Free Highlights: Things to Do in NYC, September 2025

Chinese art, operas about Yiddish, climate change events, and more this September in New York City

The Silk Road was a network of routes connecting East and West art, culture, and ideas, like this 8th-Century scroll found in the Met’s collection. If you have $21,000 to spare, you can take a “Silk Road” luxury tour from NYC to China. Photo: The Met

As part of early research for the September 2025 Blankman List, I spotted something a while back called a “China Silk Road” tour on the China Institute’s website and quickly left a note marking it for later. It sounded cool. I imagined an exhibit of art and objects from the Silk Road trading routes that connected the Eastern and Western worlds. Eventually it came time to review my notes and formally list the event in my typical bullet point fashion.

I felt confused at first trying to describe the event succinctly, but that’s not uncommon. Sometimes I didn’t save the best link or the description isn’t written clearly. Why is it called a “luxury journey?” What’s this about “culinary excellence?” I soldiered on until I got to the price tag: $21,000 per person.

Wait, what?!

I work hard to make my list broadly diverse, and cost is one of the many parameters with which I’ve thought about diversity over the years. At first, I outright avoided anything over $100 or so because I recognized that made events prohibitive for many. My thinking has evolved here. I still want my events to be generally accessible and seek out many free and low-cost events, but I also understand that plenty of readers are willing to front a steep entry fee so long it’s an event that they really want to go to. (And it’s in their budget.) It’s frankly unavoidable for many events featuring global headliners like Nine Inch Nails or Dua Lipa or for prime seats to Broadway shows, Yankees games, and Met operas.

But $21,000 is . . . like, a lot. What is this, the Rockefeller List? This is how I learned that it’s not an art exhibition at all, but an actual guided luxury tour to China with “Michelin-starred restaurants” and “luxury accommodations.”

I did not include it in my final list. (Although a little ironically, I guess I am now in a way.) And for those who share in my disappointment that there was no actual cheap China tour in NYC, I present a few China-related events to offer something along those lines:

• September 13: The China Institute is presenting a free online talk about Chinese painter Wu Changshuo.

• September 16: The Asia Society is hosting author Dan Wang to talk about his latest book Breakneck: China’s Quest to Engineer the Future.

• Through September 28: The Met Museum has an exhibition of Chinese bronzes from 1100–1900.

The events that follow may not include expensive world tours, but they do span a wide range of options: operas about Yiddish, Broadway talks, magic shows, volunteer opportunities, and more, giving a snapshot of all there is to do this September around NYC. And I promise nothing costs over $21,000.

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.

The 2007 musical Legally Blonde (based on the movie, which is based on the book—Christ, what even is original?) is not being revived on Broadway (yet), but you can see it this September with the Off-Off-Broadway Gallery Players in Brooklyn. Photo: Eva Rinaldi

On Broadway

I’ve written plenty about Broadway in my years creating this list, including full dedicated articles on how to see Broadway shows for cheap and ranking every musical playing at one point. I include a Broadway show in most month’s lists, generally looking for one that’s opening, closing, or has a noteworthy performance for one reason or another. For these highlights I go one step further to include a few Broadway-related events beyond simply seeing the shows.

• Closing Sunday, September 9: John Proctor Is the Villain

  • New Broadway play about five young women who “are about to shed light on some of the darkest secrets in their one-stoplight town”

  • $79–$549

  • Booth Theatre

  • 222 W 45th St (Times Square, Manhattan)

• Saturday, September 13–Sunday, September 28: Legally Blonde

  • Off-Off-Broadway production of Legally Blonde, the 2007 musical based on the novel and film about a sorority girl who enrolls at Harvard Law School to win back her ex-boyfriend

  • $37 adult / $32 senior/child

  • Gallery Players

  • 199 14th St (Park Slope, Brooklyn)

• Sunday, September 21: Broadway Flea Market & Grand Auction

  • Broadway-themed flea market with silent auction; 10 am–7 pm

  • Free entry

  • Around Shubert Alley

  • W 44th St & W 45th St through Shubert Alley (Times Square, Manhattan)

• Thursday, September 25: Out for Blood: A Cultural History of Carrie the Musical with Chris Adams

  • Talkback, signing, and live podcast recording with author Chris Adams about his newest book on Carrie: The Musical, an infamous Broadway flop; 7:30–8:30 pm

  • Purchase of $30 book required for entry

  • Drama Book Shop

  • 266 W 39th St (Midtown, Manhattan)

Fort Greene Park in Brooklyn is protected and stewarded by the Fort Greene Park Conservancy. On September 26, they are hosting an annual community fling for anyone to attend or volunteer to help run. Photo: IskoD

Volunteer Time

I know that my listed events often lean into arts and culture, but I seek out many ways to explore the city, find community, and at least in this case, leave the world a better place than it was before. September is an especially notable time for service in NYC since it marks the annual commemoration of the 9/11 attacks. In particular, 9/11 Day is organized every year in efforts to pack meals for millions of people around the country in need of food.

• Tuesday, September 2: Pack and Distribute Food

  • Volunteer preparing, packing, and distributing food for a food pantry; 10 am–1 pm; every Tuesday

  • Free

  • The Salvation Army Brooklyn

  • 601 Lafayette Ave (Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn)

• Saturday, September 6: Park Pitch In: 9/11 National Service Weekend

  • Volunteer cleaning invasive plants from the 9/11 Grove in Prospect Park; 10 am–1 pm

  • Free

  • Enter park at Grand Army Plaza; walk to triangular lawn with sculpture

  • North Prospect Park (Prospect Heights, Brooklyn)

• Wednesday, September 10 & Thursday, September 11: 9/11 Day of Service

  • Work with groups across the city to pack millions of meals for those in need; shifts available throughout the days

  • Free

  • Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum

  • Pier 86, W 46th St (Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan)

• Friday, September 26: Volunteer at The Fling 2025

  • Volunteer to help set up, run, and clean up after a community celebration supporting the Fort Greene Park Conservancy; slots at 9 am–1 pm and 4–9 pm

  • Free

  • Meet at the Prison Ship Martyr Monument at Fort Greene Park

  • Willoughby Ave & Washington Park (Fort Greene Park, Brooklyn)

Magic to Do

As a kid, one of my greatest thrills was stumbling upon a re-airing of David Copperfield’s famous 1983 illusion where he makes the Statue of Liberty disappear (shown above). Over the years I loved to watch magic and read about magic techniques and practitioners and saw a little of myself in the nerdiness and persistence required of all of their trainings. In an effort to evangelize about the art form, I draw attention to some of the magic to be found around the city throughout September.

• Thursday, September 4–Saturday, September 13: R. Paul Wilson: Stories I Can Tell

  • Performance by magician and storyteller R. Paul Wilson, the world’s foremost expert on cons and scams; start times at 7:15 and/or 9:30 pm

  • $136–$218

  • 69 Atlantic

  • 69 Atlantic Ave (Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn)

• Sunday, September 21: Stand-Up Magic at the Spare Room at the Gutter

  • Show of magic and stand-up comedy in the back room of a bowling alley; 7 pm (6:30 pm doors)

  • $25

  • The Spare Room at the Gutter

  • 200 N 14th St (Williamsburg, Brooklyn)

• Wednesdays & Fridays: Magic After Hours with Noah Levine

  • Close-up magic show at a Manhattan magic shop featuring illusionist Noah Levine; 8 pm (Wednesdays) or 8 & 10:30 pm (Fridays)

  • $95

  • Tannen’s Magic

  • 45 W 34 St, Suite #608 (Herald Square, Manhattan)

• Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays: Urban Illusions

  • 75-minute close-up, interactive magic show at an intimate East Village venue featuring Hayden Childress; 8 pm (Thursdays/Fridays) or 7 & 9:30 pm (Saturdays)

  • $95–$145

  • Urban Illusions

  • 95 E 7th St (East Village, Manhattan)

Night at the Opera

September is an exciting month for opera fans, as it marks the annual start of the Met Opera’s new season. The season opener this time around is a new adaptation of Michael Chabon’s Pulitzer prize-winning novel The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. This month I call attention to a few other opera events as well, including the world premiere of one about unfinished efforts to create a Yiddish dictionary.

• Monday, September 1: Outdoor Screening of Puccini’s La Fanciulla del West

  • Outdoor film screening of La Fanciulla del West, Giacomo Puccini’s 1910 opera set during the California Gold Rush; 8–10:30 pm; part of the Metropolitan Opera’s Summer HD Festival Aug 22–Sep 1

  • Free

  • In front of the Metropolitan Opera House

  • 30 Lincoln Center Plaza (Lincoln Square, Manhattan)

• Thursday, September 4 & Friday, September 5: Carmen

  • Fully staged outdoor performance by NYC Opera of Georges Bizet’s Carmen; 7–9:30 pm

  • Free

  • Bryant Park Lawn

  • 6th Ave between 40th St & 42nd St (Bryant Park, Manhattan)

• Thursday, September 18 & Sunday, September 21: The Great Dictionary of the Yiddish Language

  • World premiere of an opera telling the story of linguist Yudel Mark’s unfinished effort to create a comprehensive Yiddish dictionary; 7 pm; Sep 18 & 21

  • Free

  • YIVO Institute for Jewish Research (in the Center for Jewish History)

  • 15 W 16th St (Union Square, Manhattan)

• Opening Sunday, September 21: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay

  • Opera adaptation of Michael Chabon’s novel about two Jewish cousins inventing an anti-fascist comic book superhero shortly before WWII

  • $35–$500+

  • The Metropolitan Opera House

  • 30 Lincoln Center Plaza (Lincoln Square, Manhattan)

The New York Botanical Garden is hosting a variety of events as part of Climate Week NYC 2025, including a 5K fun run on September 21. Photo: Ryan Somma

Climate Week NYC

September 21–28 marks Climate Week in NYC. Many of the events are focused on bringing together researchers, entrepreneurs, and leaders to solve big problems facing all of us right now. But even if you recoil at the thought of networking—something for which I’m quite sympathetic—you can still be a part of the solution with events happening around the city, like the Climate Film Festival and efforts led by the New York Botanical Garden.

• Saturday, September 20: The Wolf, The Fox & the Leopard

  • Multinational film about a feral girl raised by wolves who is whisked away by ecologically-minded preppers; 7:45–10 pm

  • $20

  • Regal Essex Crossing Cinema 1

  • 129 Delancey St (Lower East Side, Manhattan)

• Sunday, September 21: New York Botanical Garden 5K Fun Run

  • 5-kilometer race with proceeds helping to protect biodiversity and develop plant-based solutions to climate change; 8 am

  • $65

  • New York Botanical Garden

  • 2900 Southern Blvd (Bronx Park, The Bronx)

• Monday, September 22: Narrative Change Summit @ Climate Week NYC

  • Networking-focused summit for creators and entrepreneurs focused on how creative media can address climate change and mobilize action; 10 am–7 pm

  • Free

  • SVA Theatre

  • 333 W 23rd St (Chelsea, Manhattan)

• Wednesday, September 24: What If We Get It Right? Ayana Elizabeth Johnson with the SciFri Book Club

  • Talk with marine biologist and author Ayana Elizabeth Johnson about her latest book, What If We Get It Right?: Visions of Climate Futures; 4 pm (3:30 pm doors)

  • $15–$25

  • Caveat

  • 21A Clinton St (Lower East Side, Manhattan)

Listen to the Music

Since I already highlighted four different opera events, I’m going to begrudgingly forego more classical/art music, although I direct you to the full September list to see plenty of additional options. Fortunately, just about any kind of music you can imagine goes through NYC at some point, and I call attention below to a few shows that caught my attention this month.

• Tuesday, September 2 & Wednesday, September 3: Nine Inch Nails: Peel It Back Tour 2025

  • World tour stop for renowned industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, featuring German-Iraqi DJ Boys Noize; 8 pm; Sep 2 & 3

  • $56–$357+

  • Barclays Center

  • 620 Atlantic Ave (Prospect Heights, Brooklyn)

• Sunday, September 7: Cash Cobain

  • Rooftop rap concert headlined by Cash Cobain and featuring 310babii, Myaap, and others; 8–10 pm (7 pm doors)

  • $73–$154

  • The Rooftop at Pier 17

  • 89 South St, Pier 17 (Financial District, Manhattan)

• Wednesday, September 17–Sunday, September 21: Dua Lipa Radical Optimism Tour

  • World tour stop of British-Albanian singer-songwriter Dua Lipa; 7:30 pm; Sep 17–21

  • $287–$650+

  • Madison Square Garden

  • 4 Pennsylvania Plaza (Midtown, Manhattan)

• Friday, September 5: The Legacy of Dizzy Gillespie with Yaacov Mayman

  • Concert by Yaacov Mayman’s Super-Hot Afro Latin Jazz Band showcasing Dizzy Gillespie’s influence on bebop and Afro-Cuban jazz; 2–3:30 pm

  • Free

  • Queens Public Library Central Library

  • 89-11 Merrick Boulevard (Jamaica, Queens)