{"id":6137,"date":"2019-12-19T15:06:41","date_gmt":"2019-12-19T15:06:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tiqets-blog-staging.local\/things-to-do-in-nyc-at-night\/"},"modified":"2025-08-29T09:58:29","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T09:58:29","slug":"things-to-do-in-nyc-at-night","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.tiqets.com\/blog\/things-to-do-in-nyc-at-night\/","title":{"rendered":"Things to Do in NYC at Night: An Alternative Guide","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u2013<\/em> This post was written by Liam McGarry<\/em> \u2013<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s something about NYC at night that makes it so tantalizing. Bright lights and Broadway shows. Hipster bars and hole-in-the-wall pizza parlors. Hell, even the honking cabs and police sirens add to Big Apple\u2019s chaotic charm.

It\u2019s not dubbed the City That Never Sleeps for nothing, you know. In fact, America\u2019s 24-hour metropolis is so alive after dark, it can be hard to know where to begin when planning a little night-time escapade.

Everyone\u2019s idea of New York nightlife is different; one guy\u2019s Brooklyn bar crawl is another gal\u2019s after-hours museum visit. Below is a list of cool and casual things to do in New York at night that you can turn to throughout your stay, whatever you\u2019re into.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Museums open late-night in NYC<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So many things about the modern world suck: climate change, selfie sticks, Coldplay. Museums opening later does not fall under this category. In a bid to match their opening times with their visitors\u2019 increasingly packed schedules, museums opening late in NYC is becoming commonplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. The Brooklyn Museum<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Open Thursdays until 10pm<\/em>

The city\u2019s second-largest museum, housing masterful European and American artwork, is open until 10 pm. Take an evening stroll through the permanent collection, which includes artifacts from around the world dating back to ancient cultures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. MoMA<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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The Museum of Modern Art, designed by Yoshio Taniguchi. Entrance at 53rd Street. \n\u00a9 2006Timothy Hursley<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Open Fridays until 9pm<\/em>

If you\u2019re not into modern and contemporary art, 53rd Street\u2019s powerhouse of an art museum \u2013 blessed as it is with Van Goghs, Warhols, and Picassos \u2013 might just change your mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. The Guggenheim<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Gallery Encounters by Public Engagement Department during #GuggSummer Extended Tuesday Hours 2018<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Open Tuesdays and Saturdays until 8pm<\/em>

See the Guggenheim\u2019s world-leading collection of modern art, including works by C\u00e9zanne, Picasso, Kandinsky, Monet. The building itself is a masterpiece.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Color Factory NYC<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Open Fridays and Saturdays until 8pm<\/em>

Immerse yourself in New York’s vibrant hues with a sensory-overload experience that\u2019ll add all the colors of the rainbow to your Instagram feed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. KGB Espionage Museum<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Open daily until 8pm<\/em>

Immerse yourself in the shady world of the KGB, and delve into the history of an organization that had a far-reaching influence on world affairs. There\u2019s even a poison-dart gun disguised as an umbrella. It really is like something out of a Johnny English movie!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. SPYSCAPE<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Open daily until 9pm<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong>

Keeping with the espionage theme, Spyscape allows you to learn the tricks of the world\u2019s most secret trade and apply them in your everyday life. Discover the stories of real-life spies and dodge lasers like a pro: Perfect if you\u2019re looking for things to do in NYC at night with kids<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NYC Nightlife: Party on with fun bars in New York <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

NYC has dive bars and jive bars; pinball pubs and secret speakeasies; taphouses, terraces, and tavernas. Whatever you\u2019re looking for in a watering hole, you\u2019ll find it in the city, especially if you know where to look. The choices are endless but here are some tipple tips to get you started.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Sunshine Laundromat<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Photo by Sunshine Laundromat NYC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

860 Manhattan Ave, Brooklyn<\/em>

Just a local laundromat, nothing to see here. Except, take a closer look at the tall washing machine at the back of Sunshine Laundromat, and you\u2019ll realise it\u2019s a doorway to something much more fun. Retro pinball machines, games, plus local and international beers. It\u2019s all good, clean fun!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. La Esquina NYC<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Photo by La Esquina<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u200e114 Kenmare St, New York<\/em>

Judging by its facade, La Esquina is just a tasty taco shack in SoHo. Sit around a while, though, and you\u2019ll start to notice well-dressed people disappearing through a side door. Downstairs and through the kitchen, the party rages on inside a Mexican reservation-only basement brasserie. PS: They make one of the best margaritas in town! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. Break Bar NYC<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Photo by The Break Bar<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

458 9th Ave, Manhattan<\/em>

Raise a glass to the city… then smash it. Break Bar is a rage-room drinkery where you\u2019re encouraged to send your drinking vessels to the recycling and release some stress at the same time. If you need to vent a little more, take a bat to some old junk by reserving half an hour at the Wrecking Club. It\u2019s just another run-of-the-mill example of cool and unusual things to do in New York<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10. The Dead Rabbit <\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Photo by The Dead Rabbit NYC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

30 Water St, New York City<\/em>

This list was never going to be complete without an Irish bar, but this isn\u2019t your regular Dublin-styled dive. The Dead Rabbit describes itself as \u201ceveryday extraordinary\u201d, delivering a hearty Emerald-Isle welcome with just enough sophistication to make sure everyone feels at home.

Try famed food, craft beers, and expertly crafted cocktails. There are more whiskeys than you could nurse over a lifetime!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

11. Please Don\u2019t Tell<\/a><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

113 St Marks Place, New York City<\/em>

Unfortunately for the guys at Please Don\u2019t Tell; we\u2019re going to. This East Village speakeasy is reservation only, and your table can only be secured by calling on the day at 3pm. You know, with a telephone.

If you\u2019re one of the lucky ones to get through, you\u2019ll find yourself in the phone booth of a hot dog place later that evening, waiting to be let in through the secret door to one of the most exclusive spots in town.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Late-night NYC shows and entertainment<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

12. Laugh out loud at a Manhattan comedy club<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If you walk around Times Square for longer than about 28 seconds, you\u2019ll likely be accosted by a smiling street vendor, exuding an untrustworthy amount of goodwill, promising you the funniest evening of your life at one of the city\u2019s numerous comedy clubs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

13. Avoid all that and buy in advance<\/a> for LOL Comedy Club<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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LOL\u2019s gifted gaggle of comics perform every night of the week in the heart of Times Square. The line-up consists of amateur and professional comics who\u2019ve performed on networks like Comedy Central, FOX and MTV, among others. It\u2019s the perfect place to hear the routines of the city\u2019s up-and-coming funny women and men, with shows going on late into the night.

You\u2019ll need to purchase two drinks per ticket, but no harm in loosening up for the laughs to come!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

14. A knight like no other in New Jersey<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Jousting knights, prancing horses, and flying falcons, on the grounds of a castle in \u2013 checks notes \u2013 New Jersey? If you\u2019re looking for weird things to do in NYC, Medieval Times<\/strong><\/a> is just a bus ride away from Manhattan at the gorgeous Gothic Revival mansion of Lyndhurst Castle. 

Get ready for a four-course, Game-of-Thrones-style banquet, without the threat of imminent death and betrayal. Eat with your hands like a true knight of the realm as you\u2019re entertained by a two-hour jousting tournament. There\u2019s even a flight of the royal falcon. How about that for NYC nightlife? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

15. Gritty life stories told by New York natives<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Photo by The Moth<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s little wonder that NYC\u2019s nine-or-so-million people have stories to tell. The Moth<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s StorySLAM events are a unique opportunity to sit down and hear them first hand. Average Joes and Janes volunteer to recite their near-death experiences, cringetastic dating tales, hilarious anecdotal mishaps, and moving personal trials and triumphs.

Each show has a one-word or phrasal theme; You\u2019d be surprised how many people can form a funny or tear-jerking story from the vagueness of something like \u201cdirt\u201d or \u201cworth\u201d. If you\u2019re feeling brave, you can sign-up to take the stage. Just remember: Your story must be true and it must be yours to tell.

The Moth\u2019s StorySLAM evenings happen around four times a month at various NYC venues. Tickets go on sale a week in advance and can sell out fast, so best to be on the ball when it comes to securing your spot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Go sports! Check out some live-action events<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Americans love sports. From an early age, a separation is made between those destined for celebrity-status athletic success, and the rest of the population, who go on to become doctors, teachers, and other unglamorous <\/em>things. 

Sport is constant in NYC, and not a night goes by where the barstool debate doesn\u2019t center around one of the big four pastimes. You\u2019re never more than a home run away from a bar, but getting ahold of game tickets in New York ensures an altogether more exhilarating evening experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Photo by Izaac Crayton<\/a> on Unsplash<\/a> <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

16. Batter-up! Catch a home game<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Baseball:<\/strong> From April until October, the Yankees (mainly) and the Mets (not really) represent the city\u2019s baseball hopes. If you want to get ya hotdogs and wear an obnoxiously large foam finger, take yourself out to the ball game. Tickets are cheap and relatively easy to come by during the regular season, which runs from March until September.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

17. When pigskins fly<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

American Football:<\/strong> Throwing the pigskin in the backyard is an American rite of passage. Granted, backyards are hard to come by in the city, but American football still has a hold over its people. The city\u2019s two great NFL contenders are the Giants (mainly) and the Jets (not really), both of which play out of New Jersey\u2019s MetLife Stadium between September and December.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

18. See the kings of the court up close<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Basketball: <\/strong>If shopping for basketball gear at the NBA Store on 5th Avenue isn\u2019t enough, your options for watching extremely tall men jump around are with the Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets from October to April. Neither of these sides are what you would call \u201csuccessful\u201d, but there\u2019s still some exciting players on show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

19. Spend your bucks and watch pucks fly<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ice hockey:<\/strong> Guys on skates trying to hit a puck into a goal, with regular coordinated fighting to keep things interesting. If this sounds like your kind of New York nightlife, make a date with the NHL\u2019s Islanders, Rangers, or New Jersey Devils between October and April.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Still on the hunt for things to do in NYC at night?<\/strong> Explore all there is to choose from our list <\/strong><\/a>of amazing places in New York, ranging from harbor cruises to broadway shows, observation decks, and much more. Want us to do the work? Here’s the perfect itinerary for 3 days in New York City<\/strong><\/a>.<\/h4>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New York by day? That\u2019s the easy part. What\u2019s your plan for after-dark entertainment in the City That Never Sleeps? We\u2019ve taken the liberty of planning memorable nights for you in NYC!<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":33,"featured_media":6138,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[37,36,28],"class_list":["post-6137","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-new-york","tag-belgium","tag-brussels","tag-europe"],"acf":[],"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"link","format":"url"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tiqets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6137","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tiqets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tiqets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tiqets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/33"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tiqets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6137"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.tiqets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6137\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20822,"href":"https:\/\/www.tiqets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6137\/revisions\/20822"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tiqets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6138"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tiqets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6137"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tiqets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6137"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tiqets.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6137"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}