Arts beyond the Arch — on a budget
Under the Arch
Arts beyond the Arch — on a budget
While getting acquainted with your new home at NYU, consider getting out of the campus bubble and visiting one of these affordable arts centers.
Dani Biondi and Siobhán Minerva | August 11, 2025
New York City is home to one of the most robust art scenes in the world. It’s also home to steep price tags — unless you know where to look. Get to know the five boroughs through these theaters, cultural centers, museums and events, each of which offers programs for under $15.
Film & TV
Cinema Village
22 E 12th St., Manhattan
While you’re finding your way around NYU’s campus, don’t overlook Cinema Village near the School of Professional Studies. A short walk from Washington Square Park, the three-screen theater offers $8 student tickets and often hosts events like New York Shorts International Film Festival, which will feature over 300 international short films from Oct. 11 to Oct. 17.
124 S. Third St., Brooklyn
If you’re looking to explore a new neighborhood and show your Welcome Week pals how cultured and pretentious you are, take a trip to Williamsburg and visit Spectacle. The volunteer-run theater boasts a diverse programming of overlooked works and hosts special events and film series — all between $5 and $10. To get tickets, order online in advance or pay in cash at the door. Just remember to log what you saw on Letterboxd after so you have something to talk about when you’re waiting for the Presidential Welcome Reality Show to start…
Take: The L train to Bedford Avenue or M train to Marcy Avenue
36-01 35th Ave., Queens
You’ve probably seen the Museum of the Moving Image online, especially clips from its Jim Henson Exhibition. MoMI in Astoria offers $12 tickets and free general admission on Thursdays from 2-6 p.m. It’s home to limited and ongoing exhibitions highlighting filmmakers and industry technology. The museum also regularly hosts classic and contemporary screenings for the public, which cost $12 for students.
Take: The N train to 36 Avenue or R train to Steinway Street
Music
Perelman Performing Arts Center
251 Fulton St., Manhattan
Concerts and live performances can drain your bank account quickly, especially if you fall victim to the Market Hotel’s Instagram ads or Project X parties. Luckily, the Perelman Performing Arts Center in the Financial District regularly puts on a series of free concerts, from DJ sets to chamber operas. If a paid event catches your eye, take advantage of its 50% discount for full-time students that show a valid ID.
Take: The A, C or E trains to Chambers Street or the 1 train to WTC Cortlandt Station
438 163rd St., Bronx
Learn more about the Bronx’s rich music history by paying a visit to the Bronx Music Hall’s Heritage Center. Its diverse programming includes $15 live music events, free arts classes, music history tours and low-cost 10-week music education sessions. The borough’s Black and Latino communities and their impact on genres like hip-hop and salsa are also highlighted through the Bronx Music Hall’s performance series. Check out the center’s website to learn more about its programs and buy event tickets.
Take: The 4 or D trains to 161 Street-Yankee Stadium and the Bx6-SBS or Bx6 to East 161 St./Melrose Avenue
130 Claremont Ave., Manhattan
The Manhattan School of Music in Morningside Heights puts on over 600 concerts a year — most of which offer free admission. Whether you’re into chamber orchestras, jazz or musical theater, there’s a recital for you. Performances occur both on and off-campus, at venues including Lincoln Center, Riverside Church and the Harlem Stage.
Take: The A, C or D trains to 125 Street Station
Performing Arts
NYU ScholasTix offers tickets for Broadway and off-Broadway shows, musicals and other events for a reduced price. Additionally, NYU Skirball, the Paulson Center and other venues on campus regularly host shows. But if you want to immerse yourself in the city’s performing arts scene for free, here are three options beyond NYU.
81 Central Park West, Manhattan
A tradition in Central Park for over six decades, The Public Theater is hosting Shakespeare in the Park from Aug. 7 to Sept. 14, staged at the newly renovated Delacorte Theater. In Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night,” watch twins Viola and Sebastian experience love and loss as they survive a shipwreck and Viola falls into a love triangle of confusion.
Take: The 4 train to 86th Street station
Prospect Park, Brooklyn
Molière In The Park offers free theater in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park with performances at the LeFrak Center at Lakeside, Brooklyn Public Library and other nearby venues. It primarily presents live readings and productions of Molière’s plays with adaptations for contemporary audiences, featuring live music and original choreography.
Take: The Q train to Prospect Park station
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
40 Lincoln Center Plaza, Manhattan
Housed within the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the New York City Public Library for the Performing Arts offers an extensive selection of resources to research dance, film, music and recorded sound. This library, which also offers more than 4,000 recordings of live theatrical performances, is a great place to visit before or after seeing a show at Lincoln Center if you want to expand your knowledge beyond what you see on the stage.
Take: The 1 train to 66 Street-Lincoln Center
Fine Arts
The Museum Gateway for Students provides NYU students with free museum access across New York City, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art. Many of these host events and stay open for extended hours on weekend nights.
22-25 Jackson Ave., Queens
MoMA PS1 is an excellent choice if you are looking to get exposure to experimental art. Located in Queens, the museum inspires visitors to engage with the work of emerging artists. From sculptures that integrate into the building’s architecture to works that take on different forms as the sunlight moves, the museum’s exhibitions broaden visitors’ perspectives beyond traditional definitions of art. On display until the beginning of October, its current exhibition “The Gatherers” presents artwork dealing with themes of waste and excess by 14 artists from 10 different countries.
Take: The E train to Court Square-23rd Street station
200 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn
Another prominent museum outside of Manhattan, the Brooklyn Museum has material culture from around the world, spanning 6,000 years of artistic works. It frequently hosts new exhibitions, such as retrospectives highlighting artists often excluded from the narrative of art history. The museum’s gallery guides also regularly lead free short talks and gallery tours of favorite works of art.
Take: The N train to Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center station and then the 3 train to Eastern Parkway-Brooklyn Museum station
Snug Harbor Culture Center & Botanical Gardens
1000 Richmond Terrace, Staten Island
Staten Island’s Snug Harbor Culture Center & Botanical Gardens is home to contemporary art exhibitions, maritime artwork and 14 botanical gardens including the New York Chinese Scholar’s Garden. The center’s historical architecture from around the world allows visitors to see the development of styles from the 19th to early 20th centuries.
Take: The R train to Whitehall Street-South Ferry, then the Staten Island Ferry to St. George Ferry Terminal, and then the S40 bus to Richmond Terrace/Snug Harbor Road East
Contact Dani Biondi and Siobhán Minerva at [email protected].
Dani Biondi is a sophomore studying journalism and cinema studies at the College of Arts & Science. When she’s not making the most of her AMC A-List...
Siobhán Minerva is a first-year studying art history, journalism and French at the College of Arts & Science. She hopes to one day own a cat and live...
Alex is a first-year studying public policy and journalism. When not taking photos, you can find him at a Yankees game, searching for the best key lime...
Allina Xiao is a sophomore studying computer science at the College of Arts & Science. She has a passion for stories, from contemporary fiction to...