All Weekend:

Tennis Carnivals—various
Get your tennis game on with free tennis lessons, activities and prizes for kids aged 4 years old and up (parents, too.). To join in you need to reserve a spot for either Saturday at Peter’s Field in Gramercy or Sunday at PS 41 in Greenwich Village. FREE

2nd Annual Brooklyn Folk Festival—Brooklyn
This is a big indoor and outdoor music festival featuring concerts of the best of every kind of homegrown music:  blues, jug band, New Orlean Jazz and Greek, African and Mexican folk music. The music starts Friday night and continues all day Saturday and into Sunday night.  Sunday afternoon the concert is outside and includes a square dance. $15 for evening concerts, $5 for the Saturday afternoon and Sunday outside shows (including the square dance.)
 

Saturday May 22, 2010

2nd Annual Earth Celebrations Hudson River Pageant– Battery Park City
Don’t miss this artsy, grass roots, ecological event celebrating and restoring the mighty Hudson River.  The festivities kick off with a huge parade of elaborate 15 foot, handmade puppets representing the various animal and fish life that inhabitant our river (think oysters, seahorses and local fish). The parade continues north from the World Financial Center plaza to its final destination on Horatio Street for an amazing finish.   Kayaks and 30 foot rowboats decorated with giant marine life sculptures perform a choreographed “dance” in the river accompanied by a live chant concert.  The pageant stops along the way for over a dozen diverse performances of music, dance, poetry and theater.  Don’t miss the live oyster planting or the Dance of the River Grass.  Kids can get in on the action, too, at the live fish release at 3:30 on the Charles Street Pier (check in is at 3:00 pm) and if they have a mermaid or sea creature costume – they are welcome to wear them. FREE

Seining the River Wild – DUMBO
An educational ecology program taking place at the beach under the Manhattan Bridge, kids aged 5 to 10 years and their families get to work with the folks from the Coastal Marine Resource Center to catch, log in and release fish or other underwater creatures from the East River.  This is offered a few times during the spring and summer so check our calendar for additional dates. All materials provided. FREE

Momenta Quartet's Rhythm Workshop for Children—Brooklyn
A workshop on how East Indian rhythms have influenced the American composers: Michael Rose and Philip Glass.  Families will explore these sounds through interactive games and hands on activities. Workshop will be followed with a performance by the quartet of Philip Glass’ Music in Similar Motion.  Registration required. FREE.

The Amazing Picture Book Workshop with Lenore Look – Chinatown
The award winning children’s author will show children how to create their own storybooks as part of a month long Asian Pacific American Heritage celebration.  Kids should come equipped with ideas for their own storybook.  Look will also read from her new book Uncle Peter’s Amazing Chinese Wedding and share how she gets her ideas for stories.  FREE with museum admission.

West Side YMCA Touch-A-Truck Street Fair & Fundraiser—Upper West Side
The highlights of this popular event are the cars and trucks.  For a couple of bucks, kids can climb all over the outside and inside some of the cool cars and trucks seen around the city – police cars, fire trucks, street sweepers and even a Fresh Direct truck.  Plus traditional festival fun like face painting, spin art, eats and live tunes. Rain or shine. FREE

Tribeca Cinemas Kids Club: Saturclay Clay A Day With Gumby—TriBeCa
Check out one or both of the movies on deck this weekend:  The Gumby Show in the morning for little kids (3 years +) and Gumby:The Movie in the afternoon for kids older than 7 years. Plus each screening is followed by a free art activity. The little kids get to make their own Gumby and Pokey figures at the Clay Station and the older kids make their own stop motion claymation video with The Children’s Museum of the Arts. Movies are $10 for adults and $7 for kids.

Maifest – Staten Island
At Snug Harbor families can experience a little bit of German culture at this fair sponsored by the Holy Trinity Lutheran School.  Authentic German food, live polka music, entertainment and carnival games will be on offer at this annual event.  Plus free crafts for kids.  $5.00 at the door, children 16 and under FREE.

Imagination Playground in a Box—Chelsea
Get a sneak preview of what that new playground at the Seaport will be offering by hitting this fun event.  Kids can experience “playground in a box” by Imagination Playground. Meaning, a ton of loose components like huge blocks of foam, mats, wagons, fabric and crates for kids to use in a creative open ended manner. This event offers the kind of unstructured creative play that is so important for their development.  FREE

Downing Street Spring Fair and Silent Auction – Greenwich Village
A fun afternoon with live music from NYC favorites Ivan Ulz and The Brett Band plus games, food, face painting and a silent auction to benefit the Downing Street Cooperative Playgroup. FREE.

Identification Day to Celebrate International Day of Biodiversity—Upper West Side
If you are like my family you may have some unrecognizable feathers, rocks, shells or bones hanging around.  Bring them to the American Museum of Natural History and the scientists there will try to id them for you.  Plus there will be exhibits and discussions of insects, birds and more. FREE with museum admission.
    
Go Fish! with music by Americana Family Jamboree – Battery Park City
Join in on this popular catch and release fishing program with some added value.  From time to time they bring some special extras to the party, like this week when the American Family Jamboree performs some toe tapping bluegrass, folk and country tunes.  FREE

Graphic Novel Spectacular for Kids—Greenpoint
A two hour extravaganza of graphic novels for the kids who love them that includes readings and illustration demos. Some of the graphic novels authors/illustrators on deck are: Frank Cammuso, Chris Giarusso, Jarrett Krosoczka, Matt Phelan and Eric Wight.  FREE.

Spring Kids Fest 2010—Flatiron
This fun festival for kids put on by the Madison Square Park Conservancy and Time Out New York Kids magazine. Musical performances from The Fuzzy Lemons and Moona Luna and a special story time with Bernard Waber who penned the NYC favorite: Lyle Lyle the Crocodile. Plus other fair time fun like face painting, snacks, yoga and arts and crafts.  Get there early – this one gets super crowded. Expect long lines for all the activities. Rain or shine. FREE.

The Puppet Mobile presents Sleeping Beauty—Washington Heights
Take in The Swedish Marionette Theater’s version of Sleeping Beauty that is set in our very own Belvedere Castle. FREE.

In Our Backyard a Tree Lives – Queens
A family workshop on trees with poet Richard Lewis.  After listening to Lewis read his poem, A Tree Lives, aloud, families will go into the garden to create a book on trees. FREE with garden admission.

Dance Parade & DanceFest —East Village
Thousands dancers will converge on the streets of New York City showcasing 65 forms of dance in a free outdoor dance parade and festival. The parade will march down Broadway to Thomkins Square Park where i will culminate in a dance party with free performances and lessons. Fun!


Sunday, May 23, 2010

7th Annual Mamapalooza Outdoor Extravaganza-Upper West Side
Rock out with moms like AudraRox and Moey's Music Party and celebrate moms everywhere. This family friendly festival offers lots of live music, arts and crafts for kids, family yoga, comedy and lots more fun.  Part of the Summer on the Hudson series. FREE.

Planting with Sprouts – Queens
A visit to the seaside wildlife refuge will teach kids aged 4 to 8 years old and their parents about the different plants living in the park. Kids can show off their green thumbs by planting native wildflowers in the garden.  Get there early and take a hike around this amazing place. FREE. Reservations required.

Family Game Day—Upper East Side
Visit the Chess and Checkers House in Central Park to play chess, checkers, dominoes, or mancala till your hearts content.  If that isn’t enough, families can also participate in a mancala making project using recycled materials or join in on a fun scavenger hunt. FREE.

Springtime Family Fete—Upper East Side
Enjoy the beautiful period gardens of the Mount Vernon Hotel Museum at this fun special event. Families can partake in a scavenger hunt, make arts and crafts and historic games all while snacking on lemon aide and cookies.  $10 for adults, $5 for children.

Farm in the City Fair – East Village
Families with children 6 years old and younger can participate in some good ole’ country fun to benefit the 14th Street Y, the fair will include a hoe down with dancing and live music plus potato sack races, carnival games, face painting, balloon twisting and a bouncy castle. Kids are invited to come dressed as a farmer or their favorite farm animal.  $20 per family

Outside of NYC:

Out on Long Island’s south shore visit the Tackapausha Museum and Preserve. A fantastic nature preserve with large oak trees, small mammals, ponds and hiking trails and a nature museum.  On Saturday the museum will be talking about endangered species and how we can help save them. $3 for adults and $2 for children

Still looking for something to do? Visit our events calendar to see what else is going on around town.  

If you are planning an event, don’t forget to let us know.  Enter it into our calendar.

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Photo Credit: David Chmura