Explore Manhattan’s Upper West Side, 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 the Upper West Side.
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 the Upper West Side.
We update this page on a daily basis, so be sure to bookmark us and return for fresh events.
Explore Upper West Side
Lincoln Center Plaza
Lincoln Center: opera, ballet and a public place to listen
The Metropolitan Opera, New York City Ballet and New York Philharmonic share the campus at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. You can make a particular production or concert the center of your visit, whether your interest is singing, choreography or orchestral music. The plaza and fountain offer an outdoor encounter with the architecture, while David Geffen Hall's public lobby brings you inside without attending a full concert.
Riverside Park South
Pier I: out over the Hudson
From Lincoln Center, the Hudson waterfront lies to the west, with Pier I extending out from Riverside Park South. You can walk 795 feet over the water, watching boats pass and looking across to the opposite shoreline. The pier runs at an angle, a shape inherited from its former work transferring railroad cars onto barges.
170 Central Prk W
The New York Historical: Tiffany glass and the women behind it
Clara Driscoll and the women in Tiffany Studios' glass-cutting department are part of the story at The New York Historical on Central Park West. In the Gallery of Tiffany Lamps, you can see illuminated glass designs built around dragonflies, trailing wisteria, daffodils and peonies. The collection connects those plant and insect motifs with the people whose work helped produce the lamps.
200 Central Prk W
Natural History: leafcutter ants and a life-size whale
Live leafcutter ants travel along a transparent overhead bridge in the American Museum of Natural History's Insectarium. You can watch their movement, see beetles and leaf insects, and explore displays about how insects communicate. This is part of the Gilder Center, whose sunlit central space has undulating walls, arches and bridges modeled on the forms of canyons shaped by wind and water.
100 W 77th St
Grand Bazaar NYC: a Sunday with makers and vintage dealers
Independent antique dealers, artists, designers and craft-makers gather at Grand Bazaar NYC every Sunday, year-round, near the museum cluster on West 77th Street. You can browse vintage fashion, jewelry, art, collectibles and furniture across indoor and outdoor areas. The vendor lineup changes, bringing different specialties into the market from week to week.
2246 Broadway
Westsider: paperbacks, first editions and books on the arts
Westsider Rare & Used Books Inc. has specialized in secondhand and rare books since 1971. Farther north on Broadway, you can browse more than 50,000 books across two floors, with fiction in paperback and hardcover alongside philosophy, history, poetry and children's books. Science fiction and fantasy have a place here too.
What's happening in Upper West Side
Find upcoming street fairs, performances and other unique events in the Upper West Side.
5 things worth doing in the next 7 days · Friday, October 16th – Thursday, October 22nd
A very large museum covering the natural world, with displays ranging from dinosaur fossils to outer space.
4.6★ from 25,856 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts
concert hall · Upper West Side
A complex of several performance spaces, home to resident companies including the Metropolitan Opera and New York City Ballet.
4.8★ from 22,004 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any dayFree
Theodore Roosevelt Park
park · Upper West Side
An 18-acre park wrapping the American Museum of Natural History between West 77th and West 81st Streets, laid out on a strolling path network originally designed by Calvert Vaux and Jacob Wrey Mould.
4.6★ from 12,738 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Metropolitan Opera House
opera house · Upper West Side
This is a working opera house — a family comes here to sit through a full staged production.
4.8★ from 7,280 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Beacon Theatre
performing arts theater · Upper West Side
You come for a show — the calendar runs concerts, comedy and podcast recordings.
4.7★ from 7,161 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
AMC 84th Street 6
movie theater · Upper West Side
A multiplex where some of the auditoriums have recliner seats.
4.5★ from 5,381 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Terminal 5
live music venue · Upper West Side
A large concert venue at the western edge of Hell's Kitchen.
4.1★ from 4,269 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any dayFree
Grand Bazaar NYC
flea market · Upper West Side
You browse a Sunday market of 100+ independent vendors selling vintage, antiques, art, jewelry, collectibles, furniture and global finds, spread across indoor and outdoor space at 100 W 77th St.
4.2★ from 2,306 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
David Geffen Hall
concert hall · Upper West Side
This is the New York Philharmonic's home at Lincoln Center, reopened after a full renovation.
4.7★ from 1,696 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Eclipso NYC
amusement center · Upper West Side
A large VR centre on West 57th Street where you put on a headset and walk freely through a reconstructed place rather than sitting in a seat.
4.9★ from 918 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
American Folk Art Museum
art museum · Upper West Side
A small museum at Lincoln Square showing art by self-taught artists.
4.4★ from 815 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
The New York Historical
museum · Upper West Side
New York's first museum, on the Upper West Side.
4.5★ from 756 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Hayden Planetarium
museum of space history · Upper West Side
Astronomy and space exhibits housed inside a large sphere, which is suspended within a surrounding glass cube.
4.6★ from 636 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
New York City Ballet
ballet theater · Upper West Side
Beyond the mainstage season at the David H.
4.8★ from 572 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any dayFree
Pier I
fishing pier · Upper West Side
4.7★ from 515 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any dayFree
Westsider Rare & Used Books Inc.
used book store · Upper West Side
A used and rare bookshop on Broadway with over 50,000 books across two floors of subjects — fiction in paperback and hardcover, children's books, sci-fi and fantasy, theatre, film, poetry, history, philosophy, architecture and fashion, plus rare first editions and antiquarian books.
4.5★ from 495 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Rose Center for Earth and Space
natural history museum · Upper West Side
Exhibits here cover the universe and how it works, with hands-on displays throughout.
4.6★ from 487 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
New York Comedy Club - Upper West Side
comedy club · Upper West Side
A stand-up room on the Upper West Side running nightly ticketed shows, part of a club with other rooms in Midtown and the East Village.
4.6★ from 480 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Gilder Center for Science, Education, and Innovation
museum · Upper West Side
The interior is shaped like a cave, and the galleries inside cover insects, butterflies and the earth.
4.8★ from 476 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any dayFree
The Strand
book store · Upper West Side
A local shop stocking books and gifts, with stationery available as well.
4.5★ from 422 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
West Side Comedy Club
comedy club · Upper West Side
A small comedy room programming sets from New York comics alongside open-mike nights.
4.4★ from 398 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
The Paint Place
painting studio · Upper West Side
A second-floor studio on W 72nd Street where an instructor walks the room through one painting per session — classics like Monet's water lilies, a Paris café street scene, or a Tribute to Bob Ross night — and everyone works on their own 16 x 20 canvas with paints, brushes and an apron supplied.
4.9★ from 340 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any dayFree
Pier 97 at Hudson River Park
park · Upper West Side
The draw for families is the park's fifth playground, a 5,900-square-foot play space with a 26-foot tower climber and slide, a ship's hull to clamber over and a separate area set aside for small children.
4.6★ from 319 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Paint & Sip Studio New York
painting studio · Upper West Side
A step-by-step painting class on the Upper West Side where a local artist talks the room through one featured painting and you take yours home.
4.7★ from 267 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Film at Lincoln Center - Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center
movie theater · Upper West Side
Lincoln Center's film venue, holding two screening rooms plus an outdoor amphitheater.
4.7★ from 261 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any dayFree
Westsider Records
record store · Upper West Side
It's a used and rare bookshop on Broadway on the Upper West Side, open since 1971, with over 50,000 books.
4.5★ from 218 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any dayFree
79th Street Greenmarket
farmers' market · Upper West Side
A Sunday market on Columbus Avenue directly behind the American Museum of Natural History, so it pairs naturally with a museum morning.
4.6★ from 211 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Chaotic Good Cafe
cafe · Upper West Side · $1–10
A cafe on the Upper West Side where you play board games over coffee and treats.
4.8★ from 206 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Central Rock Gym - Manhattan
rock climbing gym · Upper West Side
A 12,000 sq ft gym with 10,000 sq ft of climbing walls and 400 linear feet of bouldering.
4.7★ from 202 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
The Art Studio NY
art school · Upper West Side
4.9★ from 186 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Pier 96 at Hudson River Park
park · Upper West Side
A pier on the Hudson where the Manhattan Community Boathouse runs volunteer-staffed kayaking through summer and early fall.
4.7★ from 185 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any dayFree
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center
public library · Upper West Side
Browse free exhibitions in the Shelby Cullom Davis Museum drawn from the library's theater, dance, music and recorded-sound collections — recent shows have covered Broadway photography, pop groups from New Edition to One Direction, and Dance Theatre Workshop.
4.6★ from 176 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Little Shop of Crafts
painting studio · Upper West Side
A craft shop where children, adults and groups work on projects on site.
4.6★ from 119 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
96th Street Clay Tennis Courts
tennis court · Upper West Side
Clay tennis courts open to the public with no admission charge.
4.5★ from 117 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
NYC Free Tour
travel agency · Upper West Side
A guide walks you through twelve stops in Midtown over about 1.5 miles, starting in Bryant Park and taking in the New York Public Library — including the Patience and Fortitude lion statues — Rockefeller Center's Art Deco complex, Radio City Music Hall, and ending inside Grand Central Terminal.
5★ from 109 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Manhattan Community Boathouse - Pier 96
kayaking · Upper West Side
Free kayaking in a cove off Pier 96 in Hudson River Park.
4.8★ from 101 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Select Tours NYC
tour operator · Upper West Side
A tour company running guided walks around New York City, led on foot rather than by bus.
5★ from 83 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Wang Chen Table Tennis Club
table tennis facility · Upper West Side
A table tennis club on the Upper West Side where you can drop in on a day pass and play, whatever level you're at.
4.2★ from 80 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
School of American Ballet
ballet school · Upper West Side
The official school of New York City Ballet, so the public comes for its programs rather than drop-in visits.
4.4★ from 70 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Chess Max Academy
chess club · Upper West Side
A chess school led by player and coach Maxim Dlugy.
4.9★ from 65 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
New York Outrigger
paddleboarding · Upper West Side
Their Novice Sessions are an introduction to outrigger canoe paddling and stand-up paddleboarding on the Hudson, run by volunteer paddlers.
4.4★ from 61 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
The Baseball Center NYC
batting cage center · Upper West Side
An indoor baseball facility built around batting cages.
4.5★ from 44 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
JP Teaches Photo
photography class · Upper West Side
4.9★ from 40 Google reviews
More info ▾
Open any day
Art Retreat NYC
art studio · Upper West Side
5★ from 31 Google reviews
More info ▾
Neighborhood FAQs
Where can I try classic Upper West Side food?
You can shop for bagels and bakery goods at Zabar’s or choose smoked fish and homemade soups at Murray’s.
Zabar's sells smoked fish, caviar, bagels and spreads, alongside deli meats, cheeses and bakery goods. Choose babka, cakes or cookies if you want something sweet.
Murray's Sturgeon Shop offers sable, smoked fish, freshly made gefilte fish and caviar, plus kosher meats and homemade soups. You can also shop for dried fruits and specialty coffees.
Where can I see films on the Upper West Side?
You can watch theater and art programs on screen at Symphony Space or choose weekend film screenings at New Plaza Cinema.
Symphony Space presents Broadway on Screen, Theater on Screen and Exhibition on Screen, alongside the Silent Clowns Film Series.
Which smaller art museums and galleries can I visit on the Upper West Side?
Choose between Nicholas Roerich’s paintings and the objects on view at Bard Graduate Center Gallery.
Nicholas Roerich Museum exhibits more than 150 works by Roerich across three floors of an Upper West Side townhouse; admission is free.
Bard Graduate Center Gallery offers a townhouse setting where you can look closely at the objects on display. General admission is $15, with free admission on Fridays.
