By early evening the Theater District is lit up and queueing for curtain time, while across the river in Brooklyn the bars and music rooms are only beginning to fill. Later, the city's late-night energy shifts to the streets where people spill out of shows and into whatever comes next.
New York's nightlife is unusually broad rather than concentrated in a single strip: major performance venues, small experimental stages, independent cinemas, neighborhood bars, and large arenas are spread across Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. It suits visitors who want options and don't mind moving between neighborhoods, and it rewards planning ahead, since popular shows and screenings can sell out even at awkward times.
Where to go out in New York City
1. The Theater District around Times Square, Manhattan
This is where the major musicals and big-name dramatic works of Broadway are concentrated, and it draws the largest visitor crowds. It suits a formal, ticketed night out built around a single show. Tickets for some productions run to around $130 a seat, though discounters make cheaper seats available, and it is worth booking ahead.
2. Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway venues, Manhattan
Smaller stages throughout Manhattan play to smaller audiences, with Off-Off-Broadway shows described as dirt cheap and very small. This suits a looser, more spontaneous evening and anyone willing to trade spectacle for intimacy. Listings for current and upcoming shows are available through Playbill.com.
3. Greenwich Village and the East Village, Manhattan
These neighborhoods hold several theaters showing independent and foreign releases, many of which screen only in New York. It suits a low-key night of film rather than a big production. Repertory screenings sometimes come with post-screening discussions or parties, so check listings for details.
4. Lincoln Center and the Upper West Side, Manhattan
Lincoln Center is home to the Chamber Music Society, the Metropolitan Opera, the New York City Ballet, and the New York Philharmonic, and the Film Society at Lincoln Center runs a repertory program alongside experimental and foreign films. This suits an evening of classical music, opera, dance, or serious cinema. Compared with other New York movie theaters, tickets to films at MoMA in Midtown are described as a steal.
5. Midtown Manhattan
Midtown holds Carnegie Hall, the premier venue for classical music in the United States, and Radio City Music Hall, home of the Rockettes, as well as MoMA's repertory film program. It suits a night combining a headline performance with a museum screening. Several major television networks have studios here, and some well-known programs are open to viewers.
6. Downtown Brooklyn
The Brooklyn Academy of Music in Downtown Brooklyn is one of the city's high-profile music and dance halls. It suits a Brooklyn-based evening without crossing into Manhattan. Barclays Center nearby hosts the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Liberty.
7. Long Island City, Queens
The Museum of the Moving Image puts on a screening program with films showing continuously throughout the day. It suits an afternoon-to-evening film visit rather than a late night. It is a useful option if you are basing yourself in Queens.
8. Crown Heights, Brooklyn
Crown Heights is the setting for the annual West Indian Carnival, whose main event is the West Indian-American Day Parade along Eastern Parkway. It suits a daytime and early-evening street celebration rather than a standard night out. The parade draws between one and three million spectators, so plan around the crowds.
How a night out unfolds
Timing depends on what you are doing. Theater performances anchor the early evening, and the Village Halloween Parade steps off at 7PM on October 31, with those wishing to march in costume asked to show up between 6PM and 9PM at Spring Street and 6th Avenue. The St. Patrick's Day Parade runs from 11AM to about 2:30, with celebrations in pubs citywide continuing the rest of the day and night. Beyond these fixed points, the sources do not specify when people typically eat or how late venues stay open.
Festivals and events worth timing a trip around
- New York Film Festival, hosted by the Film Society at Lincoln Center — October
- Village Halloween Parade, along Sixth Avenue between Spring Street and 21st Street — October 31, starting at 7PM
- Tribeca Film Festival — May
- Tony Awards, Broadway's biggest award ceremony — early June
- St. Patrick's Day Parade, up 5th Avenue from 44th Street to 86th Street — March 17, 11AM to about 2:30
- West Indian Carnival and West Indian-American Day Parade, Crown Heights, Brooklyn — Labor Day
- Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Central Park West — Thanksgiving morning
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to book theater tickets in advance?
It is wise to. Broadway tickets for some shows run to around $130 a seat, though discounters make cheaper seats available, and Off-Broadway and Off-Off-Broadway shows are far less expensive. Playbill.com is a good resource for current listings.
Can I see a film that isn't showing anywhere else?
Often yes. Several theaters in Greenwich Village and the East Village play independent and foreign releases, many of which are screened only in New York, and the Museum of the Moving Image in Long Island City runs films continuously throughout the day.
Can I take part in the Halloween Parade?
Anyone in a costume is welcome to march. Those wishing to do so should show up between 6PM and 9PM at Spring Street and 6th Avenue.
What happens after the St. Patrick's Day Parade?
Celebrations in pubs citywide continue the rest of the day and night. The parade itself runs from 11AM to about 2:30 up 5th Avenue from 44th Street to 86th Street.
Decide what kind of evening you want, check listings and book ahead where tickets are required, then plan your route between neighborhoods before you set out.