All Weekend

Kids Food Festival – Midtown West
Head to Bryant Park for a tasty variety of kids' cooking classes taught by professional chefs, or enjoy FREE live cooking demos, yoga and fitness sessions, and entertainment by the Dirty Sock Funtime Band, Baby Loves Disco and the Radio Disney Road Crew. Afterward, take a spin on the carousel or hit the no-cost ice-skating rink. Free admission, $25 per cooking class, advance registration recommended

The Makery Pop-up Makerspace – Upper East Side
Calling all aspiring inventors: The Makery is hosting a pop-up studio at the 92nd Street Y where makers of all ages can get creative in hands-on workshops like rubber-band-powered vehicles, 3D printing and Rube Goldberg machines. Advance registration required. $40-$50 each

The Orchid Show: Key West Contemporary – the Bronx
Celebrate the coming of spring at the New York Botanical Garden's annual orchid display. This year's edition is inspired by Florida's stunning gardens in Key West, which are recreated inside the heated Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. Free with All-Garden Pass: $25 for adults, $10 for children ages 2-12

Irish Festival – Hudson Square
Mark St. Patrick's Day a little early at the Children's Museum of the Arts with traditional Irish music and fiddling performances, multimedia storytelling sessions and holiday crafts. Free with admission: $11
 

Saturday, March 1

Phoenix: Xu Bing at the Cathedral — Arts Festival and Performance – Morningside Heights
One of our March Go List picks: The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine unveils Chinese artist Xu Bing's enormous 12-ton Phoenix sculptures with an arts-filled festival. Enjoy storytelling, creative workshops for kids, family-friendly tours, and performances by the Southern Praying Mantis Lion Dancers, tightrope master Philippe Petit, members of the Big Apple Circus, puppeteer Ralph Lee and West African dance troupe Forces of Nature Company. FREE but $10 suggested donation

Jim Dale Kids Reading – Upper East Side
Another March Go List pick: Tony Award winning actor Jim Dale is best known to kids as the vocally gifted man behind the audio recordings of all seven Harry Potter books. See and hear him in action at the Y where he'll read from some of his favorite children's stories. Knowing his work we suspect it will be more like a show than a simple reading. $10

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

Craic Fest: Kids Film Fleadh – Midtown West
More St. Patrick's Day fun: Celebrate all things Irish at this annual family day featuring award-winning short films, traditional Irish storytelling, live step-dancing, and complimentary tea and scones. $10 for adults, $5 for children

Songs for Unusual Creatures – Park Slope
Head to Barbès to experience writer/composer Michael Hearst's quirky project: a five-piece band that shows videos and croons tunes about strange animals from across the globe. The instruments are pretty weird, too. Hear the wacky sounds of the theremin, claviola, daxophone and stylophone. $10 suggested donation

A Teddy Bears' Picnic – Midtown East
Bring your best lovey (teddy bear, doll or other) to the main branch of the New York Public Library for a special BFF storytime and craft-making session. Advance registration required. FREE

Vasiliki Nevrokolpi’s Fairytale of the Music – Upper West Side
Head to Lincoln Center's David Rubenstein Atrium to see this bilingual, multimedia children's show about a visually impaired princess who seeks her true love through the sound of a variety of authentic Byzantine-style instruments. The performance includes narration, projections and live music. FREE

La MaMa Kids: SweetBeatz Interactive Music Show – East Village
Hit the experimental theater for a Caribbean-infused music and movement session by singer/songwriter Meredith Wright and her band SweetBeatz. $5

National Girls and Women in Sports Day – Flushing & Crown Heights
Ladies can get their game on at Queens' Al Oerter Recreation Center or Brooklyn's St. John's Recreation Center with a slew of sports clinics, health and fitness demos, and face time with pro female athletes. Registration suggested. FREE

See all Saturday events.
 

Sunday, March 2

DiNO-Light: A Glow-in-the-Dark Dinosaur Adventure – Flushing
Catch this awesome glow-in-the-dark dinosaur spectacle at the Queens Theatre. Performed by the always inventive Lightwire Theater, the dialog-free show chronicles the adventures of a scientist and his prehistoric pal, and features a climatic dino-light-saber battle. $14

St. Patrick's For All Parade – Sunnyside
As the name implies, this Queens procession is completely inclusive, allowing everyone to feel Irish in honor of the holiday. The result is a spirited multi-culti affair that features Bolivian dance troupes and Caribbean performers alongside Celtic drummers and other traditional Irish entertainment. FREE

Staten Island's St. Patrick's Day Parade – Staten Island
More St. Patrick's-themed fun: This 50th annual procession travels through the West Brighton neighborhood on Forest Avenue with viewing stands at the Blessed Sacrament R.C. Church. FREE

Theater & Art Workshop: Become a Paper Bag Player! – Upper East Side
Get creative in a behind-the-scenes workshop at the Jewish Museum with members of the veteran children's theater troupe . Discover ways to make props and costumes out of everyday objects like paper bags, and enjoy theater games and a mini show. Want more Paper Bag Players? Stick around for the company's performance of Hiccup Help! featuring new sketches and songs as well as old favorites. Workshop: $15 for adults, $10 for children; show: $20 for adults, $15 for children; both: $28 for adults, $20 for children

See all Sunday events.
 

Don’t forget: There are lots of other options 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.