Stretching across 16.3 acres (6.6 hectares), Lincoln Center is one of New York’s most significant performing arts campuses. Inaugurated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Lincoln Center was built as part of Robert Moses’ sweeping urban planning efforts. Its three main venues are the Metropolitan Opera House, David Geffen Hall, and David H. Koch Theater, though it encompasses dozens of individual performance spaces. Eleven resident organizations are based here, ranging from the Juilliard School and New York City Opera to the Film Society of Lincoln Center.
Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts features on numerous sightseeing and hop-on hop-off bus itineraries around Manhattan. It’s also possible to prebook tickets to select performances held on-site.
Many fashion lovers will recognize Lincoln Center as New York Fashion Week’s former home.
While the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center is the best-known in the city, Lincoln Center’s Josie Robertson Plaza also puts on an impressive holiday display.
The Lincoln Center App is free to download and makes it simpler to buy tickets and navigate the campus area.
While Lincoln Center comprises numerous venues that are scattered around its Upper West Side footprint, its primary hub is located on Columbus Avenue between 62nd and 63rd streets. Take the 1 or 2 train to 66th Street; Columbus Circle, which is served by the 1, 2, A, B, C, and D trains, is also within walking distance. The center can additionally be reached by the M5, M7, M10, M11, M66, and M104 buses and by taxi, bike, or on foot.
Given that it comprises dozens of organizations and performance spaces, Lincoln Center puts on events and performances virtually every day of the year. Look up individual venues and showtimes in advance of your visit, and book tickets prior to your travels.
Founded in 1963 and hosted by the Film Society of Lincoln Center, the New York Film Festival is one of the city’s major cinematic events. Held from late September to early October, the festival comprises world premieres, screenings, talks, and other star-studded occasions, many of which are open to the public.
