Beating the NYC Summer Heat: Music, Culture, and Outdoor Adventures on a Sizzling Sunday

Welcome to Things to do in New York City! It’s Sunday, July 20, 2025, and NYC is radiating summer energy, even as the city sizzles under a heat advisory—with temps in the 90s that feel even hotter thanks to high humidity. With possible thunderstorms rolling in later, locals and visitors alike are finding creative ways to beat the heat and make the most of the city’s legendary Sunday scene[2][5].

If you’re wondering what’s happening today, get ready—there’s truly something for everyone:

- For live music lovers, “Jazz in the Park” at Ralph Ellison Plaza in Harlem brings free community concerts from 2 pm to 5 pm, perfect for chilling out with a cool drink under Riverside Drive’s leafy shade[4].
- Over in Queens, “Queens Day” at Flushing Meadows Corona Park is a can’t-miss, all-day festival packed with family activities—from crafts and artmaking to tennis clinics, mini golf for kids, Zumba, wildlife encounters at the zoo, and even free concerts including a headline set by The Roots as the sun sets[10].
- If Caribbean culture calls you, check out the Queens Jazz Trail Concert or join in a bonsai workshop and other vibrant Caribbean-themed happenings around the city[7].
- Night owls can look forward to a buzzing nightlife, with clubs and comedy events taking over venues across Manhattan and Brooklyn after dark[1].

On the news front, a few citywide updates to keep in mind: the city’s animal shelters are at capacity and seeking fosters or adopters, so if you’ve got room in your heart and home, now’s your chance to help[2]. The MTA is progressing on subway safety upgrades—barriers have been installed on key platforms, with more to roll out by year’s end, aiming to make your commute safer[2]. And after last week’s flooding, city teams are still working overtime cleaning up and restoring services across affected neighborhoods[5].

For classic New York experiences, duck into the cool of the Met or MoMA, or take a breezy stroll on the High Line as clouds roll by[3]. Central Park remains a timeless summer respite, and for unforgettable city views, don’t skip a trip to the Empire State Building or the Brooklyn Bridge just before sunset for that unbeatable golden hour glow[3].

Local tip: If you want to feel like a real New Yorker, grab a free NYC tap water refill at hundreds of refill stations around the city—just look for the blue Water-On-the-Go fountains. It’s a refreshing, eco-friendly way to stay cool as you explore.

And finally, keep your calendar open for tomorrow: more music, new art pop-ups, and the start of Restaurant Week specials featuring the city’s hottest new eateries are all in store. Stay tuned, and don’t miss the next episode of Things to do in New York City!

This content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is your Things to Do in New York City
podcast Welcome to Things to Do in New York City.
It's Sunday, July twentieth, twenty twenty five, and NYC is
radiating summer energy even as the city sizzles under a
heat advisory with temperatures in the nineties that feel even

(00:20):
hotter thanks to high humidity, with possible thunderstorms rolling in later.
Locals and visitors alike are finding creative ways to beat
the heat and make the most of the city's legendary
Sunday scene. Two. If you're wondering what's happening today, get ready.
There's truly something for everyone for live music lovers. Jazz

(00:40):
in the Park at Ralph Ellison Plaza and Harlem brings
free community concerts from two pm to five pm, perfect
for chilling out with a cool drink under riverside drives
leafy shade over In Queens, Queensland, Corona Park is a
can't miss all day festival packed with family activities from
rafts and art making to tennis clinics, mini golf for kids, zoomba,

(01:04):
wildlife encounters at the zoo, and even free concerts, including
a headline set by the roots as the sun sets.
If Caribbean culture calls you, check out the Queen's Jazz
Trail concert or join in a Bonzai workshop and other
vibrant Caribbean themed happenings around the city. Night owls can
look forward to a buzzing night life, with clubs and

(01:25):
comedy events taking over venues across Manhattan and Brooklyn after
dark one. On the news front, a few city wide
updates to keep in mind. The city's animal shelters are
at capacity and seeking fosters or adopters, so if you've
got room in your heart and home, now's your chance
to help. The MTA is progressing on subway safety upgrades.

(01:46):
Barriers have been installed on key platforms, with more to
roll out by year's end, aiming to make your commute safer.
And after last week's flooding, city teams are still working
overtime cleaning up and restoring services across affected neighbors. For
classic New York experiences, duck into the cool of the
met or MoMA, or take a breezy stroll on the

(02:06):
high Line as clouds roll by. Three. Central Park remains
a timeless summer respite and for unforgettable city views. Don't
skip a trip to the Empire State Building or the
Brooklyn Bridge just before sunset for that unbeatable Golden hour glow.
Three local tip if you want to feel like a
real New Yorker, grab a free NYC tapwater refill at
hundreds of refill stations around the city. Just look for

(02:29):
the blue water on the go fountains. It's a refreshing,
eco friendly way to stay cool as you explore. And finally,
keep your calendar open for tomorrow. More music, new art
pop ups, and the start of restaurant Week specials featuring
the city's hottest new eateries are all in store. Stay tuned,
and don't miss the next episode of Things to Do
in New York City.