Free First Fridays at the Museum of Modern Art, New York
- Nov 9, 2025
- 5 min read
It's not often that we New Yorkers get something free just for being New Yorkers, but it's true. Once a month, the Museum of Modern Art gives out a freebie. Currently, the Museum of Modern Art stays open late on Fridays. New York City Residents can get free admission but you have to reserve tickets.
Weather permitting, the sculpture garden might be open, sometimes with music and a bar (not free). Almost all exhibits will be available. In addition, browse the gift shops, or just sit on a bench and study the art. All for free. Proof of New York City residency may be required, so bring your REAL ID or your NYC ID.
So, what exactly is the MoMA? Well, as you guessed from the Museum of Modern Art in New York is one of the top museums of modern art in the world. It houses Picasso's "Starry Night," so therefore it is one of the top destinations for tourists and art lovers traveling to New York City. Think going to Paris to see the "Mona Lisa" at the Louvre.
After undergoing some renovations, the MoMA is once again ready to operate at full capacity with traditional exhibits, special events and other programs.
But when you enter the MoMA, you get a sense of it being a local, community museum, also. It's smaller than you would imagine, especially if you have been to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met Museum). And since first Fridays are free for New Yorkers, it gives a sense of being a small town museum that just happens to be a worldwide sensation. Like many museums today, the entire collection is never on display, creating a sense of space, allowing you to enjoy individual exhibits instead of trying to cram everything in. And for us New Yorkers, being able to come free every month means we can come back again and again, to see revolving exhibits, special presentations and other fun activities as well as enjoying the permanent collections.
The Museum of Modern Art is a great way to introduce art to children, in addition to children's museums. You can preview exhibits and collections on the museum's website to make sure it is appropriate so that you know which areas to go to. The MoMA's pop culture area is especially interesting. Who knew that certain dishes, telephones, furniture and other every day items that we find in our homes every day is considered art! When you see an item from your own childhood, it will spark memories for you to tell stories with the child you are with, creating a whole new perspective. All of a sudden, to that child, you will be an expert.
When New Yorkers take advantage of the free first Fridays, they can become tour guides for friends and families who visit them. When you suggest the MoMA, you can be authentic about why it's a good place to visit and you can seem to know all of the secret spaces, the good places to go and most importantly, you can take them straight to "Starry Night!" All of a sudden, you'll be an expert!
Of course, the MoMA is hoping that eventually, you will become a member. And the membership is actually reasonable. Even the lowest level has some perks, such as bring a friend for a $5 ticket! Now that is probably the best bargain a visitor to New York City is going to get and they'll get a personal tour guide in the process. Who can argue with that?
Of course, modern art did not get it's reputation for being different for nothing. Often you will stare at a painting, sculpture, media presentation or photography and think "That's art??" Who knew? Even if you do not like or understand it, you will have something to talk about when you go out for drinks or a snack afterwards and it will make an interesting social media post.
Speaking of posting and taking photos: before you go, visit the website to make sure you're familiar with all of the rules so that you can be a nice visitor while you are there. Museums are known to be somewhat quiet when there aren't a lot of people there, and busy times can create a hum of activity but talking every loudly and shouting is not quite polite museum etiquette. Neither is running or moving very quickly, especially through crowded areas.
It's nice to want to find out everything about the exhibit, but it's difficult to try to read every single caption. Take a photo, and step to the side and let someone else admire the work. I've seen people literally stand dead center in front of a work, effectively blocking everyone else's view and meditate (presumably) for a long time while a line builds up behind them. Not cool.
The MoMA has another site in Long Island City, Queens, PS1 MoMA. Located in an architecturally important 19th century former public school building, PS1 is part of a neighborhood that has seen its highs and lows in development. As of the writing of this blog, Long Island City has bounced back from being a dying industrial wasteland to a nice place to live, close to Manhattan and, incidentally, a great area to see NYC sunsets. PS1's neighbors include a couple of movie studios and Long Island City is next not far from Astoria, one of the hottest neighborhoods for tourists to visit (sometimes to the chagrin of local residents who love their areas and patronize the businesses).
PS1 started as an alternative space for artists back in 1972 as a different organization. By having artists transform the former deteriorating public school into an exhibition space. Very clever, getting a building rehabilitated and fixed up at the same time. Besides offering a space to artists, PS1 has a program with the Department of Cultural Affairs’ Materials Donation Program. Basically, the program gives access to free materials to schools, community organizations, and other agencies for art. How inspiring is that! And if that wasn't inspiring enough to make you break out into song, PS1 has another program that surveys emerging and new artists to help them get more recognized by giving them a chance to be seen. Even more cool!
The list goes on and on with the programs at PS1, so if you get a chance, hop on the 7 train and get off at Court Square, a little bit of a walk and you'll be there. Just check the website and get all of the info about visiting.
Meanwhile, back on East 53 Street in Manhattan, after you visit the museum, get lost in the shops. In fact, if you can't get to the museum, visit the shops anyway. They are a great place to browse and to get an idea of what the museum is hosting and you can pick up a few cute objects.
Check out the MoMA's website for all of the details of first Fridays for NYC residents, visiting in general and becoming a member and all of the other fine print.
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