Fantasy Forest – Corona, Queens
Opening weekend March 25-26
This small amusement park at Flushing Meadows Corona Park offers rides and a carousel just right for little ones. The opening was delayed due to snow, but organizers are hoping for warmer weather soon!

PAW Patrol Live! – Madison Square Garden
March 23-26
Can’t get enough PAW Patrol at home? See it in person in the production’s first-ever live tour.

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Head to the Whitney Biennial Family Opening for an art-fueled day. Photo courtesy of the museum.

Whitney Biennial 2017 Family Opening – West Village
March 25
Families are invited to a special opening of the 2017 biennial. Pick up a Whitney Kids Activity Guide, participate in a collaborative art-making project, and explore the exhibit.

Forest Park Carousel – Forest Hills, Queens
Opening weekend March 25-26
Ride one of the 36 jumping horses or 13 standing horses in the carousel’s opening weekend.

Prospect Park Carousel – Prospect Park, Brooklyn
Opening March 30
Ride one of the beautiful horses, or go wild and take a spin on a lion, giraffe, deer, or dragon-pulled chariot.

Children’s Carnival at Queens County Farm Museum – Floral Park, Queens
April 1-2, April 8-9
Enjoy carnival rides, games, pony rides, a petting zoo, and food vendors throughout the weekend.

Gulliver’s Gate – Times Square
Previews begin April 4
Visit a world of interactive miniatures, with models of various New York City landmarks, as well as other major sites around the world. The 50,000-square-foot miniature world has 1,000 trains, 10,000 cars and trucks, and actual flying planes.

Circus 1903 – Madison Square Garden
April 5-16 except April 10-11
Elephants return to the circus, but as lifelike puppets, in this spectacular throwback show featuring contortionists, high-wire acts, acrobats, and more.

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Brick Fest at the NY Hall of Science is a Lego fan's dream. Photo courtesy of NYSCI.

Brick Fest Live at the NY Hall of Science – Corona, Queens
April 8-9
Described as the “ultimate Lego fan experience,” this event is designed to inspire and entertain kids with Legos.

Coney Island Amusement Park  – Coney Island
Opening day, April 9
Luna Park, Deno’s Wonder Wheel, and more open for the season. Little ones will enjoy the kiddie rides on Deno’s side. Read about more of our favorite local and nearby amusement parks for preschoolers.

Gruff!: A Puppet Musical – Kips Bay
Sundays, April 9-May 28 except May 7
This sweet, fairy tale eco-musical at the Peoples Improv Theater reinvents the story of “The Three Billy Goats Gruff,” calling kids to action against climate change.

Easter Celebrations – Midtown
​April 16
Celebrate Easter with the annual Easter Parade and bonnet festival down Fifth Avenue. Seek out the Easter Bunny for an iconic photo, or even brunch, and then hit up an egg hunt to round out the day. Or maybe roller skating with the Easter Bunny is more your style?  

Earth Day – Union Square
April 18
Kids’ activities, live performances, and dozens of exhibits are part of this event that reminds little ones to be kind to the planet. FREE

In a Pickle — Fort Greene, Brooklyn
April 22-30
Tikes can take a trip inside the mind of Shakespeare in this innovative BAMkids production rooted in the power of imagination and based on the Bard's The Winter's Tale.

Poem in Your Pocket Day – Tribeca
April 27
Bring a poem to share or just come for the readings and fun at Poets House. FREE

Peppa Pig Live! — Staten Island
Saturday, April 29
Catch every preschooler's favorite silly pig, Peppa Pig, in her U.S. stage debut, playing at Staten Island's historic St. George Theatre this time. The upbeat, song-and dance-filled performance, complete with muddy puddles, is sure to get the little ones giggling.

Tribeca Film Festival Free Screening of Aladdin – Tribeca
April 29
The annual festival has changed its family programming: Gone this year is the street fair, but the festival says it is offering more free films for families, including a 25th anniversary celebration of Aladdin. FREE

Celebrate Japanese heritage at the cherry blossom festival in late April. Photo by Julie Marks/courtesy of BBG.

Sakura Matsuri – Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
April 29-30
The annual cherry blossom festival at Brooklyn Botanic Garden celebrates Japanese culture with 60 events and performances over the weekend.

Shear Madness at the Staten Island Zoo – Staten Island
April 30
It’s time to remove the winter coats from the sheep at the Children’s Center. Sheep shearers show kids how. Then, the Staten Island Hand Spinners and Weavers demonstrate how they turn wool into yarn. There is also a demonstration by Chet the Beekeeper.

Governors Island Opening – Governors Island
May 1
It's time to enjoy all the seasonal fun, including Hammock Grove and Slide Hill, on this 172-acre island in New York Harbor, which opens a month earlier in 2017. FREE for kids.

Peter Rabbit Tales — Greenwich Village
May 6
Watch as the world of Beatrix Potter comes alive at the Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. When Benjamin Bunny's kids go missing, neighbors, including Peter Rabbit, pitch in to help find them.  

Up and Down Again  – Park Slope, Brooklyn
May 6
This Spellbound Theatre performance at the Old Stone House is an interactive construction project featuring digging, lifting, bulldozing, stacking, and rolling.

Sandsational – Riverside Park
May 6
Join a bucket brigade to help install new sand for the season in Riverside Park’s many playgrounds. The Riverside Park Conservancy provides buckets and shovels for the littlest volunteers. FREE

Harlem Children’s Theatre Festival – Harlem
May 6
City College's graduate program in educational theater puts on this annual event with theater-based activities, including three new plays. FREE

Unfortunately this has sold out already!
Grug and the Rainbow — Midtown West
May 13-14, May 20-21
Windmill Theatre Company presents this charming adaptation of the Ted Prior picture books. Enjoy the adventures of Grug, the wonder from Down Under, and pals Cara the carpet snake and Snoot the echidna at the New Victory Theater.

Children’s Museum of the Arts Street Fair –- Soho
May 21
CMA hosts its annual family day and fair with activities and events all day. FREE

RELATED: Family Amusement Parks and Water Parks Guide

Jacob Riis beach is just one of NYC's family-friendly shores. Photo by Shira Kronzon.

NYC Beaches Open –  Citywide
May 27
Summer may not officially start for a few weeks, but beaches open for swimming on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. Grab your swimsuits, sunscreen, and sand toys. FREE

Ladybug Day – Tribeca
June 10
The Friends of Washington Market Park distributes 100,000 ladybugs to children and adults who can release them in the park. FREE

Top photo: Easter Bonnet Parade. Photo by Michael Fleshman via Flickr.