Explore Manhattan’s Midtown South, 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 Midtown South.
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 Midtown South.
We update this page on a daily basis, so be sure to bookmark us and return for fresh events.
Explore Midtown South
225 Madison Ave
Books and manuscripts at the Morgan
A Gutenberg Bible is always on display in the East Room of The Morgan Library & Museum, where you can also examine changing selections of illuminated manuscripts, printed books and original literary or musical manuscripts. The cases bring the visit down to the scale of a page: ornament, print and handwriting sit beneath three tiers of inlaid walnut bookshelves. Above them, the decorated ceiling includes zodiac signs and figures representing the arts, science and learning.
20 W 34th St.
The city from the Empire State Building
The Empire State Building lets you circle its open-air 86th-floor observatory, following the rivers, Midtown towers and streets spreading out below. After the Morgan’s close attention to individual pages, this is a dramatic change of scale. An optional observatory on the 102nd floor offers a different experience behind floor-to-ceiling windows.
266 W 39th St
Scripts and coffee at the Drama Book Shop
Playwrights, performers and readers share the focus at The Drama Book Shop, where you can browse published plays, screenplays and books about writing and performance. The alphabetized plays at the back let you look for a particular script, while the wider selection reaches into the work of making theater and film. A sculptural ribbon of books winds overhead, a distinctive flourish in a shop devoted to words that become performances.
60 W 37th St 3rd Floor
A film beneath the Midtown skyline
Cult classics share the program with newer releases at Rooftop Cinema Club Midtown, where you watch from lounge chairs on the third-floor terrace of Embassy Suites. Wireless headphones carry the soundtrack, and the Empire State Building rises into view beyond the terrace. Seating includes individual Adirondack chairs and two-person loveseats, so the setup works for a solo film outing or a shared seat.
63 W 38th St
Live jazz and dinner at Winnie’s
Vocalists and instrumental performers both appear on the program at Winnie's Jazz Club, where you can combine live music with dinner in the Refinery Hotel lobby. The room has banquettes and seating beside the stage, with low lighting around the performance area. It’s close to the rooftop cinema, giving this part of the neighborhood two distinct options for an evening centered on a performance.
What's happening in Midtown South
Find upcoming street fairs, performances and other unique events in Midtown South.
21 things worth doing in the next 7 days · Friday, October 16th – Thursday, October 22nd
365 5th Ave, btwn E 34th St & E 35th St., Midtown, Manhattan, 10016Midtown South · Manhattan
1pm
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
Crafting Community: Work on Personal Projects & Make New Friends
Work on your personal craft project and meet new people at the library.
Fri Oct 16 · Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library · Manhattan · Free
🚇 5 Av (7) · 3 min walk
🍴 Eat nearby · 4 places, closest 2 min walk
More info ▾
Free
Friday Evening at The Morgan Library & Museum
The Morgan keeps its Midtown library and museum open on Friday evenings, so you can make it an after-work stop instead of a weekend outing.
Fri Oct 16 · The Morgan Library & Museum · Manhattan · Free
🚇 33 St (6) · 4 min walk
🍴 Eat nearby · 4 places, closest 2 min walk
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Free
Accessing NYC Health Insurance
A library program on how to find and get health insurance coverage in New York City.
Fri Oct 16 · Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library · Manhattan · Free
🚇 5 Av (7) · 3 min walk
🍴 Eat nearby · 4 places, closest 2 min walk
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Free
Anthropologist Shares Her New Nonfiction Title, Creative Ozone: Inside Westbeth’s Legendary Artist Community
An anthropologist presents Creative Ozone, her new nonfiction book about Westbeth’s artist community.
Fri Oct 16 · Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, NYPL · Manhattan · Free
🚇 5 Av (7) · 2 min walk
🍴 Eat nearby · 4 places, closest 2 min walk
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Free
Watercolor Painting Session with Jazzy Tunes
Paint in watercolors with jazzy tunes accompanying the session.
Fri Oct 16 · Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library · Manhattan · Free
🚇 5 Av (7) · 3 min walk
🍴 Eat nearby · 4 places, closest 2 min walk
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Free
Dracula: Dead and Loving It (1995): Supernatural Horror Comedy Directed by Mel Brooks
Watch Mel Brooks’s supernatural horror comedy Dracula: Dead and Loving It at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library.
Sat Oct 17 · Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library · Manhattan · Free
🚇 5 Av (7) · 3 min walk
🍴 Eat nearby · 4 places, closest 2 min walk
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Free
Making Poetry from Images
Make poetry from images at the NYPL’s Stephen A. Schwarzman Building.
Sat Oct 17 · Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, NYPL · Manhattan · Free
🚇 5 Av (7) · 2 min walk
🍴 Eat nearby · 4 places, closest 2 min walk
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Free
Basic Sewing to Mend Your Clothing Items
Learn basic sewing to mend your clothing at Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library.
Mon Oct 19 · Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library · Manhattan · Free
🚇 5 Av (7) · 3 min walk
🍴 Eat nearby · 4 places, closest 2 min walk
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Free
Learn & Practice Chess with an Expert
You can learn and practice chess with an expert at Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library.
Mon Oct 19 · Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library · Manhattan · Free
🚇 5 Av (7) · 3 min walk
🍴 Eat nearby · 4 places, closest 2 min walk
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Free
Play Bridge in a Stress-Free Environment
You sit down to hands of bridge at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library, in a recurring session billed as stress-free.
Tue Oct 20 · Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library · Manhattan · Free
🚇 5 Av (7) · 3 min walk
🍴 Eat nearby · 4 places, closest 2 min walk
More info ▾
Free
Vanity Fair-Featured Writer Shares Her New Book on cultural icon Jane Birkin
A writer presents her new book about cultural icon Jane Birkin.
Tue Oct 20 · Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library · Manhattan · Free
🚇 5 Av (7) · 3 min walk
🍴 Eat nearby · 4 places, closest 2 min walk
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Free
Mapping NYC's Subway System
Tue Oct 20 · Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, NYPL · Manhattan · Free
🚇 5 Av (7) · 2 min walk
🍴 Eat nearby · 4 places, closest 2 min walk
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Free
Read & Analyze Poetry of Migration
Read and analyze poetry about migration.
Tue Oct 20 · Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library · Manhattan · Free
🚇 5 Av (7) · 3 min walk
🍴 Eat nearby · 4 places, closest 2 min walk
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Free
Origami Group Meet-Up
You can learn an origami model or teach one to fellow folders at OMG NYC's weekly meetup.
Tue Oct 20 · Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library · Manhattan · Free
🚇 5 Av (7) · 3 min walk
🍴 Eat nearby · 4 places, closest 2 min walk
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Free
Board Games Meet-Up
Play board games with other people at Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library.
Wed Oct 21 · Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library · Manhattan · Free
🚇 5 Av (7) · 3 min walk
🍴 Eat nearby · 4 places, closest 2 min walk
More info ▾
Free
Scream (1996): Modern Classic Slasher from Wes Craven
Wes Craven's 1996 slasher Scream is on the program at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library in Midtown.
Wed Oct 21 · Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library · Manhattan · Free
🚇 5 Av (7) · 3 min walk
🍴 Eat nearby · 4 places, closest 2 min walk
More info ▾
Free
Shaun of the Dead (2004): Zombie Comedy from Edgar Wright
Edgar Wright's 2004 zombie comedy Shaun of the Dead screens at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library.
Wed Oct 21 · Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library · Manhattan · Free
🚇 5 Av (7) · 3 min walk
🍴 Eat nearby · 4 places, closest 2 min walk
More info ▾
Free
Multilingual Poetry Night: Quantum Age
A poetry night in multiple languages at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library.
Wed Oct 21 · Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library · Manhattan · Free
🚇 5 Av (7) · 3 min walk
🍴 Eat nearby · 4 places, closest 2 min walk
More info ▾
Free
Pulitzer Prize–Winning Author Discusses Her New Novel, Music Against the Night, with Jennifer Egan
Yiyun Li and Jennifer Egan discuss Music Against the Night, a novel about two musicians navigating talent, ambition, and sacrifice.
Wed Oct 21 · Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, NYPL · Manhattan · Free
🚇 5 Av (7) · 2 min walk
🍴 Eat nearby · 4 places, closest 4 min walk
More info ▾
Free
Intermediate Chess-Playing: Level-Up Your Game
Play intermediate-level chess at the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library.
Thu Oct 22 · Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library · Manhattan · Free
🚇 5 Av (7) · 3 min walk
🍴 Eat nearby · 4 places, closest 2 min walk
More info ▾
🆕 Just addedFree
Piano Trios by Mozart, Shostakovich, & More (In Person AND Online!)
Hear music for piano trio by Mozart, Shostakovich, and other composers.
Thu Oct 22 · Elebash Recital Hall, The CUNY Graduate Center · Manhattan · Free
🚇 33 St (6) · 4 min walk
🍴 Eat nearby · 4 places, closest 3 min walk
More info ▾
Open any day. No date needed
Open any dayFree
The Morgan Library & Museum
library · Midtown South
The museum and library runs a shop on site.
4.7★ from 5,149 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Rooftop Cinema Club Midtown
movie theater · Midtown South
An open-air cinema on a 3rd-floor terrace, with the Empire State Building lit a few blocks south of the screen.
4.8★ from 828 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Winnie's Jazz Club
jazz club · Midtown South · $50–100
A lobby bar in the Refinery Hotel, wood-panelled, with live jazz and a classic cocktail list.
4.8★ from 783 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Vivid Cabaret
adult entertainment club · Midtown South
4.6★ from 646 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Japas Karaoke
karaoke bar · Midtown South
Private karaoke rooms in Midtown, booked by reservation, with thousands of songs to sing through as a group.
4.4★ from 558 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Head Spa Day - Korean Head Spa & Facial
spa · Midtown South
5★ from 107 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Painting Lounge - Midtown Studio
art school · Midtown South
You sign up for a specific painting from their monthly calendar — the painting listed for that class is the one an instructor walks the room through, step by step.
4.8★ from 63 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Oogie Art - College Art Portfolio Prep School NYC
art school · Midtown South
5★ from 13 Google reviews
More info ▾
Neighborhood FAQs
Where can I find Korean food near Midtown South?
On Koreatown’s West 32nd Street, you can make tabletop barbecue the meal or choose from a broader Korean menu.
Jongro BBQ butchers meat in-house and cooks it at your table. The beef platter brings together brisket, skirt steak, ribeye, marinated chuck and kalbi with banchan that includes kimchi and clay pot egg.
New Wonjo has served Korean barbecue since 1993. Its menu also lists bibimbap, noodles and casseroles for two if your table wants something beyond grilled meat.
Where can I shop around Herald Square?
A large department store and a lower-priced retailer give you different ways to shop for clothes and home goods on 34th Street.
Macy's Herald Square fills an entire block across 11 levels. Beyond clothing and shoes, its departments include housewares, gifts and furniture, so it suits a search that crosses several categories.
Primark focuses on budget-friendly fashion, homeware and beauty products. It’s open daily from 9am–10pm.
What can I enjoy for free in Midtown South?
A Friday museum visit and a public square’s clock and gardens offer two very different free outings.
Herald Square Park and the Bennett Clock has planted gardens and two Bellringers that strike their bells each hour. Look for the clock’s owls with flashing green eyes and the bronze owls on the granite gateposts.
