Must-see entertainment in New York City

  • The Shed

    Midtown

    Hudson Yards' most interesting building is this puffy-looking, Diller Scofidio + Renfro–designed multimedia arts center. It commissions original works…

  • MCU Park

    New York City

    The minor-league baseball team Brooklyn Cyclones, part of the New York–Penn League and interborough rivals of the Staten Island Yankees, plays at this…

  • Warsaw

    Brooklyn: Williamsburg, Greenpoint & Bushwick

    What do pierogi (Polish dumplings) have in common with punk rock? Why, this rockin' stage inside the no-frills and friendly Polish National Home! There…

  • New Victory Theater

    Midtown

    The oldest operating theater in the country, the New Victory attracts budding thespians and dancers who flock to the upbeat energy of this kid-focused…

  • Bar Next Door

    West Village, Chelsea & Meatpacking District

    One of the loveliest hangouts in the neighborhood, the basement of this restored town house is all low ceilings, exposed brick and romantic lighting. You…

  • Nuyorican Poets Café

    East Village & Lower East Side

    Going strong since 1973, the legendary Nuyorican is home to poetry slams, hip-hop performances, plays, films, dance and music. It's living East Village…

  • Cherry Lane Theatre

    West Village, Chelsea & Meatpacking District

    A little backstreet theater of distinctive charm, Cherry Lane has a long and distinguished history. Started by poet Edna St Vincent Millay in 1924, it has…

  • Bargemusic

    Brooklyn: Brooklyn Heights, Downtown Brooklyn & Dumbo

    The chamber-music concerts held on this 125-seat converted coffee barge (built c 1899) are a unique, intimate affair. For more than 40 years, it has been…

  • Puppetworks

    New York City

    In a tiny theater in Park Slope, this nonprofit outfit stages delightful marionette shows that earn rave reviews from pint-size critics. Catch puppet…

  • City Vineyard

    Financial District & Lower Manhattan

    This waterside bar-restaurant has an intimate, 233-seat cabaret-style theater that features live music nightly. The calendar tends toward emerging singer…

  • Stone

    Union Square, Flatiron District & Gramercy

    Created by renowned downtown jazz-cat John Zorn, the Stone is about the music and nothing but the music, in all its experimental and avant-garde forms…

  • La MaMa ETC

    East Village & Lower East Side

    A long-standing home for onstage experimentation (the ETC stands for Experimental Theater Club), La MaMa is now a three-theater complex with a cafe, an…

  • Mezzrow

    West Village, Chelsea & Meatpacking District

    This intimate basement jazz club opened its doors in 2014 and is run by the same folks behind nearby Smalls, and admission (generally $20) gets you same…

  • Maysles Documentary Center

    Harlem & Upper Manhattan

    This small, not-for-profit cinema founded by the late director Albert Maysles (of Grey Gardens fame) shows documentary and other independent films –…

  • New York Theatre Workshop

    East Village & Lower East Side

    For more than 30 years this innovative production house has been a treasure trove for those seeking cutting-edge, contemporary plays with purpose. It was…

  • Beacon Theatre

    Upper West Side & Central Park

    This historic 1928 theater is a perfect medium-size venue with 2829 seats (not a terrible one in the house) and a constant flow of popular acts from ZZ…

  • Joyce Theater

    West Village, Chelsea & Meatpacking District

    A favorite among dance junkies thanks to its excellent sight lines and offbeat offerings, this is an intimate venue, seating 472 in a renovated cinema…

  • Minton’s

    Harlem & Upper Manhattan

    Birthplace of bebop, this Harlem jazz-and-dinner club is a formal spot for catching live music. Everyone from Dizzy Gillespie to Louis Armstrong has…

  • Pianos

    East Village & Lower East Side

    Nobody's bothered to change the sign at the door, a leftover from the location's previous incarnation as a piano shop. Now it's dedicated to a mix of…

  • AMC Empire 25

    Midtown

    It’s pretty cool to gaze out over illuminated 42nd St at this massive cinema complex, and even more thrilling to settle into the stadium-style seating…

  • New York Live Arts

    West Village, Chelsea & Meatpacking District

    You’ll find a program of more than 100 experimental, contemporary performances annually at this sleek dance center, led by artistic director Bill T Jones…

  • BAM Fisher Building

    New York City

    Part of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the BAM Fisher features an intimate 250-seat theater that showcases unique works of drama, music and dance.

  • Music Hall of Williamsburg

    Brooklyn: Williamsburg, Greenpoint & Bushwick

    This popular venue is the place to see indie bands in Brooklyn – everyone from They Might Be Giants to Teenage Fanclub and Kendrick Lamar has played here…

  • Arlene's Grocery

    East Village & Lower East Side

    This Lower East Side institution (found in a former bodega) has been hosting a wide swath of nightly live music – but especially local rock, punk and…

  • The Daily Show with Trevor Noah

    Midtown

    Sign up online to catch this popular comedy-news show. Reservations for shows are released a few weeks early, so keep visiting the website. Tapings take…

  • 92nd Street Y

    Upper East Side

    In addition to its wide spectrum of concerts, dance performances, literary readings and family-friendly events, this nonprofit cultural center hosts an…

  • Don't Tell Mama

    Midtown

    Piano bar and cabaret venue extraordinaire, Don't Tell Mama is an unpretentious little spot that's been around for more than 30 years and has the talent…

  • 55 Bar

    West Village, Chelsea & Meatpacking District

    Dating back to the Prohibition era, this friendly basement dive is great for low-key shows without high covers or dressing up. There are regular…

  • Gotham Comedy Club

    West Village, Chelsea & Meatpacking District

    Fancying itself as a NYC comedy hall of fame, and backing it up with regular big names and Gotham All-Stars shows, this expanded club provides space for…

  • August Wilson Theater

    Midtown

    This 1200-seat venue, which dates from 1925, was named for Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright August Wilson just weeks after his death in 2005. It's the…

  • Knitting Factory

    Brooklyn: Williamsburg, Greenpoint & Bushwick

    A longtime outpost for folk, indie and experimental music in New York, Williamsburg’s Knitting Factory is where to go to see everything from '90s rock to…

  • Merkin Concert Hall

    Upper West Side & Central Park

    Just north of Lincoln Center, this 450-seat hall, part of the Kaufman Center, is one of the city’s more intimate venues for classical music, as well as…

  • Angelika Film Center

    West Village, Chelsea & Meatpacking District

    Angelika specializes in foreign and independent films and has some quirky charms (the rumble of the subway, long lines and occasionally bad sound). But…

  • (Le) Poisson Rouge

    West Village, Chelsea & Meatpacking District

    This high-concept art space hosts a highly eclectic lineup of live music, with the likes of Deerhunter, Gary Bartz and Yo La Tengo performing in past…

  • Anthology Film Archives

    East Village & Lower East Side

    Opened in 1970, this theater is dedicated to the idea of film as an art form. It screens indie works by new filmmakers and revives classics and obscure…

  • Cinépolis Chelsea

    West Village, Chelsea & Meatpacking District

    This beloved neighborhood movie theater screens first-run films, plus classics and weekend midnight showings of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. There's…

  • Kitchen

    West Village, Chelsea & Meatpacking District

    A loft-like experimental space in west Chelsea that also produces edgy theater, readings and music performances; Kitchen is where you’ll find new,…

  • Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center

    Upper West Side & Central Park

    A film center for small and experimental films is tucked under a bright-green roof lawn toward the northern edge of the principal Lincoln Center compound.

  • Café Carlyle

    Upper East Side

    This swanky spot at the Carlyle Hotel draws top-shelf talent. Bring mucho bucks: the cover charge doesn’t include food or drinks, and there's a minimum…

  • Caroline’s on Broadway

    Midtown

    You may recognize this big, bright, mainstream classic from comedy specials filmed here on location. It's a top spot to catch US comedy big guns and…

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