Day or night, there’s always something fun to do in NYC. In fact, you could say that The Big Apple comes to life more than ever once the sun goes down (it’s the city that never sleeps after all). From concerts and clubs to nighttime cruises and ghost tours, the city’s overflowing with nighttime plans to enjoy. So what are you waiting for? Check out our top things to do at night in NYC below!
1. Grab a late-night drink
If an after-dark tipple is on the cards, there are plenty of bars and cocktail spots that stay open until the early hours of the morning (169 Bar and Welcome to the Johnsons on the Lower East Side usually open until 4am). Speakeasies like Please Don’t Tell and Raines Law Room shut at 3am on weekends and in the warmer months, there’s also a good selection of rooftop bars like 230 Fifth and Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge that keep the cocktails coming until 4am on a Saturday.
2. Walk the Brooklyn Bridge
Walking the Brooklyn Bridge (or at least part of it) is a rite of passage for most New Yorkers. The bridge provides breathtaking views of Brooklyn, Manhattan and the East River, and when night falls, the city’s skyline lights up spectacularly. It’s a great spot for a midnight stroll and an even better location for some fabulous IG pics.
3. Feel the vibes at a jazz show
Saxes, trombones and all that jazz — nothing beats being serenaded at a jazz show when night falls. It’s no secret that NYC is one of the world’s biggest jazz hubs, so there are loads of shows taking place in the city every night of the week. Places like Smoke Jazz Club and Blue Note Jazz Club have performances starting at around 10:30pm throughout the week, and Dizzy’s Club at Lincoln Center that start as late as 11pm. If you’re looking for something starting a little earlier, ‘We call it Jazz’ is a NOLA-inspired live music show that usually has performances starting at 8:30pm and 9pm.
🎟️Get your tickets to ‘We call it Jazz’ in NYC here.
4. Boogie all night long at one of NYC’s hottest clubs
We’ll go out on a limb and say that NYC has the best party scene in the world. Clubs stay open way past the early hours of the morning no matter where you find yourself in the city. There are EDM spots like Avant Gardner and Good Room in Brooklyn, Nebula and Katra Lounge for hip-hop and R&B fans, Somewhere Nowhere and Paradise Club for pop lovers and way too many more to mention. No matter what kind of music you’re into, there’s a club in NYC that’ll play your favorite tunes all night long.
5. Grab a bite to eat at a night market
When summer’s shining in NYC, nothing beats indulging in some delicious street food at one of the city’s bustling night markets. Held on Saturday nights in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, The Queens Night Market has over 100 vendors, making it the largest of its kind in NYC. Uptown Night Market in Harlem is a popular market that’s famous for its Mexican delicacies (the empanadas and tacos are particularly tasty). What’s more, The Chinatown Night Market is your go-to for unbeatable Asian cuisine and Bronx Night Market has a variety of colorful Caribbean dishes to try.
6. Attend a Candlelight concert
If you don’t know Candlelight yet, you should really get to know. It’s a series of live music concerts that pay tribute to music’s brightest stars, from Vivaldi and Bach to Taylor Swift and Coldplay. Inside some of NYC’s most gorgeous venues, including Church of the Heavenly Rest and St Ann and the Holy Trinity Church, classically trained musicians work their magic on timeless compositions, iconic pop songs, famous rock hits and much more.
🎟️Get your tickets to Candlelight concerts in NYC here.
7. Giggle the night away at a comedy club
NYC has tons of comedy shows that run into the early hours of the morning. Places like Broadway Comedy Club and New York Comedy Club have sets on the weekends that start as late as 11:30pm. Kicking off at 11:55pm, the famous Late Night Lunatics show at St Marks Comedy Club features some of the city’s funniest up-and-coming stars. And who could forget Comedy Cellar? Famous comedians are known to make surprise appearances at this legendary comedy joint that has shows running until around 1:30am.
8. Ride the free Staten Island Ferry
The Staten Island Ferry provides a 24-hour service that sets off from St George Terminal on Staten Island to the Whitehall Terminal in Lower Manhattan. Taking the ferry after sunset gives you the chance to see the Statue of Liberty, New York Harbor and the Manhattan skyline light up at night. Oh and did we mention it’s 100% free?
9. Have a night of karaoke
You’re spoiled for choice when it comes to late-night karaoke bars in NYC, especially in Koreatown. Space Karaoke Bar & Lounge and Maru Karaoke Lounge open until at least 4am on weekends and Gagopa Karaoke stays open until 5am. Another karaoke hotspot in NYC is the East Village. Sing Sing Ave A. has private rooms that can be rented out and SING SING St. Marks Karaoke has a beloved BYOF (bring your own food) policy so you can sing your heart out and munch on your own snacks.
10. Catch a Broadway show
Wicked, The Book of Mormon, Chicago, Aladdin — you name a famous production, and it’s probably on Broadway as we speak. Evening shows usually start between 7pm and 8pm, so you can grab a drink or a bite to eat pre or post-performance. These Broadway shows take place inside some of the country’s most gorgeous and historic theaters, including Lyceum Theatre, New Amsterdam Theatre and Hudson Theatre.
11. Set sail on a boat party
There are loads of fun boat parties that set sail after sunset in NYC. With a live DJ, two floors of music and food and drinks purchasable onboard, Late Saturday Night Yacht Party Cruise is a popular choice for party goers on the river. It sets off from Pier 36 at 10pm and the route promises stunning views of New York’s iconic skyline. And the best part is, the boat is climate controlled, so you can party until 3am come rain or shine.
🎟️ Get your tickets to Late Saturday Night Yacht Party Cruise here.
12. Catch a midnight movie at IFC Center
Located in Greenwich Village, the IFC Center is a fabulous movie theater that puts on late-night screenings every weekend. These screenings usually take place every Friday and Saturday night, with showtimes usually starting between 11:15pm and 12:25am. The films on the evening program are usually iconic Hollywood blockbusters and cult classics that we all know and love (we’re talking movies like The Goonies, Pulp Fiction, Jaws and The Exorcist).
13. Eat at a 24-hour restaurant
As the city that never sleeps, it’s only right that NYC has so many round-the-clock dining options. Diner 24 NYC in Gramercy and Remedy Diner on the Lower East Side serve up American classics all day and all night long — from pancakes and burgers to hotdogs and milkshakes. For lovers of Asian food, Miss KOREA BBQ in Koreatown is famous for their all-night barbecue delights, and while Yunnan Rice Noodle House in Chinatown isn’t open all night long, they still serve delicious noodle soups until 5am.
14. Get spooky on a ghost tour
Starting at 8pm, the New York Ghosts: Hauntings & Ghouls of Greenwich Village takes visitors through the famous NY neighborhood to explore spooky sites like Jefferson Market Library and Mark Twain’s House of Death. There’s also NYC Ghosts Boos and Booze Haunted Pub Crawl — an adults-only ghost tour that doubles up as a boozy bar crawl. While sipping on cocktails in haunted spots like Pirate’s Den and Marie’s Crisis, you’ll listen to famous spooky stories like the legend of Howdy Doody and the Gay Street Phantom.
🎟️Get tickets to New York Ghosts: Hauntings & Ghouls of Greenwich Village here.
15. Visit the Top of the Rock for post-sunset views
Top of the Rock opens between 8am-9am, but you can take an elevator up to the top until 11pm depending on the season. After sunset, the city transforms into a glittering sea of lights and the observation deck offers stunning views of landmarks like the Empire State Building, Chrysler Building and One World Trade Center.