North Pole - various times
North Pole - various times
North Pole - various times
North Pole - various times
North Pole - various times
North Pole - various times
Free and Fun Things to Do this Weekend for NYC Kids: New Museum Block Party, Kite Festival, Queens Family Day July 23-24
The sweltering heat is supposed to stick around through the weekend, so keeping comfortable will be your first priority. You can cool down at New York City beaches, pools, water playgrounds and nearby water parks, but even they may be too hot (and crowded) to handle. Sounds like it's the perfect time to hit an air-conditioned haven like a museum. You can explore Jim Henson’s Fantastic World at the Museum of the Moving Image and then catch a screening of The Muppet Movie. Or check out other kid-friendly exhibits like the Natural History Museum's World’s Largest Dinosaurs, Curious George: Let’s Get Curious! at the Children's Museum of Manhattan and the New York Hall of Science's Circus! Science Under The Big Top.
If you can weather the, errr, weather, there are a bunch of fantastic outdoor events this weekend, like the artsy New Museum Block Party, SummerStage’s Queens Family Day featuring Shine & the Moonbeams, Governors Island's Kite Festival and a birthday party for the baby baboons at the Prospect Park Zoo.
One word of caution in case you were thinking about taking a boat ride on the Hudson River: Due to the North River Wastewater Treatment Plant being taken offline because of a fire on Wednesday, untreated wastewater is being dumped into the river. Therefore, many Hudson River events have been canceled, including all Downtown Boathouse activities. Also, as of this writing, Riverbank State Park is closed, and the Harlem River and East River are also affected. If you're planning on doing anything on the rivers this weekend, check the activity's official website before you go!
Our best bets for the weekend are below. You can find additional seasonal fun in our Summer Fun Guide and our Event Calendar. Have a great weekend and stay cool!
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All Weekend
Maker Days – Flushing
Get a preview of the science-minded fun to be had at New York Hall of Science's awesome World Maker Faire (coming September 17-18) by letting the kids play with Zoob, design with Capsela, repurpose items with RePlayGround and learn about electricity with Collab. Afterward, check out Circus! Science Under The Big Top. FREE with museum admission: $11 for adults, $8 for children ages 2-17, free for kids under 2.
Baby Baboon Birthday – Prospect Park
The Prospect Park Zoo's baboons Jabari and Azizi are celebrating their first birthday! Watch the zookeepers ply them with baked treats for a cute (and messy we imagine) cupcake grab, and then make a card for the little guys. FREE with zoo admission: $8 for adults, $5 for children ages 3-12, free for kids under 3.
Mini-Tempest – Upper West Side
Introduce the brood to the Bard at this kid-friendly version of The Tempest mounted by Drama Tunes in the lush West Side Community Garden. FREE
The Muppet Movie and Shadow Puppet Family Workshop – Astoria
In conjunction with the Museum of the Moving Image's Jim Henson’s Fantastic World exhibit, you can catch screenings of The Muppet Movie or learn how to craft a paper puppet. Movie is FREE with museum admission: $10 for adults, $5 for kids. The puppet workshop is an additional $5.
Saturday, July 23
New Museum Block Party – Lower East Side
The avant-garde arts institution throws its annual outdoor party in Sara D. Roosevelt Park. Enjoy live folk opera, klezmer, beat box and poetry performances, join in collaborative art projects, transform old items into new art or take a tour of the nearby museum. There are also activities just for kids, like a Bowery scavenger hunt and face painting. FREE
Let’s Go Fly A Kite – Governors Island
The isle's huge grassy lawns are perfect for kite flying. This weekend, the Governors Island Alliance will be handing out free flyers (while supplies last) for visitors to launch high into the sky. FREE
Family Campfire – Staten Island
True, it may be a little hot for a beach campfire, but you can always cool off in the water! The National Park Rangers host this old-fashioned gathering at a decommissioned Staten Island Army Air Corp Base. FREE
Word for Word Kids: Bad Kitty – Midtown West
Meet Nick Bruel, creator of the Bad Kitty illustrated book series at this outdoor storytime and book signing. Word is there'll be an appearance by the cranky cat herself. FREE
See all Saturday events.
Sunday, July 24
Queens Family Day – Long Island City
The last of SummerStage's Family Days promises to be hot (in more ways than one). Enjoy performances by singer-songwriter Robbi K, rootsy Matt Brown, the sibling string trio JoSunJari, interactive storytelling by David Gonzalez and Daniel Carlton, Bessie's Big Shot by PuppetMobile, and the up-and-coming kid rock sensation Shine & the Moonbeams. FREE
Showboat Shazzam – Dumbo
Climb aboard the restored Lehigh Valley Barge, which is docked at Brooklyn Bridge Park for Tug & Barge Week, to see this floating variety show featuring clowns, aerial artists, jugglers and more. $10
See all Sunday events.
Outside NYC
Thrill-seekers can feel the wind in their hair at one of these awesome roller coasters in and around New Jersey. Or head to the iconic shore to beat the heat.
Long Islanders can pack a picnic and head to a free alfresco concert. This weekend, Morgan Memorial Park in Glen Cove hosts Flamenco music and dancing while Stony Brook Village Green has swing and big-band tunes.
Break a sweat in Connecticut at the new indoor climbing spot Carabiner's or hit one of these family-friendly indoor spots to bask in AC.
Don't forget: There's more fun to be found in the Mommy Poppins Event Calendar.
Planning an event? Submit it to our calendar here.
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