From a yacht party to the West Indian Day Parade, there's no shortage of fun and exciting ways to celebrate Labor Day Weekend in NYC this year!
Corey Fuller - Staff Writer•
For many in the U.S., Labor Day weekend is basically the summer’s last hurrah, and is celebrated with parties, parades and fairs, and all sorts of exciting events. It’s our last chance to take advantage of all the things we love the most about the summer, and there’s certainly no shortage of events to head to around the city to help you celebrate. This year Labor Day weekend falls on September 1-4, and to help you make the most of it this year, here are the best events to check out in NYC.
1. West Indian Day Parade
The end of summer means catching all the color and excitement along Eastern Parkway for the Brooklyn West Indian Parade on Monday, September 2. The National West Indian Day Parade celebrates the heritage of the Caribbean. Singers, dancers, and musicians wear extravagant costumes and feathered head pieces, and tons of amazing floats make their way down the street. Learn more here.
Where: Along the Eastern Parkway, between Schenectady Ave. & Grand Army Plaza
2. US Open
The world famous tennis tournament, The US Open, will be taking place this Labor Day Weekend at its home in Flushing, Queens. See legends like Carlos Alcaraz,Coco Gauff, and Novak Djokovic compete in their second and third round matchups all weekend long! Learn more about the tournament and see the match schedule here.
3. Richmond County Fair
The Historic Richmond Town in Staten Island is a preserved museum-village dating from the late 17th century, and this year they’re throwing their 44th annual county fair. Guests can enjoy live music, living history, food, rides, contests, and more, giving families plenty of do this Labor Day weekend. Learn more here.
4. The Metropolitan Opera’s Summer HD Festival
The Met Opera’s Summer HD Festival returns this LDW for its 15th annual installment, and it will feature 10 screenings from the company’sLive in HD series of cinema transmissions. The free performances will be broadcasted on an enormous screen on the façade of the opera house at Lincoln Center, where guests can come watch at their leisure.
The screenings in total run from August 23 to September 2, with approximately 3,000 seats set up in front of the opera house, as well as additional standing room in designated areas around Lincoln Center Plaza. See the lineup for LDW specifically below:
— Friday, August 30, at 7:30 pm: Anthony Davis’s X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X
— Saturday, August 31, at 7:30 pm: Bizet’s Carmen
— Sunday, September 1, at 7:30 pm: Verdi’s La Forza del Destino
— Monday, September 2, at 8 pm: Puccini’s Madama Butterfly
5. Labor Day Weekend cruises
Before you make your final goodbye to summer, hop on a boat party one last time for a scenic NYC cruise! Check out some of our favorite cruise events setting sail this Labor Day weekend!
- All-White Attire Labor Party
- Labor Day Weekend Cruises
- Risky Yacht Party: Hip-Hop Vs AfroCaribbean Edition
- Labor Day Weekend All White Yacht Party
6. One World Observatory
Ascend 102 floors into the sky and take in views of NYC from the highest obsevation deck in the Western Hemisphere! One World Observatory will be open all weekend long, and is a great attraction to see the Big Apple from insane aerial vantage points! From the interactive SkyPod Elevators to a thrilling audiovisual show at the See Forever® Theater, there’s so much to do during your visit. And don’t forget to stop by ONE Dine for some food too.
🏙️ Purchase your tickets to One World Observatory here!
7. Secure Your Spot to Porte Festival
This brand new festival takes place on Sept. 7th and 8th at Brooklyn Navy Yard. The inaugural Porte Festival has a line-up of national and international acts such as Zillion, Igwe Aka, Diablo and Block & Crown will be performing. More artists including a couple of surprises are slated to be announced. There will also be a wide variety of international cuisine to taste and vendors to shop!
Tickets and more details can be found here!8. BLUE at Under the K Bridge
Dance Labor Day Weekend away at BLUE, a 12-hour musical journey taking place at the breathtaking Creekside waterfront stage Under the K Bridge in Greenpoint, Brooklyn! This open-air festival is part of Gray Area’s BLUE series which is set to include a genre-bending lineup of DJs including afro-tech star Shimza, Spencer Brown, Desert Heart legends Lee Reynolds b2b Mikey Lion, and so many more. It’s happening on Sunday, September 1 starting at 2 pm! The festival-like experience is set to be one of our favorite shows this year…blending various house music styles for an energetic dance experience! Learn more about the event and grab tickets here.
9. Beaches in NYC
Head to one of NYC’s gorgeous beaches this Labor Day weekend before the weather cools off for good! Some of our favorites can be found here.
10.
The first-ever ‘Jimmy Fallon Tonightmares‘ haunted experience is taking place in Rockefeller Center. Step inside 10 themed rooms each inspired by Fallon’s greatest nightmares. This is no laughing matter, the event isn’t recommended for kids under 13-years-old.
For more details and tickets go here!11. NYC Unicycle Festival
Calling all unicycle enthusiasts! The 15th annual Unicycle Festival returns to NYC this Labor Day Weekend featuring learn-to-ride areas, basketball competition games, demonstrations, workshops, and so much more! Events begin August 29 and take place across Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn! Check out the full schedule here.
12. Luna Park in Coney Island
Luna Park in Coney Island is inviting guests from NYC and beyond to spend their final moments of summer at the amusem*nt park this Labor Day Weekend. From Friday, August 30 through Monday, September 2nd, Luna Park will be welcoming guests for all kinds of fun, including a can’t-miss, free firework show overlooking the boardwalk on Friday night! Learn more here.
Where: Luna Park in Coney Island, 1000 Surf Avenue
13. The Great New York State Fair
If you’re looking for a little weekend getaway, head upstate to the annual Great New York State Fair! There’s everything you can dream of…amusem*nt rides, great food from all over the state, and free concerts from some of music’s biggest names! Plus, this year there are direct trains from NYC to the Fairgrounds happening 4 times per day. Learn more about the New York State Fair here.
14. Margarita Beach Club at Loreley Beer Garden
Say farewell to summer and celebrate Labor Day weekend at Loreley Beer Gardenwithbrunch, frozen drinks, and Margarita Beach Club all weekend long. Their outdoor garden is currently set up as a beach haven with a tropical plant and floral wall and a lifeguard tower perfect for a beachy photo-op, and their outdoor patio is complete with beach cabanas. Of course, there will be plenty of frozen margaritas to be had as well!Reservations can be made here.
Where: 7 Rivington St.
15. QCNY Spa on Governors Island
Spend the weekend mastering “dolce far niente” or “the sweetness of doing nothing” at QCNY. This spa on Governors Island offers guests all sorts of relaxing options that include VIP cabanas, sunset aperitivos, live outdoor music, and lovingly-crafted gelato. It’s the perfect way to wind down summer and take some self-care time! Learn more here.
16. Rooftop pools in NYC
Public pools may not be your style, so thankfully there are several hotels and rooftop pools around NYC that you can visit with a day pass or membership that might be worth getting for the summer. So take advantage of them while you still can! Some of our favorite rooftop pools include:
- The Summer Club, LIC
- Somewhere Nowhere, Chelsea
- The William Vale, Williamsburg
17. Free museums for military members/families
Thanks to a program sponsored by Blue Star, more than 40 New York City Museums and gardens will be free admission to active duty National Guard and Reserve military personnel and their families! Granting access to some of NYC’s most iconic museums like The Whitney, Guggenheim, and American Museum Of Natural History, LDW is a great time to take advantage of the discount! Check out all of the museums that are free here!
18. S2O New York
An immersive water music festivalis coming to Brooklyn this LDW, and there’s still time to grab tickets! S20 Festival is one of the world’s biggest Songkran/Thai New Year celebrations, producing events in Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Thailand, Taiwan, and Vietnam…and now Pulse Events is bringing it to The Big Apple. Full of electronic dance music and lots of spectacular water effects, the two festivities will hit The Brooklyn Mirage on August 31 and September 1.
The inaugural festival will featureheadlinersMarshmelloandSubt
19. Military recognition at Field of Light
The popular large-scale immersive free public art installation “Field of Light” will be honoring active, off-duty, and retired military members and their families during LDW to special tickets and accommodations in recognition of their service. The installation features a whopping 18,750 lowlight, fiber-optic stemmed spheres, that illuminate with a slow and subtle change of hue that is utterly incredible. They’re really going all out for those who deserve it. Learn more about it here.
20.
The new competition and immersive experience from one of Netflix’s most popular shows is coming to Midtown Manhattan! Now while Squid Game: The Experience doesn’t arrive until October 11th tickets were recently released and have been selling fast! Play classic games like “Red Light, Green Light,” shop for exclusive merch and experience the incredible Night Market at the Manhattan Mall, steps from K-town.
Find out about general admission tickets and special VIP tickets here!21. Last weekend of The Portal
Our beloved electronic passageway to Dublin, The Portal, is officially closing up over Labor Day Weekend with September 2 marking its final day online. The iconic art installation has wow-ed New Yorkers (and Dublin folks) for months now, and this is your last chance to stop by and check it out! Learn more about The Portal here!
22. Last weekend of Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion
One of our favorite museum exhibits right now, Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion, will be wrapping up its time at The Met during Labor Day Weekend. The Costume Institute’s spring 2024 exhibition (which had ties to the Met Gala earlier this year) is full of 220 fashiongarments and accessories that focus on nature and breathing sensory experience into fashion. It’s wrapping up its time on display through September 2.
See also: The Great New York State Fair Is Set To Return This August
