{"id":344101,"date":"2026-09-11T16:26:18","date_gmt":"2026-09-11T16:26:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/344101\/"},"modified":"2026-09-11T16:26:18","modified_gmt":"2026-09-11T16:26:18","slug":"things-to-do-in-new-york-city-sept-12-13","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/344101\/","title":{"rendered":"Things to do in New York City: Sept. 12-13"},"content":{"rendered":"

New York City is a multicultural hub with dozens of museums, hundreds of parks and millions of people. The number of potential things to see and do can feel overwhelming, but NY1 has you covered with some of the highlights taking place this weekend across the five boroughs.<\/p>\n

‘In Their Honor’ Exhibit<\/p>\n

Opens Sept. 12
\n9\/11 Memorial & Museum, Manhattan
\nMore information here<\/a><\/p>\n

To mark 25 years since the Sept. 11 attacks, a new exhibition on view until January 2030 at the 9\/11 Memorial & Museum examines “the enduring impact of the countless acts of service that followed.”<\/p>\n

The museum’s mission is to highlight the “individuals and communities [that] transformed grief into action,” and show that, a quarter-century later, the legacy of 9\/11 that endures is the acts of compassion and service it inspired.<\/p>\n

Swim at City Beaches<\/p>\n

Open through Sept. 13
\nAcross the city
\nMore information here<\/a><\/p>\n

This is the last weekend that swimming is allowed at city beaches until around Memorial Day next year.<\/p>\n

Lifeguards will be on duty from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Swimming is prohibited during their off-hours.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

(AP Photo)<\/p>\n

Astoria Fig Festival<\/p>\n

Saturday, Sept. 12 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
\n31st Avenue between 33rd and 35th streets, Queens
\nMore information here<\/a><\/p>\n

Set up along one of Astoria’s Open Streets on Saturday, this celebration will feature all things fig.<\/p>\n

Organizers invite New Yorkers to savor the flavors of fig-inspired dishes from eight local restaurants.<\/p>\n

Courtyard Commission: Precious Okoyomon<\/p>\n

Now open
\nMoMA PS1, Queens
\nMore information here<\/a><\/p>\n

The courtyard at MoMA PS1 has been transformed into a “living forest of plants, interactive sculpture, and sound” by artist and poet\u00a0Precious Okoyomon.<\/p>\n

The museum says “Among the Flowers I Learned to Love: A Garden of Decreation” is Okoyomon\u2019s largest outdoor installation to date. Visitors will see a world of grasses, flowers, weeds, sedges, pollinators and vines \u2014 plus a giant teddy bear they can climb through.<\/p>\n

Bronx River\u00a0Paddle and Pickup<\/p>\n

Saturday, Sept. 12 from 10 a.m. to noon
\nStarlight Park, the Bronx
\nMore information here<\/a><\/p>\n

The Bronx River Alliance is hosting a guided canoeing clean-up in Starlight Park on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Participants will be able to enjoy the river and protect local wildlife while helping improve the community.<\/p>\n

NYC Parks strongly recommends having previous canoeing experience. Register here.<\/a><\/p>\n

9\/12 \ud83d\udef6 Paddle at Starlight Park and enjoy a guided canoe trip while helping remove litter from the Bronx River and protect local wildlife: https:\/\/t.co\/jCPczPmTXw<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 NYC Parks (@NYCParks) September 10, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

‘Self-Made: A Century of Inventing Artists’<\/p>\n

Open through Sept. 13
\nAmerican Folk Art Museum, Manhattan
\nMore information here<\/a><\/p>\n

This is the last weekend to catch this exhibit at the always-free American Folk Art Museum on the Upper West Side, which takes a look at how artists without formal training have depicted and defined themselves on their own terms.<\/p>\n

There are 60 artists featured, with paintings, sculptures, photos and other forms, all on display. The selection showcases those who have worked outside the lineage of artistic networks.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

(Spectrum News NY1\/Roger Clark)<\/p>\n

BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn!<\/p>\n

Events through Sept. 19
\nManhattan venues and Brooklyn Bowl
\nMore information h<\/a>e<\/a>r<\/a>e<\/a><\/p>\n

A slate of annual free performances at Prospect Park runs through Sept. 19 for the BRIC Celebrate Brooklyn! festival’s 47th season.<\/p>\n

All of the shows support Prospect Park. This year\u2019s lineup included Common, Patti LaBelle, Katie Yamasaki, Lady Wray, Victory Boyd, and Reggae with Wayne Wonder and Lila Ik\u00e9.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

(Courtesy Edwina Hay)<\/p>\n

Open Streets in Queens<\/p>\n

Sundays through Sept. 20 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
\nAustin Street between 71st Avenue and 71st Road, Queens
\nMore information here<\/a><\/p>\n

Part of Austin Street in Forest Hills will be closed to traffic on Sunday, allowing New Yorkers to check out the\u00a0crafts, games and outdoor activities set up in the open space.<\/p>\n

The Department of Transportation says the aim of Open Streets is to “promote economic development, support schools, facilitate pedestrian and bike mobility, and provide new ways for New Yorkers to enjoy cultural programming and build community.”<\/p>\n

Snoopy in Style NYC<\/p>\n

Open daily though Sept. 26
\n25 Little West 12th\u00a0St., Manhattan
\nMore information here<\/a><\/p>\n

The Charles M. Schulz Museum, named for the famed creator of “Peanuts,” has curated what it says is a collection of “one-of-a-kind Snoopy and Woodstock plush dolls dressed in custom designer creations.”<\/p>\n

The installations seek to celebrate the iconic characters through the lens of fashion, and also feature rare archival pieces that highlight Schulz’ legacy and impact on pop culture, fashion, sports and music.<\/p>\n

Movies Under the Stars<\/p>\n

Events through September
\nAcross the city
\nMore information here<\/a><\/p>\n

NYC Parks’ Movies Under the Stars runs through the end of the month, with family-friendly film screenings across the five boroughs.<\/p>\n

Bring your own blanket, chairs and snacks and find a free event near you here.<\/a><\/p>\n

Join us for a free flick near you! Bring your blankets to cozy up to one of our Movies Under the Stars across the five boroughs all summer long! pic.twitter.com\/pkBmRu4COJ<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 NYC Parks (@NYCParks) May 28, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Smorgasburg<\/p>\n

Thursdays and Fridays: World Trade Center
\nSaturdays: Marsha P. Johnson State Park, Williamsburg
\nSundays: Prospect Park, Brooklyn
\nWorld Trade Center location open through September
\nBrooklyn locations open through October
\nMore information here<\/a><\/p>\n

Organizers say the city’s annual warm weather food frenzy features one of their biggest lineups yet.<\/p>\n

More than 70 vendors offering global bites, longtime favorites and experimental new concepts set up in Manhattan every Thursday and Friday, and then in Brooklyn every weekend.<\/p>\n

If you can’t make it out to one of their sites, you can still enjoy dining al fresco at a restaurant near you thourgh the city’s\u00a0roadway dining program<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Luna Park<\/p>\n

Open for the season
\nConey Island, Brooklyn
\nMore information here<\/a><\/p>\n

Luna Park in Coney Island is open for the season, with its full lineup of rides, treats and \u201chigh-flying excitement.”<\/p>\n

Visitors can ride the iconic Cyclone roller coaster, play arcade games, get food or shop around.<\/p>\n

‘Flower Power’ at NYBG<\/p>\n

Open through Oct. 18
\nNew York Botanical Garden, the Bronx
\nMore information here<\/a><\/p>\n

This exhibit at the New York Botanical Garden celebrates flowers as a cultural symbol of peace and love.<\/p>\n

In addition to flowers, visitors can expect to see all things related to the “flower power” movement \u2014 like art and fashion from the ’60s, including works from Andy Warhol and Milton Glaser. There are also painted Volkswagen vans, giant peace signs and large hand-painted fabric canopies.<\/p>\n

Plenty of activities are scattered throughout the exhibit, including friendship bracelet-making and ticketed liquid light shows<\/a> with live bands.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Flower Power is a new exhibition at the New York Botanical Garden, opening May 23. (Spectrum News NY1<\/p>\n

)<\/p>\n

‘Uptown Visions’<\/p>\n

Open through Nov. 1
\nHispanic Society Museum & Library, Manhattan
\nMore information here<\/a><\/p>\n

This year’s selection for the\u00a0Hispanic Society Museum & Library’s “Art on Audubon Terrace” exhibit, “Uptown Visions” by Harlem-based painter Tom Sanford is meant to capture the “joy, rhythm, and layered experience of Uptown summer life.”<\/p>\n

Featuring scenes of basketball, cart vendors and\u00a0communal energy, the work was inspired by Joaqu\u00edn Sorolla\u2019s mural series, “Vision of Spain,” which depicted the people and customs of the country.<\/p>\n

50 Years of the Ukrainian Museum<\/p>\n

“A Living Canvas” exhibition on display through Nov. 8
\nThe Ukrainian Museum, Manhattan
\nMore information here<\/a><\/p>\n

The Ukrainian Museum in the East Village is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a new exhibit and\u00a0a number of free public events.<\/p>\n

“A Living Canvas” looks back at the past 50 years of the museum’s history and pays tribute to the museum’s collection through recent acquisitions. The exhibition chose not to focus on the ongoing war, and instead convey the “luminosity and generous spirit of Ukrainian culture.”<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

(Spectrum News NY1\/Roger Clark)<\/p>\n

MoMI LAB<\/p>\n

Now open
\nMuseum of the Moving Image, Queens
\nMore information here<\/a><\/p>\n

Queens’ Museum of the Moving Image has opened a free new space for people to check out newly emerging technology.<\/p>\n

The MoMI LAB is located in the museum’s lower level, and welcomes the public to “discover, create, and reflect in this space where people from varied backgrounds can interact with new technologies and each other.”<\/p>\n

‘For the Win’<\/p>\n

Now open
\nAmerican Museum of Natural History
\nMore information here<\/a><\/p>\n

An exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History celebrates “the objects that define athletic greatness.”<\/p>\n

There are more than 70 items covering over 150 years of sports history, including gold medals, trophies and championship rings.<\/p>\n

\"\"
\nNew Museum<\/p>\n

Open Tuesday to Sunday
\n235 Bowery, Manhattan
\nMore information here<\/a><\/p>\n

The New Museum in Manhattan reopened earlier this year\u00a0following a 60,000-square-foot expansion<\/a>. The new space features twice the gallery size, new elevators, new venues, an entrance plaza and an atrium staircase, among other additions.<\/p>\n

Alongside several new commissions, “New Humans: Memories of the Future” will be the inaugural exhibition. The museum says it showcases “works by more than 200 artists, writers, scientists, architects, and filmmakers to explore how dramatic technological and societal changes have spurred new conceptions of what it means to be ‘human.’\u201d<\/p>\n