Things To Do MLK Day Weekend Events Manhattan NYC
Things To Do In Manhattan NYC Over The Martin Luther King Day Weekend
January 13, 2023 / Things To Do Manhattan / Manhattan Buzz NYC.
NYC Weather. The temperature highs will be in the high 50's on Friday, the high 30's on Saturday and the mid 40's on Sunday and Monday. The temperature lows will be in the low to mid 30's all weekend. No precipitation is in the forecast. The humidity will be in the 60% range on Friday, the 50% range on Saturday, the 40% range on Sunday and Monday. The winds will be 12 - 17 mph on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, dropping to 5 - 10 mph on Monday. Click for Manhattan Weather.
You can watch theater, visit the Manhattan art museums NYC, and eat out at one of the Manhattan restaurants NYC or go shopping in Manhattan NYC locales including Midtown, the Upper West & East Sides & the Village.
Brief History of Martin Luther King Holiday in NYC
Martin Luther King, Jr. was a Baptist Minister who became the leading voice for African Americans' non-violent civil rights movement beginning in the mid 1950's through to his assassination in 1968. In 1983, the third Monday of every year was set aside to honor Martin Luther King for his service to the nation. The third Monday was chosen, as it was the nearest Monday to the anniversary of King's birthday, which was January 15, 1929.
Martin Luther King Day has grown to take on an even larger meaning, as it is oftentimes referred to as a day on, versus a day off. Organizations around the city and nation have used the day to call people into action to address the needs of the community through volunteering and service.
As Martin Luther King Day is a national holiday, it's worth keeping in mind that many / most federal offices will be closed, along with a number of businesses.
Martin Luther King Holiday Special Events in Manhattan NYC
On Sunday, January 15, 2023 the Apollo Theater at 253 West 125th Street in Harlem resumes its MLK Day program entitled, Uptown Hall" MLK - Blueprint for Culture. This event is free, but all tickets have been 'sold' as of Saturday morning. But if those ticket holders don't show up / pick up their tickets by 2.30 pm the day of the show, they will be released to the public waiting in line at the theater. See www.apollotheater.org for details.
On Sunday, January 15, 2023 the Abyssinian Baptist Church on Striver’s Row located at 132 Odell Clark Place between 138th & 139th Streets and Frederick Douglass & Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Blvds in West Harlem is hosting a King Day Worship Service beginning at 10 am. The featured speaker is Dr. Jelani Cobb who has become the Dean of the Columbia School of Journalism. The West Harlem neighborhood includes places where African Americans like author W.E.B. DuBois and civil rights activist Malcolm X spent some time. For details see - https://abyssinian.org.
On Sunday, January 15, 2023 from 1 to 2.30 pm in the South Hall of Riverside Church at 490 Riverside Drive in Manhattan there will be an Annual MLK Commemoration. The doors open for a 12 noon service, followed by a live music, spoken word and conversational event. Folks will be seated on a first come first serve basis. The church has a real connection to Dr. King as it is where, in 1967 Dr. King gave one of his most famous speeches, Beyond Vietnam. A Time to Break Silence. For details see - https://www.trcnyc.org.
On Monday, January 16, 2023 the eighth graders at Manhattan Country School organize an annual Commemorative MLK Day March beginning at 10 am until about 2 pm. This year the march is entitled 'The Power of Awareness: The March for Justice and Change'. The march route seems to vary with each year, but has generally been on the Upper West and Upper East Sides, stopping at historically signfiicant sites, where students give speeches and ending at the Manhattan Country School at 150 West 85th between Columbus & Amsterdam. This year the march starts at the Harriet Tubman Memorial where West 122nd Street meets Frederick Douglass Blvd and St Nicholas Avenue - makes five stops where 2 - 5 speeches are made by the students - and ends at Manhattan Country School. For details visit www.manhattancountryschool.org.
On Monday, January 16, 2023 there's a Harlem Gospel Choir performance at Sony Hall at 235 West 46th Street in Midtown Manhattan. The doors open at 12 noon and the show begins at 1.30 pm. Tickets run $41 - $59 at https://sonyhall.com.
All weekend there are jazz performances at the Birdland Theater at 315 44th Street in Midtown Manhattan. Tickets are $26 and $36 at https://birdlandjazz.com.
The Museum of the City of New York at 5th Avenue at 104th Street on the UES is hosting a series on activism in NYC. It appears to be an online program and not specifically about MLK but inclusive of his efforts. For details see https://www.mcny.org/events.
Back in 2020, just prior to the pandemic there was an exhibit that opened in January 2020 at the Schomburg Center for African American Culture in the Lapidus Center at 515 Malcolm X Blvd and 135th Street in Harlem. The exhibit was entitled Subversion & the Art of Slavery Abolition, which chronicles efforts made by the Abolitionists to stop enslavement via art, politics and culture. Like 2021 and 2022, in 2023 they do not appear to have any MLK specific related programming. Please note that the Schomberg Center is normally closed on Sunday and will be closed MLK Day. But it's worth mentioning that they have a lot of good programming related to race and civil rights which you can find at https://www.nypl.org/events/programs/schomburg.
The Studio Museum of Harlem hosts a variety of cultural and art exhibits and programming related to African American culture. Their site at 144 West 125th Street, which they've occupied from 1982 - 2018, is TEMPORARILY CLOSED while a new building is being constructed. They are currently operating out of Studio Museum 127 which is located at 429 West 127th Street in Harlem. The last date I have seen for when they expected to move back to their 125th Street site was on March 15, 2020. But then the pandemic hit and they are still operating remotely and via their website. For details see - https://studiomuseum.org.
The Africa Center at 1280 5th Avenue at 109th Street in East Harlem doesn't appear to have any specific programs scheduled for the MLK Weekend. The museum seems more focused on African culture per se, than on African American culture. For details see - https://www.theafricacenter.org.
The United Palace at 4140 Broadway at 175th Street in Washington Heights doesn't have anything dedicated to MLK planned this weekend. But they are offering an historical tour on Sunday from 2 to 3.30 pm for $15. They describe the theater as follows: " ... The history of United Palace, Manhattan’s 4th largest theatre and now a landmarked building, began in 1930, when it was then one of five Loew’s “Wonder Theatres” across the boroughs and New Jersey. Designed by noted architect Thomas Lamb (Cort Theatre, the former Ziegfeld Theatre) with interiors overseen by decorative specialist Harold Rambusch (Waldorf Astoria, Radio City Music Hall), it was one of the region’s premier vaudeville and movie houses. Today, the United Palace hosts concerts, movies, and community events and provides spiritual and cultural programming ...". For tickets see https://www.unitedpalace.org.
The Joyce Theatre American Dance Platform begins Tuesday, January 10th and the Winter Jazz Festival begins on Thursday, January 12th. It's all part of the January Arts Festival - https://www.janartsnyc.org/ which runs through most of this month of January 2023.
OLD / NOTE YEAR _ The Imperial Theatre at 249 West 45th Street in Midtown Manhattan is hosting performances of the musical 'Ain't Too Proud' which is the story of the Temptations, a modern musical group of the 1960's and 1970's. Performances run through the MLK Weekend 2022 - except Monday - and tickets range from $74 - $1353.
Things To Do MLK Day Weekend Events In Manhattan NYC
Things To Do In Manhattan Over The Martin Luther King Day Weekend
January 14, 2023 / Things To Do Manhattan / Manhattan Buzz NYC. Continued.
Manhattan Historical Sites & Museums - MLK Weekend Things To Do Manhattan
Manhattan is home to innumerable historic and cultural sites. Some of the most notable historic sites include the the Dykman Farmhouse, the Morris-Jumel Mansion, the American Museum of Natural History, Mount Vernon Hotel, the Museum of the City of New York, the Jewish Museum, the Museo del Barrio, the Africa Center at 1280 5th Avenue at 109th Street, the Morgan Library, the Theodore Roosevelt House, and the Tenement Museum.
Martin Luther King Day Events In Manhattan - Skating & Train Show
Click here to obtain information about things to do Martin Luther King Day Weekend in Manhattan NYC, as well as throughout the month of January. This events calendar is updated monthly with about 100 different Manhattan fun / cultural events.
Skating in Bryant Park at 42nd Street between 5th & 6th Avenues returned the last weekend of October and will continue into Spring 2020. The rink is open from 8 am - 10 pm and admission is free, but skates, lockers, helmets et al are charged on a per item basis.
The Rockefeller Center Skating Rink opened in October and they're open from 8.30 am to 12 midnight daily through the Winter. They charge $32 / $27 / $25 for admission and there's a $12 skating rentalfee.
THIS IS CLOSED IN 2023 _ The 18th Holiday Train Show at Grand Central Station ends in February 2020 at Grand Central Station at Park Avenue and 42nd Street. The train show is located near the northwest corner of the main floor and is open from 8 am - 8 pm weekdays and from 10 am - 6 pm weekends [FREE].
Art Exhibits In Manhattan NYC - MLK Day Weekend Things To Do
Click here to view some of the in-progress art exhibits in Manhattan this Martin Luther King Day weekend. There are too many museums to showcase in this short space, but here are a few that are clustered along the Upper East and Upper West Sides.
Along the Upper East Side NYC, The Museum of New York, The Guggenheim Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Frick Collection are all located along Fifth Avenue between 70th Street and 96th Street.
Along the Upper West Side there's the New York Historical Society, the American Museum of Natural History and the Planetarium - all of which are located along Central Park West between 75th and 85th Streets.
In Midtown there's the Museum of Modern Art.
In the photo to your right is one of the sculpture galleries in the Frick Museum at 70th Street and Fifth Avenue along Central Park East.
Dance, Theater & Music In Manhattan NYC - Martin Luther King Day Weekend Things To Do
Click here to view the Theatre section of the Manhattan Events Calendar to see what's doing this Martin Luther King Day weekend theater in Manhattan NYC.
Just north of Columbus Circle, Lincoln Center is the home of many wonderful musical and dance performances. At the north end of the Upper West Side is Columbia University which largely operates in its own world, but has many cultural events going and frequently they're also available to the public.
Carnegie Hall is located on 57th Street and home to many classical musical performances. The Theatre District center is at 42nd Street and Broadway, where you can fan out in directions north and then east or west and find many theaters that almost always have a production going.
And further downtown in Midtown south, Chelsea and the Village there are many of themodern musical and theatrical venues. You need only browse along and off of the main streets to find something interesting.
An example of an interesting venue is shown in the photo to your right, where the Neville Dance Theatre Company is performing at the Alvin Ailey Dance Studios in west Midtown NYC.
The Irish Arts Center, a performing arts institution with a focus on Irish culture, is located nearby at 553 West 51st Street.
Martin Luther King Day Weekend Shopping In Manhattan NYC
This is a great weekend to do a bit of shopping. Click here to view our shopping sections of the following neighborhoods: Upper East Side NYC Shopping, Midtown Shopping and coming soon - shopping in the Village NYC & Upper West Side NYC Shopping.
Each of these shopping sections includes, or will include, links to home pages, which have slide shows of merchandise as well as maps, store hours, phone numbers and telephone numbers.
The Winter Antiques Show at the Park Avenue Armory is generally in town around the time of, or shortly following, the Martin Luther King Day Weekend. This year they it runs from January 20 - 29, 2023.
In the photo at right is an historical item for sale at the Winter Antiques Show at the Park Avenue Armory on the Upper East Side in years past.
Dining In Manhattan NYC - Martin Luther King Day Weekend Things To Do
Food in Manhattan has always been good. The variety of restaurant choicesis difficult to match anywhere, and if you look carefully, you can find good food at reasonable prices too.
Click here to view the Manhattan Restaurants NYC section of the site, which includes reviews of the restaurants we've selected to review. As of this writing, we've identified some of our old favorites, but haven't done the deep dive yet.
We also provide an update on the Friday of Martin Luther King Day Weekend with things to do on the front page of this site.
Golfing In Manhattan over the MLK Day Weekend
Manhattan has a golf driving range at Chelsea Pier in the 20's on the west side along the Hudson River.
MLK Day Things To Do Brooklyn / Queens / Staten Island / Bronx
And if you feel the urge to visit another borough, here's a list of:
- Things to do in the Bronx MLK / Martin Luther King Day Weekend
- Things to do in Brooklyn MLK / Martin Luther King Day Weekend
- Things to do in Manhattan MLK / Martin Luther King Day Weekend
- Things to do in Queens MLK / Martin Luther King Day Weekend
- Things to do on Staten Island MLK / Martin Luther King Day Weekend
Martin Luther King Day Weekend - MLK Day in Manhattan NYC - Links
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