It doesn’t matter if you’re a tourist or a born-and-bred New Yorker: Free entertainment always feels like a win. We rounded up fun, free things to do around Brooklyn, a borough known for its hip arts scene, culture and history.
From free hours at museums to wellness classes to bocce ball, there’s something here for everyone. But a pricey afternoon? Fuhgeddaboudit!
Hang out at Industry City
Industry City in Sunset Park is a complex of 16 buildings along south Brooklyn's waterfront. It's also abuzz with some of the borough's most creative people.
Take part in a free wellness class during the week, such as yoga on Tuesdays at 6 p.m. or a spirituality class on Monday evenings led by teachers from Maha Rose, a spirituality, yoga and acupuncture center.
And keep an eye on the site's event page for more details about Family Fun Weekends, which have included afternoons of face painting, arts and crafts and storytelling. Free interactive art exhibitions are on display year-round.
Take part in a free wellness class during the week, such as yoga on Tuesdays at 6 p.m. or a spirituality class on Monday evenings led by teachers from Maha Rose, a spirituality, yoga and acupuncture center.
And keep an eye on the site's event page for more details about Family Fun Weekends, which have included afternoons of face painting, arts and crafts and storytelling. Free interactive art exhibitions are on display year-round.
Play bocce at Brooklyn Bridge Park
Head to Pier 2 at Brooklyn Bridge Park to play bocce ball for free. All the equipment you need is available at the on-site roller rink. You can go with friends or even wing it solo -- chances are you'll meet people who are already picking up a game.
Stroll through the Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Check out the plants and flowers in bloom at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, which has free admission every Saturday morning from 10 a.m. to noon and all day on Tuesdays. You can get in free every weekday from December through February, too.
Advertisement
Go to BAMcafé Live
Listen to free live jazz, rock, R&B, or pop from artists local and otherwise on select Saturday nights at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
Walk the Brooklyn Bridge
FRANCOIS XAVIER MARIT via Getty Images
It cost one cent to walk the Brooklyn Bridge when it first opened in 1883; today, it's completely free. Stroll the span that connects Manhattan and Brooklyn, but keep your toes out of the bike lane: New York City cyclists are notoriously territorial.
Advertisement
Check out the scene at The Brooklyn Flea
James Leynse via Getty Images
Brooklyn is known for its rich cast of local artists, and there's no better way to see what they're creating than checking out the flea market stalls.
The legendary Brooklyn Flea rotates around three Brooklyn neighborhoods. In the winter, downtown's One Hanson Place hosts both the flea market and Smorgasburg, a food fair, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
In the summer, the Brooklyn Flea and Smorgasburg become open-air markets. Beginning April 1, they both move to Williamsburg on Saturdays and Dumbo on Sundays.
The legendary Brooklyn Flea rotates around three Brooklyn neighborhoods. In the winter, downtown's One Hanson Place hosts both the flea market and Smorgasburg, a food fair, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
In the summer, the Brooklyn Flea and Smorgasburg become open-air markets. Beginning April 1, they both move to Williamsburg on Saturdays and Dumbo on Sundays.
Go to the Brooklyn Museum
Nicholas Hunt via Getty Images
Check out free art and entertainment on Target First Saturdays at the Brooklyn Museum from 5 to 11 p.m., every month except September.
Check out Green-Wood Cemetery
Education Images via Getty Images
Yes, it's a cemetery, but hear us out.
Green-Wood is a national history landmark. Some of New York's most prominent figures rest here, including toymaker F.A.O. Schwarz, and the site is rich with history: George Washington and his troops trod Green-Wood grounds during the Battle of Brooklyn. Locals and tourists alike visit for the greenery and architecture.
Green-Wood is a national history landmark. Some of New York's most prominent figures rest here, including toymaker F.A.O. Schwarz, and the site is rich with history: George Washington and his troops trod Green-Wood grounds during the Battle of Brooklyn. Locals and tourists alike visit for the greenery and architecture.
Advertisement
Related
Before You Go
LOADINGERROR LOADING
