Where to play a piano in NYC this week
A traveler's guide to the Fosun Plaza launch and the 23 Sing for Hope pianos rolling out across all five boroughs starting May 19.
If you’re in New York this week with any interest in finding a piano to play, the timing is almost unreasonably good. Sing for Hope is launching its 2026 New York piano series with a free public event at Fosun Plaza on Monday, May 18 — and then 23 more pianos scatter across all five boroughs the following day.
Here is what you need to know.
Fosun Plaza launch — Monday, May 18
Where: Fosun Plaza, 28 Liberty Street, Financial District, Manhattan
When: 9 AM – 3 PM
Cost: Free, open to the public
Access: Fully accessible. Ground-level plaza, no steps. The 2/3, 4/5 trains stop at Fulton Street (two-minute walk); the A/C/J/Z trains stop at Fulton Street as well.
The May 18 event is the public kickoff for the 2026 Art for All program, and it coincides with Sing for Hope awarding the Laura Linney 2026 Art for All Award. Linney has been a long-time supporter of the organization’s work bringing live arts into public spaces, hospitals, and underserved communities.
The Fosun Plaza location is a good one — an open, pedestrian plaza at the edge of the Financial District, walkable from the Brooklyn Bridge and the 9/11 Memorial. On a weekday morning the crowd will be a mix of commuters and tourists, which is exactly the kind of audience a street piano is for. Arrive early if you want uninterrupted time at the keys; foot traffic picks up significantly after 10 AM.
The 23 pianos — May 19 through early June
Starting May 19, Sing for Hope deploys 23 artist-decorated pianos across New York City for a three-week residency. The pianos spread across all five boroughs — not just Manhattan. Previous SFH programs have placed instruments in parks, libraries, transit plazas, and cultural institutions throughout the city.
Each piano in the 2026 program is decorated by a local artist, so the instruments are themselves worth seeing even if you don’t sit down to play. The program runs through approximately early June, though specific end dates vary by location and site conditions.
Hours vary by site. Pianos in outdoor parks and plazas are generally accessible during park hours (sunrise to 10 PM in most NYC parks). Indoor locations — libraries, cultural centers, transit halls — follow their host venue’s hours. A few sites with weather-protective covers may stay out around the clock.
Accessibility varies by site. Most SFH pianos are placed at ground level with accessible approaches, but a handful of sites in the previous program were on elevated plazas or required steps. Check the individual piano listing before visiting if mobility is a factor.
How to find them
The 23 piano locations, once confirmed, appear on the World Pianos map filtered to NYC. You can also find the full 2026 NYC roster, with artist credits and location details, at singforhope.org/pianos/nyc26.
Piano placements in large-scale outdoor programs like this are occasionally adjusted after the initial announcement — a site permit falls through, a location needs maintenance, weather forces a temporary move. The World Pianos map reflects confirmed, verified locations. If you’re making a special trip for a specific piano, it’s worth checking the map the morning you go.
What kind of pianos are these?
The SFH instruments are typically upright pianos refurbished and decorated for outdoor or semi-outdoor use. They are tuned at the start of the program. After two or three weeks of New York weather and public play, tuning drifts — so if you visit in the final days of the program, expect a somewhat looser sound. That said, they are playable instruments. These are not toy pianos or art-only installations.
Worth noting
This is Sing for Hope’s 25th anniversary year, which is why the 2026 program is larger and more public-facing than some recent editions. If you’ve played a Sing for Hope piano before — in a hospital, a park, a school — this is the same program at street scale.
For the traveler in New York this week: May 18 at Fosun Plaza is the most concentrated opportunity, with a single location and a predictable time window. If you miss that, the full program runs through most of the month, spread widely enough that you’re likely within a short subway ride of at least two or three pianos wherever you happen to be staying.
Nadia Torres covers public spaces, street music, and accessible arts in New York City for World Pianos.