Weekend Fun for NYC Kids: St. Patrick's Day & Persian New Year Celebrations, Free Performances & Readings, Björk Exhibit March 7-8

3/4/15 - By Stephanie Ogozalek

Celebrate St. Patrick's Day and Persian New Year at multicultural fests this weekend. There's lots of cool kids' culture on tap, too, including kid-lit icons Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin reading from their new book, Click, Clack, Peep!, a FREE interactive performance by drum-and-dance troupe BombaYo!, a concert by Grammy-nominated kid rockers The Pop Ups at the Jewish Museum and the opening day of the Björk retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art.

Looking for an inexpensive camp? This Friday, the NYC Parks Department opens its lottery for its summer program: just $500 for seven weeks. We've got the scoop on how to vie for a spot in our Camp Guide.

These are just a few of the great things going on this weekend. All of our best bets are below. You can find additional options in our Event Calendar and our Winter Fun Guide.

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Muslim Arts Festival – Upper West Side
Explore Islamic artistic traditions at the Children Museum of Manhattan's new cultural series. Kids can learn calligraphy, go on a virtual 3D tour of mosques around the world and hear a reading of the picture book The Day of Ahmed’s Secret. Free with admission: $11

Beats, Rhymes and Breaking – Upper West Side
Head to Symphony Space to catch an eye-popping performance by the Manzana City Crew. These athletic dancers have all the right moves, including head spins, windmills, pops and locks. $21 for adults, $14 for children

New York International Children's Film Festival – Manhattan
A GoList pick: It's the second weekend of this month-long family film fest and tickets are going fast. Cool screenings this weekend that still have availability include a collection of Aardman Shorts (the studio behind the stop-motion hit Chicken Run), Wallace & Gromit Shorts and the feature Jellyfish Eyes by Japanese pop-art superstar Takashi Murakami. Read our film fest post for more details. $13-$16 but save $2 per ticket with the discount code MOPO15

Saturday, March 7

Lego My New York City – Williamsburg
Take a NYC-themed Lego class with master builder Eleanor Rogers at Williamsburg's quirky City Reliquary. Kids will create replicas of Big Apple landmarks out of plastic bricks and take their mini masterpieces home. Preregistration is a must. $10 per adult-child pair

Storytime with Doreen Cronin & Betsy Lewin: Click, Clack, Peep! – Fort Greene
Hear the award-winning author and illustrator behind Click, Clack, Moo read from their latest book at the Greenlight Bookstore. Click Clack Peep! continues the adventures of Farmer Brown and his pesky animals. FREE

BombaYo! Call & Response with Dr. Drum – Upper West Side
Catch a spirited interactive performance by this dance-and-drum troupe in honor of Puerto Rico’s Abolition of Slavery Day at Lincoln Center's David Rubenstein Atrium. FREE

La MaMa Kids: Buzz Buzz: A Movement and Music Workshop – East Village
Join early childhood educator and musician Meredith Wright (of Sweetbeatz fame) for a bee-themed music and dance performance and interactive workshop. $5 for children, free for adults

The Beauty of Ballet – Flatbush
Got an aspiring ballerina at home? Then head to Brooklyn College for this program that illustrates how young students develop into accomplished ballet dancers. During the 45-minute show, students from the School of American Ballet demonstrate various steps and training exercises, and perform excerpts from The Nutcracker and Swan Lake with live accompaniment. FREE

Craic Fest: Kids Film Fleadh –Tribeca
Celebrate all things Irish at the Craic Fest's annual St. Patrick's Day family fest featuring award-winning short films, Irish step-dancing and storytelling, and complimentary Irish treats and goody bags. $10

Queens County St. Patrick’s Day Parade – Rockaway
More St. Patrick's Day fun: Don your best green duds and cheer on the revelers at NYC's second-largest St. Patrick's Day procession. Watch as bagpipers, bands, dance troupes, floats and community organizations march down Rockaway Beach Boulevard. FREE

The 90-Second Newbery Film Festival – Midtown East
Watch screenings of kid-made shorts based on their favorite Newbery Medal-winning books at this annual fest at the central branch of the New York Public Library. FREE but advance reservations recommended

See all Saturday events.
 

Sunday, March 8

Daylight saving time begins at 2am so remember to move your clocks one hour forward!

Björk Exhibit Opening Day – Midtown West
Another GoList pick: Introduce the kids to the wondrous and wacky work of Icelandic icon Björk at this brand-new Museum of Modern Art retrospective. Learn about her groundbreaking multimedia career by exploring her music, films, photos, instruments, objects, costumes and performances. Free with admission: $25 for adults, free for children under age 17

Persian Festival – Hudson Square
Celebrate Norouz, a.k.a. the Persian New Year, at the Children's Museum of the Arts' multiday festival. Enjoy holiday stories, learn a few Farsi words, try a dance workshop and themed art projects, and catch a, traditional music performance. Free with admission: $11

Second Sundays for Families: It Sounds Like Music – Corona
Hit the Queens Museum for classical concerts by youth ensemble Face the Music, a make-your-own noisemaker workshop and kid-friendly gallery tours. Be sure to check out the Panorama of the City of New York while you're there. FREE

The Pop Ups – Upper East Side
Catch the Grammy-nominated Brooklyn kid rockers at the Jewish Museum as they play tunes off their new album Appetite for Construction that will get kids dancing, singing and even drawing in their seats. $18 for adults, $13 for children ages 2-12

See all Sunday events.
 

Don’t forget: There are lots of other options in our Event Calendar.