Museum Mile is the name for a section of Fifth Avenue in Manhattan running from 82nd to 104th streets on the Upper East Side. The mile began as an initiative to spur the development of new museum audiences and to increase support for the arts during New York's fiscal crisis of the 1970s.

Ironically, Museum Mile — which contains one of the densest displays of culture in the world — is actually two blocks longer than one mile.

Established in 1978, the annual Museum Mile Festival (traditionally the second Tuesday in June) is New York's biggest block party. Fifth Avenue is closed to traffic as artists perform or exhibit in and outside the museums. From the barrios of East Harlem and the townhouses lining the Upper East Side, to the winding streets of Greenwich Village and the clustered neighborhoods of the outer-boroughs, people come to celebrate their shared pride in this magnificent city. The festival has also grown to be a major tourist event, drawing visitors from around the world.