New York City holds a prominent position in the American film industry. Today, New York is the second largest center of the film industry in the United States.

The city has over 2,000 cultural organizations and over 500 art galleries of all kinds. The city authorities fund the arts with an annual sum greater than the National Endowment for the Arts. Wealthy industrialists of the 19th century built a network of important cultural institutions, such as the famous Carnegie Hall and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which have become internationally established.

The advent of electric lighting led to elaborate theatrical productions, and in the 1880s New York theaters on Broadway and along 42nd Street began to feature a new form of entertainment that became known as the Broadway musical.

Heavily influenced by the city’s immigrants, productions such as those of Harrigan and Hart, George M. Cohan and others used the song in narratives that often reflected themes of hope and aspiration. Today these productions are staples in New York theaters.

The city’s 39 largest theaters (in more than 500 locations), known as “Broadway,” are located after the major thoroughfare that runs through Times Square. This area is sometimes referred to as The Main Stem, The Great White Way or The Realto.

Lincoln Center for Performing Arts is home to 12 major arts organizations, including Jazz at Lincoln Center, Metropolitan Opera, New York City Opera, New York Philharmonic, New York City Ballet, Vivian Beaumont Theatre, Juilliard School and Alice Tully Hall. It is the largest performing arts center in the United States.

Central Park Summer Stage presents shows, games and music for free in Central Park and 1,200 free concerts, dance and theater events across the city’s five boroughs during the summer months.