West Side Fest
July 10–12, 2026
Join us and our neighboring cultural institutions on July 10–12, 2026 for West Side Fest, a free, multi-site celebration organized by the West Side Cultural Network.
The West Side Cultural Network—a group of museums, parks, performing arts centers, and cultural institutions located within a half-mile portion of historic New York—is presenting free admission days, special indoor and outdoor programming, artmaking for all ages, performances, and more to welcome all New Yorkers to the culturally vibrant western edge of Manhattan.
The Whitney Museum will offer free admission on Friday, July 10 from 5–10 pm and on Sunday, July 12 from 10:30 am–6 pm. While admission to the Museum is free on Friday nights and the second Sunday of every month, tickets are required, and capacity is limited. Advance booking is strongly recommended.
West Side Fest is on Bloomberg Connects. Visit the free arts and culture app to find the full calendar of events, learn about the participating organizations, navigate the festival using the built-in map, and access the content in over 50 languages.
Friday, July 10, 2026 at the Whitney
Free Friday Night
5–10 pm
Admission to the Museum is free on Friday evening. Join us for music, tours, and special programming. Reserve tickets in advance.
Gallery Tours
Throughout the day
Join us for gallery tours through current exhibitions. Tours are free with Museum admission but capacity is limited to twenty people on a first-come, first-served basis.
Biennial 2026 Performance: Gabriela Ruiz
July 10
Presented as part of the 2026 Whitney Biennial, a forklift, built for cargo, for weight, for work, becomes Ruiz’s partner, lifting her into the air with a slow, deliberate tenderness that feels both perilous and reverent.
Saturday, July 11, 2025 at the Whitney
Gallery Tours
Throughout the day
Join us for gallery tours through current exhibitions. Tours are free with Museum admission but capacity is limited to twenty people on a first-come, first-served basis.
Biennial 2026 Performance: Joshua Citarella
11:30 am
Presented as part of the 2026 Whitney Biennial, Doomscroll is a podcast that explores online culture and politics in the 21st century. This live podcast will feature political scientist Francis Fukuyama.
Sunday, July 12, 2025 at the Whitney
Free Second Sunday
10:30 am–6 pm
Admission to the Whitney is free all day on the second Sunday of every month. Visitors of all ages enjoy artmaking, activities, tours, and story times.
Gallery Tours
Throughout the day
Join us for gallery tours through current exhibitions. Tours are free with Museum admission but capacity is limited to twenty people on a first-come, first-served basis.
LISTEN
Queer History Walk
Audio tour and podcast minisode
Explore the rich queer history of the Meatpacking District. Listen to our podcast minisode for a quick five-minute snapshot and find the complete twenty-minute tour on the audio guide. Listen while walking in the neighborhood or from the comfort of your home.
Whitney Art Outside
Taína H. Cruz's I Saw the Future and It Smiled Back
95 Horatio Street
Graffiti is a major inspiration for Taína H. Cruz’s paintings and drawings, including those she created on-site on one of the Whitney’s fifth-floor gallery walls for the 82nd edition of the Museum’s Biennial. Her work, I Saw the Future and It Smiled Back, on the Gansevoort Street billboard, reflects a child-like sense of newness and anticipation.
Rashid Johnson: New Poetry
At the Museum entrance
Extending from within the Whitney out onto the plaza in front of the Museum, Rashid Johnson’s New Poetry was made specifically for this site. Grab some food and drink at Frenchette Bakery and take a seat surrounded by the artwork.
David Hammons: Day’s End
Hudson River Park
Across from the Museum in Hudson River Park is a monumental installation by David Hammons titled Day's End. The artwork traces the outline of a pier that once existed on this site. Enjoy the sculpture from sandy Gansevoort Beach nearby.
Land Acknowledgment
The Whitney is located in Lenapehoking, the ancestral homeland of the Lenape. The Whitney acknowledges the displacement of this region’s original inhabitants and the Lenape diaspora that exists today.
Accessibility
To learn more about the accommodations offered at each program, please visit the individual event pages. Email accessfeedback@whitney.org or call (646) 666-5574 with additional questions. View additional Museum access information and resources.
Free West Side Fest transportation is available for older adults on Saturday, July 13, 10 am–6 pm, provided by New York Foundation for Senior Citizens' Project CART. View the schedule and pick up locations.