Spring is technically around the corner and NYC is making it worth leaving your apartment. Here are the best free things happening this week!
🟢 Free Krispy Kreme Green Doughnut — Monday & Tuesday, March 16–17 Wear green to any Krispy Kreme (in-store or drive-thru) and you get one free Green O'riginal Glazed doughnut. No purchase necessary. It's St. Patrick's Day, you're already wearing green, this one's a no-brainer. 👉 krispykreme.com/promos/st-patricks-day
☘️ St. Patrick's Day Parade — Tuesday, March 17 The 265th NYC St. Patrick's Day Parade steps off at 11 a.m. on Fifth Avenue, running from 44th Street all the way up to 79th Street. Over 150,000 people march, 2 million show up to watch, and the whole thing is completely free. Get there early for a good spot, it runs until about 4:30 p.m. 👉 nycstpatricksparade.org
♟️ Checkmate at Brookfield Place — Monday–Friday (March 16–20) A giant indoor chess board underneath the palm trees of the Winter Garden at Brookfield Place in Lower Manhattan. Open play runs daily 10 a.m.–6 p.m., no registration needed. On Saturday March 21, Chess Max Academy is running a free skills workshop from 1–4 p.m. (registration recommended for that one). Zero chess experience required. 👉 bfplny.com/events/checkmate
🏛️ Bryant Park Free Walking Tour — Monday, March 16 Every Monday at 11 a.m., Bryant Park staff lead a free 45-minute walking tour of the park, its history, design, and how it went from one of the sketchiest spots in the city to "Manhattan's Town Square." Meets at the Josephine Shaw Lowell Memorial Fountain near 41st St & 6th Ave. Registration available on their site. 👉 bryantpark.org/activities/park-tours
🎨 Whitney Museum Free Friday Nights — Friday, March 20 Every Friday from 5–10 p.m., the Whitney is completely free. That's the full museum, exhibitions, views of the Hudson, the works. Reserve your ticket online in advance because they go fast (tickets drop about a week before). If you're under 25, you're always free here anyway. 👉 whitney.org/visit/free-friday-nights
🖼️ MoMA UNIQLO Friday Nights — Friday, March 20 Free for all New York State residents every Friday from 5:30–8:30 p.m. You'll need to reserve tickets in advance and show proof of residency. Drop-in drawing sessions, gallery access, and late-night museum energy. Tickets release one week before, so grab them now. 👉 moma.org/calendar/events/10253
🏗️ New Museum Reopening Weekend — Saturday, March 21 After a 2-year closure and an $82 million expansion, the New Museum reopens March 21, and admission is free all opening weekend. The new 60,000 sq ft building doubles gallery space and launches a 200-artist exhibition called New Humans: Memories of the Future. Tickets are required and now available, so grab yours before they're gone. 👉 newmuseum.org/visit
🐦 Free Urban Park Rangers Hike: Vernal Pools — Sunday, March 15 NYC Urban Park Rangers are leading a free hike at Alley Pond Park in Queens focused on early spring vernal pools, seasonal wetlands that come alive with frogs, salamanders, and amphibians right as winter ends. Runs 11 a.m.–12 p.m. One of the more genuinely cool outdoor picks of the week. 👉 nycgovparks.org/events/urban-park-rangers-hiking-programs
See you out there.
— The Loop