Free museum days in NYC: every free and pay-what-you-wish hour
Nearly every major museum in New York has a way in for free or for what you choose to pay — if you know the day, the hour, and whether you need to prove you live in New York State. Here is the current list, checked in September 2026.
By Alex Oz · · 9 min read
Three rules before you go
First, residency matters. The Met and the American Museum of Natural History let New York State residents pay what they wish, and MoMA's free Friday nights are for state residents. Bring ID with a New York address.
Second, many free slots need a reservation, often released a week or two in advance. Walk-up entry is the exception now, not the rule.
Third, free hours change. Several museums have moved theirs in the last two years — the Guggenheim's old Saturday-evening slot, for example, is gone. Everything below was checked on the museums' own sites in September 2026.
Pay what you wish for New York residents
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
1000 Fifth Ave · Adults $30 · Pay what you wish for NY State residents
New York State residents and students in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut pay what they wish at any time. Buying the resident rate online needs a New York billing address; New Jersey and Connecticut students should buy in person with a student ID. The same policy is worth checking before a trip to The Met Cloisters.
American Museum of Natural History
200 Central Park West · Adults $37 · Pay what you wish for NY State residents
New York State residents with ID pay what they wish for general admission. Special exhibitions and shows cost extra. Open daily 10am to 5:30pm.
Free and pay-what-you-wish hours
MoMA
11 W 53rd St · Adults $30 · Free Fridays 5:30–8:30pm for NY State residents
UNIQLO Friday Nights are free for New York State residents with an advance reservation.
Whitney Museum of American Art
99 Gansevoort St · Adults $30 · Free Fridays 5–10pm and second Sundays
The whole museum is free on Friday evenings and on the second Sunday of every month, and the ground floor is always free. Closed Tuesdays.
The Morgan Library & Museum
225 Madison Ave · Adults $25 · Free Fridays 5–8pm
Free every Friday evening with a reservation, which opens a week ahead.
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
1071 Fifth Ave · Pay what you wish Tuesdays and Sundays, 4–5:30pm
The pay-what-you-wish hours moved to Tuesday and Sunday afternoons; the old Saturday-evening slot has ended.
The Frick Collection
1 E 70th St · Adults $30 · Pay what you wish Wednesdays 1:30–5:30pm
Pay what you wish on Wednesday afternoons, plus free First Fridays in the evening from October to May. Children under 10 are not admitted.
Neue Galerie New York
1048 Fifth Ave · Adults $28 · Reopens Nov 12, 2026 · Free First Fridays 5–8pm
The museum of German and Austrian art is closed until November 12, 2026. When it reopens, First Fridays are free from 5 to 8pm on select Fridays, first come, first served. Children under 12 are not admitted, and closed Tuesdays.
New Museum
235 Bowery · Reopened in its expanded building March 21, 2026
The New Museum has long offered pay-what-you-wish admission on Thursday evenings. It reopened in its OMA-designed expansion in March 2026; check its site for the current free hours before you go.
The Studio Museum in Harlem
144 W 125th St · Pay what you can · Free on Sundays
Admission in the new building is pay what you can (suggested $16 for adults), and every Sunday is free. Open until 9pm on Fridays.
Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx
Brooklyn Museum
200 Eastern Pkwy · Wed–Sun 11am–6pm · Free First Saturdays in select months
First Saturdays are free evenings of performances and talks that include general admission, held on the first Saturday of select months. Registration is required and tickets are released on a rolling basis. Closed Mondays, Tuesdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day.
Queens Museum
Flushing Meadows Corona Park · Pay what you wish · Wed–Sun
Always pay what you wish, with a suggested $8 for adults, and free for children 12 and under and IDNYC holders. Open Wednesday to Friday noon to 5pm and weekends 11am to 5pm. Home of the Panorama of the City of New York.
The Bronx Museum of the Arts
1040 Grand Concourse · Always free · Wed–Sun 11am–6pm
Free for everyone, every day it is open. Note it is closed for installation from September 7 to October 8, 2026, and on major holidays including Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.
El Museo del Barrio
1230 Fifth Ave · Pay what you can · Thu–Sun 11am–5pm
Pay what you can, with a suggested $9 for adults. Timed tickets are recommended.
The Noguchi Museum
Long Island City, Queens · Free First Fridays
Free on the first Friday of every month, with tickets released two weeks ahead. Children under 12 are always free.
Closed: the Rubin Museum
The Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art closed its building on West 17th Street in October 2024 and now works as a museum without a permanent gallery. Older free-museum lists still include its Friday nights; they are gone.
Culture Pass: free passes with a library card
Anyone 13 or over with a New York Public Library, Brooklyn Public Library or Queens Public Library card can reserve free passes to more than 100 museums, gardens and historical sites through Culture Pass. Log in with your library card at culturepass.nyc and book by date or venue. Library cards are free for New York State residents and people who work or study in the city.
Free events this week
Free events on the live calendar over the next seven days, including museum programs, talks and gallery events.
Updated Sep 20, 8:19 AM EDT
Celebrate 50 Years Through the Five Boroughs with Open Run: Conference House Park
NYRR Open Run: Marine Park
NYRR Open Run: Cunningham Park Back to School Chalk Challenge
Girl's Softball Clinic
Sunday Greenmarket at Bartel-Pritchard Square
Strength & Cardio Circuit Training
Kids In Motions: Carmansville Playground
Kids In Motion: Rosemary's Playground
Kids In Motion: Grover Cleveland Playground
Nature Exploration: Tree Appreciation Month
Park Pitch In: Street Tree Care
Smorgasburg
Keep going
- Small NYC museums worth the tripThe smaller museums locals go to when the big ones are packed.
- Free things to do in NYC at nightThe free museum evenings alongside everything else free after dark.
- Indoor things to do in NYCFor the cold and wet days of winter.
- NYC library events guideWhat else a free library card gets you.
- Free eventsFree listings on the live calendar.