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Enjoy the open streets at Car-Free Earth Day at locations around NYC. Photo courtesy of the New York City Department of Transportation
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The popular Big Umbrella Festival blooms as a free campus takeover at Lincoln Center full of relaxed spaces with multi-sensory experiences. Photo by John Altdorfer
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Veterans Day Weekend 2023 in NYC: 23 Best Things To Do with Kids

See the clever Tobias Turkey Family Show Saturday at the Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning. Photo courtesy of the center
See the clever Tobias Turkey Family Show Saturday at the Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning. Photo courtesy of the center
11/10/23 - By Drew Kristofik

Looking for the best things to do in New York City this Veterans Day weekend? Here are some family-friendly events and activities to add to your list for this weekend.

Saturday is Veterans Day, and that means it's time for the biggest celebration of service in the United States: the NYC Veterans Day Parade. You can also salute our military at the New-York Historical Society, check out Prospect Park's Veterans Day family programs, or travel back in time to commemorate the Battle of Fort Washington.

The Big Apple Circus is back at Lincoln Center, Diwali lanterns are lighting up the South Street Seaport, and early holiday fun arrives with the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree. You can also climb aboard the North Pole Express for a chat with Santa.

Find more November fun in our picks for the best things to do all month, and start gearing up for the holidays with our list of must-do holiday activities and Christmas events in NYC.

More Things To Do in New York City this Week with Kids

Be sure to click through to each listing for all the details, including recommended ages and times.

Famous landmarks and icons of New York City are lovingly re-created in gingerbread at the Gingerbread NYC: The Great Borough Bake-Off. Photo by Jody Mercier
Famous landmarks and icons of New York City are lovingly re-created in gingerbread at the Gingerbread NYC: The Great Borough Bake-Off. Photo by Jody Mercier

Best Things To Do in NYC Veterans Day Weekend with Kids

Big Apple Circus

Upper West Side
Opens Wednesday, November 8
For its 46th anniversary season, the Big Apple Circus teams up with Europe’s beloved Circus-Theater Roncalli for an all-new show, Journey to the Rainbow. READ MORE

Veterans Day Art Camp

Upper East Side
Friday, November 10
At this 3-hour art camp, kids create three amazing art projects, while learning confidence, social skills, collaboration, vocabulary, motor skills, independence, and more. READ MORE

Diwali Celebration at the Seaport

South Street Seaport–FREE
Friday, November 10
Celebrate Diwali, the Indian festival of lights, with a joyful afternoon that includes dance performances, a dance workshop, and traditional art activities. The dance portion of the celebration begins with traditional dances, the garba and dandiya raas. READ MORE

Brooklyn Folk Festival 2024

Brooklyn Heights
Friday, November 10-Sunday, November 12
The Fabulous Jalopy Theatre and School of Music present the 15th annual Brooklyn Folk Festival. The festival features great events for the whole family, including a banjo throwing contest at the Gowanus Dredgers Boathouse, a concert by Hopalong Andrew, jam sessions, and workshops. READ MORE

Gingerbread NYC: The Great Borough Bake-Off

Upper East Side
Opens Friday, November 1o
Two bakeries from each borough were selected to create a gingerbread display following the theme of Winter in New York and best representing their respective neighborhoods, communities, or boroughs. See the sweet creations on display at the Museum of the City of New York. READ MORE

NYC Veterans Day Parade 2023

Gramercy–FREE
Saturday, November 11
The largest celebration of service in the nation, the annual New York City Veterans Day Parade, returns in person and steps off at 9:30am from 26th Street and Fifth Avenue. It then proceeds north up Fifth Avenue to 47th Street.   READ MORE

Veterans Day in Prospect Park

Prospect Park, Brooklyn–FREE
Saturday, November 11
Prospect Park hosts day of kid-friendly programming in honor of Veterans Day.  READ MORE

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Arrival 2023

Midtown West– FREE
Saturday, November 11
Welcome the 2023 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. The holiday spruce arrives at Rockefeller Center with plenty of time for decorating before the lighting ceremony on Wednesday, November 29.  READ MORE

Tobias Turkey Family Show

Jamaica, Queens
Saturday, November 11
In this humorous, interactive Thanksgiving tale, told with puppets and original music, Tobias Turkey is the most determined baby turkey on Farmer Joe’s farm. But can he win the prize? READ MORE

BAMkids Film Festival 2024

Boerum Hill, Brooklyn
Saturday, November 11
Courage and creativity collide at this family-friendly event featuring some of this year’s best short films for kids from around the world! With work by more than 50 filmmakers, one of Brooklyn’s favorite BAMkids traditions returns for the 26th year with the latest and greatest animated, live-action, and documentary gems.  READ MORE

13th Annual Taste of the Seaport

South Street Seaport
Saturday, November 11
The annual neighborhood food festival returns for its 13th edition on Pier 16, Pier 17, and throughout the South Street Seaport. Hosted by the Seaport Museum and the Howard Hughes Corporation, this festival features local restaurants and engaging family-friendly activities while raising funds to support local public schools Spruce Street PS 397 and Peck Slip PS 343. READ MORE

Veterans Day Ceremony

Midtown West–FREE
Saturday, November 11
The Intrepid Museum hosts a poignant Veterans Day Ceremony at 3:30pm on Pier 86, which is free and open to the public.  READ MORE

North Pole Express

Midtown West
Debuts Saturday, November 11
Santa is bringing the North Pole to the heart of Manhattan. Take a tour of Midtown Manhattan’s storied holiday lights as you listen to thrilling Christmas tales told by one of Santa’s Elves. The journey ends with a visit from Santa himself and the kids get a sleigh bell as a good luck charm.  READ MORE

CMOM Celebrates Diwali

Upper West Side
Saturday, November 11-Sunday, November 12
Celebrate Diwali, the festival of lights, with workshops, Indian dances such as the Bharatnatyam, Odisi, Kathak, and Garba, and more. READ MORE

Family Art Project: Autumn Landscapes

Riverdale, the Bronx
Saturday, November 11-Sunday, November 12
Experience the many colors of Wave Hill’s seasonal landscape through sketching and painting. Then, transform your scenic art into a scroll.   READ MORE

Chalk: A Silent Comedy

East Village
Saturday, November 11-Sunday, November 12
A charismatic clown discovers magic chalk that makes everything he draws come to life in this fantastical one-man show guaranteed to delight audiences of all ages. Chalk is a non-verbal physical comedy in the style of the great silent-film era comedians. READ MORE

Family Concert at the Jewish Museum: Yaniza

Upper East Side
Sunday, November 12
Sing and dance with Yaniza, a singer-songwriter and long-time early childhood educator born and raised in NYC. Yaniza shares original songs, including Fly Away (Free Bird), Grateful, and Happiness about life lessons and her diverse background of being Dominican, Black, and Jewish. READ MORE

Living History: Meet a World War II Female Test Pilot

Upper West Side
Sunday, November 12
Did you know that there were trained women pilots who tested aircraft during World War II? Ann Baumgartner was one of these pilots. Meet Judith "Jude" Kalaora, the director of History at Play, as she brings Ann Baumgartner to life. READ MORE

247th Commemoration of the Battle of Fort Washington

Inwood–FREE
Sunday, November 12
This year marks the 247th anniversary of the Battle of Fort Washington, a key event during the Revolutionary War. Celebrate its anniversary with an afternoon-long program dedicated to the important piece of local history. READ MORE

17th Annual Brooklyn Children’s Book Fair

Prospect Heights, Brooklyn–FREE
Sunday, November 12
The annual Brooklyn Children's Book Fair brings together 40 Brooklyn authors and illustrators to share their latest books. Throughout the day, children and their companions can attend readings and presentations, learn about the creative process, get books signed, and have fun drawing and coloring. READ MORE

Harvest Dance Celebration

Floral Park, Queens
Sunday, November 12
Celebrate American Indian Culture through music and dance! The Autumn Dance Celebration showcases different Native American dances outdoors at the Queens County Farm Museum. READ MORE

Inspector Pulse Changes Hats

Upper West Side
Sunday, November 12
The world’s greatest and only private ear has a box full of different kinds of hats, and changing hats inspires him to invent variations in music READ MORE

The Paw Patrol Experience at CAMP Columbus Circle

Midtown West
Daily through Monday, January 15, 2024
No job is too big; no pup is too small! In CAMP’s immersive experience, kids train to become members of the PAW Patrol’s Junior Patrollers. They’ll run, jump, laugh, and play in a series of obstacle courses and activities, preparing them to assist the PAW Patrol in defending Adventure City. READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

Museum of the City of New York
Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning
Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum
New York Historical Society DiMenna Children's History Museum
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