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Weekend Fun: Summer Streets, Tomato Fest, Battery Dance Fest, Fish Count

Tip your garden hat to the great tomato at NYBG. Photo courtesy of NYBG
Tip your garden hat to the great tomato at NYBG. Photo courtesy of NYBG
8/7/19 - By Drew Kristofik

High on our "must" list of things to do in New York City this weekend are the second car-free Summer Streets fest on Park Avenue on Saturday, and the New York Botanical Garden's Totally Tomatoes Fest (our toddler eats them like apples!). And, if you're in the Bronx anyway, stopping by the Bronx Zoo's Dinosaur Safari might make a perfect topper for the day.

New York City kids who like to dance (a decided majority) should love the FREE Kids' Dance Class at Rockefeller Center on Saturday, perfect prep for the 38th Annual Battery Dance Festival, which starts its week-long run in Wagner Park on Sunday. If the wiggles continue, head over to Brooklyn Bridge Park for the Moving Together Dance Series and shake them out!

City parks are packed with cool activities, like the Great Fish Count on Randall's Island, the Macy's Fishing Clinic in Prospect Park, foraging tours with Wildman Steve Brill (in Central Park on Saturday and Prospect Park on Sunday), Great Jazz on the Great Hill, and an outdoor screening of Wonder Park.

Our August GoList and Summer Fun Guide are powered up with the best ideas for family outings, and our event calendar adds things to do daily. And don't miss our list of Summer Must Dos: 40 ways to squeeze all the fun you can out of summer, before the school year starts up again.

OUR LATEST VIDEOS

Go prehistoric at Dinosaur Safari at The Bronx Zoo. Photo courtesy of the zoo
Go prehistoric at Dinosaur Safari at The Bronx Zoo. Photo courtesy of the zoo

All Weekend

Totally Tomatoes Weekend

Bronx Park, the Bronx
The New York Botanical Garden is turning red this weekend with a celebration of all things tomato: Tastings, cooking demonstrations, gardening activities, music, and more combine for a fun and delicious weekend at the Edible Academy. READ MORE

Civil War Weekend

Richmond, Staten Island
The Liberty Rifles, a premiere living history group, presents a two-day long immersive program highlighting the service of native Staten Islanders during the American Civil War! READ MORE

Family Art Project: Tools to Navigate

Wave Hill, the Bronx
Visiting artist Francisco Donoso helps families explore themes of belonging, migration and connection to place. READ MORE

Revolutionary Summer: Join the Continental Army

Upper West Side
The Continental Army wants you! Fall in with a company of soldiers for the afternoon. READ MORE

Summer Matinees: Fantastic Worlds

Astoria, Queens
For the third summer in a row, the Museum of the Moving Image presents matinee screenings of family-friendly films. READ MORE

Pop-Up Audubon: Macy's Fishing Clinic

Prospect Park, Brooklyn — FREE
Join Alliance educators to learn about ecology under the water. This popular summer program offers kids and adults the opportunity to fish. Participants learn about aquatic ecology, fishing safety, how to use a cane pole and will even get to collect their own bait. READ MORE

Dinosaur Safari

Bronx Park, the Bronx
Dinosaurs are making a big comeback at the Bronx Zoo. Dinosaur Safari – the biggest, most realistic dinosaur ride in America – is an immersive experience that takes adventurers on a ride through a two-acre wooded area of the Bronx Zoo where 40 ultra-realistic, life-sized animatronic dinosaurs lurk. READ MORE
Set up a picnic in the grass and enjoy music at Great Jazz on the Great Hill. Photo courtesy of the festival
Set up a picnic in the grass and enjoy music at Great Jazz on the Great Hill. Photo courtesy of the festival

Saturday, August 10

Kids Dance Class at Rockefeller Center

Midtown West – FREE
Kids and their accompanying adults are invited to a fun, healthy dance party. READ MORE

Summer Streets

East Side from Central Park to Brooklyn Bridge
New York's favorite car-free street festival returns this July and August, as Summer Streets expands to open miles of NYC streets for people to play, run, walk, and bike across multiple weeks and in all five boroughs. READ MORE

Celebrate the Caribbean Festival

Crown Heights, Brooklyn
Celebrate Caribbean history and cultures oversees and in the community through a day of music, food, movement, storytelling, and more.  READ MORE

Family Affair: Reusable Universe

Grand Concourse, the Bronx – FREE
Spend Saturday afternoon celebrating art, summer, and sustainability! Explore the Useless: Machines for Dreaming, Thinking, and Seeing exhibit through family activities that (re)use everyday materials to create new works of art. READ MORE

Great Jazz on the Great Hill - CANCELED

Central Park – FREE
Canceled due to weather. This won't be rescheduled. Bring a picnic, blanket, and dancing shoes for the 11th edition Great Jazz on the Great Hill, featuring live music and swing dancing in a beautiful park setting. This year's artists include Lezlie Harrison, Jeremy Pelt, Wycliffe Gordon, and Bobby Sanabria. READ MORE

Movies Under the Stars: Wonder Park (PG)

West Harlem – FREE
A 12-year-old girl stumbles upon the fantastical amusement park filled with talking animals that she envisioned as a child after her mother's death. With the help of her newfound friends, she attempts to stop the Chimpanzombies from destroying it. READ MORE

Wildman Steve Brill Foraging Tour of Central Park

Central Park
Wildman Steve Brill leads a foraging tour of Central Park, beginning at W.72nd St. and Central Park West. READ MORE

Second Saturday Science: The Science of Sleep

Snug Harbor, Staten Island
What happens to our bodies when we are asleep? The August Con Edison Second Saturday Science! workshop invites participants try to interpret their dreams. READ MORE

Moving Together Family Dance Series

Dumbo, Brooklyn — FREE
Dancewave’s Moving Together program hosts community dance classes for children and adults in a community setting. Expert teaching artists lead movers of all ages and abilities in the chosen dance style. READ MORE
Check out NYC's longest-running free public dance festival, the 38th Annual Battery Dance Festival! Photo courtesy of the festival
Check out NYC's longest-running free public dance festival, the 38th Annual Battery Dance Festival! Photo courtesy of the festival

Sunday, August 11

38th Annual Battery Dance Festival

Battery Park – FREE
Celebrate the 38th year of New York City’s longest-running public dance festival, presented by Battery Dance, with a full week of exciting international and local dance companies, performed against one of the most beautiful backgrounds in the City. READ MORE

Steinway Street Festival

Astoria, Queens
This festival features 550 vendor booths, great food, rides, live music, and more. READ MORE

Nature Walks with Bradley Klein: Interesting Insects Part 2

Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
While waiting for autumn bird migration to peak, there are plenty of butterflies, dragonflies, and other insects to observe in the Garden. Join naturalist Bradley Klein to learn about their life histories and how to identify them in the field. Bring binoculars if you have them. READ MORE

Foraging Tour with Wildman Steve Brill

Prospect Park, Brooklyn
Prospect Park is a great place for wild foods, and late summer is an especially rich season if there's been lots of rain beforehand. Many summer mushrooms grow here. These include the gourmet two-color bolete, which grows on hillsides south of the Picnic House, along with the equally good chestnut bolete, which grows near oak trees. Brittle russulas, prized chanterelles, earthy meadow mushrooms, and gigantic chicken mushrooms are other choice mushrooms that grow here. This 4-hour foraging tour of Prospect Park begins at 11:45am. Call (914) 835-2153 at least 24 hours in advance... READ MORE

Right On! Read On! Meet...

Upper West Side
Special storytimes feature some favorite children’s book characters (costumed characters) and kids can have their picture taken when they drop by for a visit. READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

The Bronx Museum of the Arts
Brooklyn Bridge Park-Pier 3