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There's always something exciting to do and see around the five boroughs that doesn't cost a dime. See our weekly picks below, and visit our calendar and special offers section for more free events.

September 1–7

Wednesday, September 1
Family Cruise Nites: Classic Car Showcase
Every Wednesday through September 29, Historic Richmond Town takes visitors back in time to the American automobile's golden age. Thanks to the Staten Island Region Antique Automobile Club of America, from 5:30 through 8:30pm, Center Street will be lined with gorgeous vintage cars for your gawking pleasure. All cars on display are at least 25 years old, though the preponderance of whitewall tires indicates that most of the vehicles actually date back several decades.

Thursday, September 2
Gagosian Gallery's Summer Shows
Gagosian's Upper East Side location has presented three fantastic shows all summer long, but this week is your last chance to see what's been on display (all exhibitions close on September 3). Group shows on the fourth and sixth floors exhibit works from some of the illustrious artists represented by Gagosian, including Richard Prince, Richard Serra, Christopher Wool, Mike Kelley, Florian Maier-Aichen and Ed Ruscha. German abstractionist Anselm Reyle's work is also featured in a solo show on the fifth floor. Admission to New York's three Gagosian galleries is always free.

Friday, September 3
Karaoke Killed the Cat
Oh, karaoke. Who among us can't plead guilty to having finished off a hazy evening with a bloodcurdling rendition of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" or "Don't Stop Believin'"? Since 2003, MCs Chris Goldteeth and Lord Easy have attempted to redefine the art form (such as it is) with Karaoke Killed the Cat, which they host at a number of bars around town on a regular basis. Karaoke Killed the Cat complements corny antics with an all-out dance party, crowd surfing and a raucous vibe that makes this an event unlike any other. Check it out on Friday at midnight at Union Hall.

Saturday, September 4
Saturdays! @ Rock Yard
Brought to you by Jelly, the folks behind the annual summer event Pool Parties in East River State Park, Saturdays! @ Rock Yard is an all-new party in an all-new Williamsburg venue. At this shindig, you can check out a hip-hop lineup featuring Bun B, Big Krit, Curren$y, Ms Streamz and DJ Aaron Lacrate. If you need to take a break from all the booty shaking, there's plenty of food and beer to buy, games to play and a slip 'n' slide to (very carefully) attempt. Doors to Rock Yard (354 Wythe Avenue) open at 2pm.

Sunday, September 5
Free Admission to the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum
To celebrate the final days of summer, the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum—housed in the Andrew Carnegie Mansion on Fifth Avenue's Museum Mile—is offering visitors free admission all Labor Day weekend. The nation's only museum dedicated to historic and contemporary design, and one of just two Smithsonian museums in New York, the Cooper-Hewitt boasts a collection of more than 250,000 items, including furniture, textiles, wall coverings, prints and other items whose origins span the globe and thousands of years of history. And the museum's current special exhibitions, which include National Design Triennial: Why Design Now? and a stunning display of Lobmeyr glass, make this week the perfect time to visit.

Monday, September 6
West Indian–American Day Carnival Parade
One of the City's largest (and most colorful) cultural festivals, the West Indian–American Day Carnival parade, now in its 43rd year, is the culmination of a five-day Carnival celebration honoring the sundry Caribbean communities in NYC. Each Labor Day, Brooklyn's Eastern Parkway bursts at the seams with sensory overload—see a colorful kaleidoscope of Caribbean costumes, smell jerk spices and other freshly made Caribbean delicacies, and hear reggae and calypso beats played by marching steel drum bands. And be sure to check out the handmade goods sold by local vendors along the parade route.

Tuesday, September 7
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou
An exciting addition to the City's wealth of outdoor film series, Red Hook Summer Movies screens 10 weeks' worth of nautically themed movies from Valentino Pier—which offers stunning views of New York Harbor and the Statue of Liberty—on Tuesdays at 8:30pm. This week, catch Wes Anderson's quirky seafaring comedy The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, in which Anderson's usual subjects (Bill Murray, Owen Wilson and Anjelica Huston, among others) set out on a shark-hunting, filmmaking journey at sea. With the cast playing a ragtag crew including nautical documentarian Steve Zissou, his ex-wife, a young man who may be his son, and a beautiful journalist, idiosyncratic hilarity naturally ensues.