Things to do this weekend in New York City

Oct. 2 to 4, 2026: Five considered plans for film, art, city history and a dinner built around live fire.

By New York by Invitation · Oct. 3, 2026

This weekend in New York City, Oct. 2 to 4, can be built around one strong cultural appointment. The New York Film Festival remains in progress, while ongoing exhibitions at The Met, MoMA and the Museum of the City of New York give the afternoon a clear center.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art facade with stone columns and an American flag — The Met exterior in 2010. Archival venue photograph. Photo: Sailko · CC BY SA 3.0. Image details

For Oct. 2 to 4, 2026.

This is an archived weekend guide. See the latest weekend plans.

Choose one museum rather than treating the city like a checklist. If the evening wants a reservation, Graciela offers a West Village dinner with live fire at the center. The point is not to collect five stops. It is to find the one that gives the day a shape.

Official pages were checked Oct. 3. Exhibition access, screening tickets and restaurant reservations can change, so confirm the practical details before leaving.

1. Choose a film at the New York Film Festival

Exterior of Film at Lincoln Center’s Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center — The Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center in 2019. An archival venue view. Photo: Ajay Suresh · CC BY 2.0. Image details

The 64th New York Film Festival continues through Oct. 12. Use the official calendar to choose the film first, then let dinner fit around the screening rather than the reverse.

Website: Official website

Oct. 2 to 4 screenings. Venue, price and availability vary by film.

Official festival schedule and tickets

2. See David Hartt change the point of view at The Met

David Hartt: Peripheries responds to the museum’s panorama of Versailles with moving images filmed in and around Paris. Give the installation proper time, then keep the rest of the museum visit selective.

Address: 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY

Website: Official website

On view through Feb. 7, 2027. The Met Fifth Avenue, 1000 Fifth Ave. Included with museum admission.

Official exhibition and visitor details

Map and directions

3. Read the city through information design at MoMA

MoMA glass facade and entrance on West 53rd Street — MoMA on West 53rd Street in February 2009. Archival venue photograph. Photo: cjn212 / The_Grotto · CC BY SA 2.5. Image details

Full Disclosure looks at how visual systems shape what the public sees and understands. It is a smart choice for readers interested in graphics, media and the politics hidden inside apparently neutral design.

Address: 11 West 53rd Street, New York, NY

Website: Official website

MoMA, 11 W. 53rd St. Check the official page for current gallery access and museum hours.

Official exhibition information

Map and directions

4. Visit Raise Your Voice on Museum Mile

Museum of the City of New York facade on Fifth Avenue — The museum exterior in 2013. Archival venue photograph. Photo: Beyond My Ken · CC BY SA 4.0. Image details

The Museum of the City of New York’s permanent exhibition on activism turns organizing, demonstration, art and media into a history of how New Yorkers press for change.

Address: 1220 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY

Website: Official website

Museum of the City of New York, 1220 Fifth Ave. Check current admission and hours before visiting.

Official exhibition and museum details

Map and directions