All Weekend

Honey Weekend – the Bronx
Celebrate the sticky sweet stuff at Wave Hill. Kids can taste honey straight from the hive, collect pollen, make their own bee costumes and grab a kazoo to buzz around the grounds. Free with admission: $8 for adults, $2 for children 6 and up, free to all until noon on Saturday.

Coney Island Kite Festival – Coney Island
The beach may officially be closed for the season but Coney Island is still hopping with fun. Today, in addition to Luna Park and Nathan's, you can watch kite flying pros in action or fly one yourself. While there, hit the kid-sized zip line at the New York Aquarium's A-Maze-Ing Water exhibit, which closes on Sunday. Kite fest FREE.

Communications from a Cockroach: Archy and the Under Side – Morningside Heights
Update: The Saturday performance was canceled due to rain. The Sunday performance is still on. Newspaper columnist Don Marquis’ whimsical characters Archy the poem-writing cockroach and Mehitabel, a cat reincarnation of Cleopatra, inspired Mettawee River Theatre Company's latest puppet performance. This one-of-a-kind show will be performed at dusk on the lovely grounds of the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. $12 for adults, $6 for children.

Circus Amok: Moo – Brooklyn
Update: The Saturday performance was canceled due to rain. The Sunday performance is still on. Another offbeat outdoor theatrical offering: This NYC-based alternative circus kicks off a series of free family performances in Red Hook’s Coffey Park on Saturday and Fort Greene Park on Sunday. Expect acrobats, stilt walkers, clowns and other feats, plus a dose of social commentary. The theme of this year's show is the global financial crisis. FREE

20at20 – Manhattan
If you've been meaning to see The Berenstain Bears LIVE!, StinkyKids: The Musical, Pinkalicious or another kid-friendly Off-Broadway show, now's the time to go. Through Sunday, September 23, select productions are selling $20 tickets 20 minutes before showtime. Of course there is some fine print: Tickets are mostly cash only and if the performance sells out in advance, you're out of luck. But we're guessing most family shows won't have that problem. We also want to mention that it's Broadway Week and many shows on the Great White Way are offering two-for-one full-price tickets. Of course that works out to a lot more than 20 bucks, so we say stick with Off Broadway!

Saturday, September 8

Back to School Festival – Queens
Celebrate the back-to-school season at Little Bay Park with bouncy houses, arts and crafts, and other kiddie fun. FREE

Circle Line Kids' Cruise with Moey’s Music Party – Midtown West
Sail to the Statue of Liberty and back on this family cruise, which is jam-packed with kids' entertainment and activities. Enjoy NYC-based mom rocker Moey's peppy tunes, storytime with Books of Wonder and other fun. My family and I went on one of these kids' cruises a few months back and had a blast. $28 for adults, $20 for children ages 3-12.

Brooklyn Bike Jumble – Park Slope
If you're in need of a new tire, pump, kids' seat or bike, this flea is the place to go. Buy new-to-you cycling items or bring your old ride and Recycle-A-Bicycle will appraise and sell it for you. FREE but bring cash to shop.

LIC Block Party – Long Island City
The artsy Queens neighborhood debuts a brand-new fest sponsored by the SculptureCenter and the Purves Street Block Association. Free Style Arts will spearhead a large-scale collaborative sculpture inspired by the rapidly changing area, and other local artists will lead eclectic family activities like Cubist-style face painting, carnival games, balloon twisting and pompom making. There will also be live music and dance performances, as well as an artist market. FREE

Deep Tanks Arts Festival – Staten Island
And here's another cool sounding interactive arts fest, this one hosted by the Deep Tanks photography studio on Staten Island. Families can enjoy live music, dance, performance art and poetry along with collaborative art projects and hands-on workshops like silk painting, birdhouse decorating, clay molding and DIY temporary tattoos. FREE

Living & Working In the Sky – Battery Park City
Kids can learn about some of the world’s tallest buildings at the Skyscraper Museum, and then create their own models. Preregistration required. $5

Saturday Sculpture Workshop: And the Winner Is – Long Island City
Head to the waterfront Socrates Sculpture Park to create trophies, medals and championship rings followed by a rousing game of Tee ball. FREE

Brooke Jackman Foundation Read-a-thon: A Celebration of Literacy and Hope – Battery Park City
This nonprofit organization commemorates September 11 by promoting literacy and endorsing peace at the Winter Garden in the World Financial Center. Special guest readers include Rosie Perez, cast members from Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark and Reading Rainbow creator Dr. Twila Liggett as well as members of the FDNY. There will also be a concert by teen rockers Care Bears on Fire. FREE

See all Saturday events.

Sunday, September 9

West Side County Fair – Upper West Side
It's the tenth annual edition of this super-popular fest, which is the closest thing Manhattan has to a country fair. Hit Riverside Park South for square dancing, carnival games and rides, sideshow performers, a petting zoo, pony rides and more. FREE

Sun to Stars Festival of Asian Dance, Music and Culture – Stuyvesant Cove Park
Originally scheduled for Saturday, this fest was moved to Sunday due to rain. Enjoy outdoor dance and music performances at Solar One's annual fest. There will be a slew of activities aimed at families, including lamp making, an Indian drum workshop, decorating South Asian deities and sari wrapping. FREE

Broadway on Broadway Times Squre
Enjoy live numbers from big Broadway musicals without paying a penny. Kathie Lee Gifford hosts this 20th annual outdoor concert featuring performances by the casts of current and coming shows including Bring It On: The Musical, Chicago, Elf, Newsies, Motown, Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark and Stomp. Arrive as early as possible as this event is always mobbed. FREE

Ferragosto – the Bronx
Head to NYC's other Little Italy in the Belmont section of the Bronx for this fest. Get a taste of old-school Italian culture with Commedia dell’Arte-style street performers, lots of live music (including tunes from Sopranos star Dominic Chianese), and special surprise guests. There will also be kids' activities, shopping and the delicious food Arthur Avenue is famous for. FREE

Pickles, Playgrounds, Candy Shops and More: Family Walking Tour – Lower East Side
Educators from the Museum at Eldridge Street take families on a historic trek through the Lower East Side with stops for candy and pickles. $15 per family.

Clearing in the Forest: Puppets – Upper West Side
Central Park's outdoor family series continues with the fabulous Arm-of-the-Sea puppet theater presenting City that Drinks the Mountain Sky, the story of NYC’s water supply. FREE

Adoptapalooza – Union Square
Is your family in the market for a new four-legged member? Then head to this annual animal adoption fair, where you'll find more than 200 cats, dogs and other pets looking for loving homes. There will also be live entertainment, training and agility demos, advice about pet health care, training and grooming, and more. FREE

LIC Bar Back to Skool Show – Long Island City
Catch a no-cost concert featuring local kiddie rockers Erin Lee and the Up Past Bedtime Band, the Rockdoves, and Andy, Suzanna & Pauline in the bar's back garden. FREE

9/11 Day of Service – Upper West Side
To commemorate September 11, the JCC of Manhattan is hosting myriad volunteer projects, including serving meals at a senior citizens center, cleaning up parks, making back-to-school kits for homeless children and donating blood. All ages are welcome but you must register for projects in advance. FREE

Met Life Second Sundays for Families: Seasons of Tiffany – Flushing
Explore the Queens Museum of Art's exhibit Tiffany: The Glass, which features windows, lampshades and other pieces from the renowned artist, and then create your own work inspired by what you see. Afterward, check out some of the other cool things to do in Flushing Meadows Corona Park. FREE.

See all Sunday events.

Outside of NYC

Airplane-loving kids will dig Cockpit Day at Teterboro, New Jersey's Aviation Museum where they can explore airplanes, helicopters and a firetruck.

More NYC events can be found in our Event Calendar. And you can get our weekend events post in your inbox every week by subscribing to our free newsletters.