1. Catch some waves as NYC beaches open for the season this Saturday.
2. Not so into the water? Get your thrills beach-adjacent, as Memorial Day is also the opening of the brand-new Thunderbolt roller coaster in Coney Island. There’s also a slew of new food options to try on the boardwalk.
3. Get the family moving at BAM, at the African Dance workshop. Pre-registration is recommended.
4. Or go adults-only (but, sadly per the website, no pets allowed) when Paul Van Dyk does his dance-music thing at Governors Island. It’s also the opening weekend of Governors Island, should you feel like romping on Saturday or Sunday.
5. The New York Philharmonic plays its annual free Memorial Day shindig at 8 p.m. at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine.
6. In Brooklyn, the ISO Symphonic Band is playing your song at the Greenwood Cemetery Memorial Day concert, also free. Later that afternoon, explore the cemetery with a trolley tour, $10 for members, $15 for everyone else.
7. Hey! There are museums open on Monday! See what’s cooking at MoMA, the Met, or the Guggenheim, among others,
8. While rounding out the Intrepid’s salute to the troops (it is what the weekend is about, after all), is a Memorial Day Ceremony at 11 a.m. on Pier 86. See the rest of our Fleet Week event picks here.