Free museum days, pay-what-you-wish nights and always-free galleries in New York City, from the big Manhattan institutions to borough favorites. Every listing below is checked against the museum’s own page, and the list refreshes on its own as new free days are announced.

84 verified listings right now. Updated automatically.

Starts in 14h 21m

Daily · 5 PM–6 PM

63°F · Sunny

✓ Verified Oct 27, 2026

Why this place: Free · pay what you wish · repeats, so you can go another time · at Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum, Manhattan · official listing on cooperhewitt.org · checked Oct 27

Arts & culture

Cooper Hewitt Pay What You Wish hour

📍 Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum · Upper East Side, Manhattan

Pay what you wish 5–6 PM daily; 18 & under free anytime

Starts in 2d 14h

SUN, NOV 1 · 4 PM–6 PM

61°F · Partly Sunny

✓ Verified Oct 29, 2026

Why this place: Free · at Museum of the Moving Image, Kaufman Courtyard, Queens · official listing on movingimage.org · checked Oct 29

Arts & culture

Day of the Dead at Museum of the Moving Image

📍 Museum of the Moving Image, Kaufman Courtyard · Astoria, Queens

Free admission

Starts in 2d 14h

SUN, NOV 1 · 4 PM–6 PM

61°F · Partly Sunny

✓ Verified Oct 30, 2026

Why this place: Free · at Museum of the Moving Image, Kaufman Courtyard, Queens · official listing on movingimage.org · checked Oct 30

Arts & culture

Day of the Dead at Museum of the Moving Image

📍 Museum of the Moving Image, Kaufman Courtyard · 36-01 35th Ave, Astoria, NY 11106, Queens

Free

Questions

How many listings are in this guide?

84 verified listings right now. Updated automatically.

How are these listings checked?

Every listing links to the organizer's own page: the venue, the city agency or park, or the official ticket or RSVP page. We don't copy listings from other event sites.