All Weekend

Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival – Corona
One of our August Go List picks: Watch hundreds of teams race on Flushing Meadows Corona Park's Meadow Lake in colorful, custom-made boats outfitted with dragon heads and tails. Families can also soak up Chinese culture at a massive outdoor marketplace featuring ethnic eats (including kid-pleasers like dumplings and bubble tea), live contemporary and traditional music, lion and dragon dances, crafts, martial art displays and kite flying. Once you've had your fill, explore all that the Queens park has to offer including a carousel, the Queens Zoo, the New York Hall of Science and the Fantasy Forest mini-amusement park. FREE

FringeJr 2014 – East Village
Another August Go List pick: Three family theater shows debut this weekend at the 14th Street Y as part of the New York International Fringe Festival: the wacky sci-fi romp Alienne: The Musical Adventures of My Little Martian, And Then Came Tango, inspired by the Central Park Zoo's famous male penguin partners that raised a chick, and Italian company ExtraTeatro's bilingual Vagabond$. Want a sneak peek of the shows before you buy tickets? You can see excerpts and meet the casts in advance for FREE at Fort FringeJr. $13

Dora and Friends: Into the City Celebration – Upper West Side
Head to the Children's Museum of Manhattan for a sneak peek at Nickelodeon's brand-new animated series Dora and Friends: Into the City featuring a teenage Dora living in Playa Verde with a bunch of brand-new pals. Other fun on tap includes arts and crafts, storytime, and a meet and greet on Sunday with actress Fátima Ptacek, who voices Dora. Free with admission: $11, free under age 1

Civil War Heritage Weekend – Governors Island
Learn about American history at Governors Island's Fort Jay and Castle Williams with a variety of interactive programs exploring what it was like to be a Civil War soldier. Afterward, stay and enjoy the isle's many other attractions. FREE

Project Playdate: SummerPlay – Upper West Side & Soho
Need a little "me" time? Then sign the kids up for Project Playdate's three-hour drop-off field trips. Saturday's outing is to Citibabes and Sunday's trip is to the Children's Museum of Manhattan. $55 per child, $35 for siblings
 

Saturday, August 9

Summer Streets – Manhattan
Another August Go List pick: For the second Saturday in a row, families can cycle, scooter or stroll a car-free, seven-mile route from the Upper East Side to the Brooklyn Bridge. You'll find plenty of activities along the way at multiple interactive rest stops, including cycling lessons, bike tuneups, complimentary bike rentals, helmet giveaways, cool live performances, yoga sessions, parkour demos, a zip line, a rock climbing wall and Risa Puno's popular public art/mini-golf course, The Course of Emotions at the 52nd Street rest stop. Read our Summer Streets post for more info. FREE

Great Jazz on the Great Hill – Upper West Side
Get hep at Central Park's annual no-cost jazz extravaganza. Cosponsored by Jazzmobile, this alfresco concert features Wycliffe Gordon, T.S. Monk and Alyson Williams, plus dancing and gourmet food trucks like Domo Taco and CoolHaus gourmet ice cream sandwiches. FREE

Dance Theatre of Harlem Street Festival – Harlem
Enjoy music and dance performances by talented students from the Dance Theatre of Harlem and other neighborhood arts programs like Speaking in Rhythms and the Harlem School of the Arts. There will also be vendors selling food, jewelry, books, clothing and other items. Free admission but there are fees for wares

Get Up & Go: Family Adventure Race – Inwood
Head to Inwood Hill 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

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug – Roosevelt Island
Tram over to Roosevelt Island to catch an outdoor screening of the second movie in The Hobbit trilogy. Come early so you can check out all of the other attractions on the isle. FREE

B'rook'lyn Chess Festival – Crown Heights
Improve your game at Dr. Ronald McNair Park with educational sessions for all skill levels. Preregistration required. FREE

Smokey Bear's Birthday Bash – Douglaston
Celebrate the forest fire preventer's 70th birthday (!) at Queens' Alley Pond Park with nature hikes, live animals, tent-pitching demos, environmental games and fire safety education activities. FREE

See all Saturday events.
 

Sunday, August 10

KidAround! with the Pop Ups – South Street Seaport
Catch one of our all-time favorite kindie bands at the Seaport. This Brooklyn duo doesn't just sing songs, they put on an entire show with puppets, props and lots of audience interaction. Games and storytime are also on tap. FREE

Astoria Park Shore Fest – Astoria
More car-free fun, this time in Queens. In addition to strolling and cycling, celebrate the culinary diversity of this food-centric nabe with a slew of samples from local restaurants, a watermelon eating contest, live music and more. FREE

Clipper City Kids: Pirate & Mermaid Sail – Battery Park City
Dig those costumes out of the closet for the final Manhattan by Sail family cruise of the season, which has a mermaid and pirate theme. Enjoy jewelry making, storytime, face painting and more as you travel to Lady Liberty and back aboard the Clipper City Tall Ship. $59 for adults, $49 for children under age 13; save 25% with the code KIDSMP2514 or snag a family four-pack for $127 with the code KIDSMPFAM14

See all Sunday events.

Don't forget: There's more fun to be found in our Event Calendar.