Weekly roundup (October 15)

Note for anyone new here: This is from my weekly newsletter. Want the top events from this week in your inbox every Wednesday? Subscribe to the NYC for FREE newsletter here!

October 15, 2025 | Issue #128

NYC FOR FREE WEEKLY ROUNDUP

Note from Rebeka:

This week: check out free behind-the-scenes tours and activities during Open House New York, Fishwife is back with its second NYC pop-up, the NBA is taking over Rockefeller Center, and Halloween dog costume contests are starting!

– Rebeka

FEATURED EVENTS (THIS WEEK):

👙 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show Watch Party (October 15): Join the Official Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show Viewing Party at THE PENN DISTRICT with PINK sweet treats, giveaways, bites, photo moments, a DJ and more! 

💜 Keys Soulcare Pop-Up (October 17 - 18): Join for two days of Keys Soulcare moments across the city, featuring free samples, giveaways, an exclusive matcha & more

🏀 30 Rocks: NBA Takeover (October 16 - 21):  NBC Sports and the NBA will be rocking out at Rockefeller Plaza to kick off the season, with a host of activities and installations for fans to enjoy

 🛍️ Daydream.ing in SoHo (October 18): Daydream, the AI for fashion people, is bringing the magic back to shopping with their first IRL event. Join them for an interactive neighborhood shopping adventure on 10/18 with discounts at 25 stores, freebies at the Daydream popup, and a chance to win a $1,000 shopping spree. RSVP here! (Sponsored)

🌭 G’day Dogs Food Truck (October 16 - 19): A taste of Australia is heading to the streets of Manhattan and Brooklyn this week, serving free Aussie-style hot dogs!

🐠Fishwife Snack Bar & Shop (October 17 - 19): Come snack, sip & shop your way through the most delightful tinned fish snack bar the big apple has ever seen, featuring different free activations throughout

🏠 Open House New York (October 17 - 19): Open House New York is an annual festival that unlocks 300+ destinations across all five boroughs for behind-the-scenes tours and special activities.

📷 Paul Clemence Shapes, Rhythm, Abstraction / Swiss Museums (through November 1st): The Paul Rudolph Institute and Switzerland Tourism present this free exhibition of a series of photographs by Paul Clemence, taking you on a poetic journey through Swiss museums in Geneva, Lausanne, Basel, Zurich, Chur, Bern, and St. Gallen (Sponsored)

🐶 Tompkins Square Halloween Dog Parade (October 19): NYC’s most famous Halloween dog event is back for its 35th year!

MORE EVENTS (THIS WEEK):

☕️ Brooks Brothers Coffee Cart (October 15)

🥤Zevia Thirst Aid Station (October 15)

👔 Brian’s Office (October 15)

🇯🇵Kodansha House (October 15 - 19)

🖼️Dear New York Art Installation (October 15 - 19)

🎸Lincoln Center Festival of Firsts (October 15 - 23)

🦵🏼The Calzedonia Tights Bar (October 16 - 19)

🏠IKEA House Warming (October 16 - 26, Thurs-Sun)

☕️Milk Bar Happy Hour (October 16)

🍕Best Pizza's Big 15 (October 16)

🧺Better Homes & Garden Red Plaid Cafe (October 17)

🪴Gloopy: A Houseplant x Shopify Experience (October 17 - 19)

🥐Theory Theories Magazine Debut w/ L'Appartment 4F (October 18)

🍻BERO Block Party (October 18)

🐾Muddy Paws Block Party (October 18)

🇸🇪SWEED Launch At Credo Beauty (October 18)

☕️The Concierge Cafe Speakeasy by Away x Onyx (October 18 - 19)

🛍️White Fox Boutique's 12th Birthday Tour (October 19)

🐶Halloween Howl & Healthy Hound Fair at Carl SCHURZ Park (October 19)

🎭 Hazbin Hotel: Live on Broadway (October 20)

ON THE RADAR:

🌸Murakami Flower Studio by Dom Pérignon (October 25 - 26): Murakami will bring his signature smiling flowers and playful aesthetic to life at a one-weekend-only installation in SoHo.

📺CHILDHOOD 2.0 by Bark Technologies (October 29 - 30): CHILDHOOD 2.0 is an immersive experience that transports you from the carefree days of the ’80s & ’90s to the hyper-connected world kids are growing up in today.

👻NYC Village Halloween Parade (October 31): New York's Village Halloween Parade is an annual holiday parade on the night of Halloween. It is a wildly creative public participatory event. The 2025 theme is Potluck!

MISC, RECURRING & DEALS:

🖼️ Coolest free art exhibitions in NYC right now: The Museum at FIT’s Dress, Dreams & Desire, Levy Gorvy Dayan’s Downtown/Uptown: New York in the Eighties, and Salon 94’s Shucks & Aww

🙇🏽‍♀️ Get $225 for a Focus Group: Earn $225 in rewards to help to shape the future of technology! Sign up for a 3 hour in-person study in Midtown Manhattan and get $225 for your time and participation.

🍽️ Nora Health: There’s a new app in NYC where you can get paid to eat healthy. Get $15 cash back for your first meal at your favorite healthy eateries with code NYCFORFREE, and up to 20% cash back after that!