Fifth Avenue is getting cleared of cars and packed with art again this summer, as the Museum Mile Festival returns Tuesday, June 9. For a few evening hours, museums, neighborhood groups and performers will turn a stretch of the Upper East Side into a roaming showcase of music, dance and hands-on art.
As reported by Time Out, the festival takes over Fifth Avenue from 82nd Street to 110th Street and runs from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. For one night, more than 20 museums will open their doors free of charge, turning the corridor into a massive pedestrian art crawl.
Per El Museo del Barrio, the evening’s opening ceremony kicks off at 5:45 p.m. The museum’s event listing highlights live salsa, DJs and hands-on art-making tied to current exhibitions, along with guided tours and select workshops that may require advance registration.
Which museums will be open
The Museum of the City of New York says it will be open and free from 6 to 9 p.m. and encourages visitors to check participating institutions’ websites for specific programs. Headliners expected along the route include The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, Cooper Hewitt and The Jewish Museum.
Cooper Hewitt is planning to turn its garden into a dance floor with DJs and a bright hot-pink sound setup, while The Jewish Museum is lining up outdoor performances and family-friendly art activities. Time Out also notes that not every participating institution will offer indoor programming; some museums will instead set up pop-ups and street-level activations along the avenue.
Listings say the festival runs rain or shine, and Fifth Avenue will be closed to traffic between 82nd and 110th Street for the evening, so expect big crowds and very little car access. For a compact rundown of the basics, check NYCforFree.
How to plan your night
If you are heading over, it pays to arrive early, pick two or three must-see museums and stick to transit. The 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 subway lines and the M1 through M4 bus routes all serve the Museum Mile corridor. The Museum of the City of New York offers transit directions and accessibility notes on its visit page to help you map out your evening.
Whether you are museum-hopping with a game plan or just wandering a car-free Fifth Avenue, the Museum Mile Festival remains one of the city’s standout free nights for art and music. Check individual museum websites as June 9 approaches for the latest program details and any last-minute tweaks.
