Press Release: Late-Night Wednesdays
Museum of the City of New York Extends Free Late-Night Hours Through the End of the Year
Visitors can enjoy free admission to the Museum every Wednesday until 9 p.m.
Media Contact: Chris Gorman, pressoffice@mcny.org | 917.492.3482
NEW YORK, NY (August 26, 2026) — The Museum of the City of New York (MCNY) today announced an extension of its popular free Wednesday admission program through the end of the year. Based on the success of this summer's Late-Night Wednesdays, the Museum will continue extended Wednesday hours until 9 p.m. through December 30, giving New Yorkers and visitors more time each week to explore the city's flagship museum at no cost.
Since introducing free Wednesday admission in 2024, the Museum has seen visitorship grow by 25%. Late-Night Wednesdays build on that momentum, extending access to MCNY's permanent galleries and critically acclaimed exhibitions and programs to audiences who can't visit during traditional daytime hours, including:
- Another Wonderland: Abram Champanier's Alice Mural, celebrating the rescue and restoration of a major New Deal–era mural cycle created for the children's ward at Gouverneur Hospital, featuring Lewis Carroll's beloved characters reimagined across 1930s New York City
- The Occupied City: New York and the American Revolution, an immersive journey through Revolutionary-era New York on the Museum's third floor
- He Built This City: Joe Macken's Model, showcasing Joe Macken's monumental handmade model of New York City
Upcoming Exhibitions
This fall, the Museum will open four new exhibitions:
- Halumii Ktapihna: Lenape Legacies and Futures (Press Preview: Tuesday, September 22; Public Opening: Friday, September 25): Created in collaboration with a group of Lenape/Lunáapeew leaders from the U.S. and Canada, Halumii Ktapihna explores the Lenape/Lunáapeew today by bringing together the work of more than 30 contemporary artists alongside artifacts, historical objects, and archival materials.
- Raise Your Voice: New York Activism (Press Preview: Tuesday, September 22; Public Opening: Friday, September 25): The Museum's long-running exhibition Activist New York temporarily closed in July to make way for an exciting new chapter — a new permanent exhibition tracing more than 250 years of activism in New York, organized around tactics that New Yorkers have used to drive change: demonstrations, organizing, direct action, and media and art. To put a finer point on the artworks featured: works by Ben Shahn, Nicole Eisenman, Amanda Phingbodhipakkiya, Molly Crabapple, and Jacob Riis will be on view in the context of activist movements in the city.
- Gingerbread NYC: The Great Borough Bake-Off (Press Preview: Monday, November 2, Public Opening: Friday, November 6) A beloved holiday tradition, Gingerbread NYC: The Great Borough Bake-Off returns in 2026 with an all-new celebration of the city's boundless creativity. Showcasing gingerbread structures crafted by leading bakers and designers from across all five boroughs, the exhibition highlights New York as the creative capital of the United States.
- New York Now: After Dark (Press Preview: Tuesday, November 17; Public Opening: Friday, November 20): The Museum's triennial of contemporary photography returns with a focus on New York City after the sun sets — where work, leisure, ambition, community, and escape converge. The exhibition brings together 33 living artists offering a nuanced visual narrative of New York's nocturnal landscape.
About the Museum of the City of New York
The Museum of the City of New York fosters understanding of the distinctive nature of urban life in the world’s most influential metropolis. Through exhibitions, public programs, and educational initiatives, the Museum explores what gives New York City its singular character and global impact.
Image: Filip Wolak
