June 21st is the first official day of summer but all of June in NYC feels like summer from the free concerts, food to parades, here are the best things to do in NYC in June!

1. Shakespeare in the park:

For over 50 years Shakespeare in the Park offers free performances in Central Park though a lottery system. From May 21st through June 23rd you can see Much Ado about Nothing and then July 16 – August 11 Coriolanus. Tickets are distributed through a lottery system for that night’s performance. There are five main ways to enter the lottery:

1. TodayTix app on your smart phone: between 12am and 12pm on the day of each performance you can snag 2 tickets to that night’s show. You will get a notification through the app if you won, you must confirm within 45 minutes to keep your winning tickets, so make sure you have your notifications turned on.

2. Wait in line at the Delacorte Theater at 81st Street and Central Park West. It can be many hours but it is an experience. The line begins at 6am sharp before the 12 noon tickets are given out.

3. In-Person Lottery at the Public Theater at 425 Lafayette Street and Astor Place at 11:30am for a voucher for the pool at 12 noon. The best part is you will know within 30 minutes if you will have a ticket.

4. Outer Boroughs are also given a limited number of tickets at designated rotating locations outside of Manhattan.

5. The last option if the other methods do not work is to try the standby line at 6pm at the Delacorte Box Office.

2. See a free concert:

There are so many fun free concerts in June (full blog post on this coming soon!) Top free concert sites are: Today Show concert series, Good Morning America and Free concert at Central Park’s Summerstage.

3. Egg Rolls, Egg Creams and Empanadas Festival:

Celebrate the melting pot of the Lower East Side and Chinatown by enjoying Jewish, Chinese and Puerto Rican food at the Egg Rolls, Egg Creams and Empanadas Festival.

4. Father’s Day:

On June 16th celebrate Father’s day with a nice meal. Try one of the best restaurants in Times Square or one of the most instagrammable restaurants in NYC.

5. Bushwick Block Party:

Enjoy live performances, food truck eats and live street art installations at the Bushwick Block Party.

6. Gay pride parade:

New York hosts the largest pride celebration in the world and this year also marks the 50th Anniversary of the famous Stonewall Uprising.

7. Mermaid Parade:

The mermaid parade is a party and the nation’s largest art parade, which marches through Coney Island.

8. Make Music New York MMNY:

This free music festival gathers musical performers of all ages and skill levels on the summer solstice, the longest day of the year.

9. Puerto Rican Day Parade:

The Puerto Rican Day Parade is the largest parade like this in the nation and includes cultural and social events leading up to the parade.

10. Met’s costume institute:

If you love the Met gala and were wondering what that theme was, you need to see the exhibit Camp: Notes on Fashion in the Met’s costume institute.

11. Brooklyn Film Festival:

See films during the Brooklyn Film Festival across Brooklyn from the Wythe hotel in Williamsburg to Windmill Studios in Greenpoint.

12. Vinho Verde Wine Experience:

Wine lovers should purchase a ticket for the Vinho Verde Wine Experience to taste endless wine, cocktails and bites from top NYC restaurants.

What’s your favorite thing to do in June? Did I miss something, comment below!

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