New York Events for September
From culinary events to fun fall traditions, New York has a lot to offer in September. The summer heat has dissipated and it’s still mild enough for outdoor activities like kayaking the Hudson River.
Sports fans can catch WNBA playoffs and MLB baseball at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, or go to Manhattan to cheer on the city’s own women’s basketball team.
Fashion Week
Twice a year, world-renowned designers and brands gather in New York City to show off their latest collections. Each season, they present their designs through captivating runway shows that are designed to evoke emotion, engage the audience, and showcase each creation’s story.
While many of the shows are closed to the public (except for those with celebrity appearances), there are plenty that you can attend. Burgeoning brand HARRI, for example, pushed the sculptural versus sartorial debate to its limit with blown-up balloon trousers, while Castles & Queens and Greedilous presented refined casualwear pieces with a West Coast edge.
And of course, there are the iconic Broadway musicals, which are more affordable during Broadway Week. This special event runs for a full week, and tickets can be purchased online.
SummerStage
The SummerStage series from City Parks Foundation is a warm-weather juggernaut that presents free concerts and other events in neighborhood parks across the five boroughs. With genres including salsa, jazz, hip hop, Latin, global and indie music, as well as contemporary dance and film screenings, the series provides something for all New Yorkers to enjoy.
The program this year focuses on the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, and the lineup features artists like Skip Marley, Tanya Tucker, Dorrance Dance, Mdou Moctar, and Joanes Van Zandt. Also featured are local talents such as Julia Jacklin and Nick Hakim.
Tickets to many shows are available online or in person at the Rumsey Playfield, east 72nd Street off Fifth Avenue inside Central Park. Food and beverages are allowed, but no outside alcohol.
The Armory Show
The Armory Show is one of the best art events in NYC for September. It features a wide range of modern art from the top international galleries. It has a big impact on the global art scene and is an important part of New York City culture.
Founded in 1994, it has evolved into a frontrunner for the international art fair industry. It has even changed the way people think about modern art.
The fair features different sections, including Galleries, Solo, Focus and Presents. The latter is a section for emerging galleries that takes interesting risks. This year, the show will feature a video work by Sikander that runs on 90 Times Square billboards. The fair is also a great place to meet fellow art lovers and collectors.
Photofairs
PHOTOFAIRS New York is a contemporary fair focused on photo-based works and digital art that debuted at the Javits Center on September 8-10. The fair offers a broad and expansive view of image-making, from modern masters of lens-based work to the boundary-pushing vanguard of the medium.
More than a third of the fair will be dedicated to solo exhibitions. Highlights include a series from Adama Delphine Fawundu that explores indigenization, and a photographic reworking of Hieronymus Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights by Nicole Wilson.
The fair also features a number of dynamic special Exhibitor Projects. Bitforms presents RGB Lights Mirror, Daniel Rozin’s 25th piece in his Mechanical Mirror series. The work uses LEDs to create an ever-changing field of color reflection. The fair also showcases Titus Kaphar’s enigmatic photographs that blur the line between neo-noir and ambiguous fantasy.
New York Film Festival
The New York Film Festival is a must-see for film fans. It is held every September at Lincoln Center and showcases the latest in international cinema. It features a Main Slate of films and additional venues for retrospectives, experimental cinema, and documentaries. This year’s lineup includes Todd Haynes’ May December, Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla as the centerpiece, and Michael Mann’s Ferrari for closing night.
Whether you’re a Broadway fanatic or just want to get out of your apartment for a bit, this is one event that should definitely be on your list. From September 4-17, NYC’s Broadway Week offers 2-for-1 tickets to shows like Chicago and Merrily We Roll Along. Plus, there are many Hispanic mom & pop restaurants nearby for post-show dinner and drinks.