Staten Island

NYC families are gearing up to celebrate Easter, Passover and spring break. But you know what else is coming up? A new season of outdoor festivals, street fairs and carnivals, big annual favorites like the Tribeca Family Festival Street Fair and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Cherry Blossom Festival, as well as smaller community happenings.

These spring fests are a great way to entertain your family for just a few bucks—sometimes even for free. Spend the day playing old-fashioned games, chowing down on homemade treats and watching live performances by kiddie bands, puppet troupes and more. Plus, these events aren't just fun, they foster community by bringing folks together to support a school, playground or other common cause.

Festival season doesn't kick off for a few weeks, but we're happy to help you start planning now. Here are 10 awesome events to put in your April calendar.

The Yankees and the Mets aren’t the only ones stepping up to the plate this spring. Thousands of kids across the city will be eagerly dusting off their cleats in anticipation of Little League’s opening day on Saturday, March 31 (although some teams kick off in April).

Joining a Little League team (or any other youth baseball organization) is great fun for the entire family. Parent participation isn't just encouraged, it’s mandatory. Moms and dads volunteer to help manage the leagues, coach the teams, run the concession stands and maintain the grounds. Since it's nonprofit, the registration fees are relatively affordable. Most cost under $200 for the entire season, and that includes those nifty uniforms. If that's still out of your range, some leagues offer financial assistance.

Because of high enrollment, many teams have pretty strict geographic boundaries, so kids need to register based on their home address and proof is required. With opening day coming up, many teams are full, but some are still accepting late registration and most offer wait lists—and unlike other wait lists in this town, I hear that these actually move.

Find out how to join a T-Ball, baseball or softball team in New York City this spring. If your kids would prefer to cheer from the sidelines than get in the game, we've got the scoop on some great Little League opening day bashes, too.

Easter is coming up on Sunday, April 8 and what's the holiday without an outdoor (or indoor) egg hunt? You don't need a backyard to have one. There are plenty of egg hunts all over NYC, where kids can run through the soft spring grass searching for brightly colored orbs hidden amongst bushes and blooms.

Unfortunately, the Great Central Park Easter Egg Hunt has yet to be resurrected, but there are plenty of others on farms, at parks and in zoos. If you'd rather do it yourself, you can always bring your own Easter eggs and set up a little private hunt in a quiet corner of your local playground. If you opt for an egg hunt in your home, we recommend using plastic or blown eggs. You don't want to stumble across any stinky hard-boiled surprises come summer!

Get your kids hopping this spring at these awesome Easter egg hunts all over New York City.