One evening a year, nine of the city’s finest museums on Fifth Avenue (aka Museum Mile) open their doors to visitors for free and close down the avenue to traffic for a mile-long block party.

Free Museum Mile Access 6pm – 9pm
Tuesday 09 June 2015

23 Car-Free Blocks
5th Ave btw 82nd – 105th St

Live Bands & Entertainment

Art-in-the street activities for kids

Begun as an initiative to spur the development of new museum audiences and to increase support for the arts during the fiscal crisis of the 1970s, Museum Mile was formed as a consortium by the museums that share the Fifth Avenue address. The first festival, held in June of 1978, was an instant success. Not only did it expose New Yorkers and NYC visitors to an incredible collection of New York’s artistic riches, it also brought together disparate New Yorkers. From the barrios of East Harlem and the townhouses lining the Upper East Side, to the winding streets of the Village and the clustered neighborhoods of the outer-boroughs, people came to celebrate their shared pride in their city. Museum Mile Festival promoted public awareness through increased visibility, accessibility and attendance at all the museums, and brought many New Yorkers to upper Fifth Avenue for the first time.

This traffic-free, music and art-filled celebration fills the street and sidewalks of Fifth Avenue from 82nd to 105th Street, the mile now officially designated as Museum Mile.

Visit museummilefestival.org