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Museo del Barrio's The Three Kings Day Parade takes over the streets of East Harlem Photo by Mommy Poppins
Museo del Barrio's The Three Kings Day Parade takes over the streets of East Harlem Photo by Mommy Poppins
12/29/23 - By Drew Kristofik

From New Year's Day to MLK weekend, January can be a great time for indoor and outdoor activities. Don't miss our favorite kid-friendly events and activities in New York City this month.

Our January forecast of fun lights up the winter gloom. Start the new year by watching Coney Island Polar Bear Club members plunge into the freezing Atlantic, catch up with the Three Kings as they hand out gifts on the Lower East Side, and honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at BAM's always-moving tribute. And you can close down the first month of 2025 with FIAF's brilliant annual Animation First Film Fest and the annual Lunar New Year Parade.

We’re adding more events to our Family Activity Calendar every day, so don’t forget to check it frequently.

Get our picks for every weekend in your inbox—sign up for our newsletters.

Be sure to click through to each listing for all the details including times, locations, and recommended ages. Remember popular events usually sell out, so book your tickets well in advance or arrive early in the case of FREE activities.

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Best Things To Do in NYC With Kids This January

122nd Annual Coney Island Polar Bear Club Plunge

Coney Island, Brooklyn – FREE
Wednesday, January 1
The Coney Island Polar Bear Club hosts its annual New Year's Day swim in the frigid Atlantic. A $25 suggested donation benefits local Coney Island organizations, including the NY Aquarium and the Alliance for Coney Island. READ MORE

New Year's Day Super Hike in Central Park

Central Park – FREE
Wednesday, January 1
Urban Park Ranger guides introduce hikers to the hidden gems of New York City. Explore nature, discover the city's urban forests, and unplug from the world to clear your head. READ MORE

Family Art Project: Starry Night Sky at Wave Hill

Riverdale, Bronx
Saturday & Sunday, January 4-5
Get lost in the vast expanse of the night sky and explore the stars and planets visible at this time of year. Capture this cosmic spectacle by making your own light box full of constellations and learn what these phenomena can teach us about the mysteries of space. READ MORE

47th Annual Three Kings Parade at Museo del Barrio

East Harlem – FREE
Monday, January 6
Line up with live camels, colorful puppets, parrandas, music, and dancing on this magical day. This time-honored annual parade begins at 106th Street and Park Avenue and ends at 115th Street and Park Avenue. Return to the museum to keep the party going following the parade. READ MORE

Three Kings Day at Teatro SEA

Lower East Side – FREE
Monday, January 6
New York’s only Latino children’s theater celebrates one of the most important Latin American holidays for children, El Día de los Tres Reyes Magos/Three Kings Day.  READ MORE

MulchFest 2025

Citywide – FREE
Through Sunday, January 12
Bring your holiday tree to Mulchfest to be recycled into mulch to nourish plantings in the parks all year long! You can watch your tree devolve and evolve in person! READ MORE

The Snow Queen at Theater 86/Pushkin Hall

Upper West Side
Friday-Sunday, through Sunday, January 12
A magical and heartwarming journey into the enchanting world of Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen, based on a stage adaptation by renowned Russian playwright Evgeny Schwartz. READ MORE

Little Murmur at the New Victory Theater

Midtown West
Friday-Sunday, January 10-19 (no shows Friday, January 17)
Both facing loss, a young tsarina and a peasant boy each seek help from the Baba Yaga—that most mercurial of Old World witches. Their destinies collide in a madcap musical adventure woven from the tapestries of Slavic folklore, with pop-up books full of puppets, original songs from Faye Chiao on piano and Anton Dudley embodying a host of hilarious characters. READ MORE

Thunderbird American Indian Dance Concert

Lower East Side
Friday-Sunday, January 10-19
The 2025 Thunderbird American Indian Dance Concert features dances, stories, and traditional music from native peoples of the Northeast, Southwest, and Great Plains regions. READ MORE

Mayers Consulting Family Music Showcase at Lincoln Center

Midtown West/Upper West Side
Saturday, January 11
A variety of award-winning, modern, eclectic artists from diverse backgrounds perform mini concerts for audiences of all ages. Featured musicians include Lucy Kalantari & the Jazz Cats; Divinity Roxx and Divi Roxx Kids; Miss Tutti and The Fruity Band; and Fyütch and his daughter Aura V.   READ MORE

Frosty Festivities in the Spanish Speaking World at the Children's Museum of Manhattan

Upper West Side
Saturday-Sunday, January 11-12
CMOM invites kids to explore winter festivals celebrated in different cultures and create artwork inspired by these frosty festivities around the world. READ MORE

Chalk (a silent comedy) at Stella Adler Center

Financial District
Sunday, January 12
A charismatic clown discovers magic chalk that makes everything he draws come to life in this fantastical one-man show, a non-verbal physical comedy in the style of the great silent-film era comedians.   READ MORE

Frosty Festivities in Australia at the Children's Museum of Manhattan

Upper West Side
Tuesday-Friday, January 14-17
CMOM invites kids to explore winter festivals celebrated in different cultures and create artwork inspired by these frosty festivities around the world. READ MORE

Musical Explorers Family Concert at Carnegie Hall

Midtown West
Saturday, January 18
New York City-based artists with magnetic personalities lead this vibrant, highly interactive concert for children at Carnegie Hall. Discover music from around the world that is found right here in the city, including Haitian song traditions with internationally renowned singer Emeline Michel, Southeastern songs and social dances with award-winning artist Martha Redbone; and South African Zulu music with the return of beloved Musical Explorers artists Sbongiseni “Bongi” Duma and Tshidi Manye.. READ MORE

Annual Brooklyn Tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. at BAM

Boerum Hill, Brooklyn–FREE
Monday, January 20
BAM hosts its free annual Brooklyn tribute to Martin Luther King Jr., and everyone is invited. The celebration brings together artists and civic leaders to commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. King.  READ MORE

37th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative March

Upper West Side – FREE
Monday, January 20
Manhattan Country School eighth graders honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by taking to the streets of Manhattan to speak out about what they consider to be the most pressing civil rights issues of their time. READ MORE

Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the Jackie Robinson Museum

Tribeca
Monday, January 20
Honor the legacy of Dr. King and the fight for Civil Rights at the Jackie Robinson Museum, where you can learn about Jackie Robinson and Dr. King’s close friendship and their collaboration during landmark campaigns of the Civil Rights Movement.  READ MORE

Frosty Festivities in the USA at the Children's Museum of Manhattan

Upper West Side
Tuesday-Sunday, January 21-26
CMOM invites kids to explore winter festivals celebrated in different cultures and create artwork inspired by these frosty festivities around the world. READ MORE

Animation First Film Festival 2024

Upper East Side
Tuesday-Sunday, January 21-26
The seventh edition of Animation First, celebrating the artistry of French animation, presents seven feature-length films and five short film programs, with a special focus on Swiss animation. READ MORE

The Discover Boating New York Boat Show at the Javits Center

Midtown West
Wednesday-Sunday, January 22-26
The Discover Boating New York Boat Show docks at the Javits Center, inviting tri-state water lovers to experience the best of the boat life with hundreds of boats to see & shop, all the latest marine gear, chef & mixology demos in the Discover Boating Beach Club, an Opening Night Oyster Party, and free education for boaters of all levels!   READ MORE

Rabbit Days and Dumplings at Flushing Town Hall

Flushing, Queens
Saturday, January 25
Celebrate Lunar New Year with folk and children's songs from East Asia, including Korea, China, Taiwan, Japan, and Tibet. Elena Moon Park and Friends perform Asian children’s songs from her award winning album, Rabbit Days and Dumplings. READ MORE

Moon Over Manhattan: A Lunar New Year Family Day at Asia Society

Upper East Side
Saturday, January 25
The Asia Society welcomes the Year of the Snake with exciting lion dances and martial arts demonstrations, fun New Year songs, and Year of the Snake-themed arts and crafts!  READ MORE

Lunar New Year of the Snake at Kupferberg Center

Flushing, Queens
Saturday & Sunday, January 25-26
The world-renowned Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company welcomes the Lunar New Year of the Snake with majestic dragons, acrobatic lions, elegant peacocks, twirling ribbons, bamboo instruments, and more. READ MORE

American Kennel Club Meet the Breeds

Midtown West
Saturday & Sunday, January 25-26
From Affenpinschers to Yorkshire Terriers and everything in between, the AKC Meet the Breeds event gives dog lovers a unique opportunity to meet, play with, and learn about hundreds of dogs! READ MORE

Opening Week: Anne Frank - The Exhibition at the Center for Jewish History

Chelsea
Opens Monday, January 27
Anne Frank House presents a pioneering experience outside of Amsterdam to immerse visitors in a full-scale recreation of the rooms where Anne Frank, her parents and sister, and four other Jewish inhabitants spent two years hiding to evade Nazi capture. READ MORE

Dead as a Dodo at Baruch PAC

Gramercy
Tuesday-Sunday, January 8- February 9
Wakka Wakka’s award-winning puppetry sparkles in a mesmerizing musical odyssey. Deep within the underworld, two skeleton friends - a Dodo and a boy - tirelessly dig for fresh bones. Their ancient skeletal forms are deteriorating and without them they will disappear completely. One day, something peculiar happens: the Dodo miraculously sprouts feathers, and a wave of transformation begins. READ MORE

27th Annual New York City Lunar New Year Parade & Festival in Chinatown

Chinatown – FREE
Wednesday, January 29
A half-million spectators often line the streets of Chinatown for this colorful pan-Asian procession, which includes Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Taiwanese, Malaysian, and even Hispanic floats and cultural performances.  READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

Stella Adler Center for the Arts
Kupferberg Center for the Arts, Goldstein Theatre
The Center for Jewish History