Twice a year, spectators and photographers gather in the middle of New York’s busy streets for a special city moment: Manhattanhenge.
What to expect
Manhattanhenge is a New York sunset phenomenon where, for a few moments, the sun lines up almost perfectly with Manhattan’s street grid. The result is a beautiful glow through the city’s long east-west streets.
The sunlight falls straight through the cross streets, with the sun sitting right on the horizon between the buildings.
Manhattanhenge happens twice a year: once in May and once in July. The exact dates change slightly each year, but it usually takes place in late May and mid-July.
On each set of dates, you can see either the half sun or the full sun aligned with the street grid.
May 2026 dates:
- Half sun: May 28, 2026 at 8:14 PM
- Full sun: May 29, 2026 at 8:13 PM
July 2026 dates:
- Full sun: July 11, 2026 at 8:20 PM
- Half sun: July 12, 2026 at 8:21 PM
Good to know
- To see Manhattanhenge, choose an east-west street where you can look far enough west toward New Jersey. Do not stand too close to the Hudson River, though, because then you lose the street canyon effect that makes the view so special.
- Some of the best streets for Manhattanhenge are 42nd Street, 34th Street, 23rd Street, and 14th Street. Good viewing spots also include the Pershing Square Viaduct, Tudor City Bridge, and Hunter’s Point South Park in Long Island City.
- For the perfect photo, arrive early. The first photographers often claim spots on Tudor City Bridge as early as 10:00 AM.
- If you just want to watch from street level, you usually do not need to arrive quite that early. As Manhattanhenge gets close, crowds gather in the streets for a few minutes and traffic often comes to a stop. Still, always be careful.
- You may read that 57th Street is a good spot, but unfortunately that is no longer really the case because a newer building on the New Jersey side blocks the sun.
- Did you know there is also a winter version of Manhattanhenge?
