Weekend Fun for NYC Kids: Lincoln Center Out of Doors Family Day, The Lightning Thief Musical, Harry Potter Party July 26-27

7/23/14 - By Stephanie Ogozalek

It's looking like a lovely mid-summer weekend and there are lots of fun and FREE things to do together as a family. Try classic outdoor games at Brooklyn Bridge Park's Family Field Day, work up a sweat at the Get Up & Go Family Adventure Race on Staten Island or hit the Scholastic Store in Soho for a magical Harry Potter birthday party.

Two of our top picks of the month take place this weekend and they're both FREE. Enjoy an eclectic lineup of music and dance performances at Lincoln Center Out of Doors Family Day and catch Theatreworks USA's brand-new musicalization of The Lightning Thief in the West Village.

However you spend the weekend, remember to share photos of your family's adventures on social media for a chance to win great prizes in our SUMMER OF PLAY CHALLENGE. If you need playtime inspiration, we have hundreds of ideas in our SUMMER OF PLAY GUIDE.

All of our best bets for the weekend are below. You can find additional options in our Event Calendar and our Summer Fun Guide.

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All Weekend

Thunderbird American Indian Mid-Summer Pow Wow – Douglaston
Watch more than 40 Native American tribes perform traditional dances at the Queens County Farm Museum, and browse the market featuring jewelry, crafts and food. Afterward, check out all the other things you can do at NYC's only historic working farm. $10 for adults, $5 for children under 13; weekend passes also available

Family Art Project: Fancy Fireflies – Riverdale
Head to the bucolic Wave Hill for an art workshop inspired by Gregory Crewdson's nature photographs currently on view in the gallery. Craft sparkly miniature fireflies using a special dying technique. Free with admission: $8 for adults, $2 for children ages 6 and up, free to all until noon on Saturday

New York City Poetry Festival – Governors Island
Hit Governors Island for a weekend full of rhymes and verse. There will be a kids' stage featuring young poets sharing their work, a homemade teepee village and a Poetree Forest where children can write odes and draw pictures on balloons. Afterward, check out all of the other attractions on the activity-packed isle. FREE
 

Saturday, July 26

Lincoln Center Out of Doors Family Day – Upper West Side
One of our July Go List picks: Enjoy a full day of dance-themed entertainment on Lincoln Center's grounds, including a Baby Loves Disco dance party, a Brazilian street dance workshop, a collaborative interactive National Dance Day performance and tunes by the Black Rock Coalition Orchestra. FREE

Family Field Day – Brooklyn Heights
Get your game on at Brooklyn Bridge Park's Pier 5 with soccer matches, relay and potato sack races, and other games. FREE

Get Up & Go: Family Adventure Race – Staten Island
More family athletic fun: Head to Staten Island's historic Conference House Park for old-school challenges like jumping rope, shooting hoops, leaping hurdles and even throwing javelins. All participants snag T-shirts and awards are given to the top teams. Preregistration required. FREE

Oye Corona – Corona
Enjoy an eclectic lineup of multicultural activities at this Queens Museum-sponsored community festival at nearby Corona Plaza. Fun on tap includes Indian dance-inspired workouts, silk-screening demos, a slew of cool art projects, and a live performance by M.A.K.U Soundsystem that mixes Colombian percussion with rock and roll. FREE

Japanese Paper Theater Performance & Workshop – Long Island City
Catch an interactive kamishibai performance (a.k.a. paper theater show) by artist and storyteller Tara McGowan. Afterward, kids can craft their own paper puppets. RSVP required to info@resobox.com. $10 for adults, $7 for children under age 12

Harry Potter Hogwarts House Party – Soho
Celebrate Harry Potter's upcoming birthday (it's July 31, in case you didn't know) at the Scholastic Store with a Gryffindor House Party where Muggles can enjoy themed crafts, games, costumed characters and other magical amusements. FREE

History Playdate: Design Your Own Farm House – Inwood
Tour the Dyckman Farmhouse and then then cut, collage and craft your own dream farmhouse inspired by the historic building. Reservations required. Email info@dyckmanfarmhouse.org. FREE

Style My Ride – East Harlem
Head to the Museum of the City of New York for art activities inspired by a pair of current exhibits. Learn how New Yorkers are lobbying for safer streets for cyclists and pedestrians in Activist New York, and then decorate a bike helmet using the street art in City as Canvas as inspiration. Bike helmets will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis so arrive early. Free with admission: $10 for adults, free for children under age 13

Outdoor Summer Movie Series: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire – Roosevelt Island
Spend the day on the activity-packed Roosevelt Island and then end your outing with an alfresco screening of the 2013 blockbuster. FREE

See all Saturday events.
 

Sunday, July 27

The Lightning Thief – West Village
Another July Go List pick: Catch Theatreworks USA's brand-new musicalization of Rick Riordan's popular young adult novel about a tween boy who travels to a land of mythological monsters and Greek Gods while struggling with dyslexia and ADHD. FREE

Hip Tot Family Day with Suzi Shelton – South Slope
Hit the outdoor garden at Greenwood Park for a sing-along with kindie crooner Suzi Shelton, hands-on craft projects and Melanie Hope Greenberg reading from her picture book Mermaids on Parade. FREE

And if you're wondering about the annual Rockaway Beach Sandcastle Contest which we previously recommended, unfortunately it has been canceled by the organizer.

See all Sunday events.
 

Don't forget: There's more fun to be found in our Event Calendar. Before heading out on your adventures, be sure to download our FREE Mommy Poppins Kids on the Go app so you can find the best family destinations wherever you happen to be in NYC.