Most visitors treat Times Square as a place to take a selfie and leave. They see the lights, the crowds, and the costumed characters, but they miss the secrets hidden in plain sight.
If you are visiting in 2026, Times Square has evolved. Beyond the Broadway advertisements, there is invisible art under your feet, a synchronized digital gallery at midnight, and a stage that literally opens up from a skyscraper.
Here is your guide to the unique things to do in Times Square that 99% of tourists walk right past.
1. The Invisible Art Installation (Max Neuhaus)
Max Neuhaus sound
You can stand right on top of this art piece and never know it is there. Located on a pedestrian island between 45th and 46th Streets (look for the subway grate), there is a permanent sound installation by artist Max Neuhaus titled “Times Square”.
- How to find it: Stand on the grate and take off your You will hear a rich, harmonic “hum” or drone sound rising from below.
- Why it’s special: It isn’t machinery. It is a deliberate sound texture created to interrupt the chaos of the city. It runs 24/7, but most people mistake it for subway noise. It is an “invisible” landmark that has been puzzling sharp-eared New Yorkers since 1977.
2. The “Midnight Moment” Digital Gallery
Billboards Showing Art
If you are in Times Square at 11:50 PM, do not leave. Every night from 11:57 PM to Midnight, the massive digital billboards on 41st through 49th Streets synchronize to display a single piece of digital art.
- The 2026 Experience: This is the world’s largest and longest-running digital art exhibition. For exactly three minutes, the advertisements disappear, and the “Crossroads of the World” turns into a massive, synchronized outdoor museum.
- What to expect: The program changes monthly. In early 2026, featured works include Galaxias tou Gala by Colette Copeland, a poetic video about aging and
- Best Viewing Spot: The “Red Steps” at Duffy Square offer the best panoramic view of the synchronization.
3. The Stage That Opens (TSX Broadway)
Midnight Show
You might have seen the “Red Steps” above the TKTS booth, but look across the street at the building wrapped in LED screens (1568 Broadway). This is TSX Broadway, a new entertainment hub that features a technological marvel.
- The Hidden Stage: The 4,000-square-foot stage is suspended 30 feet above the street. It is hidden behind massive LED doors that weigh 86,000 pounds.
- The Reveal: For special performances, these doors swing open on hydraulic hinges in just 15 seconds, allowing artists to perform inside the video wall, hovering above the crowd. It is a spectacle you can only see in the new Times Square.
4. The “Bowtie” Perspective
Did you know Times Square isn’t actually a square? It is a “bowtie” formed where Broadway cuts diagonally across Seventh Avenue.
- Why it matters: This unique intersection creates the famous “canyon of”
- Best Photo Spot: To see the “Bowtie” effect clearly, head to the top of the Red Steps at Duffy Square (47th St & Broadway). It offers the perfect elevated vantage point to see the two avenues cross and the billboards stretch endlessly in both directions.
Conclusion
Times Square in 2026 is more than just neon lights. It is a place where a 1970s sound art piece hums beneath the feet of a 2026 digital stage. Next time you visit, stop at the subway grate on 46th Street, listen for the hum, and wait for the midnight show.
Ready for the next stop? After the lights of Times Square, take a train upstate to see the Haunted Roberson Mansion in Binghamton.
