Things to Do in Harlem, NYC: 2026 Guide

What's happening in Harlem

20 events in the next 7 days

See all Harlem events

Mon Oct 5

A walk through Harlem

The Studio Museum in Harlem

Artists of African descent, working in Harlem and around the world, are the focus of The Studio Museum in Harlem. You’ll encounter their work through changing exhibitions in the museum’s new building, which opened in November 2025. Its collection spans painting, sculpture and photography, with holdings by Faith Ringgold, Al Loving, Nina Chanel Abney and Mavis Pusey. The artist residency program also supports artists making new work, alongside the museum’s collecting and exhibitions.

Beyond the galleries, a stepped gathering space accommodates lectures, performances and films. Head to the rooftop terrace for neighborhood views among native plants and sculptural seating designed by Harlem landscape architecture firm Studio Zewde. Downstairs, the locally run, family-owned Settepani café offers a place to pause between the art and the rest of 125th Street.

Street-level view of a tall modern dark-gray museum building with large windows and cars parked outside.

Apollo Theater

The Apollo Theater has presented Black artists since 1934, and its relit marquee gives you a landmark to see farther west on 125th Street. The historic auditorium is closed for renovation; the exterior is the stop here for now. The marquee was illuminated again in June 2026, while the institution’s performances continue at Apollo Stages at The Victoria.

For a performance, look to that active venue’s program. The Apollo Music Café presents emerging performers across R&B, soul and jazz, with pop, rock, country and funk also represented. Works in Process readings add a different kind of encounter with artists’ work. Keep the historic theater and The Victoria distinct when choosing a program: the famous façade and the current stages are separate destinations.

Apollo Theater exterior with a red vertical APOLLO sign and a marquee reading 'Welcome to the World Famous Apollo Theater' against a blue sky

Theater marquee lined with lights reading 'Welcome to the Apollo Stages at the Victoria Theater' over a busy 125th Street sidewalk with pedestrians

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

Langston Hughes’s words become part of the floor beneath you at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, north of the 125th Street stops. In the lobby, Houston Conwill’s Rivers cosmogram incorporates river names and Hughes’s poem “The Negro Speaks of Rivers” into a circular design. The work memorializes Hughes and Arturo Schomburg, and some of Hughes’s ashes rest beneath its center.

Public exhibitions draw on photographs, books, documents, art and artifacts from African American, African diaspora and African history. Arturo Schomburg’s own collection, spanning centuries and languages, became part of the New York Public Library in 1926. You can explore the center through its exhibitions without undertaking a research project. The Langston Hughes Auditorium extends the program into talks, films and live performances.

Glass entrance doors beneath a canopy labeled Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, with New York Public Library lettering beside them.

Bill’s Place

Harlem-born saxophonist Bill Saxton leads the Harlem All-Stars at Bill’s Place, where you can hear straight-ahead jazz in a small brownstone room on historic Swing Street. Saxton’s career includes playing with Frank Foster, Clark Terry and Charles Tolliver. Here, he’s both the musician leading the band and the owner sustaining a room dedicated to Harlem jazz.

The narrow brownstone on West 133rd Street puts the ensemble in an intimate setting, with the performance at the center of the evening. Guests bring their own drinks. This is an evening stop near the Schomburg, with a focus on one jazz ensemble that differs from the changing genres and multiple acts at nearby Shrine.

A seated saxophonist holding a microphone in front of a grand piano inside a small jazz room.

Shrine

Musicians and music lovers founded Shrine as an independent venue for bands and artists, and you can hear that breadth in its programming. Jazz quartets, rock, blues, funk and Brazilian rhythms appear across its bills, alongside jazz improvisation and Afrofusion DJ sets. Several acts can share an evening, so the music may change substantially between performances.

The room supports seated listening as well as standing and dancing, depending on the bill, with a hardwood dance floor for DJ sets. There’s food and a full bar, and art exhibitions are part of the venue’s activity too. On Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard near the Schomburg and Bill’s Place, Shrine offers a music stop whose character depends on the particular artists performing.

Musicians performing on a small stage under purple and pink lights inside a live music venue.

Hamilton Grange National Memorial

Alexander Hamilton and his daughter Angelica shared music at the early pianoforte in the parlor of Hamilton Grange National Memorial. You can see that instrument as part of a visit to the restored rooms of his country house, completed in 1802. Farther north in Hamilton Heights, the house offers a separate extension to the central Harlem stops, with family music and entertaining among the details of Hamilton’s domestic life.

Tall, triple-hung bay windows light the parlor, which opens broadly into the dining room. There, a wine cooler given to Hamilton by George Washington sits among furnishings that include portraits of Alexander and Eliza. The rooms combine original family objects, reproductions and furnishings informed by the period. Guided visits take you through the house, which was moved to its present location in St. Nicholas Park; the park provides an outdoor continuation after the interiors.

Historic pale yellow house with white columns and porches, surrounded by shrubs and trees beneath a partly cloudy sky.

Suggested walks

Art and the Apollo on 125th

Explore the Studio Museum’s exhibitions, then continue west to the Apollo’s historic marquee.

Archives and live music

Begin with the Schomburg’s galleries, then build an evening around straight-ahead jazz at Bill’s Place or the varied bills at Shrine.

Explore Harlem’s changing programs

Find current exhibitions and events in Harlem, from artist talks and film screenings to live music.

View Harlem map

Select a place to see what you can do there and get directions.

Loading Harlem places…

.guide-map-panel{display:none!important}

The Studio Museum in Harlem144 W 125th StGet directions

Apollo Theater253 W 125th St, New York, NY 10027Get directions

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture - New York Public Library515 Malcolm X BlvdGet directions

Bill's Place148 W 133rd StGet directions

Shrine2271 Adam Clayton Powell Jr BlvdGet directions

Hamilton Grange National Memorial414 W 141st StGet directions

What's happening in Harlem

Find exhibitions, live music, talks and other Harlem events in the next 7 days.

Mon Oct 5

Random Strangers Jam

Sky Demetri and his band lead a fully improvised psychedelic funk-rock session with musicians from the audience.

Shrine, Harlem

Mon Oct 5

Full Band Open Mic

You can hear live music at Harlem Nights’ recurring open mic with a full band.

Harlem Nights, Harlem

Mon Oct 5

Make Your Own Personal Zine with Assorted Ephemera

Make a personal zine using assorted ephemera.

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture

Guests seated at candlelit tables inside a dim red-lit cocktail bar.

Tue Oct 6

Jazz Night

Hear Max Bessesen and his trio play live jazz at Sugar Monk.

Sugar Monk, Harlem

All Harlem events

When

Today Tonight Tomorrow This weekend

Time of day

Where

Harlem All of NYC →

Price

Vibe

20 things worth doing in the next 7 days · Monday, October 5th – Sunday, October 11th

Monday, October 5

Events on Monday, October 5
Event	Date	Where	Hours
Full Band Open Mic	Mon, Oct 5	Harlem Nights, HarlemHarlem · Manhattan	Not posted yetPrice not listed
Make Your Own Personal Zine with Assorted Ephemera	Mon, Oct 5	515 Malcolm X Boulevard, at 135th Street, Harlem, ManhattanHarlem · Manhattan	1pm
Random Strangers Jam	Mon, Oct 5	Shrine, HarlemHarlem · Manhattan	Mondays 8-10pmPrice not listed

Events on Tuesday, October 6
Event	Date	Where	Hours
CNN & NPR Featured Author Shares Her New "Deeply Moving" Book	Tue, Oct 6	536 W 112th St, at Broadway, Morningside Heights, Manhattan, 10025Harlem · Manhattan	7pm
Jazz Night	Tue, Oct 6	Sugar Monk, HarlemHarlem · Manhattan	Not posted yetPrice not listed
Roxane Gay & Feminist Press Lead a Conversation on Feminist Thought & Activism	Tue, Oct 6	515 Malcolm X Boulevard, at 135th Street, Harlem, ManhattanHarlem · Manhattan	6pm
Trivia Tuesday	Tue, Oct 6	Mess Hall Harlem, HarlemHarlem · Manhattan	Not posted yetPrice not listed

Events on Wednesday, October 7
Event	Date	Where	Hours
Artist/Poet Shares Her Latest Pieces	Wed, Oct 7	536 W 112th St, at Broadway, Morningside Heights, Manhattan, 10025Harlem · Manhattan	7pm
New York City: History, Architecture, Social Movements, Cultural Diversity	Wed, Oct 7	1220 Fifth Avenue, at 103 St, Upper East Side, Manhattan, 10029Harlem · Manhattan	10am

Events on Thursday, October 8
Event	Date	Where	Hours
Black Arts Salon with Visual Artists, Poets, Dancers, & More	Thu, Oct 8	515 Malcolm X Boulevard, at 135th Street, Harlem, ManhattanHarlem · Manhattan	5pm
Multidisciplinary Artist Shares His Work on Contemporary Black Life & Culture	Thu, Oct 8	615 W. 129th Street, between Broadway and Riverside Dr., Morningside Heights, Manhattan, 10027Harlem · Manhattan	6:30pm
Pulitzer Finalist Historian Discusses Her Latest Title	Thu, Oct 8	536 W 112th St, at Broadway, Morningside Heights, Manhattan, 10025Harlem · Manhattan	7pm

Events on Friday, October 9
Event	Date	Where	Hours
Bill Saxton & The Harlem All-Stars	Fri, Oct 9	Bill's Place, HarlemHarlem · Manhattan	Every Friday & Saturday 7pm & 9:30pmPrice not listed
Halloween-Themed Book Discussion: Monstrilio	Fri, Oct 9	536 W 112th St, at Broadway, Morningside Heights, Manhattan, 10025Harlem · Manhattan	7pm

Events on Saturday, October 10
Event	Date	Where	Hours
Bill Saxton & The Harlem All-Stars	Sat, Oct 10	Bill's Place, HarlemHarlem · Manhattan	Every Friday & Saturday 7pm & 9:30pmPrice not listed
Comedy Shows	Sat, Oct 10	Harlem Nights, HarlemHarlem · Manhattan	Not posted yetPrice not listed
Explore Collection Featuring Goya, Velazquez, El Greco, and More	Sat, Oct 10	3741 Broadway, btwn W 155th St & W 156th St, Washington Heights, Manhattan, 10032Harlem · Manhattan	2pm

Events on Sunday, October 11
Event	Date	Where	Hours
DJ Dakar - Reggae Sundays	Sun, Oct 11	Shrine, HarlemHarlem · Manhattan	Sundays 12amPrice not listed
Family Art-Making and Gallery Activities	Sun, Oct 11	144 W 125th St, btwn 7th Ave & Malcolm X Blvd, Harlem, Manhattan, 10027Harlem · Manhattan	11am
Let the Music Play in the Park: Local Jazz Artists	Sun, Oct 11	Riverside Drive & West 150th Street, New York, NYHarlem · Manhattan	2pm
Sunday Concert	Sun, Oct 11	Marjorie Eliot's Parlor Entertainment Harlem, HarlemHarlem · Manhattan	Not posted yet

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.