Beyond the 9-5: The Best Things to Do in New York this June

From epic concerts to must-see exhibitions, the summer is getting off to a great start in New York City this June.

Naomi Chadderton

An experienced editor and journalist specialising in news and lifestyle.

Beyond the 9-5 is our round-up of all the best things to do in New York each month. In June we’ve got a whole month of Pride celebrations, Paul Simon is coming out of retirement, and night markets are officially back.

1Celebrate Pride Month

June marks pride month in the Big Apple, and this year we can expect celebrations that are bigger, better and more fabulous than ever. Case in point? Under the theme ‘Rise Up: Pride in Protest’, the jam-packed calendar includes the annual NYC Pride March, which is among the largest LGBTQIA+ Pride marches worldwide, and PrideFest, the largest LGBTQIA+ street festival in New York, which this year will take place on Sunday, June 29. Beginning at noon at 25th Street and Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, it eventually passes the Stonewall National Monument as well as the New York City AIDS Memorial, and then it ends in Chelsea.

Various events throughout June, NYC Pride

NYC pride march, attendee dressed as statue of Liberty

2Catch an Exciting New Fashion Exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Bringing radiant Black style to the Met, if you only see one exhibition this month, make it Superfine: Tailoring Black Style. This year’s Costume Institute exhibition, it is based on the 18th-century looks explored in Monica Miller’s 2009 book, Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity, considering how Black people have used fashion to ‘imagine new ways of embodying political and social responsibilities’. As such, expect clothing, photographs, art, texts and artefacts focused solely on menswear, arranged by 12 characteristics of Black dandyism (Black dandy is a Black man who ‘paid distinct and sometimes excessive attention to dress’), and informed by a 1934 essay by writer Zora Neale Hurston.

The exhibition will run until October 26th at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

3Eat Your Way Around the Summer Night Markets

As the days heat up, there’s no better time to explore some of the best after-hours street eats that NYC has to offer. We’re talking Bronx Night Market for drinks from Aguas Frescas Tlaxcalita, smoked chorizo from Casallas Kitchen and grilled lobster tail from Keez 2 The Kitchen; Uptown Night Market for Mexican-style hot dogs, tacos, empanadas and shish kebabs; and Union Square Night Market for Jamaican patties and sweet crepes, to name a few. While there’s plenty more where that came from, hopefully it’s enough to get you started.

4Discover Some New Talent at Amateur Night at the Apollo

Known as one of New York’s most popular live entertainment experiences, Amateur Night at the Apollo has been a golden ticket to a big break for heaps of performers, including Ella Fitzgerald, Lauryn Hill and Stevie Wonder, as a new slate of musicians, comedians and artists look to win over the notoriously “tough” audience, who decide who will “Be Good or Be Gone!” Taking place each Wednesday, this could be your chance to be a part of history.

Every Wednesday in June; Apollo Theater.

5Sing Along with Paul Simon As He Comes Out of Retirement

For the first time in seven years, music legend Paul Simon is performing live (he swore off live shows seven years ago following his supposed "farewell" tour) for a set of intimate shows at mid-sized theatres and concert halls around the country. June marks New York’s time, where he will be putting on a whopping five shows, featuring songs from his latest release, Seven Psalms, which just so happens to be his fifteenth studio album, alongside selections from his vast, Grammy-winning career that spans several decades

June 16th, 18th, 20th, 21st and 23rd: Beacon Theatre.

6Watch Hugh Jackman Perform Live

If you’ve not already caught Hugh Jackman in action then now’s your chance – he leans into the cinematic half of his career at this epic live performance which, stretched across weekends through October. 4th, sees Aussie actor perform an ample selection of numbers from The Greatest Showman (music and lyrics by Broadway luminaries Benj Pasek and Justin Paul) while resurrecting his turn as Jean Valjean, whom he portrayed in the 2012 movie version of Les Misérables. A must for fans of a good musical. Concerts start at 8pm, with a matinee show at 2pm on the Saturday.

June 20th and 21st: Radio City Music Hall. fromnywithlovehj.com

7Indulge in Plenty of Sushi at JAPAN Fes

If you can’t make it to Japan this year then fear not, New York is basically offering up the next best thing, as a massive Japanese food festival is being held this June. Hosting nearly 30 outdoor events, JAPAN Fes sees vendors hail from the Big Apple, as well as other states and other countries, with past festivals featuring foods like takoyaki, ramen, matcha sweets, yakisoba, karaage, okonomiyaki and lots more. Add to that some music and art, and you’ve got all the makings of a great day out.

June 7th in Midtown West, June 15 in Park Slope, June 22nd on the Upper West Side, June 28th in Midtown.

8Step Back in Time at the Jazz Age Lawn Party

Perhaps one of our favourite events of the summer, the Jazz Age Lawn Party takes place each year on the gorgeous Governors Island, as guests disembark the ferry and quite literally step back in time, joining thousands of revellers dressed to the 1920s-nines. This year the event celebrates its 20th anniversary with two weekends of vintage revelry, the first being June 14–15, when attendees can enjoy live jazz by Michael Arenella & His Dreamland Orchestra, vintage dance lessons, classic cocktails, antique cars and a festive atmosphere brimming with flapper dresses, straw boaters and Charleston flair.

June 14th–15th and August 9th-10th: Governors Island.