Explore Manhattan’s Chelsea, from neighborhood favorites to unique curated events. Start with the best-known things to do, then check out "What's happening" for upcoming limited events in Chelsea.
These special events are sourced from the web and social media, then carefully curated based on cool and unique events you might enjoy doing in Chelsea.
We update this page on a daily basis, so be sure to bookmark us and return for fresh events.
Explore Chelsea
75 Ninth Avenue
Eat and shop at Chelsea Market
At Chelsea Market, you can grab something to eat or shop for groceries. You’ll find shops selling fresh fish, meat, cheese, produce and Italian ingredients. The market is inside a former Nabisco factory.
Los Tacos No.1 was started by friends from Tijuana and Brawley who brought their family recipes to New York. Choose grilled steak, marinated pork or grilled cactus, served in a hand-pressed corn or flour tortilla with onion, cilantro, salsa and guacamole. On the menu, those fillings are called carne asada, adobada and nopal. You can also order horchata, jamaica or tamarindo to drink.
456 High Line, New York, NY 10011
Walk through the High Line’s gardens
On the High Line, you can walk among grasses and flowering plants in the Chelsea Grasslands, then pass shrubs and trees in the Chelsea Thicket. After the trains stopped running, wild plants grew along the abandoned tracks. The old rails remain among the plants.
533 W 19th St, New York, NY 10011
Visit David Zwirner
David Zwirner has three neighboring spaces on West 19th Street, so you can move between different contemporary art exhibitions in one visit. The program includes painting, photography and sculpture.
Admission is free. You can browse artist books and exhibition catalogs at the David Zwirner Books Shop.
West 21st Street, Chelsea
See exhibitions at Gagosian
At Gagosian’s West 21st Street gallery, exhibitions often focus on one artist at a time. Its program spans modern and contemporary painting, photography and sculpture, with shows devoted to historical figures as well as living artists.
537 West 22nd Street
Explore Dia Chelsea
At Dia Chelsea, you can see focused projects by individual artists on your own. Dia also offers public tours for more context. Admission is free.
Outside, Joseph Beuys’s 7000 Oaks pairs street trees with upright basalt columns. The trees grow while the stone stays the same size, changing the outdoor artwork over time.
557 W 23rd St, New York, NY 10011
Take a family break at Chelsea Waterside Park
If you’re near the waterfront with children, Chelsea Waterside Park has a large pipefish-shaped slide, climbing and water play. A basketball court gives you another option, and there’s a permanent picnic area.
119 W 23rd St, New York, NY 10011
Explore posters at Poster House
At Poster House, you can see how posters use pictures, color and lettering to advertise, entertain and persuade. Several spaces host changing exhibitions, while the Poster History Timeline is the museum’s only permanent display. You can also place your portrait inside an iconic poster at the photo booth.
227 W 27th St, New York, NY 10001
See fashion at The Museum at FIT
At The Museum at FIT, you can compare clothing from different periods in the Fashion and Textile History Gallery. Its displays rotate through selections from a collection spanning the 18th century to the present, with particular strength in modern and contemporary women’s fashion.
What's happening in Chelsea
Find upcoming street fairs, performances and other unique events in Chelsea.
12 things worth doing in the next 7 days · Friday, October 16th – Thursday, October 22nd
A price sits under the hours when an event is not free. Tap an event for its details, the time and place, and the organizer's link.
Free
Friday at Poster House
Fridays are the long day at Poster House, when the Chelsea poster museum keeps its exhibitions open well into the evening.
Fri Oct 16 · Poster House · Manhattan · Free
🚇 23 St (F M) · 2 min walk
🍴 Eat nearby · 3 places, closest 2 min walk
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Free
Days of Wine and Roses (1962): Classic Romantic Drama
See the romantic drama Days of Wine and Roses at Muhlenberg Library.
Fri Oct 16 · Muhlenberg Library · Manhattan · Free
🚇 23 St (1 C E) · 3 min walk
🍴 Eat nearby · 4 places, closest 2 min walk
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Free
A Living Poem Centering the Multidimensionality of Black Embodiment: Multimedia Experience
Rachel Eliza Griffiths combines poetry, experimental sound, movement and video in a work created with Jane Rigler.
Fri Oct 16 · Dia Chelsea Art Gallery · Manhattan · Free
🚇 23 St (1 C E) · 11 min walk
🍴 Eat nearby · 4 places, closest 2 min walk
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Dueling Pianos
Two pianists mix live music, comedy and cabaret in an all-request show.
Sat Oct 17 · Shake Rattle & Roll Dueling Pianos, Chelsea · Manhattan · Price not listed
🚇 28 St (1) · 2 min walk
🍴 Eat nearby · 4 places, closest 2 min walk
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🆕 Just addedFree
Artist Tours through Her Lyrical Abstract Paintings
Susan Vecsey guides you through her exhibition and discusses the creative process behind her lyrical abstract paintings.
Sat Oct 17 · Berry Campbell · Manhattan · Free
🚇 34 St-Hudson Yards (7) · 8 min walk
🍴 Eat nearby · 4 places, closest 4 min walk
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Trad Music Session & Irish Dancing
Tara Mor pairs a traditional music session with Irish dancing.
Sun Oct 18 · Tara Mor, Chelsea · Manhattan · Price not listed
🚇 28 St (1) · 2 min walk
🍴 Eat nearby · 4 places, closest 2 min walk
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Free
Sunday at Poster House
You can explore Poster House at your own pace during its recurring third-Sunday museum program.
Sun Oct 18 · Poster House · Manhattan · Free
🚇 23 St (F M) · 2 min walk
🍴 Eat nearby · 3 places, closest 2 min walk
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Free
Pianter & Printmaker Discusses His Visual Language & Fluid Visual Realms
Hear from Ali Banisadr, whose layered paintings and prints draw on memories of sound, mythology and world history.
Mon Oct 19 · School of Visual Arts · Manhattan · Free
🚇 14 St (A C E) · 2 min walk
🍴 Eat nearby · 4 places, closest 2 min walk
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Free
Learn How To Recognize & Capture the Best Photographic Opportunities
Learn how to recognize photographic opportunities and capture them.
Tue Oct 20 · B&H Superstore · Manhattan · Free
🚇 34 St-Penn Station (1 2 3 A C E) · 5 min walk
🍴 Eat nearby · 4 places, closest 2 min walk
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Free
If Fashion is of Interest to You... An Exhibit of Elegance Awaits!
You can trace dolls' influence on fashion through runway clothes, miniature outfits and designs that play with scale.
Wed Oct 21 · Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology · Manhattan · Free
🚇 28 St (1) · 2 min walk
🍴 Eat nearby · 4 places, closest 2 min walk
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Free
Techniques & Insights for Using Light To Transform Your Photographs
Photographer Andy Katz talks through how he sees and uses light, drawing on techniques from a decades-long career.
Wed Oct 21 · B&H Superstore · Manhattan · Free
🚇 34 St-Penn Station (1 2 3 A C E) · 5 min walk
🍴 Eat nearby · 4 places, closest 2 min walk
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🆕 Just addedFree
Hallway House: Original Romantic, Friendship Drama
Judy Klass's play follows three college friends whose devotion to the Algonquin Round Table bumps up against their romantic lives.
Thu Oct 22 · Urban Stages · Manhattan · Free
🚇 34 St-Penn Station (1 2 3 A C E) · 3 min walk
🍴 Eat nearby · 4 places, closest 3 min walk
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Open any day. No date needed
Open any dayFree
Chelsea Market
market · Chelsea
A market concourse with food and drink stalls, shops and services, and art around the building.
4.6★ from 51,870 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Madison Square Garden
stadium · Chelsea
This is an events arena rather than somewhere you drop in — you come for a specific ticket.
4.7★ from 34,570 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Edge NYC
observation deck · Chelsea
An observation deck that juts out from the side of the building 100 storeys up.
4.6★ from 32,836 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Vessel
observation deck · Chelsea
A climbable structure of interconnecting staircases in the Hudson Yards Public Square and Gardens, designed by Thomas Heatherwick to be walked up and explored rather than just looked at.
4.6★ from 29,248 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any dayFree
Union Square Greenmarket
farmers' market · Chelsea
A farmers market that runs year-round on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, with up to 140 regional farmers, fishers and bakers in peak season.
4.6★ from 6,397 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
ARTECHOUSE NYC
art museum · Chelsea
A former boiler room under Chelsea Market, now a single large projection space where digital artwork covers the walls and floor and the sound is spatialised around you.
4.1★ from 5,335 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Infosys Theater at Madison Square Garden
concert hall · Chelsea
This is a theater inside Madison Square Garden that hosts ticketed shows — concerts, comedy and fight nights among them.
4.6★ from 3,784 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Classic Harbor Line
boat tour agency · Chelsea
Boat tours, sightseeing cruises and private yacht hire, with food and drinks served on board.
4.9★ from 3,777 Google reviews
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Open any day
Lucky Strike Chelsea Piers
bowling alley · Chelsea
Forty bowling lanes, an arcade and a laser tag arena, all in one building on Pier 60.
4.3★ from 3,470 Google reviews
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Open any day
Arte Museum New York
art museum · Chelsea
You walk through a series of digital art rooms, each with its own setting: an infinite waterfall, a tornado, a tropical rainforest, a beach at night, a forest, and a paper-art Milky Way of stars.
4.7★ from 3,402 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
National Museum of Mathematics
national museum · Chelsea
MoMath's exhibits are interactive rather than behind glass — kids ride a square-wheeled tricycle that rolls smoothly over a bumpy track, and there's a spiral staircase built around a parabola.
4.1★ from 3,326 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
The Shed
art center · Chelsea
4.5★ from 2,539 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Bathhouse Flatiron
sauna · Chelsea
A bathhouse with thermal pools, saunas and steam rooms.
4.4★ from 2,499 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Gotham Comedy Club NYC
comedy club · Chelsea
A comedy club booking both new and established comics.
4.5★ from 2,457 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
AMC 19th St. East 6
movie theater · Chelsea
A cinema with digital projection.
4★ from 2,107 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any dayFree
Pier 57
park · Chelsea
Pier 57 is a food hall and public space on the Hudson River, with a rooftop park upstairs and Market 57 downstairs.
4.7★ from 2,099 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Escape Room NYC - Mission Escape Games
escape room center · Chelsea
A Midtown escape-room venue where a team has 60 minutes to solve their way out of a themed room.
4.8★ from 1,700 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Tidal Force VR
video arcade · Chelsea
Five free-roam VR missions where your group walks around a physical space wearing headsets rather than standing in one spot.
5★ from 1,690 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Edge Observatory
observatory · Chelsea
4.6★ from 1,568 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any dayFree
Artists & Fleas Market Chelsea
market · Chelsea
This is an indoor maker market inside Chelsea Market, under the High Line, where independent sellers set out art, jewellery, design and fashion at small stalls.
4.5★ from 1,568 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
City Cruises
boat tour agency · Chelsea
Sightseeing and dining cruises around New York Harbor, passing the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the Brooklyn Bridge.
4.5★ from 1,464 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Hammerstein Ballroom at Manhattan Center
concert hall · Chelsea
A music hall over a hundred years old, with ornate decoration, a standing floor and balcony seating.
4.2★ from 1,263 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
High Line Observation Deck
observation deck · Chelsea
The High Line is an elevated park built on a disused freight line, and the walk itself is the activity — the planting is designed after the wild, self-seeded landscape that grew there over the 25 years after the trains stopped.
4.8★ from 1,260 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Taste Buds Kitchen - NYC - Chelsea
cooking class · Chelsea
A hands-on cooking studio in Chelsea where children work with a chef to make a menu from scratch and then eat it.
4.8★ from 1,238 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Society Billiards + Bar
pool hall · Chelsea
A basement pool hall with 19 tables, plus leagues for regular players.
4.3★ from 932 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Poster House
museum · Chelsea
A poster museum with several exhibitions running at once, so what you see depends on when you go.
4.7★ from 880 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Chelsea Piers Manhattan
event venue · Chelsea
A large sports complex where the activities on offer include a driving range, ice skating, swimming and bowling.
4.5★ from 876 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Chelsea Waterside
park · Chelsea
The park at West 23rd Street and the West Side Highway has a children's play area in its northeast corner, a basketball court to the north, a multi-use recreational field in the northwest corner and a dog run at the south end.
4.6★ from 801 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
David Zwirner
art gallery · Chelsea
The gallery runs rotating exhibitions across several Manhattan locations — 19th Street, 20th Street and Tribeca — with a different artist showing in each.
4.5★ from 778 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
New York Media Boat / Adventure Sightseeing Tours
boat tour agency · Chelsea
You board a fast boat at the Chelsea Piers Marina and ride out into the harbour with a licensed captain narrating as you go.
5★ from 747 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any dayFree
Pier 57 Rooftop Park
park · Chelsea
The main draw for children is the Discovery Tank, a free interactive gallery and classroom where you play technology-driven games about the creatures living in the Hudson.
4.8★ from 728 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
SVA Theatre
event venue · Chelsea
A theater run by the School of Visual Arts that hosts film screenings, seminars and other events.
4.6★ from 696 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any dayFree
Academy Records & CDs
record store · Chelsea
A used record shop on West 18th Street in the Flatiron District, holding tens of thousands of LPs, CDs, DVDs and Blu-rays to flip through — heaviest in classical, jazz, rock and soul.
4.3★ from 639 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any dayFree
Books of Wonder
book store · Chelsea
A children's bookstore with a deep selection, plus a shelf of rare titles.
4.8★ from 572 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
The PIT
performing arts theater · Chelsea
The Peoples Improv Theater runs improv jams, open mics and drop-in classes seven days a week, alongside shows from its house teams.
4.5★ from 566 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Five Iron Golf
indoor golf course · Chelsea
You rent a simulator for up to six people and pick what you want to do on it — practise your swing, play a round at a course like Pebble Beach, or run through the built-in games.
4.9★ from 520 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Body & Pole
dance school · Chelsea
A pole and aerial dance studio running over 170 classes a week, covering pole, aerial hoop, silks, flexibility and conditioning.
4.3★ from 440 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Magnet Theater
performing arts theater · Chelsea
An improv and sketch comedy theater on West 29th Street running original shows since 2005.
4.7★ from 416 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Five Iron Golf
indoor golf course · Chelsea
You book one of the 10 Trackman simulators for up to six people and either practise, play courses like Pebble Beach, or work through the built-in games — you pick which.
4.8★ from 398 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Chelsea Piers Golf Club
golf driving range · Chelsea
A driving range built out over the Hudson, with a fairway enclosed by netting.
4.2★ from 380 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
American Bartender's School
bartending school · Chelsea
4.6★ from 371 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Beads of Paradise
jewelry repair service · Chelsea
A small, narrow shop crowded with beads, textiles and accessories sourced from other countries.
4.7★ from 327 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Little Island Vista Point
observation deck · Chelsea
A park built out over the Hudson that you walk up and around for views back across the water and the city.
4.7★ from 323 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Salsa Sabrosa
salsa classes · Chelsea
A Cuban salsa school running classes in salsa, rueda de casino and timba, taught at beginner, advanced beginner and advanced levels.
5★ from 303 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
BeadKraft
bead store · Chelsea
A bead shop stocked for people making their own jewelry.
4.5★ from 280 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any dayFree
Jazz Record Center
record store · Chelsea
A jazz specialist shop on the eighth floor at 236 West 26th Street, selling LPs, CDs, books, videos, magazines and jazz ephemera.
4.7★ from 218 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Big Apple Charters
boat rental service · Chelsea
This is a private yacht charter out of Chelsea Piers — you book a whole boat and crew rather than joining a scheduled trip.
4.9★ from 215 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
InnerLight Dance Nyc
dance school · Chelsea
A salsa and bachata school running small group classes in four-week cycles that build up to social dancing, plus private and virtual lessons.
5★ from 196 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any dayFree
Hudson Yards Public Square and Gardens
public garden · Chelsea
An open public space at Hudson Yards, with the Vessel as its centerpiece.
4.8★ from 189 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Humming Puppy Yoga New York City
yoga studio · Chelsea
You practice in black-walled, tiered rooms filled with a constant low hum — a mix of the 7.83 Hz Schumann resonance and a 40 Hz frequency — played throughout the space to push you toward a meditative state.
4.4★ from 183 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Shake Rattle & Roll Dueling Pianos
piano bar · Chelsea · $30–50
An all-request dueling piano show where two pianists take song requests and the room sings and claps along, part concert and part comedy.
4.4★ from 181 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
OPERA America
opera company · Chelsea
This is the headquarters of the opera service organization OPERA America, and the reason to come is its Onstage at the Opera Center series in the small Marc A.
4.6★ from 177 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Om Factory NYC
yoga studio · Chelsea
An aerial yoga and circus studio on the second floor at 873 Broadway, just north of Union Square.
4.6★ from 172 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Little Island Theater
amphitheater · Chelsea
An outdoor amphitheatre on a park pier off the Hudson, open daily from 6am, with a summer season running June to September — over 200 artists across 56 shows, all tickets the same $25.
4.7★ from 166 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Chelsea Piers Sky Rink
ice skating rink · Chelsea
An indoor rink that runs all year, used for both figure-skating instruction and ice hockey games.
4.1★ from 157 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Central Rock Gym - Chelsea
rock climbing gym · Chelsea
A 15,000 sq ft climbing gym on West 27th Street with 10,000 sq ft of climbing and 300 linear feet of bouldering.
4.7★ from 152 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
FlowerSchool New York
vocational school · Chelsea
A floral design school in Chelsea, near the NYC Flower Market.
4.2★ from 116 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Flamingos Vintage Pound
vintage clothing store · Chelsea
5★ from 114 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Chelsea Piers Field House
batting cage center · Chelsea
An 80,000-square-foot sports complex that includes a gymnastics center, with classes running for both children and adults.
4.4★ from 109 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Metro Private Cinema - Chelsea
movie theater · Chelsea
You book a private screening room for just your own group and pick what goes on the screen — current releases on opening weekend, indies or older favourites, and you can change your mind later or use the room for sports or video games instead.
4.6★ from 97 Google reviews
More info ▾
Neighborhood FAQs
What can I do in Chelsea if I want to play a sport?
At Chelsea Piers, you can practice golf or skate year-round.
Chelsea Piers Golf Club has a waterfront driving range with heated, weather-protected stalls and machines that tee up balls for you. Its Inrange system tracks shots and offers virtual courses and games. Private lessons and classes are also available.
Sky Rink holds indoor public skating sessions throughout the year. It also offers private skating and hockey lessons, plus adult hockey leagues.
Where can I browse books and independent makers in Chelsea?
At Chelsea Market, you can browse books or shop from independent makers and sellers.
Posman Books sells books, cards and gifts. It's open daily from 9am to 9pm.
Artists & Fleas brings together makers, designers, collectors and curators. Its sellers offer objects they’ve made or chosen. It's open daily from 11am to 7pm.
Where can I try seafood or Portuguese pastries at Chelsea Market?
On Chelsea Market’s main concourse, you can get fish and shrimp tacos or Portuguese custard tarts.
Los Mariscos serves fish and shrimp tacos inspired by Tijuana and Baja seafood stands, plus ceviche and aguachile. The bar serves beers and margaritas.
Joey Bats Cafe makes pastéis de nata, tarts with flaky shells and vanilla custard. They’re baked until caramelized and served warm with cinnamon and powdered sugar.
