The American Museum of Natural History is turning Manhattanhenge into a street event on Saturday, July 11, 2026. It will close 79th Street between Columbus Avenue and Amsterdam Avenue for a free block party, and the full sun is expected to line up in the street canyon at 8:20pm.
The setup gives New York City a public viewing spot for the final Manhattanhenge of 2026. Manhattanhenge happens twice a year, when Manhattan’s street grid and the sunset line up closely enough to send the sun into the avenue corridor.
Jackie Faherty at 7pm
The day starts at 3pm with the From Stoops to Stadiums festival. Brooklyn’s Jazzy Jumpers will perform Double Dutch, visitors can play chess, and the Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra will provide live music outdoors.
Jackie Faherty, an astronomer at the American Museum of Natural History, will lead a ticketed 3D presentation in the LeFrak Giant-Screen Theater at 7pm. The museum says the presentation will use its visualization software to explain the cosmic math behind Manhattanhenge, including Manhattan’s 29-degree clockwise rotation.
Free outside, ticketed inside
The block party is free in the street, but the 7pm presentation is not part of that open-air gathering. That split leaves readers with two different ways to use the same evening: show up for the outdoor event on 79th Street, or get a ticket for the theater program if they want the astronomy breakdown before the sun reaches its 8:20pm alignment.
For anyone planning to be there, the practical move is simple: arrive early enough to account for the street closure and the festival start at 3pm, then choose between the street activity and the ticketed presentation. The museum is treating the evening as the last chance to catch the glow until next year.
