All Weekend

Taste of Brooklyn – Crown Heights
The Brooklyn Children's Museum hosts a culinary celebration full of hands-on food activities for families, like ice cream tastings, a vegan candy workshop, healthy cooking demos, and classes about the science behind frozen sweets and the twisted history of pretzels. Free with admission: $7.50.

Macy's Fishing Clinics – Prospect Park
It's your last chance to cast a line in Prospect Park Lake with help from fishing pros. FREE

FringeJr. – Downtown Manhattan
This year's New York International Fringe Festival goes out with a bang with a pair of family-friendly shows: Super Sidekick:The Musical, about a second banana who tries to save the day, and the interactive lit-themed puppet show Blown Away by Poetry. We saw the second one and it's an awesome intro on how to write poetry for young elementary schoolers. In advance: $15 for adults, $10 for children under 12; at the door: $18 for adults, $10 for children under 12.

Saturday, August 25

Arthur Ashe Kids' Day – Flushing
Last year, Hurricane Irene forced the USTA to cancel this annual family favorite, but now it's back and better than ever. Celebrate the start of the US Open with no-cost tennis clinics, games and obstacle courses, face painting and the chance to watch big-name pros practice. All tennis and sports activities are FREE. (As for the big concert at 1pm featuring The Wanted and Carly Rae Jepsen, tickets are sold out.)

Kids Music Fest – Financial District
Downtown baby gear depot J&R Jr. is getting in on the larger J&R Music Fest by hosting a day of free family concerts. Enjoy sets by Bari Koral, Karen K and the Jitterbugs, and Hot Peas 'N Butter along with fun activities sponsored by Moon Soup and the Craft Studio. FREE

The Battle of Brooklyn: The Great Escape – Brooklyn Bridge Park
Get ready for a living history lesson, no classroom required. This historic reenactment includes a crash course in maritime info, camp life and community, and the battle's role in the Revolutionary War. Afterward, explore everything else Brooklyn Bridge Park has to offer, including awesome playgrounds, a pop-up pool and a cool carousel. FREE

Key Wilde & Mr. Clarke – Carroll Gardens
Brooklyn's popular Carroll Park welcomes this quirky kid-rock duo. The guys will play tunes off their albums Rise and Shine and Hey Pepito. FREE

Shorebird Festival – Broad Channel
Head to the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge to celebrate migrating shorebirds with the National Park Service and NYC Audubon. Experts will be on hand to host guided hikes, talks and other avian fun. FREE

Serpent Day – Staten Island
Learn all about snakes at the Staten Island Zoo. Kids can get face time with the scaly serpents, make snake-themed crafts and find out about their important place in our ecosystem. Free with admission: $8 for adults, $5 for children ages 3-14, free for kids under 3.

Willie Mae Rock Camp for Girls Showcase – Williamsburg
The rockin’ young ladies from this hardcore summer music camp take to the Music Hall of Williamsburg stage to show off what they learned. In advance: $6; at the door: $10.

Family Affair: Back to School – the Bronx
Head to the Bronx Museum of the Arts' back-to-school-themed family fest. Kids can explore the galleries and then creative their own art and food projects. Bonus: The first 250 children will snag some free school supplies! FREE but preregistration is recommended.

Bronx Terminal Market Celebrates Back to School in the Bronx – the Bronx
More back-to-school fun in the Bronx: Hit the market's garage roof deck for free haircuts, face painting, arts and crafts with the Bronx Children’s Museum, and live interactive musical performances by FunikiJam. Afterward, you can do all of your back-to-school shopping in the jam-packed mall. FREE

Hudson River Blues BBQ – Midtown West
While this annual fest isn’t aimed at kids, there's plenty for families to enjoy, including the grub, the music, the river views and the water play area at Pier 84. FREE

See all Saturday events.
 

Sunday, August 26

Corona Plaza Community Festival – Corona
Join the Queens Museum of Art and other local organizations as they celebrate the transformation of Corona Plaza into a permanent pedestrian zone and public space. Expect lots of live music, dance and theater performances, and kids' activities like science experiments with the NY Hall of Science, an outdoor reading room hosted by the Queens Library and hands-on art workshops courtesy of QMA. FREE

Kids SummerFest – Inwood
Celebrate the end of the season in Fort Tryon Park's Anne Loftus Playground with tunes by Astrograss, Scraptacular crafts, a performance by the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre, face painting and games. FREE

Brighton Jubilee Festival – Brighton Beach
This massive community fest is back for its 26th year with three stages full of live entertainment like rock bands and arm wrestling contests, blocks of vendors, tasty treats, kiddie rides and an appearance by Brooklyn Cyclones' mascot Sandy the Seagull. FREE

Forest Scavenger Hunt – Staten Island
Search the woods surrounding the Blue Heron Nature Center for eco-treasures with the Urban Park Rangers. FREE

Harlem Meer Performance Festival: Cocomama – Harlem
It's the penultimate show for this summer-long performance series. Today, groove to the global beats of Cocomama by the picturesque lake in northern Central Park. FREE

Clearing in the Forest: Wildlife – Upper West Side
Head to the Peter Jay Sharpe Children’s Glade to get up close and personal with live reptiles from the Theodore Roosevelt Sanctuary & Audubon Center. FREE

Sundae Sermon – Harlem
Dance the afternoon away in Morningside Park. This family gathering includes a live deejay, face painting and a chance to meet your neighbors. FREE

See all Sunday events.

Outside NYC

The Dutchess County Fair in Rhinebeck, New York promises loads of family fun like agricultural and horticultural displays, farm animals, decadent treats, live entertainment, vendors and a carnival midway with a slew of rides.

There are also a couple of other fantastic annual fests going on in upstate New York this weekend like the Great New York State Fair in Syracuse and the New York Renaissance Faire in Sterling Forest.

Catch the all-dad kids' band Starfish in a free outdoor concert at Boyd Park in New Brunswick, New Jersey.

Don't forget: There's more fun to be found in our Event Calendar.