Must-see entertainment in New York

  • 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…

  • Brooklyn Academy of Music

    New York City

    Founded in 1861 (the year the Civil War erupted), BAM is the country’s oldest performing-arts center. Spanning several venues in the Fort Greene area, the…

  • Sleep No More

    West Village, Chelsea & Meatpacking District

    One of the most immersive theater experiences ever conceived, Sleep No More is a loose, noir retelling of Macbeth set inside a series of Chelsea…

  • 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…

  • The front of the historic Kings Theater.

    Kings Theatre

    New York City

    This dream palace from the twilight of cinema's pre-Depression heyday is a nostalgic landmark and a top-notch concert venue to boot. Allowed to fall…

  • Gotham Girls Roller Derby

    New York City

    NYC’s only all-women and skater-operated roller derby league has four borough-inspired home teams: the Bronx Gridlock, Brooklyn Bombshells, Manhattan…

  • National Sawdust

    Brooklyn: Williamsburg, Greenpoint & Bushwick

    Covered in wildly hued murals, this cutting-edge space for classical and new music has come a long way since its days as a sawdust factory, with artists…

  • Barbès

    New York City

    This compact bar and performance space, named after a neighborhood in Paris with a strong North African flavor, is owned by French musicians (and longtime…

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    Smalls

    West Village, Chelsea & Meatpacking District

    Living up to its name, this cramped but appealing basement jazz den offers a grab-bag collection of acts who take the stage nightly. Admission includes a…

  • Nitehawk Cinema

    Brooklyn: Williamsburg, Greenpoint & Bushwick

    This indie triplex has a fine lineup of first-run and repertory films, a good sound system and comfy seats. Amplifying the experience is the fact that you…

  • LGBT Community Center

    West Village, Chelsea & Meatpacking District

    'The Center' has been the nexus of LGBTIQ+ culture in the village since 1983. That’s because it provides a surrogate home for queer folks who may not feel…

  • 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…

  • BAM Strong

    New York City

    This theater, one of NYC's most important cultural institutions, has hosted long runs by important artists like Tony Kushner, Peter Brook and Laurie…

  • Village Vanguard

    West Village, Chelsea & Meatpacking District

    Possibly NYC's most prestigious jazz club, the Vanguard has hosted literally every major star of the past 50 years. Starting in 1935 as a venue for beat…

  • Saratoga Race Course

    The Adirondacks

    Saratoga Springs' first horse race was organized August 3rd, 1863 and over 150 years later you can still stop by one of the oldest horse racing tracks in…

  • Bell House

    New York City

    This 1920s warehouse in the light-industrial grid of Gowanus showcases high-profile live music and variety, spanning indie rockers, DJ nights, comedy…

  • Blue Note

    West Village, Chelsea & Meatpacking District

    With the likes of Sarah Vaughan, Lionel Hampton and Dizzy Gillespie gracing its stage since it opened in 1981, Blue Note is one of NYC's premier jazz…

  • Jalopy

    New York City

    This tavern, and music and teaching space, at the fringes of Carroll Gardens and Red Hook is a fun, DIY kind of affair, where the beer's cold and you can…

  • Comedy Cellar

    West Village, Chelsea & Meatpacking District

    This legendary, intimate comedy club beneath the Olive Tree cafe in the West Village features a cast of talented regulars (Colin Quinn, Judah Friedlander,…

  • IFC Center

    West Village, Chelsea & Meatpacking District

    This art-house cinema in NYU land has a solidly curated lineup of new indies, cult classics and foreign films. Catch shorts, documentaries, mini festivals…

  • 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…

  • BAM Howard Gilman Opera House

    New York City

    The Peter Jay Sharp Building, a 1908 beaux-arts masterpiece that is the main building of the Brooklyn Academy of Music, houses this 2000-seat venue for…

  • Film Forum

    SoHo & Chinatown

    This nonprofit cinema shows an astounding array of independent films, revivals and career retrospectives from greats such as Orson Welles. Showings often…

  • Peoples Improv Theater

    Union Square, Flatiron District & Gramercy

    Aglow in red neon, this bustling comedy club serves up top-notch laughs at dirt-cheap prices. The string of nightly acts ranges from stand-up and improv…

  • Irving Plaza

    Union Square, Flatiron District & Gramercy

    Rocking since 1978, Irving Plaza has seen them all: the Ramones, Bob Dylan, U2, Pearl Jam, you name it. These days it’s a great in-between stage for…

  • 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…

  • Joe’s Pub

    SoHo & Chinatown

    Part bar, part cabaret and performance venue, intimate Joe's serves up both emerging acts and top-shelf performers. Past entertainers have included Patti…

  • 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…

  • RiverWorks

    Buffalo

    For something a bit different, catch the Queen City Roller Girls in action at the purpose-built roller-derby track, the focus of this entertainment…

  • Barclays Center

    New York City

    The Brooklyn Nets in the NBA (formerly the New Jersey Nets) hold court at this high-tech stadium. Basketball aside, Barclays also stages boxing,…

  • Fisher Center for the Performing Arts

    Hudson Valley

    Architecture buffs will want to drop by to view this Frank Gehry–designed building, whose spectacularly modern metal waves make for a great contrast to…

  • Duplex

    West Village, Chelsea & Meatpacking District

    Cabaret, comedy and campy dance moves are par for the course at the legendary Duplex, on song since 1950. Pictures of Joan Rivers line the walls, and…

  • BAM Café

    New York City

    Upstairs at the Peter Jay Sharp Building within the Brooklyn Academy of Music is the Lepercq Space, once a ballroom and now home to the BAM Café. This…

  • BAM Rose Cinemas

    New York City

    A former playhouse that retains ornate original design features and an old-timey feel, the theater in the Peter Jay Sharp Building at the Brooklyn Academy…

  • Eastville Comedy Club

    New York City

    A welcoming bar and diverse program combine for big laughs and community vibes at this comedy club. Shows take place in a tiled back room where local…

  • Theater for a New Audience

    New York City

    Part of the emerging cultural district surrounding BAM, the Theater for a New Audience opened in late 2013 in an ultramodern, ecofriendly building…

  • Public Theater

    SoHo & Chinatown

    This legendary theater was founded as the Shakespeare Workshop back in 1954 and has launched some of New York's big hits, including Hamilton in 2015…

  • Littlefield

    New York City

    This performance and art space occupying a 6200-sq-ft former textile warehouse showcases a wide range of live music and other shows, including comedy,…