Free Highlights: Things to Do in NYC, February 2026
Art, music, talks, and other ways to celebrate Black History Month in New York City
I have now been persisting with the Blankman List for so long that there are two specific months that I look forward to every year. In June, I theme these highlights around pride month. (Here was last June’s post.) And in February, I theme them around Black History Month. They’ve become some of my favorite lists to curate, and I think they perhaps best showcase what this city has to offer.
For this month’s highlights I share ways to learn about Black history, see and hear Black artists, and go to Black-owned businesses. As always, there is a longer February 2026 Blankman List that includes many additional events. And while many of those events share no patent connection to Black history, I offer a gentle reminder that if you go far enough back, that distinction is meaningless. Black history is American history.
Disclaimer: Before going anywhere, please confirm the date, time, location, cost, and description using the listed website. Any event is at risk of being rescheduled, relocated, sold out, at capacity, or canceled. Costs are rounded to the nearest dollar and may change. I try to vet quality and describe accurately, but I may misjudge. All views are my own.
Learn About Black History
Tuesday, February 3: Book Launch of Freedom Lost, Freedom Won: Eugene Robinson and Darren Walker in Conversation
Conversation between journalist Eugene Robinson and Ford Foundation president Darren Walker on Robinson’s latest book, which traces African American struggle and resilience through one family story; 6:30–8 pm
Free
Center for Brooklyn History
128 Pierrepont St (Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn)
Saturday, February 7 & Saturday, February 28: Brooklyn’s Black Trailblazers at Green-Wood Cemetery
Guided trolley tour of notable Black individuals interred at Green-Wood Cemetery, such as Jean-Michel Basquiat and Grace Nail Johnson; 1–3 pm; Feb 7 & 28
$15
Meet by the Gothic Arch near the main entrance
500 25th St (Greenwood Heights, Brooklyn)
Sunday, February 15: Black History Month: Flushing Freedom Mile
Guided tour with an NYC park ranger that includes the Lewis Latimer House and other historical landmarks; 11 am–12:30 pm
Free
Northern Blvd & Linden Pl in Daniel Carter Beard Mall
137-17 Northern Blvd (Flushing, Queens)
Tuesday, February 17: The Afterlife of Malcolm X: An Outcast Turned Icon’s Enduring Impact on America
Talk between author Mark Whitaker and moderator David M. Rubenstein on Malcolm X’s legacy in American culture; 6:30–7:30 pm
$35
The New York Historical
170 Central Park W (Upper West Side, Manhattan)
Black-Owned Businesses
The list below barely scratches the surface. I recommend in particular the partially city-funded Shop Black NYC resource, which lists thousands of Black-owned businesses across every borough. But whether you’re looking for a meditative sound bath or a lively happy hour, you can find what you’re looking for in this city while supporting Black entrepreneurs along the way.
Sunday, February 22: Sunday Sound Bath
90-minute meditative sound bath using crystal singing bowls and sound healing instruments; 12–1:30 pm
$30
Life Wellness Center
376 Tompkins Ave (Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn)
Sundays and Fridays: BYOB Intro to Pottery Wheel
BYOB class at a Black-owned pottery studio on the basic techniques of creating pottery using a wheel; 4:30 pm (Sundays) & 6:30 pm (Fridays)
$85, plus $15 glazing and firing fee per piece kept
BCI Studio
63 Flushing Ave (Navy Yard, Brooklyn)
Mondays: Chess Club & Live Jazz at Filthy Diamond
Casual chess tournament for players of all skill levels, with live jazz music; 8 pm tournament (7 pm sign-ups start)
$5 entry fee
Filthy Diamond
679 Knickerbocker Ave (Bushwick, Brooklyn)
Mondays, Thursdays & Fridays: Koko Hour at Kokomo NYC
Happy hour at a Black-owned Caribbean restaurant with specials on drinks and small plates; 5–7 pm
Food and drinks on Koko Hour menu are $7–$15
Kokomo NYC
65 Kent Ave (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
Black Writers and Creatives
While Black representation on stage is important (and to some extent, even thriving), the story changes when you go behind the scenes. As of this writing, only two Broadway musicals include Black composers, for instance: MJ and Hell’s Kitchen. And while too not until March, I’m excited for the Broadway revival of Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, a play (not musical) by the brilliant August Wilson and starring Taraji P. Henson and Cedric the Entertainer that chronicles the early twentieth-century African American experience. Below I share a few writers, composers, and creatives who are helping to not only act out the stories, but craft them, too.
Thursday, February 5: Policing Blackness: Resisting Repression, Police Violence, and Surveillance
Conversation among authors Brittany Friedman, Aaron G. Fountain Jr., Joshua Clark Davis, and LaShawn Harris, who have all written books about policing and Black Americans; 6:30–8 pm
Free
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
515 Malcolm X Blvd (Harlem, Manhattan)
Sunday, February 8: Verses and Voices! Germono Toussaint
Cabaret concert of works by playwright and composer Germono Toussaint spanning musical theater, funk, house, and other genres; 9:30 pm (9 pm doors)
Pay what you wish ($25 suggested for premium seats)
54 Below
254 W 54th St, Cellar (Midtown, Manhattan)
Saturday, February 14: Discount Philosophy
Comedy show interrogating “questions that have plagued humanity for ages” featuring comedians Amanda Gordon, Obi Ehn, and Jatty Robinson; 8 pm
$10
Friends & Lovers
641 Classon Ave (Prospect Heights, Brooklyn)
Monday, February 23: Mary Helen Washington Presents Paule Marshall: A Writer’s Life
Book talk and signing by African American literature scholar Mary Helen Washington on her recent biography of author Paule Marshall; 7:30–8:30 pm
Free (entry only) / $35 (includes book)
Greenlight Bookstore
686 Fulton St (Fort Greene, Brooklyn)
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Black Artists and Musicians
One of the hardest decisions for me in this category was an internal debate of new vs. old. MSG Entertainment—the parent company for Madison Square Garden and other major city venues—has two concerts I was debating between promoting: Mariah the Scientist’s February 27 show at Radio City Music Hall and Mavis Staples’ February 28 show at Beacon Theatre. Perhaps it was Staples’ opening act Allison Russell that led to me choosing that one to list below. Never pass on a great banjoist.
Tuesday, February 3: Concert and Masterclass: Ronnie Burrage and Holographic Principle
A demonstration and discussion on Music of the Black Experience by professor Ronnie Burrage, followed by a jazz master class; 7–9 pm
Free
Leonard & Claire Tow Center for the Performing Arts, Don Buchwald Theater (in Brooklyn College)
2920 Campus Rd (Flatbush, Brooklyn)
Through Sunday, February 8: Witnessing Humanity: The Art of John Wilson
Retrospective of works by artist John Wilson, who “put the experiences of Black Americans at the center”
Free with museum admission, which is pay-what-you-wish for NYC residents and NY, NJ, CT students, otherwise $30 adult / $22 senior / $17 student
The Metropolitan Museum of Art Fifth Avenue, Galleries 691–693
1000 5th Ave (Upper East Side, Manhattan)
Opening Thursday, February 12: Lilian Thomas Burwell
Exhibition of works by Washington, DC–born artist Lilian Thomas Burwell, an “important voice in American abstract art”; 10 am–6 pm
Free
Berry Campbell Gallery
524 W 26th St (Chelsea, Manhattan)
Saturday, February 28: Mavis Staples with Special Guest Allison Russell
Concert featuring renowned R&B singer Mavis Staples with Canadian folk singer-songwriter Allison Russell; 8 pm (7 pm doors)
$63–$99
Beacon Theatre
2124 Broadway (Upper West Side, Manhattan)
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Celebrate Black History
Countless organizations, like the Queens Public Library or Lincoln Center offer ways to celebrate Black History Month around the city, ranging from child-friendly games to serious lectures. I encourage readers to look even beyond the events below to organizations’ larger calendars (here’s Lincoln Center’s, for example), which offer plenty of activities and performances to elevate Black voices around the city.
Saturday, February 8: Langston Hughes Day Celebration 2025
Screening of Hughes’ Dream Harlem, along with music and theater performances in honor of Langston Hughes; 11 am–3 pm; part of QPL Celebrates Black History Month
Free
Langston Hughes Library
100-01 Northern Blvd (Corona, Queens)
Thursday, February 13: 17th Annual Black History Month Celebration
Concert of chamber music featuring cellist-composer Akua Dixon and soprano Candice Hoyes in honor of Black History Month; 6:30–7:30 pm
Free
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture
515 Malcolm X Boulevard (Harlem, Manhattan)
Sunday, February 15–Saturday, February 21: Black Future Festival
Child-friendly celebration of Black imagination and creation, including art, music, and dance; 10 am–5 pm
$15
Brooklyn Children’s Museum
145 Brooklyn Ave (Crown Heights, Brooklyn)
Thursday, February 19: Black History Is for Everyone: Voices of a People’s History
Music performances at Lincoln Center in honor of Black History month with narration by Brian Jones; 7:30 pm
Free
David Rubenstein Atrium
1887 Broadway (Lincoln Square, Manhattan)