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Weekend Fun: Summer Solstice, Mermaid Parade, Drums Along the Hudson

Join NYBG Summer Solstice Weekend, the first big harvest of the growing season, to celebrate the long summer days ahead. Photo courtesy of NYBG
Join NYBG Summer Solstice Weekend, the first big harvest of the growing season, to celebrate the long summer days ahead. Photo courtesy of NYBG
6/19/19 - By Drew Kristofik

This weekend Coney Island hosts a little something called the Mermaid Parade, Drums Along the Hudson pounds a steady beat in Inwood, Randall's Island hosts a splashy Waterfront Festival, and you can stomp on the porches on Governors Island.

Summer solstice, celebrating the longest day of the year, spills over into Saturday revelries with family fun at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx and free workshops at Cooper Hewitt. Two terrific Shakespeare productions—in addition to the big Delacourt Theatre offering—are up and running this weekend: Hamlet, at Castle Clinton, and Romeo and Juliet on the Smith Street Stage in Carroll Gardens. Plus, superheroes can commune with like-minded do-gooders at the NYSoM SuperHero SciFi Fest.

Our encyclopedic Free Outdoor Movie guide keeps growing. This weekend, Mary Poppins Returns to Greenwich Village, Ralph Breaks the Internet in Brooklyn on Saturday in Harry Maze Park and Sunday in Kolbert Park as well as in Queens' Astoria Park, and families can brush up on Captain America's origin story on Staten Island.

Heat getting to you? Check out our parent-tested list of great water parks for toddlers or best water playgrounds and sprinklers. And, as always, scroll through our calendar to find all the best things happening near you and around NYC.

OUR LATEST VIDEOS

Create waves and ripples with Ink and Paper at Wave Hill. Photo by Joshua Bright
Create waves and ripples with Ink and Paper at Wave Hill. Photo by Joshua Bright

All Weekend

Summer Solstice at the Garden

Bronx Park, the Bronx
Celebrate the start of summer with gardening fun, crafts, yoga, live music and more to celebrate the long summer days ahead. READ MORE

Waves and Ripples with Ink and Paper

Riverdale, the Bronx
Use the Japanese art of suminagashi and orizome to explore techniques in marbling and dyeing. READ MORE

Queens International Children's Festival

Jamaica, Queens — FREE
JCAL’s 4th annual International Children’s Festival is a two-day fun-filled family event that brings high-quality arts performances and craft activities to the Downtown Jamaica area.  READ MORE

Galli Theater: The Little Mermaid

Chelsea
The Little Mermaid falls in love with a prince on land when she saves him from a storm and is willing to give up her life under water to be with him, but a deal she makes with a sea witch makes this more difficult than she expected. READ MORE

Smith Street Stage: Romeo and Juliet

Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn — FREE
The award-winning Brooklyn theatre company, Smith Street Stage, returns to Carroll Park for its 10th year of free outdoor Shakespeare-under-the-stars. This summer’s production is Romeo and Juliet. All tickets are free; no reservations required. READ MORE

Hamlet

The Battery — FREE
Shakespeare Downtown performs Bill's most famous tragedy at the magical Castle Clinton. READ MORE
Dress as your favorite superhero for NYSoM 's SuperHero Sci Fi Festival. Photo courtesy of NYsom
Dress as your favorite superhero for NYSoM 's SuperHero Sci Fi Festival. Photo courtesy of NYsom

Saturday, June 22

The Mermaid Parade

Coney Island, Brooklyn — FREE
Welcome summer with the return of the Mermaid Parade, an eclectic (and historically jam-packed) celebration, featuring revelers decked out in their most outrageous sea-themed costumes.  READ MORE

Tuffy Tiger’s Puppet Festival

Park Slope, Brooklyn
Tuffy Tiger’s Puppet Shows is a community event for the whole family filled with arts and crafts and Tuffy Tiger. Activities include tote decorating, spin art, and puppet making. READ MORE

Living History: Dining in the 19th Century

Upper West Side
Culinary historian Lavada Nahon takes kids (and their adult companions) on a deep dive into how food, cooking, and dining changed throughout the 19th century! READ MORE

Solstice Saturday

Upper East Side — FREE
Celebrate Solstice Saturday with drop-in design activities in Cooper Hewitt's Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden. READ MORE

NYSoM SuperHero Sci Fi Festival

Williamsburg, Brooklyn — FREE
NYSoM kicks off summer with its annual superhero-themed festival.  READ MORE

Summer Kickoff

Rockaways, Queens — FREE
Catch this fun-filled day for families to enjoy. There will be children activities, inflatables, Playmobile, arts and crafts, music, and refreshments. READ MORE

Atlantic Terminal's FAMILYFEST

Boerum Hill, Brooklyn — FREE
Enjoy DJ Ace the Cut Lieutenant's Summer Dance Jam and celebrate summer's arrival on the plaza with food trucks and fun kid-friendly activities including circus arts workshops, communal painting, chalk art, pop-a-shot basketball and chess games, immersive virtual reality, giveaways and more.  READ MORE

Prospect Heights Together Day

Prospect Heights, Brooklyn — FREE
Residents of Prospect Heights will kick off the summer season and celebrate community at the first-ever Prospect Heights Together Day. Hosted by the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council, the event will feature family-friendly games and entertainment, such as inflatable rides for children, face painting, music and more. READ MORE

Movies Under the Stars: Mary Poppins Returns (PG)

Greenwich Village — FREE
Mary Poppins returns to the Banks family during Michael's most desperate hour to lend him a helping hand. READ MORE

Movies Under the Stars: Ralph Breaks the Internet (PG)

East Flatbush, Brooklyn — FREE
Six years after the events of "Wreck-It Ralph," Ralph and Vanellope, now friends, discover a wi-fi router in their arcade, leading them into a new adventure. READ MORE

Movies Under the Stars: Captain America - The First Avenger (PG-13)

Port Richmond, Staten Island — FREE
WWII soldier Steve Rogers volunteers for a military experiment that transforms him into a superhero, and he uses his newfound abilities to protect America from a villain known as the Red Skull. READ MORE
The Morgan Library and Museum hosts its annual Summer Fair on Sunday. Photo courtesy of the Morgan Library and Museum
The Morgan Library and Museum hosts its annual Summer Fair on Sunday. Photo courtesy of the Morgan Library and Museum

Sunday, June 23

Drums Along the Hudson: A Native American Festival

Inwood — FREE
The annual Drums Along the Hudson: A Native American Festival and Multicultural Celebration marks its 21st anniversary as Manhattan’s only open-air pow wow. The all-day event features Native American crafts, storytelling, and traditional food and dance. READ MORE

Porch Stomp

Governors Island — FREE
Porch Stomp invites dozens of folk bands, artists, and performing arts organizations to use the historic porches of Nolan Park as a space for performance and education, highlighting artistry ranging from traditional folk to old-time blues, roots, bluegrass, and Americana. READ MORE

Waterfront Festival

Randall's Island — FREE
Celebrate the vibrant waterfront on the shores of Randall’s Island. READ MORE

Court Square Civic Summer Block Party

Long Island City, Queens — FREE
Hit up Court Square Civic Association’s first annual Summer Block Party featuring live entertainment and musical performances, kid-friendly games, and activities and crafts.  READ MORE

Summer Family Fair

Midtown East
Celebrate art and literature at The Morgan's Summer Family Fair! Inspire your family’s love of books with a visit to Mr. Morgan's historic library, explore the exhibitions, including Drawing the Curtain: Maurice Sendak’s Designs for Opera and Ballet, compose your own poetry on the poetry wall, and make crafts related to the museum's collections. READ MORE

Movies Under the Stars: Ralph Breaks the Internet (PG)

Midwood, Brooklyn — FREE
NYCity Parks hosts a free screening of the 2018 animated hit, in which video game villain Wreck-It-Ralph must brave the Internet to help Vanellope fix her game, Sugar Rush. READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

Jamaica Performing Arts Center (JPAC)
New York Historical Society DiMenna Children's History Museum
Beach 108th Street Roller Rink
Atlantic Terminal Plaza
Corporal John A. Seravalli Playground