughan, two of her musical touchstones. With her Motema debut, Offering: The Music of Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson, she pays tribute to another inspiration, the socially conscious poet and musician Gil Scott-Heron, and confirms that she too plans to use her artist platform thoughtfully. The first full-length album tribute to Scott-Heron and his musical collaborator Brian Jackson by a woman artist,
   New York City, NY; NYC
6:00 pm
Free

Lecture | The Work of Artist Precious Okoyomon


Precious Okoyomon was born in London in 1993. She is an artist, poet, chef, and founding member of the cooking collective Spiral Theory Test Kitchen. Okoyomon’s installations, which often incorporate lush plants and soil along with poetry, music, and sculpture, have been exhibited internationally at venues including the Aspen Art Museum, Colorado; Luma Foundation, Arles, France; and Performance Space, New York. Her work is currently on view at the 59th Venice Biennale. She is the author of Ajebota (2016) and But Did U Die (2020). Speaker Gio Escobar was born in Brooklyn in 1995. He is a jazz composer, musician, radio host, and member of the Standing on the Corner ensemble. Escobar has collaborated with Okoyomon on several projects, most recently at the Aspen Art Museum, Colorado, and Luma Foundation, Arles, France. He lives in Brooklyn.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Discussion | Visualizing Racial Complexity (online)


Visualizing Racial Complexity provides exhibition viewers and the community at large an opportunity to hear directly from one of the exhibition's featured artists, Juana Valdés as she joins art critic and independent curator Tatiana Flores in conversation. Informed by archipelagic thought and feminist practices, Flores and Valdés will share their recent projects and exhibitions and discuss issues of race and Latinidad within Cuban, Latin American, and Latinx Art. 
   New York City, NY; NYC
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6:00 pm
Free

Book Discussion | Vigil Harbor: Mystery in New England (online)


Set ten years in the future, Julia Glass’s novel is a gripping mystery and drama set against the quaint backdrop of a coastal New England village. When two strangers arrive in a town already reeling from the tumult of a slew of divorces and relentless natural disasters, it’s clear that something much bigger than a storm is brewing over Vigil Harbor. Glass seamlessly blends voices and plotlines into a compelling novel that confronts the realities of climate change while painting an intimate portrait of domestic unrest.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:00 pm
Free

Musical | In the Green: An Innovative Musical-Opera Hybrid


This innovative opera/music/theater piece tells the story of the medieval composer, mystic, scientist and Catholic saint Hildegard von Bingen “on her path to sainthood from childhood,” focusing on the thirty years she spent locked up in a cell with her mentor, the anchoress Jutta von Sponheim. A New Musical by Grace McLean Additional Music & Words by Hildegard Von Bingen
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:30 pm
Free

Book Discussion | Reservations for Six: A Novel of Modern Marriage (online)


Writer and educator Lindsey Palmer's entertaining and insightful page-turner is about modern marriage and a tight-knit group of friends navigating their 30s and beyond, It follows three couples in western Massachusetts over the course of a year navigating the trials and tests of marriage.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:30 pm
Free

Movie in a Park | The Miracle on George Green (2022): A Treehouse in London


This film tells a collective social history of the UK tradition of the commons--land collectively owned and used to gather, play, and debate. The film centers around the George Green treehouse in East London. In the early 1990s, when the old sweet chestnut tree that housed the treehouse was threatened, a group of schoolchildren wrote letters to the treehouse as part of a campaign to save it. 60 min. Filmmaker Onyeka Igwe will be in conversation with associate curator Melanie Kress.
   New York City, NY; NYC
7:30 pm
Free

Discussion | Art and Activism: Personal Journeys


The pre-festival program of the 29th New York African Film Festival is the annual town hall event, a program which culls together the visual and social themes that underscore 29 Years of the New York African Film Festival. Join us as we celebrate an exchange between a dynamic group of interdisciplinary artists from the Diaspora who are lending their voices and insights to the evening. Guests include visual and performance artists, who are front and center to the conversations taking place in our global communities.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:30 pm
Free

Discussion | Building Political Alliances Across Race and Class (online)


In a time when we often hear about the divisions fracturing American society, what bridges are being built to achieve a more fully functioning democracy and create economic gains for all? How can diverse coalitions across race and class, empowering different groups with common goals, bring about much needed change to our political system, institutions, and social policies? Farrah Stockman, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist of The New York Times and author of American Made: What Happens to People When Work Disappears, leads a discussion on these urgent questions, featuring: Dana Kuhnline, campaign manager for ReImagine Appalachia; Heather McGhee, distinguished lecturer at the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies and author of The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together; and Janelle Wong, professor of American studies at the University of Maryland and author of Immigrants, Evangelicals, and Politics in an Era of Demographic Change.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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7:30 pm
Free

Talk | Bestelling Author Ta-Nehisi Coates on Attempts to Erase African American History


In the wake of George Floyd's murder, the United States seemed caught in a reckoning with the legacies of slavery and racial inequity. Yet, the backlash to critical discussions of America's history and the history of African Americans was swift, with President Trump introducing an Executive Order in September 2020 barring discussion of so-called 'divisive-concepts' in government trainings and other settings. Beginning in January 2021, state legislatures took up the charge, continuing the campaign against curricula and ideas labeled "critical race theory," and The New York Times' 1619 Project. In the years since, we have seen a dramatic rise in efforts to ban books, and particularly the very books that have long fought for a place on the shelf - books by African Americans and authors of color, by LGBTQ+ authors and women. PEN America's Banned in the USA report found that 40% of banned books in the 2021-2022 school year featured a protagonist or secondary character of color. Coates (Between the World and Me) will discuss this moment of attempts to erase African American history and black intellectual thought in the context of the broader attacks on free speech and free expression. He will explore the historically cyclical nature of these backlashes, the power structures fortified by the assault on the free exchange of ideas and thoughts, and identify the stakes of the curtailment of free expression.
   New York City, NY; NYC
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8:00 pm
Free
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