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MLK Weekend 2025 in New York City: Best Things To Do with Kids

Pay homage to the life and legacy of Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. with a celebration at the Brooklyn Children's Museum. Photo by Winston Williams
Pay homage to the life and legacy of Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. with a celebration at the Brooklyn Children's Museum. Photo by Winston Williams
1/17/25 - By Drew Kristofik

Looking for the best things to do in New York City this weekend? Here are some family-friendly events and activities to add to your list for this long MLK weekend.

The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend in New York City offers plenty of opportunities to honor the man and his mission. Kids can check out the FREE BAM-hosted tribute to the Civil Rights leader, head to the Brooklyn Children's Museum for puppet performances and a volunteer project, salute the Freedom Quilters of Gee's Bend at Wave Hill, or create a community mural at CMOM.

More Things To Do in New York City this Week with Kids

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Top Things To Do in NYC this MLK Weekend with Kids

Winter Story Time with Erin Lee in Bryant Park

Midtown West – FREE
Saturday, January 18
Hop, holler, sing, and sneeze as award-winning singer-songwriter Erin Lee Kelly celebrates the snowy season. With stories and songs about skating, sledding, and hand-me-down snowsuits, this seasonal story team is the best way to stay warm on a winter day!   READ MORE

Birding: Winter Waterfowl in Central Park

Central Park – FREE
Saturday, January 18
Discover the amazing variety of birds that winter in NYC. Birding programs are appropriate for all skill levels, and beginners are welcome. To enhance your experience, please bring your own binoculars. READ MORE

Musical Explorers Family Concert at Carnegie Hall

Midtown West
Saturday, January 18
New York City-based artists with magnetic personalities lead a vibrant, highly interactive concert for children at Carnegie Hall. Discover music from around the world found right here in the city, including Haitian song traditions with singer Emeline Michel, Southeastern songs and social dances with Martha Redbone; and South African Zulu music with Musical Explorers artists Sbongiseni “Bongi” Duma and Tshidi Manye. READ MORE

Family Art Making: Imagined Vessels at MoMA

Midtown West – FREE
Saturday, January 18
What does it mean to hold and be held? In this drop-in art-making session with artist Zainab Aliyu, families engage in a creative exploration of “holding” as a form of memory, care, and imagination.   READ MORE

Let's Party Book Launch at Books of Wonder

Chelsea – FREE
Saturday, January 18
Melissa Iwai celebrates the release of her new book, Let's Party, featuring 10 birthday themes and more than 70 unique recipes and activities. READ MORE

Martin Luther King Concert at Brick Church

Upper East Side – FREE
Saturday, January 18
Young People’s Chorus of New York City, the Harvard Glee Club and Baritone, Lester Lynch perform an inspiring musical tribute to Dr. King, featuring powerful spirituals, iconic works, and uplifting anthems, including MLK by U2 and Lift Every Voice and Sing.  READ MORE

Family Art Project: Freedom Quilters of Gee's Bend at Wave Hill

Riverdale, the Bronx
Saturday, January 18-Sunday, January 19
In 1966, Martin Luther King Jr. visited the Gee’s Bend community in rural Alabama and the Freedom Quilting Bee was established. Create your own brilliant compositions using bountiful squares of fabric scraps to honor King’s birthday and the inspiring women quilters of Gee’s Bend. READ MORE

Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend Celebration at CMOM

Upper West Side
Saturday, January 18-Monday, January 20
Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend by delving into his concept of the "beloved community," a worldwide vision rooted in justice, inclusiveness, equal opportunity, and compassion for others. READ MORE

Seal Exploration in Pelham Bay Park

Pelham, the Bronx – FREE
Sunday, January 19
New York City is home to an amazing abundance of wildlife, and winter is the best time of year to see seals visiting New York City. Learn about all the seal species that can be seen from Orchard Beach. READ MORE

Costume Party to Celebrate Pig Town Party at Greenlight Bookstore

Boerum Hill, Brooklyn – FREE
Sunday, January 19
January's special story time at Green Light celebrates author and illustrator Lian Cho's newest picture book, Pig Town Party. In this hilarious and charming story, a young girl receives a mysterious invite to a costume party in Pig Town and follows the trail into a secret world of pigs, where epic parties, chase scenes, and a cake heist soon unfold. READ MORE

Community Singing for Martin Luther King Jr. Day at Ethical Culture

Midtown West – FREE
Sunday, January 19
Every Voice Choirs and The New York Society of Ethical Culture hosts an afternoon of community singing for peace and justice to commemorate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. READ MORE

Celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Brooklyn Children's Museum

Crown Heights, Brooklyn
Sunday, January 19-Monday, January 20
Celebrate the life and legacy of Civil Rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with performances, protest marches, community art programs, and volunteer projects at the Brooklyn Children's Museum.   READ MORE

Annual Brooklyn Tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. at BAM

Boerum Hill, Brooklyn – FREE
Monday, January 20
BAM hosts its free annual Brooklyn tribute to Martin Luther King Jr., and everyone is invited. The celebration brings together artists and civic leaders to commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. King.  READ MORE

37th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative March

Upper West Side – FREE
Monday, January 20
Manhattan Country School eighth graders honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by taking to the streets of Manhattan to speak out about what they consider to be the most pressing civil rights issues of their time. READ MORE

Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the Jackie Robinson Museum

Soho
Monday, January 20
Honor the legacy of Dr. King and the fight for civil rights at the Jackie Robinson Museum, where you can learn about Jackie Robinson and Dr. King’s close friendship and their collaboration during landmark campaigns of the Civil Rights movement.  READ MORE

Vacation Day Workshop: Social Justice Comics at the Jewish Museum

Upper East Side – FREE
Monday, January 20
In this free workshop—in celebration of MLK Jr. Day—students consider how artists use the language of cartoons and comics to approach challenging topics and create their own comics addressing social issues, drawing inspiration from the exhibition Draw Them In Paint Them Out: Trenton Doyle Hancock Confronts Philip Guston. READ MORE

Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Prospect Park

Prospect Park, Brooklyn
Monday, January 20
Commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with nature education programs at the Prospect Park Audubon Center, the first urban Audubon Center in the nation. READ MORE

Free Entrance Days in the National Parks

Citywide – FREE
Monday, January 20
On select days throughout the year, including January 20, all national parks are open to the public with no admission fee.  READ MORE

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About the Author

Drew Kristofik
Drew Kristofik’s career took a twist from editing teen magazines to a seven-year stint at MacNeil/Lehrer, followed by a long run at Nickelodeon/Viacom as Director of Content for Nick Online and Editor-in-Chief of ParentsConnect.com. A founding member of the Webby Award-winning GoCityKids, she’s written for Family Fun, Vanity Fair, and New York. Her middle school novel, The Time Boat, is available on Amazon Kindle. Drew keeps the MommyPoppins New York Events calendar spot-on and can be reached at events@mommypoppins.com.
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