Fun and Free Things to Do with Kids This Weekend in Boston: Birds of Flight, Food Fest, Circus and More, May 5-6

5/2/12 - By Audrey Trieschman

There’s plenty of fun and free things to do in and around Boston this weekend. From the return of the Birds of Prey to the Stone Zoo and the Open Arts Day at Arsenal Center for the Arts on Saturday to the Harvard Square May Fair on Sunday, the weekend is filled with festivals and celebrations. Read on for more of our weekend picks, and be sure to check our Events Calendar for more ideas.

Looking for more things to do? We have four fun crafts that kids can make for mom for Mother’s Day. We’ve also rounded up some of the great learn to sail programs that are available for kids in and around Boston.

Enjoy!

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SATURDAY, MAY 5

Greenway Mobile Food Fest - Dewey Square & Ft Point Channel Parks, Boston

Get a taste of springtime in the city from Boston’s best food trucks, carts and bikes in Dewey Square Park and Fort Point Channel Parks. Featuring over 20 mobile eateries, live performances by local bands, children’s activities and more throughout the day. FREE


Masters of Flight: Birds of Prey - Stone Zoo, Stoneham

The birds are coming back, and the Stone Zoo is celebrating. Masters of Flight: Birds of Prey features more than a dozen different bird species from around the world, including the bald eagle, bateleur eagle, Egyptian vulture, military macaw, spectacled owl and white-necked raven, in this engaging, memorable and educational experience for visitors of all ages.

These birds fly in from overhead and demonstrate natural behaviors including unique survival techniques and food foraging, as well as specialized physical adaptations. The show runs May 5 through September 3. Daily show times are 11am, 1pm, & 3pm in the amphitheater. Free with admission


Dedham Country Day Circus & Street Fair - Dedham Country Day School, Dedham

Come one, come all to the first ever Seriously Silly Circus & Street Fair! Trapeze artists and clowns from Cirque du Soleil, Ringling Brothers, and Circus Smirkus will dazzle you with death defying feats, daring stunts and side splitting comedy.

Plus, the DCD Street Fair will be in full swing with Games & Amusement Rides, Petting Zoo, Local Artisans, Unique Vendors, Used Toys & Books, and lots of good food and fun. Tickets available online. A Circus Ticket provides access to one performance only. Raffle tickets also available online. Street Fair Free; Circus- $10.50-$12 for those over 3


Open Arts Day - Arsenal Center for the Arts, Watertown

Celebrate all the Arsenal Center for the Arts has to offer as arsenalARTS, New Repertory Theatre, Watertown Children’s Theatre, and Quilter’s Connection come together for a day of free family fun, live music, art & theater workshops, and more!

A sampling of the fun things children and adults can create, see or do all day long:

  • Join an actors workshop
  • Hop on a pottery wheel
  • Paint with Watercolors
  • Participate in children’s theater workshops
  • Learn Printmaking
  • Take a quilter demo
  • Listen in on the Poetry Project
  • Make a Kite Workshop
  • Preview the Center’s upcoming plays: Charlotte’s Web, Little Shop of Horrors, Oliver!, The Kite Runner

SUNDAY, MAY 6

Artbarn presents: Mendel’s Accordion - Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline

Follow Mendel, a Klezmer musician, from his village in Melnitze to America in search of a better life for his family. This original Split Hares Traveling Troupe production features an authentic Klezmer accordion musician and will have you up on your feet, dancing in the aisles. Adults $9.75; Children $7.75


Harvard Square May Fair - Harvard Square, Cambridge

The annual Mayfair in Harvard Square features music, dancing, food, crafts, street art, beer gardens and entertainment for all ages. The festival is highlighted by five stages of live entertainment, including a dance stage and a chalk art celebration.

The Cambridge Rotary Club’s annual Chalk on the Walk, raises thousands of dollars for local charities. Other highlights include an urban agricultural informational area, Roaming Railroad train rides for the young and the young at heart, and hot air balloon rides by RE/MAX with donations being given to charity.

In addition, Mayfair features over 200 artisans and merchants selling arts and crafts, jewelry, and vintage clothing and boasts over 40 food vendors serving up international fare and local favorites. FREE


Open House at the Farm - Belkin Family Lookout Farm, South Natick

The Open House features train rides, face painting, moon bounce and more. Families can also meet the staff and sign up for Kids’ Street summer camp. FREE


Castle Hill Open House - Crane Estate, Ipswich

In celebration of spring, the free open house offers an afternoon of lawn games, a May-pole dance, and a family treasure hunt. Castle Hill's 59-room mansion the Great Houseis open for self-guided tours and refreshments. Additionally, families can meet the staff of the Crane Estate's summer camp SummerQuest and take part in camp games. Visitors are welcome to bring a picnic and spend the day. (Pease leave furry friends at home.) FREE


Photo by John Harrison