references/sources.md
Loaded by the agent only when NYC plans needs it.
NYC Event Sources
Last verified: September 2026. Platforms add and drop features, newsletters fold, and seasonal dates move every year. Items marked (verify) were uncertain or could not be confirmed. Check a source is still active before relying on it.
Contents
- Event platforms
- Curators and newsletters
- Free and seasonal programs
- Sample sales
- Social media and communities
- What fills fast
- Seasonal calendar
1. Event platforms
| Platform | Best for | What the person can follow | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Partiful | Parties, run clubs, supper clubs, pop-ups, singles mixers, watch parties | Invites they're sent | Explore (partiful.com/explore/nyc) is a staff-curated feed of public events, not every public event. Most events still spread as links in Instagram bios and stories and group chats. Capped events may have an automatic waitlist that texts the next guest. |
| Luma (luma.com) | Tech, AI, startup, and career events; growing creative and fitness scene | The NYC city page and community calendars (subscribe) | Many events need host approval. Listings show Waitlist, Sold Out, and Near Capacity. |
| Eventbrite | Talks, classes, mixers, food events | Organizers (verify) | Broad but noisy. |
| DICE | Music and club shows | Artists and venues; syncs with Spotify or Apple Music | Sold-out shows use a face-value waiting list with a short window to buy. |
| Resident Advisor (ra.co) | Electronic music and DJ nights | Clubs, promoters, artists (verify) | |
| Posh (posh.vip) | Nightlife, parties, comedy, brunches, supper clubs | Hosts (verify) | |
| Meetup | Recurring hobby, language, hiking, and social groups | Groups | New events arrive by email and push. |
| TodayTix | Theater lotteries and rush tickets | Shows | Runs the digital lottery for free Shakespeare in the Park. |
| TKTS by TDF | Same-day discounted Broadway and off-Broadway | — | Its app shows what the booths are selling in real time. |
| Songkick, Bandsintown | Artists announcing NYC shows | Artists | |
| Resy, OpenTable | Ticketed dinners and chef events; Resy Notify for tables | Restaurants | Tock was merging into Resy in 2026 (verify). |
| Comedy clubs | Stand-up | Club newsletters | Big clubs sell on their own sites, often about a month out, with weekend lineups posted midweek (verify per club). Indie shows sell on Eventbrite, DICE, Posh, and Partiful. |
| Fever | Candlelight concerts, "immersive experiences" | — | Heavily promoted; lower signal. |
2. Curators and newsletters
All showed 2026 activity unless marked.
- The Skint: daily email of free and cheap events, including sales and giveaways
- Time Out New York: weekend guides and newsletters
- Secret NYC: openings, pop-ups, and things to do; newsletter
- Oh My Rockness: indie concert calendar with "Just Announced," "Free," and "Popular" lists
- BrooklynVegan: concert announcements and free show lineups
- Nonsense NYC: weekly email of odd art, parties, and happenings (verify still publishing)
- 6sqft: events and things to do
- Gothamist: local news and events coverage
- Eater NY, Grub Street, The Infatuation: restaurant openings, pop-ups, food festivals, Restaurant Week (verify)
- NYC for FREE, doNYC: free-event aggregators (verify)
3. Free and seasonal programs
- NYC Parks events calendar (nycgovparks.org/events): blocks automated access, so treat it as something the person checks in a browser, or rely on curators who cover it.
- SummerStage: free outdoor concerts in parks citywide, roughly May–October; walk-in, doors about an hour early.
- Free Shakespeare in the Park: roughly June–August. Same-day digital lottery on TodayTix (entries close around noon, winners notified that afternoon and must confirm quickly), an in-person lottery, and a morning line (verify each season).
- Summer Streets: car-free Saturdays in late July and August (verify dates).
- Smorgasburg: weekend food markets, spring through October, at several locations (verify).
- Museum free and pay-what-you-wish nights: several major museums offer free evening hours or discounts for residents or younger visitors, often with timed reservations that fill (verify each museum).
- Open House New York Weekend: mid-October; some sites need advance booking.
4. Sample sales
- 260 Sample Sale: regular sales at its own storefronts, announced 1–2 weeks ahead on its site and Instagram
- Chicmi: listings for most NYC sample sales, with email alerts; some sales need registration
- Average Socialite, and the sales section of The Skint (verify)
Early access and first-day slots go fastest.
5. Social media and communities
- Instagram is where most NYC drops are announced: curator accounts, venues, party collectives, run clubs, supper clubs (sometimes to close friends or email lists first), and sample sale accounts. The pattern is a teaser, then "RSVPs open Thursday 12pm" with a link in bio.
- TikTok: discovery of new hosts and trends, weak on exact dates.
- X: minor for NYC nightlife, useful for tech events and comedians (verify).
- Reddit: r/AskNYC weekend threads, r/nyc, r/NYCmeetups (verify). Context, not timely drops.
- Discord, WhatsApp, and group chats (run clubs, Tech Week communities, singles groups): private. Only use what the person is a member of and shares.
Platform terms (verify current wording): Instagram, X, and TikTok prohibit automated collection. Partiful's terms prohibit scraping and data mining. Luma's terms limit access to its publicly supported interfaces (city pages, calendar subscriptions). Reddit requires approval for automated use. Don't monitor any of these with automated crawling; use the person's own follows and notifications, forwarded links, web search, and occasional human-paced page views.
6. What fills fast
Check every 2–4 hours, or at the announced drop time:
- Free events with capped RSVPs, especially ones featured on Partiful Explore or trending on Luma
- Supper club seat drops and run club special events
- Weekend comedy with well-known headliners
- Sample sale early access and first-day slots
- DJ nights at popular clubs
- Approval-required tech and AI events, especially during NY Tech Week
- Museum free-night reservations and Open House New York bookings
- Same-day lotteries such as Shakespeare in the Park
Daily digest is fine for walk-in free events, markets, parades, talks, gallery openings, and most Meetup and Eventbrite listings.
7. Seasonal calendar
Dates move every year; confirm before recommending.
- January–February: Winter Restaurant Week
- April–May: outdoor markets open; SummerStage begins
- June: Shakespeare in the Park begins; Pride; NY Tech Week (verify month)
- July–August: Summer Restaurant Week; Summer Streets; outdoor movies and concerts
- September: Fashion Week events and sample sales; street festivals
- October: Open House New York Weekend (mid-month); Village Halloween Parade (Oct 31); Bryant Park Winter Village opens late in the month (verify)
- November–December: holiday markets (Union Square, Columbus Circle, Bryant Park); holiday pop-ups; New Year's Eve tickets