What to do for free in NYC

1. Graze your way through Union Square Greenmarket (open every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday), where local farmers will greet you with free samples of lavender honey goats’ cheese, wild blueberry jam, and bison jerky.

2. The vendors at Chelsea Market, New York’s largest indoor food hall, are always eager to offer you bites of brownies, cupcakes, and homemade pasta – not to mention the generous pours at Chelsea Wine Vault’s tasting room.

3. For a taste of old New York, visit the iconic Upper West Side gourmet epicurean emporium Zabar’s, complete with a display of 600 cheeses to sample.

4. The Aperitivo Hour at Ovest (next to the High Line) features a buffet of complimentary Italian appetizers and live music to accompany happy hour cocktails, weekdays between 17:00 and 20:00.

5. Free meals are nearly impossible to find in the Big Apple, but if you crawl over to the East Village hipster hangout Crocodile Lounge (or its Brooklyn sister, Alligator Lounge, you can chomp on a free individual Margherita pizza with every drink you buy, every night of the week.

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6. If you can make it past the discretionary door at Le Bain, the impossibly cool club located on top of the Standard High Line, you won’t pay a cover charge for one of the city’s best rooftop parties.

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7. For the warehouse club experience without the attitude (and free cover most Sundays through Wednesdays), head to Williamsburg’s Output Club – you might catch a guest DJ set by Hot Chip or Erykah Badu.

8. Want a more intimate (yet equally wild) night out? Visit two of Brooklyn’s trendiest alternative dance clubs: the tropical-themed Bossa Nova Civic Club in Bushwick and Black Flamingo in Williamsburg; both offer free admission before midnight.

9. Call the tune and take centre stage at the swanky Sid Gold’s Request Room in Chelsea, where the live piano karaoke is free Mondays through Saturdays, starting at 21:00.

10. Join New York’s reigning drag superstars Pixie Aventura and Monet X Change for an unapologetically irreverent revue every Wednesday at Therapy; or watch Broadway talent tear down the house on Mondays at Industry – both events start at 23:00.

11. Most museums offer free admission on select weekdays, including MoMA on (Fridays, 16:00-20:00), The Whitney (Fridays, 19:00-21:30), and the 9/11 Memorial Museum (Tuesdays, 17:00-20:00).

12. New York’s most cutting-edge art can be experienced without a ticket at dozens of Chelsea gallery spaces (located between 10th and 11th Avenues, from 18th Street to 28th Street). For a glimpse at some rising and established superstars, check out David Zwirner, Taglialatella, and the Gagosian.

16. Explore Williamsburg’s street art scene, the history of Lower Manhattan, or the fabled haunted houses of Greenwich Village with Free Tours By Foot, where you can tip the experts whatever you wish.

17. For natural beauty that rivals the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, stroll through the Instagrammable Conservatory Garden in Central Park, located near the 5th Avenue and 105th Street entrance.

18. Rise above the hustle and bustle of midtown at one of the High Line’s many free activities, including tai chi classes, stargazing, or wildlife tours.

19. Join The Rise collective for one of their early morning site-specific high-intensity workouts, including Flatiron Form and Flow (a fusion of yoga, ballet and calisthenics) and the Brooklyn Body Circuit.

20. Throw yourself into a free juggling lesson in Bryant Park.

21. Go fishing in Prospect Park or spot a migrating songbird at the park’s Pop-Up Audobon.

22. Hop on the ferry to Governors Island and ride a bike around its perimeter every summer weekday between 10:00 and 12:00, courtesy of Blazing Saddles.

23. Enter the online lottery or stand in line to guarantee a seat at the Public Theater’s Free Shakespeare in Central Park, where Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline and Anne Hathaway have made it worth the wait in past summers.

24. Bryant Park hosts free ice-skating in the winter (skate rentals are available for a small fee) and a summer film festival under the stars.

25. Paddle up the Hudson River in a free kayak, available from May until October at The Downtown Boathouse.

26. Attend a concert at Summerstage, New York’s largest free performing arts festival in all five boroughs. Recent headliners have included Beck, DJ Kool Herc, The Roots, and Common.