Memorial Day Weekend Events & Activities for New York City Kids: May 22-25

Hot dogs and hamburgers (and veggie burgers too) usually come to mind when Memorial Day rolls around, but there's so much more to the weekend than the BBQ fare. In New York City, Memorial Day also means that the beaches will be opening. Plus the playground sprinklers will be turned on, giving you the assurance that summer really is here. Of course, Memorial Day Weekend also means an extra day off, which means an extra day for fun activities like Fleet Week, a Dragon Boat festival, tug boat and barge tours, an arts festival and some ballet dancing! Check it out.

LES Festival of the Arts
Fri May 22, Sat May 23, Sun May 24
Varying times and locations in LES, check website
FREE

The festival is having all sorts of events from dancing to comedy, but the most kid-friendly will likely be on Saturday at the Youth Performances. Catch dancers, jugglers, films, shows and plays all designed with kids in mind, but that adults can enjoy, too.

Pinkster
Sun May 24, 12PM-4PM
Wycoff Farmhouse Museum
FREE

Pinkster is a memorial celebration of Pentecost in Colonial Brooklyn. Enjoy the Colonia Dutch and African event with music, food, crafts and more. 

Fleet Week
Fri 22 - Mon 26
Varying times and locations, check online
Some Free, Some Not

I love Fleet Week events because they are pretty much always a good time. These men and women know how to party! There's Memorial Day parades all over the city in different neighborhoods, (free) tours of Navy and Coast Guard ships, ground demos, band performances, a tug-of-war that will be on the Today Show, crew competitions, Broadway performances from South Pacific and Chicago, and a whole lot more. For more info visit the Intrepid's website or GoNYC.

Children's Workshops
Sat May 23, 12:30PM
New York City Ballet
$8

It can be hard to get in your friends into ballet, nevermind your kids. That's what these children's workshops are all about--learning an appreciation for the art. They are 45-minute pre-performance programs (for ages 5 and up) to enhance the appreciation for what you see on stage.

Dragon Boat Festival
Fri May 22, 3:30PM-5PM
236 West 73rd Street (at Broadway), 4th floor Child's Play Room
$20 per family (reservations required)

Celebrate the start of summer the Far-East way at this event. Make your own sticky rice dumpling wrapped in bamboo leaves and a xiang bao (specially scented potpourri. Event is open for both Mandarin & non-Mandarin speaking families.

Free Barge Tours
Fri 22-Sun 23, various times
Hudson River Park Pier 84
FREE (no reservations neccessary)

Free family barge tours, visit the Waterfront Museum’s 1914 covered, wooden railroad barge and step into another era. Hear first-hand the rescue story of a one-of-a-kind vessel by a clown and juggler and discover how food and commercial goods were transported prior to today’s bridges and tunnels.

Kids go free to American Ballet Theater's Balanchine-Tchaikovsky Spectacular
Mon May 25, 2PM show
Met Opera House, Lincoln Center
FREE (with an adult ticket purchase)

Enjoy the theater without a sitter, since kids go free with every adult ticket to the matinee show of the Tchaikovsky Spectacular on Monday. Tickets may only be purchased at the Met Box Office or by phone at 212.362.6000. (No online orders).

For even more Memorial Day weekend ideas, don't miss our post on weekend getaways right here in the city.
 

 [PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS POST ORIGINALLY, INCORRECTLY, STATED THAT PUBLIC POOLS WERE OPENING THIS WEEKEND. I CORRECTED IT IMMEDIATELY, BUT IT WENT OUT TO EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS WITH THE INCORRECT INFO. PUBLIC SWIMMING POOLS WILL OPEN JUNE 27, 2009] 

Photo Credit: dknapschaefer