Summer is inching closer (and, unfortunately, shaping up to be a historically hot one) which can only mean one thing: later sunsets! And thankfully, those longer days bring more time to check things off your NYC summer bucket list–think: outdoor concerts, night markets, street fairs, and everything in between.
So consider this your official PSA to start reviving those “sidewalk spritz?” texts in the group chat–because honestly, our serotonin is spiking as we speak.
NYC’s first 8 pm sunset of the year will occur this weekend on Saturday, May 9th, according to Time and Date. With a sunrise set for 5:45 am, that’ll give us 14 hours and 15 minutes of daylight total!
Unfortunately Saturday’s forecast is currently calling for periods of rain, which will make those outdoor hangs a bit…unpleasant. Thankfully, there’s plenty of things to do in NYC on a rainy day!
Lucky for us, the days will only get longer moving forward, with the latest sunsets of the year–8:31 pm–happening Tuesday, June 23 through Wednesday, July 1. Though Thursday, July 2, is when things do a 180, with the sun slowly easing back into earlier sunsets.
Eventually, we’ll make it to the Winter Solstice on Monday, December 21st, which marks the shortest day of the year and a woefully early 4:31 pm sunset. But let’s not think about that right now…
If you’re looking to snag the best viewing spot to soak in the sunset, here are 15 of the top places in the city to catch it.
And don’t forget to bookmark your calendar for Friday, May 29th, when Manhattanhenge will bring the most stunning sunset of the year to NYC!
