Must-see entertainment in Upper West Side & Central Park

  • Metropolitan Opera House

    Upper West Side & Central Park

    New York’s premier opera company is the place to see classics such as La Boheme, Madame Butterfly and Macbeth. It also hosts premieres and revivals of…

  • New York City Ballet

    Upper West Side & Central Park

    This prestigious company was first directed by renowned Russian-born choreographer George Balanchine in the 1940s. Today, it's the largest ballet…

  • Film at Lincoln Center

    Upper West Side & Central Park

    Film at Lincoln Center is one of New York’s cinematic gems, providing an invaluable platform for a wide gamut of documentary, feature, independent,…

  • New York Philharmonic

    Upper West Side & Central Park

    The oldest professional orchestra in the US (dating to 1842) holds its season every year at David Geffen Hall; music director Jaap van Zweden took over…

  • American Ballet Theatre

    Upper West Side & Central Park

    Founded in 1937, this traveling company presents a classic selection of ballets at the Metropolitan Opera House every spring (generally in May), with a…

  • Delacorte Theater

    Upper West Side & Central Park

    Every summer the Public Theater heads here to present its fabulous free productions of Shakespeare in the Park, which founder Joseph Papp began back in…

  • Walter Reade Theater

    Upper West Side & Central Park

    The Walter Reade boasts some wonderfully wide, screening room–style seats. Every September/October it hosts the New York Film Festival, featuring plenty…

  • Symphony Space

    Upper West Side & Central Park

    Symphony Space is a multidisciplinary gem supported by the local community. It often hosts three-day series that are dedicated to one musician, and also…

  • Smoke

    Upper West Side & Central Park

    This swank but laid-back lounge – with good stage views from plush sofas – brings out old-timers and local faves, such as George Coleman and Wynton…

  • 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…

  • 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…

  • 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.

  • Cleopatra's Needle

    Upper West Side & Central Park

    Named after an Egyptian obelisk that resides in Central Park, this slightly dated venue has live jazz and blues musicians playing nightly from 7pm or 8pm …