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MLK Weekend 2024 in New York City: Best Things To Do with Kids

Pay homage to the life and legacy of Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. with a celebration at the Brooklyn Children's Museum. Photo by Winston Williams
Pay homage to the life and legacy of Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. with a celebration at the Brooklyn Children's Museum. Photo by Winston Williams
1/10/24 - By Drew Kristofik

Looking for the best things to do in New York City this weekend? Here are some family-friendly events and activities to add to your list for this long MLK weekend.

The Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend in New York City offers plenty of opportunities to honor the man and his mission. Kids can check out the FREE BAM-hosted tribute to the Civil Rights leader, head to the Brooklyn Children's Museum for puppet performances and a volunteer project, salute the Freedom Quilters of Gee's Bend, and create a community mural at CMOM. Plus, you can hit the bumper cars on ice in Bryant Park!

More Things To Do in New York City this Week with Kids

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Bumper Cars on Ice return to Bryant Park's Winter Village. Photo by Angelito Jusay/courtesy of Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park
Bumper Cars on Ice return to Bryant Park's Winter Village. Photo by Angelito Jusay/courtesy of Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park

Top Things To Do MLK Weekend in NYC

Bryant Park Bumper Cars on Ice Opening Weekend

Midtown West
Opens Friday, January 12
Bryant Park's bumper cars slide, spin, and bump...on the ice! Book a 10-minute whirl online in advance. A new batch of tickets is released daily for dates two weeks in advance. READ MORE

Thunderbird American Indian Dance Concert

Lower East Side
Opens Friday, January 12
The 2024 Thunderbird American Indian Dance Concert features dances, stories, and traditional music from native peoples of the Northeast, Southwest, and Great Plains regions. READ MORE

Family Fridays: Hyperbolic Play

Nomad – FREE
Friday, January 12
MoMath invites visitors to explore the world of hyperbolic geometry with shadows, clay cubes, soap films, and more—you can even build and take home your own negatively-curved sculpture, and learn how to play tic-tac-toe on it! READ MORE

Musical Explorers Family Concert at Carnegie Hall

Midtown West
Saturday, January 13
New York City-based artists with magnetic personalities lead this vibrant, highly interactive concert for children at Carnegie Hall. Discover music from around the world that is found right here in the city, including Georgian folk music with singer and guitarist Ilusha Tsinadze; son jarocho (Mexico’s “Veracruz sound”) with the Villalobos Brothers (Ernesto, Alberto, and Luis); and Zimbabwean music with singer and composer Tanyaradzwa Tawengwa. . READ MORE

Mad Science: Science of Sounds

Snug Harbor, Staten Island
Saturday, January 13
Want to hear some good vibrations? Grab your goggles and join the Staten Island Children's Museum and guest scientists from Mad Science to explore how sound is made and how we hear it. Make a dinosaur roar with simple materials and explore the science of speakers by creating a funky disco show with magnets and your skull. READ MORE

Winter Hocus Pocus & Play at City Point

Downtown Brooklyn
Saturday, January 13
Brooklyn Bridge Parents host igloo and snowmen crafts, an epic Lego table, and an exciting winter magic show featuring the European magician Nico and his bag of unbelievable tricks.    READ MORE

Create Your Own Folk and Fairytale Characters

Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn – FREE
Saturday, January 13
Head to the Sheepshead Bay Library for a creative program where kids learn how to design and construct their own folk and fairytale characters.   READ MORE

Make Your Own Lantern at Morris-Jumel Mansion

Washington Heights – FREE
Saturday, January 13
Tin punch lanterns were popular in colonial times, providing both function and artistry, and now you can create your own unique design using aluminum foil! As the days grow shorter, let your creativity illuminate the season. READ MORE

El Otro Oz

Chelsea
Opens Saturday, January 13
Click your heels together tres veces and take a transformative journey via a salsa, merengue, and Mexican folk-infused musical inspired by The Wizard of Oz. READ MORE

Family Art Project: Freedom Quilters of Gee's Bend

Riverdale, the Bronx
Saturday & Sunday, January 13 & 14
In 1966, Martin Luther King Jr. visited the Gee’s Bend community in rural Alabama and the Freedom Quilting Bee was established. Create your own brilliant compositions using bountiful squares of fabric scraps to honor King’s birthday and the inspiring women quilters of Gee’s Bend. READ MORE

Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend Celebration

Upper West Side
Saturday-Monday, January 13-15
Celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend by delving into his concept of the “Beloved Community,” a worldwide vision rooted in justice, inclusiveness, equal opportunity, and compassion for others. READ MORE

Ice Age Hike in Cunningham Park

Holliswood, Queens – FREE
Sunday, January 14
Take a trip back in time with the Urban Park Rangers and hike through Cunningham Park discussing the lay of the land in prehistoric times. Rangers describe the Pleistocene megafauna of New York. READ MORE

Martin Luther King Jr. Family Day

Astoria, Queens
Sunday, January 14
Celebrate the birthday of Civil Rights activist Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Museum of the Moving Image with a talk, tours, media-making activities, and more. READ MORE

Dream Collage Books

Upper East Side
Sunday, January 14
The Jewish Museum invites visitors to use collage to create a dream book that incorporates the words of Martin Luther King Jr. with images that inspire peace and beauty. Gather cutouts from magazines and colorful papers along with your own drawings to design a unique book that shares a hopeful message, honoring Dr. King’s legacy. READ MORE

Celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Crown Heights, Brooklyn
Sunday & Monday, January 14 & 15
Celebrate the life and legacy of Civil Rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with interactive performances, protest marches, community art programs, and volunteer projects at the Brooklyn Children's Museum.   READ MORE

Annual Brooklyn Tribute to Martin Luther King Jr.

Boerum Hill, Brooklyn – FREE
Monday, January 1 5
BAM hosts its free annual Brooklyn tribute to Martin Luther King Jr., and everyone is invited. The celebration brings together artists and civic leaders to commemorate the life and legacy of Dr. King.  READ MORE

36th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative March

Upper West Side – FREE
Monday, January 15
Manhattan Country School eighth graders honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by taking to the streets of Manhattan to speak out about what they consider to be the most pressing civil rights issues of their time. READ MORE

Martin Luther King Jr. Day at the Jackie Robinson Museum

Soho
Monday, January 15
Honor the legacy of Dr. King and the fight for Civil Rights at the Jackie Robinson Museum, where you can learn about Jackie Robinson and Dr. King’s close friendship and their collaboration during landmark campaigns of the Civil Rights Movement.  READ MORE

Martin Luther King Jr. Day in Prospect Park

Prospect Park, Brooklyn
Monday, January 15
Commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with nature education programs at the Prospect Park Audubon Center, the first urban Audubon Center in the nation. READ MORE

BAMkids Celebrates MLK Day: Small Things In Great Ways

Boerum Hill, Brooklyn – FREE
Monday, January 15
BAM's family-friendly program, co-curated with the BAMkids Parent Advisory Circle, immerses young people in art forms that express the importance of acts of service both large and small. Carry on Dr. King’s legacy through collaborative banner-making, coloring, spoken word, and song. READ MORE

Trolls x CAMP

Flatiron
Through Saturday, April 27
Step into the joyful, rainbow-colored world of Trolls for a one-of-a-kind musical adventure at Trolls x CAMP. Play and explore in Bergen Town, Vacay Island, and Pop Village —all your favorite locations from the Trolls movies brought to life! It all culminates with a wild, interactive car chase and a live Trollpop concert . READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

Bank of America Winter Village at Bryant Park