There are few things New Yorkers trust more than a free museum day, except maybe a free museum day that doesn’t involve setting a calendar reminder, proving residency, or sprinting across town before the last timed slot disappears.
At MoMA PS1, the deal is now wonderfully simple: general admission is free for everyone.
The Long Island City contemporary-art institution officially launched its free-admission era on January 1, 2026, removing the standard entry charge for visitors from New York and beyond.
The change makes PS1 the largest free museum in New York City and is scheduled to last through 2028, coinciding with the museum’s 50th anniversary.
It’s funded by a gift from creative entrepreneur Sonya Yu, who helped expand PS1’s earlier free-for-New-Yorkers programme into free access for every visitor.
Especially if you’ve never been, this fall invites the perfect opportunity. With special exhibits and events rolling out, there’s been a better time. Here’s why.
What “free admission for all” actually means
MoMA PS1’s new policy applies to all visitors, regardless of where they live. Adults, seniors, students, children, members, and out-of-town guests can all reserve a general-admission ticket for free.
The museum is open:
- Thursday, Friday, Sunday, and Monday: 12 pm to 6 pm
- Saturday: 10 am to 6 pm
- Tuesday and Wednesday: Closed
- Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day: Closed
Free timed tickets can be reserved online, and they are a smart idea for busy weekends and major events, though the museum may offer limited walk-up entry depending on capacity.
One notable caveat: some separately ticketed programs and events are not included in general museum admission.
The fall lineup makes now a particularly good time to go
Free admission is already a very convincing reason to take the 7 train to Court Square.
MoMA PS1’s 50th-anniversary programming, however, gives the trip a little more urgency.
The museum’s fall season includes the first U.S. survey of Mexican artist Teresa Margolles, presented in collaboration with The Museum of Modern Art. Margolles is known for uncompromising, material-heavy installations that confront violence, loss, borders, and systems of power.
The exhibition will include major room-sized works and a new commission, which is exactly the kind of art that needs more than a thumbnail and a quick scroll to understand.
Opening November 5, Hard Art will explore how Black artists have engaged with abstraction, while Fashion Archive and History at PS1 will dig into the institution’s long-running fashion program through archival material dating back to the late 1970s.
Also on the fall schedule is Homeroom: Artists Against the Bomb, an exhibition from the international campaign for universal nuclear disarmament featuring posters, photography, film, sculpture, literature, music, and other protest-driven materials.
An outdoor commission you can wander through
The free-admission initiative also makes it easier to revisit one of the museum’s most visible new works without feeling pressure to “get your ticket’s worth” in a single marathon visit.
Artist Precious Okoyomon has taken over the PS1 courtyard with a major commission running from July 31, 2026 through 2028. The installation continues the museum’s tradition of transforming its courtyard into a summer-and-beyond destination for large-scale, site-specific art that changes how the building feels before you even make it into the galleries.
PS1 itself is a good setting for this kind of work. The museum occupies a former public school, so the experience is less polished white-box maze and more a slow exploration through stairwells, old classrooms, unexpected corners, and galleries that can shift from monumental to intimate in a matter of steps.
And that’s all part of the pleasure! There’s room to move slowly, backtrack, sit with one installation, skip another, and circle back on a different day because, for once, returning does not cost another admission fee.
A 50-year institution with experimental roots
MoMA PS1 opened in 1976 as P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, a nonprofit exhibition space founded by Alanna Heiss inside the former Public School 1 building. It joined MoMA in 2000, but it has maintained a distinctly experimental identity, putting living artists and newly commissioned work at the center of its programming.
That history is why PS1 feels different from a quick walk through a traditional museum wing. Its galleries are built for risk, emerging artists, art that spills into architecture, and exhibitions that occasionally ask you to stop, stare, squint, read the wall text twice, and then decide you need a coffee before you can form an opinion.
The 2026 anniversary programming has leaned into that legacy.
Earlier this year, Greater New York 2026, PS1’s signature survey of artists living and working across the city, spread through the entire building from April 16 to August 17.
Planning your free PS1 visit
Where: MoMA PS1, 22-25 Jackson Avenue, Long Island City, Queens
Admission: Free for all visitors through 2028
Hours: Thursday, Friday, Sunday, and Monday from 12 pm to 6 pm; Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm
Nearest subway: Court Square, served by the E, M, G, and 7 trains; Queensboro Plaza on the N and W is also nearby
Tickets: Reserve free general admission through MoMA PS1
Good to know: Check the museum calendar before going, particularly for special-ticket events, exhibition changeovers, and closures.