NYC from A to Z: Free March 2024 Highlights
An alphabetical answer to the question, "what is there to do in New York City this March?"
From NY-A to NY-Z, there’s so much to do in NYC! It’s a refrain I sing a lot, but it’s true: the sheer variety of what there is to do in New York City is staggering.
This month, I offer a free list that helps to showcase the wide range of what one can do, from Alphabet City to Zuccotti Park. Most of the events below can also be found in my more extensive monthly Blankman List, which includes at least one event for every day of the month.
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.
A is for Archaeology
Tuesday, March 12: Buried Beneath the City: An Archaeological History of New York
Lecture on the 10,000-year archaeological history of New York; 6:30 pm
Free (reservation required)
The National Arts Club
15 Gramercy Park S (Flatiron District, Manhattan)
B is for Broadway
Previews begin Friday, March 8: The Who’s Tommy
Revival of 1993 Broadway musical based on the The Who’s 1969 album Tommy; start times at 2, 7 & 8 pm
$80–$270
Nederlander Theatre
208 W 41st St (Times Square)
C is for College Basketball
Tuesday, March 12–Saturday, March 16: 2024 A-10 [Atlantic 10] Men's Basketball Championship
College basketball championship with A-10 title and 2024 NCAA tournament bid on the line; start times between 11:30 am & 5 pm
$33–$163+
Barclays Center
620 Atlantic Ave (Prospect Heights, Brooklyn)
D is for Dungeons & Dragons
Every Wednesday: D&D Encounters
Casual Dungeons & Dragons meetup (some experience playing required; character sheets and materials not required); 7–11 pm
$10 general / $5 students
Hex&Co. West
2911 Broadway (Morningside Heights, Manhattan)
E is for Experimental Music
Thursday, March 14: Composer Joseph Daley at 75
Premiere of experimental compositions for french horn and tuba ensembles; 8 pm (7 pm doors)
$25 advance / $30 doors / $20 student/senior
Roulette
509 Atlantic Ave (Prospect Heights, Brooklyn)
F is for Food Pop-Up
Sunday, March 3: Sweet, Hot & Spicy Pop-up
Pop-up bazaar featuring local, seasonal specialty foods; 10 am–5 pm
Free entry
Grand Bazaar NYC
100 W 77th St (Upper West Side, Manhattan)
G is for Gospel Music
Friday, March 8: One Hallelujah Tour
Gospel concert tour stop featuring performers such as Tasha Cobbs Leonard and Jonathan McReynolds; 6:30 pm (5:30 pm doors)
$50–$293
Kings Theatre
1027 Flatbush Ave (Flatbush, Brooklyn)
H is for Horror Films
Tuesday, March 5: The Gates of Hell
Screening of 1980 surrealist horror film; 9:30 pm; part of Terror Tuesday
$17
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Downtown Brooklyn
445 Albee Square W, 4th Floor (Downtown Brooklyn)
I is for Industrial Rock
Friday, March 15: HEALTH Rat-Based Warfare Tour with Pixel Grip, King Yosef
Industrial rock concert (HEALTH Spotify); 8 pm (7 pm doors)
$38
Brooklyn Steel
319 Frost St (East Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
J is for Japanese Dance
Saturday, March 16: Kizuna Dance: Father Absence | Mother Ma (World Premiere)
Japanese-influenced contemporary dance (3-minute interview with artistic director Cameron McKinney); 7 pm
$25 general / $20 students
Gerald W. Lynch Theater at John Jay College
524 W 59th St (Lincoln Square, Manhattan)
K is for the Kora
Sunday, March 24: Mali Before 1800: Ballaké Sissoko & Derek Gripper
Malian traditional musical on kora and guitar; 4 pm
$5–$50 (price depends on seat location; all student tickets are $5)
Corpus Christi Church
529 W 121st St (Morningside Heights, Manhattan)
L is for Late-Night Talk Show Hosts
Sunday, March 10: John Oliver & Seth Meyers
Stand-up comedy residency (John Oliver video); once per month through Jun 16; 8 pm (7 pm doors)
As of this writing, only tickets remaining are $152–$182
Beacon Theatre
2124 Broadway (Upper West Side, Manhattan)
M is for Magic: The Gathering
Every Friday: Friday Night Magic at Anyone Comics
Magic: The Gathering booster draft tournament (some previous experience playing Magic required); 7–11 pm
Purchase three Magic booster packs to enter
Anyone Comics
831 Nostrand Ave (Crown Heights, Brooklyn)
N is for Nurses
Wednesday, March 6: Maria Smilios with Joshunda Sanders: The Black Angels
Book talk about the “Black Angels,” who were Black southern nurses helping to cure tuberculosis; 6:30–7:30 pm (6 pm doors)
Free
Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library, 7th Floor
455 5th Ave (Bryant Park, Manhattan)
O is for the Oscars
Sunday, March 10: Oscars Watch Party
Public screening of the 96th Academy Awards, with live performances and a play-along drinking game; 7 pm (6:30 pm doors)
$15–$23
Caveat
21A Clinton St (Lower East Side, Manhattan)
P is for Puppetry
Wednesday, March 20–Sunday, March 24: Epidermis Circus: The Weirdest Puppet Show You’ve Ever Seen
A “spicy puppet cabaret” with unusual puppetry and physical comedy; 9 pm (7 pm on Sunday, Mar 24)
$46
SoHo Playhouse
15 Vandam St (SoHo, Manhattan)
Q is for Queens College
Through Sunday, March 10: The Late Wedding
College performance of 2014 play about a fractured marriage, as told through a series of interconnected fables; start times at 2, 3 & 7 pm
$15 general / $10 seniors; all tickets $5 on Mar 1
The Performance Space at Rathaus Hall, Queens College
65-30 Kissena Blvd (Flushing, Queens)
R is for RuPaul’s Drag Race
Every Friday: RuPaul’s Drag Race Brooklyn Viewing Party
Viewing party of RuPaul’s Drag Race at queer night club with performances after episode; 7–10 pm
Free entry
3 Dollar Bill
260 Meserole St (East Williamsburg, Brooklyn)
S is for St. Patrick’s Day
Saturday, March 16: NYC St. Patrick’s Day Parade
Annual parade in honor of St. Patrick, the Patron Saint of Ireland; 11 am–4:30 pm (end time is approximate)
Free
Along 5th Avenue
Parade begins at 44th St and ends at 79th St (Midtown through Upper East Side, Manhattan)
T is for Tap Dance
Monday, March 25: AC Lincoln Quintet
Jazz standards infused with tap dance; 10:30 pm–1 am
Free reservation; $35/person minimum (full food and drink menu available)
The Django (The Roxy Hotel – Cellar Level)
2 6th Ave (Lower Manhattan)
U is for U2 Tribute Band
Saturday, March 16: Unforgettable Fire: U2 Tribute
U2 tribute band performance in honor of St. Patrick’s Day; 7 pm (6 pm doors)
$25–$75 (full food and drink menu available)
Sony Hall
235 W 46th St (Times Square, Manhattan)
V is for Vocal Jazz
Monday, March 18: Melanie Charles
Genre-bending Haitian-influenced jazz (Melanie Charles website); sets at 8 & 10:30 pm
$41, plus $20 food and drink minimum
Blue Note
131 W 3rd St (Washington Square, Manhattan)
W is for Women’s History
Sunday, March 3: On and Off the Clock: Reconsidering Women’s Work
Annual conference on women’s history; 12–5 pm
$5
The Robert H. Smith Auditorium at the New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park W (Upper West Side, Manhattan)
X is for Malcolm X
Through Sunday, March 3: Paley Celebrates National Geographic’s Genius: MLK/X—Two Minds, One Movement Exhibit
Film screening of “MLK/X,” part of National Geographic’s Genius anthology series, with accompanying exhibition on the legacies of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X; Wednesdays to Sundays, 12–6 pm
$22 general / $18 student/senior
The Paley Museum
25 W 52nd Street, NYC (Midtown, Manhattan)
Y is for Yorkville
Every Saturday and Sunday: Brunch at Café d’Alsace
Special Alsatian cuisine brunch menu available Saturdays and Sundays 10:30 am–3:30 pm
Courses generally range from $19–$34 (full brunch menu)
Café d’Alsace
1703 2nd Ave (Yorkville, Manhattan)
Z is for Zebras
Sunday, March 31 is approximately when animals start to be seen in the African Plains exhibit at the Bronx Zoo
African Plains loop of the Bronx Zoo includes species like lions, giraffes, and zebras; 10 am–4:30 pm
$26–$31+ (depends on day and category)
Bronx Zoo
2300 Southern Blvd (Bronx Park, The Bronx)