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Things to Do in NYC This Weekend: Lunar New Year Parade, Black History, and More

Celebrate the Lunar New Year in Chinatown. Photo by John Wenceslao
Celebrate the Lunar New Year in Chinatown. Photo by John Wenceslao
2/5/20 - By Drew Kristofik

It's a busy weekend in New York City, as we wrap up the Chinese Lunar New Year festivities with the massive Lunar New Year Parade. If you're in Brooklyn, honor the Year of the Rat with a stop at the Prospect Park Zoo to meet one of the world's tiniest rodents.

Valentine's Day paints the town red next weekend, so it's the perfect time to make a city-themed Valentine, create huggable heating pads to give as gifts, or give your card the old "collage" try. Mark Black History Month with an On the Journey to Freedom living-history program at DiMenna, a special tour of Fraunces Tavern, the New York Botanical Garden's Black History: Rooted in Plants event, and the Paley Center's month-long celebration, which includes a salute to black comedians.

On Saturday, watch the dog fur fly at the Westminster Agility Championship and AKC Meet the Breeds. On Sunday, kids might learn a thing or two about obedience (at least as it applies to canines). Also on Sunday: Don't miss the Children's Museum of the Arts' Indonesian Culture Fest, or City of Science in the Bronx. Rock Center also hosts a day of family art-making.

Plus, there is a ton of exceptional family theater to see this weekend. Film fest season is starting up, and we highly recommend seeing FIAF's Animation First Film Fest.

Still rarin' to go? Options abound in our February Go-List, our dazzling list of 40 FREE things to do with kids in February, and our always stocked Event Calendar.

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The Jeffersons, which ran on CBS for an impressive 11 seasons, screens at the Paley Center on Saturday. Photo courtesy of the center
The Jeffersons, which ran on CBS for an impressive 11 seasons, screens at the Paley Center on Saturday. Photo courtesy of the center

Things To Do With Kids in NYC All Weekend

Treehouse Shakers’ Hatched

Clinton Hill, Brooklyn
Hatched is the original performance of a newborn chick emerging from her shell at sunrise to a strange and busy world. Told to the youngest of audience members ages 0-6, it is a perfect introduction into the theater, while incorporating both the museum and farm. READ MORE

Animation First Film Festival 2024

Upper East Side
The sixth edition of Animation First, celebrating the artistry of French animation, presents animated feature films and shorts, filmmaker conversations, work-in-progress presentations, video games, AR-VR experiences, a student shorts programs, and more. READ MORE

LC Kids Presents: Suds

Upper West Side
An immersive, multisensory theatrical experience takes the seemingly mundane task of going to the laundromat and transforms it into an exhilarating adventure filled with water, soap, and bubbles.  READ MORE

Lunar Zoo Year – Year of the Rabbit

Prospect Park, Brooklyn
Celebrate the festival of the new moon and animals of the Chinese Zodiac. Learn about rabbits, an animal found around the world, and learn about the Wildlife Conservation Society’s efforts to save wildlife worldwide. READ MORE

Paley Family Day: Disney Channel’s End of Summer Celebration

Midtown West — FREE
The Paley Museum hosts an interactive celebration of Disney Channel’s 40th anniversary, with fun-filled activities that include a chance to meet Bluey and Bingo, watch Disney favorites on the big screen, pose in a photo booth, and nab giveaways. READ MORE

Spellbound Theatre Presents: Oceansong

Park Slope, Brooklyn
On this ocean adventure, the audience begins on the shore and then sets sail, venturing above and below the waves to meet sea creatures, splash in the water, and sing ocean songs together. READ MORE

Celebrate Black History: Rooted in Plants

Bronx Park, the Bronx
Celebrate Black History Month by learning more about the plants of Africa and how they are used throughout the US. Investigate seeds native to Africa, explore traditional Nigerian dying techniques, and create a mini plant-zine inspired by the original plant bulletin author and botanist, George Washington Carver! READ MORE

Family Art Project: Love for Woodland Friends

Riverdale, the Bronx
Celebrate the ways we care for each other by creating woodland creature sock puppets or huggable heating pads for those you love. READ MORE

Fighting for Freedom

Financial District
Celebrate Black History Month with a special docent-led public tour. From battles to espionage and harrowing tales of escape, this tour emphasizes the fact that African Americans, both enslaved and free, were present, active, and of critical importance in the American Revolution. READ MORE

The Riddle of the Trilobites

Midtown West
With humor, heart, and eye-popping prehistoric puppetry, this underwater adventure shows us how we can leave our mark on the world when we dare to be brave. READ MORE

The Traveler

Midtown West
From the imaginations of legendary mime Bill Bowers and director Andrew Frank, The Traveler is a silent and whimsical tale of one person’s journey to find a new home. READ MORE
See Doktor Kaboom: Look Out! Science is Coming! at Symphony Space. Photo by Steve Suchman
See Doktor Kaboom: Look Out! Science is Coming! at Symphony Space. Photo by Steve Suchman

Things To Do in NYC With Kids Saturday, February 8

Maple Syrup Saturdays

Rossville, Staten Island
Learn about the entire process of making maple syrup, from tap to table READ MORE

7th Annual Masters Agility Championship at Westminster

Midtown West
The 7th Annual Masters Agility Championship at Westminster features some of the country’s greatest canine athletes and their handlers as they face a challenging obstacle course of jumps, tunnels, weave poles, and more in a timed competition, open to all breeds and mixed breeds. READ MORE

Book Launch: "Rise! From Caged Bird to Poet of the People, Maya Angelou"

Prospect Heights, Brooklyn — FREE
Author Bethany Hegedus and illustrator Tonya Engel read from Rise!: From Caged Bird to Poet of the People, Maya Angelou, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the publication of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, the biography of Maya Angelou describing how she rose above a childhood of trauma and emotional pain to become one of the most inspiring voices of our lifetime. READ MORE

Storybook Reading and Activity: Nobody Owns the Sky

Battery Park — FREE
Staff in the imagiNATIONS Activity Center classroom host a storybook reading and related make-and-take activity. February's book is Nobody Owns the Sky, by Reeve Linburgh. READ MORE

Living History: On the Journey to Freedom

Upper West Side
Historical Interpreters bring the stories of enslaved people who liberated themselves to life. READ MORE

Family Affair: Heart of the Bronx

the Bronx — FREE
Spend an afternoon at The Bronx Museum of the Arts creating art as a family. Enjoy free family art activities inspired by current exhibits celebrating the city we all love: New York! READ MORE

Birding: Bald Eagle Watch

Inwood — FREE
Winter is a spectacular season for observing bald eagles in New York City parks. Learn more about the natural history and basic biology of bald eagles while rangers guide you to the best wildlife-viewing spots in the urban jungle. READ MORE

Family Day: I Love NYC (SOLD OUT)

Greenwich Village
Families take inspiration from the Times Square Valentine Heart Design Competition, an annual competition that invites architecture firms to think about how a Valentine sent from the heart of Times Square could express love for everyone. READ MORE

Family Game Day at Sony Square NYC

Gramercy — FREE
Play some of your favorite kid-friendly PS4 games on Sony’s 26-foot Crystal LED screen, enter hourly raffles, and enjoy complimentary snacks. READ MORE

Open Studios: Glass in the City

Clinton Hill, Brooklyn — FREE
Discover and celebrate the wonders of glass as a material that reflects, refracts, and makes up the walls and windows of our city. READ MORE

"A Wrinkle in Time" Movie & Book Talk

South Slope, Brooklyn
Watch the 2018 film adaptation of the classic novel "A Wrinkle in Time," followed by a conversation with Charlotte Jones Voiklis, co-author of Becoming Madeleine: A Biography of the Author of A Wrinkle in Time by Her Granddaughters. READ MORE

Just Kidding: Doktor Kaboom - Look Out! Science Is Coming!

Upper West Side
Doktor Kaboom is an over-the-top German physicist with a passion for science that knows no bounds. His improvisational skill means no two shows are ever the same, and his character-driven comedy entertains audiences of every age. READ MORE

Story Time - The Uncle Devin Show

Sugar Hill
The Uncle Devin Show is an interactive, musical experience for children by renowned drummer and percussionist, Devin Walker. READ MORE

Architecture Valentines

Battery Park — FREE
Love is in the air! Make homemade valentines featuring romantic skyscrapers to share with family, friends, or your secret crush. READ MORE
All breeds are involved in obedience at Westminster, though border collies, golden retrievers, Labrador retrievers, and German shepherds are the most popular. Photo courtesy of the event
All breeds are involved in obedience at Westminster, though border collies, golden retrievers, Labrador retrievers, and German shepherds are the most popular. Photo courtesy of the event

Things To Do in NYC With Kids Sunday, February 9

26th Annual New York City Lunar New Year Parade & Festival in Chinatown

Chinatown and Little Italy — FREE
In years past, a half-million spectators have lined 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

Indonesian Cultural Festival

Hudson Square
CMA is partnering with Gamelan Dharma Swara to present performances and interactive workshops inspired by Indonesia. READ MORE

City of Science 2020: Bronx

The Bronx — FREE
City of Science returns to the Bronx. The World Science Festival and Con Edison host a larger-than-life touring event where the wondrous properties of science, technology, engineering, and math collide. READ MORE

Valentine Making Workshop

Battery Park City — FREE
Create heirloom valentines using collage and cut-and-paste techniques. All materials are provided. Free, but space is limited, and registration is required. READ MORE

Celebrate Tu Bishvat

Crown Heights, Brooklyn
Did you know Tu Bishvat is the Jewish holiday that celebrates the new year of the trees? Join Brooklyn Children’s Museum and Repair the World to celebrate by creating art, packaging food for a local food bank, and participating in an interactive puppet show featuring WonderSpark Puppets. READ MORE

Winter Warmer

Midtown West — FREE
Head to Rockefeller Center for free music and activities, including live puppet shows, live music performances, art workshops, and more. READ MORE

Family Concert: Brady Rymer & the Little Band That Could

Upper East Side
Groove with three-time Grammy-nominated Brady Rymer & the Little Band That Could, whose folksy, accordion-laced pop and rock music brings everyone to their feet. READ MORE

Community Baking Day

Park Slope, Brooklyn
Join your neighbors at the outdoor wood-fired oven at the Old Stone House. Bring any dish or recipe — from bread to chicken, cookies to pie. You don’t have to share what you bake, but you will find many willing taste-testers. Kids are welcome and generally have a great time. Non-bakers are also welcome to come and hang out. READ MORE

Bean Throwing (Setsubun)

Midtown East
Try one of Japanese kids' favorite traditions — welcome spring by scaring away ogres by throwing soybeans at them! READ MORE

Story Time and Doll-Making for Kids

Chelsea — FREE
Stellar storyteller Fabiola R. Delgado, aka Fa, leads an active read-aloud of sections of Aquiles Nazoa's The Private Life of Rag Dolls. READ MORE

Tiger & Magpie: Good Luck Painting from Korea

Flushing, Queens
Tiger and magpie painting has been a prominent motif in Korean Folk Art (Minhwa) and has been known to keep away evil influences and bring good news. It's a tradition to hang the painting on your front door at the beginning of the year. READ MORE

5th Masters Obedience Championship at Westminster

Midtown West
The 5th Annual Masters Obedience Championship at Westminster is an invitation-only competition for those top dogs with Obedience Trial Champion (OTCH) titles and their handlers from around the country. READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

The Ailey Studio Theater
Brooklyn Public Library, Dweck Center
National Museum of the American Indian
The Bronx Museum of the Arts
Sugar Hill Children's Museum of Art & Storytelling