British life in New York: pubs, clubs and the footie

You're never far from another Brit in New York. The trick is knowing which pub opens for the 7.30am kick-off and which society does the Christmas lunch.

The short version

The St. George's Society of New York, founded in the 1770s, is the main English and Commonwealth charity and social club, with more than 20 events a year [1].
For the Premier League, The Red Lion on Bleecker Street opens at 11am for fixtures, and Brooklyn has The Black Horse Pub and the Arsenal-supporting Highbury Pub [2][3][4].
Hawksmoor New York serves a Sunday roast every Sunday [5], and Myers of Keswick in the West Village sells pork pies, Scotch eggs and British groceries [6].
We couldn't find a Royal British Legion or Royal Society of St George branch in New York. The St. George's Society holds a Remembrance event instead [1].
The British Consulate General on Second Avenue helps British nationals in trouble [7].

Who's who: British organisations in New York

Organisation	What it does	Where
St. George's Society of New York	Charity and social hub for British and Commonwealth New Yorkers; scholarships, help for older people, 20+ events a year	866 United Nations Plaza [1]
Saint Andrew's Society of the State of New York	Scottish charity founded in 1756; relief for Scots in need, scholarships and Tartan Week events	150 East 55th Street [8]
BritishAmerican Business	Transatlantic business association with offices in New York and London; networking and trade events	52 Vanderbilt Avenue
British Consulate General New York	Consular help for British nationals, plus trade and press	1 Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, 885 Second Avenue [7]
The British International School of New York	Independent school for ages 3 to 18, finishing with IGCSEs and A Levels	20 Waterside Plaza

The St. George's Society

If you join one thing, make it this. The society has been looking after the British community in the city for about 250 years. Its charity work supports students and older people at risk of homelessness, and its social calendar keeps expats busy [1]. When we checked, the line-up for the coming months included:

Remembrance Day: 8 November 2026
Peter Panto: 21 November to 20 December 2026, for anyone missing a proper pantomime
British Bash: 3 December 2026
British Christmas Lunch: 19 December 2026
Six Nations Rugby Watch Party: 5 February 2027

Members also get volunteering opportunities, such as the Thanksgiving pie drive [1]. Check the society's site for membership options and prices, which weren't on its home page.

The Scots, and the business crowd

The Saint Andrew's Society has been going since 1756 and is behind the city's Tartan Week celebrations each spring [8]. Welsh and Northern Irish readers will find their own societies too, though we haven't listed ones we couldn't check.

BritishAmerican Business is the one for networking, with policy events and trade programmes on both sides of the Atlantic.

Royal British Legion and the Royal Society of St George

We searched for a Royal British Legion branch in New York and couldn't find a current one. If you want to wear a poppy and mark the two minutes' silence with other Brits, the St. George's Society's Remembrance event is the place to go [1].

We also couldn't find a Royal Society of St George branch in the city. Don't confuse it with the St. George's Society of New York, which is a separate, much older local charity.

Pubs, the footie and a Sunday roast

New York has hundreds of bars calling themselves Irish or British pubs. We've only listed ones we could check had current pages in 2025 or 2026.

Venue	Why go	Where
The Red Lion	Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and internationals; doors open at 11am for Premier League fixtures	151 Bleecker Street, Greenwich Village [2]
The Black Horse Pub	British-style pub with ale, pub grub and English football; opens at 10am at weekends and sometimes earlier for big games	568 Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn [3]
Highbury Pub	Arsenal supporters meet here, but all fans are welcome; opens 7.30am on Saturdays	1002 Cortelyou Road, Brooklyn [4]
Hawksmoor New York	The London steakhouse's Sunday roast, 11.45am to 4.30pm	109 East 22nd Street, Gramercy [5]
Myers of Keswick	British grocer since 1985 with home-made pork pies, pasties, Scotch eggs and bangers	634 Hudson Street, West Village [6]

A word on kick-off times. With New York five hours behind the UK most of the year, a 12.30pm Saturday kick-off at home is 7.30am here. Pubs that open early fill up fast for the big games, so check the pub's own page or ring ahead. The Premier League's own US bar finder lists more pubs, and supporters' clubs for most teams meet somewhere in the city.

For more on British food, our guide to British food, shops and pubs in New York goes further, from Marmite to Christmas pud.

Rugby and cricket

Rugby: the New York Rugby Club was holding board meetings and planning spring youth clinics in 2026 [9]. Several other men's and women's clubs play in the north-east leagues, and a Six Nations morning in a pub is a fine way to meet people.

Cricket: the city has several weekend cricket leagues. The New York Kookaburras Cricket Club, started by Australians, plays in one of the metro leagues and welcomes social players; its founder's guide was updated in June 2026 [10]. Expect to find yourself playing alongside Caribbean, South Asian and Australian team-mates, which is half the fun.

Bonfire Night, the King's Birthday and other dates

We couldn't find a public Bonfire Night event in New York for 2026. Fireworks are tightly controlled in the city, so most Brits make do with sparklers at home and a slice of parkin, or wait for the 4th of July.

We couldn't find a public King's Birthday party listing for 2026 either. Keep an eye on the St. George's Society calendar, which carries the big British dates through the year [1].

Christmas is easier: the society's Christmas lunch and the panto will give you crackers, paper hats and someone shouting "he's behind you!" [1].

Practical British bits

Register with the consulate's updates. Sign up for FCDO travel advice email alerts for the USA, and keep the consulate's details handy. It can't get you out of a parking ticket, but it can help in a real emergency [7].
Keep voting. You can't vote in US federal or state elections unless you become a US citizen, but you can register as an overseas voter in the UK. See our guide to votes for life.
Find your crowd. Our community group for Brits in the US is the easiest place to ask which pub shows your team or who's running in Central Park on Boxing Day, and you can join here.
Be kind to yourself. The first winter far from home can be tough. Our guide to the emotional move is worth a read.

British life in New York: Sunday roasts, the footie and finding your people