Father's Day Weekend Events for New York City, June 20-21: Sports Carnival, Mermaid Parade, Summer Solstice, and More

This Sunday is Father's Day and so it's time to celebrate dads.  All year long Dads take the kids to kid-centric weekend activities. For Father's Day Weekend let there be no kiddie music or bouncie castles. This weekend treat dad to some fun family activities that he will enjoy as much as the kids will. There's a sports carnival, family field day, hip hop family festival, baseball games, great music and much more. And most of it is completely free!

Top events for Father Day Weekend in New York City

New York City has two minor league teams that are really fun for families, the Brooklyn Cyclones (Sunday) or Staten Island Yankees (Saturday). See baseball on a smaller scale at these great parks. Get there early on Father's Day and kids get to run around the bases, and after the game stick around for the fireworks.

Old Time Baseball At Bartow Pell Mansion (Bronx) Watch an old time baseball game a la 1864. Then everyone gets to join in the fun: kids can play Rounders with the real players and bring a picnic lunch and enjoy free popcorn and mansion tours. $15 adults, $5 kids. Under 6 free. Saturday, June 20, 12-2:30

Get your family's game on at the Upper East Side's Asphalt Green Sports Carnival featuring an Aquatics Dunk Tank, Balloon Animals, Baseball Hitting Tunnel, Basketball Foul Shooting, Basketball Three-Point Shot, Face Painting, Food & Beverages, Football QB Challenge, Gymnastics Obstacle Course, Hula Hoops, Martial Arts Board Breaking, Soccer Shootout, Speed Jug, and more. Free, but small fee for select games. Saturday, June 20, 10am-2pm.

Celebrate the longest day of the year (Sun, 21) at the Summer Solstice Celebration at Socrates Sculpture Park. Be creative in solstice artmaking workshops with artists from city musuems; get your face painted by Agostino Arts; enjoy a kayak ride; participate in a special solstice ritual performed; sample foods from local restaurants at the 1st annual Taste of Astoria and have a picnic and enjoy the view as the sun sets over the Manhattan skyline. Gorgeous and fun. (Rain or shine).

Give a dad a really unique card this year at the Father's Day Card-Making and Cruise Prospect Park Audubon Center (Sun, 21). Make a Father’s Day card out of recycled materials, then cruise with Pops out on the Lullwater in the electric boat Independence while learning about the animals of the Lullwater and all of their fatherly responsibilities.

Get a real street view of the Bronx with a stroll along the Grand Concourse at the Bronx Museum of Arts Open House and Outdoor Fair (Sunday). Eat great street food, shop from our local artisans and share your stories with the Urban Archives Project. Then enter the Bronx Museum to see works by the 36 artists in the Artist in the Marketplace exhibition.

Add a little spice to the standard face-painting, juggling events of kids' festivals with the NYC KidFest Morningside Park's (Sat, 20) lineup of performers: a PS 180 Xylophone Group, National Double Dutch Team, Afro Caribbean Dance, Father Goose, original plays and more.

If the rain is keeping you from biking around town, you might take some pleasure in enganging in the off-road bike activities of the Bicycle Film Festival Bike Parade and Street Party. Watch movies about bikes and bikers, meet framebuilders, artists, dress up your bike, participate in contents, and see (and BYO) bikes in every shape: tall bikes, ugly bikes, crazy bikes, all bikes in the Bike Parade. All weekend.

Spend a super hip family day at the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival Family Day (Saturday), the annual event celebrating Hip Hop Culture and Brookyln's culture. Hang out for an afternoon of Hip-Hop, community building, lots of local talent and fun.

Make Music New York (Sunday) is a huge city-wide festival featuring free music concerts all across the city. There's really something for everyone. Find the complete schedule and events going on in your neck of the woods here.

Other Father's Day Weekend Activity Ideas:

Dan Zanes Music Under the Whale at the Museum of Natural History

Take Dad out to a special dinner for Kid's Restaurant Week

Father's Day Canoeing in Central Park or Fishing in Kissena Park in Queens

Father's Day Field Day in Carl Schurz Park

Watch the Mermaid Parade, then stop by the mermaid exhibit at the NY Aquarium.

For even more Father's Day or plain ol' weekend events, check out our calendar!