NYC Dates That Are Not Just Dinner Or Drinks
September 22 - 28, 2025
Hello New Yorkers,
It’s the best season in the city — friends are back, rooftops are buzzing, and there’s still time before cuffing season kicks in.
Lucky for you, we’ve got live music, sunrise views, and book festivals built for banter.
Your next great date starts with a single plan. Post it on Laila, and let fate take it from there.
🎤 Global Citizen Festival
A concert? Try movement. Global Citizen Festival hits Central Park with The Weeknd, Shakira, Tyla, and more — all to end poverty and fight climate change. Score tickets through the app by taking action for a better world.
🗓 Saturday, September 27, 2025 | 4:00PM
📍 Great Lawn, Central Park
🌅 Empire State Building Sunrise Experience
Early risers, this one’s for you. Watch the city wake up from 86 floors above the chaos — with coffee, pastries, and a golden sky view that feels made for slow kisses and soft camera clicks.
🗓 Multiple Dates
📍 20 West 34th Street, New York, NY
🎶 All Things Go Music Festival
Clairo. DJO. Doechii. Remi Wolf. The Marias. Lucy Dacus. A full-spectrum lineup of indie and alt-pop icons returns to Forest Hills for three days of sweat, sound, and celebration. A festival with values, and vibes.
🗓 Friday, September 26 - Sunday, September 28, 2025
📍 1 Tennis Pl, Forest Hills, NY
📚 Brooklyn Book Festival – 20th Anniversary
Bookish people, rise up. The BK Book Fest is back with Alison Bechdel, Joyce Carol Oates, Marlon James, and 250+ publishers. Panels, parties, and the city’s most literary crowd take over downtown Brooklyn..
🗓 Sunday, September 14 - Monday, September 22, 2025 | 10:00AM - 6:00PM
📍 Brooklyn Borough Hall and surrounding venues
🎭 Ragtime – Broadway Revival
Three families. One dream. Ragtime’s sweeping score and urgent themes hit harder than ever in this revival of the Broadway classic. Perfect for a thought-provoking date night in Lincoln Center’s glow.
🗓 Friday, September 26, 2025
📍 150 W 65th St, New York, NY
🖼 UNSEEN Exhibition
14 artists. 1 mission. Step inside stories rarely told — this groundbreaking exhibition centers North Korean women’s voices during the UN General Assembly week. Art with a global conscience.
🗓 Saturday, September 27, 2025 | 12:00PM - 8:00PM
📍 393 Broadway, New York, NY
🖤 Black Rose Market: A NYC Fashion Pop-Up
Vintage energy meets streetwear heat. Explore this one-day fashion fête full of repurposed fits, exclusive drops, and music from live DJs. Come for the looks, stay for the people-watching.
🗓 Saturday, September 27, 2025
📍 224 W 35th St, New York, NY
Got a favorite NYC date idea? Reply and share—we might feature it next week!
Download Laila now: App Store