Looking for a fun new cultural activity but not sure what to check out next? We’ve rounded up some of the highlights that you can experience for free this month with Culture Pass, from new exhibition openings to limited-run live performances. Check back each month for a new set of recommendations!
You can learn more about individual exhibitions and events by clicking the links in the blurbs below, but if you want to book a Culture Pass, click here to return to the homepage and log in with your library card to make a reservation.
June 2026
All offers listed below are subject to availability.
NEW SITE: Classic Stage Company Presents The Emporium
Dates: 6/2, 6/3, 6/4, 6/5, 6/6, & 6/7
More than 75 years in the making, an unfinished work by one of America’s greatest dramatists comes to the life at the Classic Stage Company. Thornton Wilder’s The Emporium unveils the artist’s final play, brought to life through playwright Kirk Lynn’s masterful completion. As a young man journeys through the city and beyond, he encounters a world of wonder, meaning, and the elusive truths of life itself. Wilder’s long-unseen masterpiece is finally ready to be discovered.
PERFORMANCE: Experience the Legacy of Frederick Douglass at IAC
Date: 6/3, 6/5, 6/6, 6/7, 6/10, 6/11, 6/12, 6/13, & 6/14
North Star, playing this month at the Irish Arts Center, is a live music and spoken word performance inspired by the speeches of abolitionist Frederick Douglass during his historic visit to Belfast in 1845. Conceived and developed by Kwame Daniels, this collaborative, immersive standing-room show fuses artistic responses to Douglass’s experience from an eclectic range of contemporary artists from Belfast and New York.
EXHIBITION: Pop into the Guggenheim's Latest Blockboster
Dates: Opening 6/5
Guggenheim Pop: 1960 to Now will explore the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum’s history with Pop art and the movement’s enduring influence on artists today. The exhibition will foreground a lesser-known chapter in the museum’s past, the role of British curator and critic Lawrence Alloway, who introduced Pop art to American audiences through the 1963 Guggenheim exhibition Six Painters and the Object, the first museum presentation of Pop art in New York.
EXHIBITION: Explore Fashion & Photography with YSL at ICP
Date: Opening 6/11
Yves Saint Laurent and Photography explores the powerful relationship Yves Saint Laurent forged between fashion and photography over four decades, revealing how photography functioned not only as a tool for promotion but also as a creative force that helped define a legacy. Organized by the International Center of Photography in collaboration with the Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris and the Fondation Pierre Bergé–Yves Saint Laurent, it brings together nearly 300 iconic photographs and archival objects.
EVENT: Celebrate Juneteenth at the Lewis Latimer House
Date: 6/13
Head to the Lewis Latimer House in Flushing for a Juneteenth Family Festival in celebration of Black history, citizenship, innovation, and community activism. Families will have the opportunity to: learn about the history of Juneteenth through an interactive Juneteenth Timeline Walk; experiment with light, construction, and design; participate in an interactive dance workshop; enjoy lawn games such as giant Connect 4 and cornhole; and much more!
EVENT: Take the Family to the Museum at Eldridge Street's Biggest Annual Event
Date: 6/21
The annual Egg Rolls, Egg Creams, and Empanadas Street Festival celebrates the diverse cultures that give the Lower East Side and Chinatown its identity alongside talented artisans, stage and street performers, and visitors from near and far! Set in front of the Museum at Eldridge Street, the festival takes over a full city block for a folklore fest unlike any other with a medley of Chinese, Jewish, and Puerto Rican tastes, sights, sounds, and crafts!
EXHIBITION: Learn About how Tarot Influences Artists at the Morgan
Date: Opening 6/26
The Morgan Library & Museum's new exhibition Tarot! Renaissance Symbols, Modern Visions explores the origins of Tarot in Renaissance Italy and its ongoing relevance as a source of inspiration for artists. The first part of the exhibition, Renaissance Symbols, focuses on the origins of the three earliest surviving decks from the fifteenth century, while Modern Visions, the second part, takes as its starting point the legendary 1909 Rider-Waite-Smith deck conceived by mystic Arthur Edward Waite and illustrated by artist Pamela Colman Smith, tracing the influence of this deck and others on later practitioners.
EXHIBITION: Step Back in Time at HRT
Date: Opening 6/27
Founding Principles: The Declaration of Independence, Civics, and Staten Island uses local historical examples and objects from Historic Richmond Town's collection, such as campaign buttons and items from 1776, to examine the different levels and branches of government as well as the ways in which citizens engage government. The exhibition also explores civic assets, public spaces, and forums for civic engagement.