16 Best Sights in New York City, New York

Afropunk Fest

Fort Greene Fodor's choice
This annual multicultural fete brings artists like Macy Gray, D'Angelo, Big Freedia, and Chuck D to an urban park near the Brooklyn Navy Yard, at the far north end of Fort Greene. The fashion scene is as fabulous as the music. Local food trucks provide sustenance and a thrift market keep fans occupied between sets.

Celebrate Brooklyn!

Prospect Park Fodor's choice
New York City’s longest-running summer outdoor performance festival began in 1979 and remains a top-notch crowd-pleaser with its diverse roster of mostly free (and some benefit) star acts. There's ample band shell seating, but locals tend to favor arriving early with a blanket to get a good seat on the grassy slope. Acts range from artists such as Janelle Monáe, the National, Neutral Milk Hotel, and St. Vincent to the Shen Wei Dance Arts company and Dance Theatre of Harlem. Look for silent film nights accompanied by innovative live music as well as spoken word performances. Pack a picnic or buy food from local, on-site vendors.

Mermaid Parade

Coney Island Fodor's choice
Plan a trip to Coney Island in mid to late June for the neighborhood's biggest event of the year, and you'll without a doubt have something to talk about for months to come. The costumes (or lack thereof) and floats are memorable, with some pretty outlandish presentations. It can get hot and crowded and hedonistic—more akin to Mardi Gras, with some nudity, than the Thanksgiving Parade, so you may wish to leave the kids at home.

Recommended Fodor's Video

Park Slope House Tour

Park Slope Fodor's choice
For nearly 60 years, the annual Park Slope house tour has offered a glimpse inside beautiful private family homes. The self-guided, ticketed event takes place on a Sunday afternoon in May, rain or shine, and shuttle buses connect key sites. Ticket-holders receive an illustrated brochure with the history and details of the participating homes.

Alamo

East Village

Perhaps the most obvious landmark at the junction of Astor Place and Cooper Square is the giant cube balanced on one of its pointy ends. The sculpture, made by Tony Rosenthal, was meant to be temporary when it was installed in 1967, but residents liked it so much that they petitioned to have it made permanent. The steel structure is 8 feet long on each side and has a hidden pole at the center so that it can revolve. The pedestrian plaza in front of the sculpture has a few benches, chairs and tables, plus a kiosk selling coffee and snacks. In the traffic island across the street, an ornate cast-iron replica of a Beaux-Arts kiosk marks the subway entrance for the uptown 6 train—at the beginning of the 20th century, most of the city's Interborough Rapid Transit (IRT) subway entrances resembled this one.

Atlantic Antic

Food, music, and a lot of fun are the features of this gigantic yearly party that closes down Atlantic Avenue from 4th Avenue to the waterfront on a Sunday in late September. There are several stages for performances and all kinds of antics at this family-friendly event, which celebrated its 43rd anniversary in 2017.

Bastille Day

Carroll Gardens
The French equivalent of the Fourth of July, Bastille Day is celebrated annually on Smith Street on a Sunday in July that falls closest to July 14, the actual date of the holiday. The street is closed off and transformed into a massive party, with area restaurants setting up booths and a temporary pétanque court near Bar Tabac.

Brooklyn Book Festival

National and international stars of the book world headline talks and readings at the largest free literary event in New York City, started back in 2006. A week’s worth of book talks, parties, and screenings in various venues around Brooklyn---as well as Queens and Manhattan---lead up to the Sunday main event, based at Brooklyn Borough Hall.

Bushwick Open Studios

Bushwick
The volunteer-run organization Arts in Bushwick puts together festivals and activities throughout the year. The main event, Bushwick Open Studios, is a huge art fair that takes place over a weekend in summer or early fall. Hundreds of artists throughout the neighborhood open their studios to the public, and there are events, performances, and panel discussions.

Cacao Prieto and Widow Jane

Red Hook
Blending two very worthwhile pursuits, this redbrick building does double duty as both a chocolate factory (Cacao Prieto) and a liquor distillery (Widow Jane). Informative tours of the atmospheric premises (check out the chickens in the courtyard) start in the chocolate factory and then head to the distillery, with tasting samples of both sides of the business. The distressed-wood shop in the front room, with shelves of liquor bottles and gift items, is as lovely as the wrapping on the chocolate bars.
Other Attraction
218 Conover St., Brooklyn, New York, 11231, USA
347-225--0130
www.cacaoprieto.com
Sights Details
Rate Includes: $20 for a 1-hr tour, weekends book in advance

Comandante Biggie Mural

Fort Greene
On the South Portland Avenue side of a corner lot nicknamed the Brooklyn Love Building, graffiti artist Cern One, with Jorge Garcia and Lee Quiñones, created a brightly hued mural of Brooklyn rapper The Notorious B.I.G. ("Biggie"). The structure's Fulton Street facade is home to street-level shops, but its second story is tagged with lyrics from Biggie's 1994 single "Juicy." It reads "Spread Love It's the Brooklyn Way" in tall lettering.

Moore Street area street art

Bushwick and East Williamsburg have become synonymous with street art, and there are some impressive, constantly changing murals over by Roberta's restaurant. Start on White Street, at Seigel Street, then head south on White to Moore Street, east on Moore to Bogart Street, then north on Bogart and east on Grattan Street.

Northside Festival

Williamsburg
North Brooklyn’s largest festival for music, film, and innovation comes alive for one week every June. Organized by Northside Media (the people behind Brooklyn Magazine and The L Magazine), the festival brings thousands together for an epic series of live performances by up-and-coming bands and indie rock stars, art, film screenings, and talks by Brooklyn’s influencers---in venues across Williamsburg and Greenpoint. McCarren Park is Northside’s heart, and several free events take place there. Check the website for the full schedule and to purchase tickets.

Red Hook Flicks

Red Hook
This weekly summer movie series runs through July and August at the Louis Valentino Jr. Park & Pier. Films are projected against a warehouse as the sun fades behind the Statue of Liberty. Bring a blanket and make a picnic out of it. There's usually food for sale, too.

St. Mary Star of the Sea

Carroll Gardens
One of the oldest operating Catholic churches in Brooklyn, the neo-Gothic St. Mary Star of the Sea opened in 1855 and once had a clear view to the New York Harbor. Its well-known architect Patrick C. Keely was an Irish immigrant, the stained-glass windows were imported from Munich in 1897, and the altar rail—installed two years later—is made of marble from several Italian quarries. The church may be more interesting to some for the fact that Al Capone was married here back on December 18, 1918. Mass is held daily and open to the public.

SummerScreen

Every summer, New York City’s parks become enormous outdoor movie theaters, and McCarren Park in Williamsburg is no exception. Presented by Northside Media, SummerScreen shows a different film every Wednesday. Past films include crowd-pleasers like Dirty Dancing, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and The Princess Bride. Though the film doesn't start until the sun sets, the lawn opens at 6 pm; it’s best to bring a blanket and arrive early to score a spot. There are food and drink vendors on-site.