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Indigenous Peoples Day Weekend in NYC: Harvest Fests, Halloween, and More Things To Do

Carl Schurz Park's annual Harvest Fest packs a punch with plenty of festive fall activities for the whole family. Photo courtesy of the event
Carl Schurz Park's annual Harvest Fest packs a punch with plenty of festive fall activities for the whole family. Photo courtesy of the event
10/11/24 - By Drew Kristofik

It's Indigenous Peoples Day weekend in NYC, and we've found tons of things to do with kids. Here are our top picks for family-friendly events and activities to add to your list for this long holiday weekend.

Indigenous Peoples Day falls on Monday, October 14, and families can make corn husk dolls at Wave Hill or head to Randall's Island to celebrate native New Yorkers on Sunday and Monday. The Brooklyn Children's Museum stages a two-day celebration, too. Columbus Day celebrations linger, including the nearly century-old parade on Fifth Avenue. And, if you're ready to flip the page on fall, take note: Rockfeller Center's ice skating rink opens for the season Saturday!

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

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Best Things To Do in NYC this Weekend with Kids

Movies Under the Stars: Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire in Inwood Hill Park

Inwood – FREE
Friday, October 11
The Spengler family returns to where it all started—the iconic New York City firehouse—to team up with the original Ghostbusters, who’ve developed a top-secret research lab to take busting ghosts to the next level. . READ MORE

Festa D'Italia & Motori D’Italia at Casa Belvedere

Tompkinsville, Staten Island
Friday, October 11-Monday, October 14
Celebrate Italian culture at Staten Island's Casa Belvedere with live entertainment, homemade Italian delicacies, games, rides, crafts, all-you-can-eat contests, and a display of exotic cars and motorcycles. READ MORE

Festival of Firsts: Farah Siraj at Lincoln Center

Midtown West – FREE
Saturday, October 12
Farah Siraj and her band perform selections from her soon-to-be-released EP for the first time, fusing Middle Eastern music, flamenco, jazz, bossa, and pop. Siraj’s songs are sung in Arabic, English, and Spanish. READ MORE

Halloween Origami and Letterpress Printing at Bowne & Co.

South Street Seaport – FREE
Saturday, October 12
Bowne & Co. hosts a free hands-on experience in crafting origami bats and other spooky folded-paper creatures, along with Halloween-themed paper chains. For an extra thrill, skilled Bowne designers are on hand to guide you through crafting your own letterpress-printed broadside posters using a 19th-century printing press from the Seaport Museum’s working collection. READ MORE

Pumpkin Carving Face-off at the New York Botanical Garden

Bronx Park, the Bronx
Saturday, October 12
Three master pumpkin carvers go head-to-head to create imaginative designs from Wonderland: Curious Nature. From the faces of the Cheshire Cat to silhouettes of the Mad Hatter, who knows what designs will emerge? READ MORE

Harvest Time at Bay 84th Street Community Garden

Far Rockaway, Queens – FREE
Saturday, October 12
Bay 84th Street Community Garden invites kids to take home a “starter” plant with seeds of their choice for the winter. Kids can nourish it and watch it grow. When the garden opens in April 2025, they are encouraged to bring their plants to the garden and let it thrive in the designated children's planting bed. READ MORE

Día de los Muertos Community Day at the Morris Jumel Mansion

Washington Heights – FREE
Saturday, October 12
Celebrate the Latin American tradition of Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, by making sugar skull masks, crafting paper marigolds, and creating colorful papel picado. Enjoy music, sweet surprises, and the chance to connect with fellow community members. READ MORE

Greg's Halloween Paw-Rade

Greenwood, Brooklyn – FREE
Saturday, October 12
Greg’s Pumpkin Patch hosts a Halloween parade for dogs, with prizes including best in show, best group costume, best homemade, and more. Register online in advance. READ MORE

Empire Outlets Fall Kick-Off Carnival

St. George, Staten Island
Saturday, October 12
Celebrate the fall season and back to school with a free party at Empire Outlets. Kids can play on two bouncy houses, and enjoy carnival games, an obstacle course, DJ-spun tunes, and more. READ MORE

La MaMa Kids: Mexican Mask Making Workshop

Lower East Side
Saturday, October 12
Kids learn how to make a traditional alebrije mask, influenced by pre-hispanic cultures. In the Zapotec tradition, fathers assigned an animal protector to every newborn, known as Tona. In the Nahua culture, Tonas are spirited animals that eventually become nahuales (a human with the ability to transform into their Tona-Animal). READ MORE

Rockefeller Center Skating Rink Opening Week

Midtown West
Opens Saturday, October 12
The world's most famous ice rink opens for the season. Grab your ice skates and your reservations, so you can take a spin on this iconic ice skating rink.  READ MORE

Sleepy Hollow's Harvest at Hero

Midtown West
Opens Saturday, October 12
Embark on a wondrous fall journey through bucolic, misty forests of the Hudson Valley at the immersive Hero installation in Rockefeller Center. Immerse yourself in the spirit of the season as Washington Irving, Sleepy Hollow author, guides you through a land of twilight tales and folklore. READ MORE

Corn Husk Dolls at Wave Hill

Riverdale, the Bronx
Saturday, October 12-Sunday, October 13
Celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day by exploring corn's role in indigenous cultures and learning about its versatility as a food and art material. Tie, weave and shape dried husks to make your own figurine. READ MORE

Harvest Festival at Onderdonk house

Ridgewood, Queens
Sunday, October 13
Celebrate autumn at the historic Onderdonk House with crafts, games, and more. Kids enter for free with a ticketed adult. Enjoy arts and crafts, games, and more.  READ MORE

Carl Schurz Park's Annual Harvest Festival

Upper East Side – FREE
Sunday, October 13
Carl Schurz Park's annual harvest fest packs a punch with plenty of festive fall activities for the whole family. Visit the pumpkin patch on the Mayor's Lawn at East End Avenue and East 88th Street to pick your own pumpkin and decorate it. ​ READ MORE

Día de los Muertos at The Met Cloisters

Inwood
Sunday, October 13
Celebrate Día de los Muertos, a day of remembrance honoring loved ones who have passed away, with art making, storytime, music, and community storytelling, throughout the grounds and gardens of the beautiful Met Cloisters. READ MORE

Dancing in the Street with Ailey at the Whitney

Greenwich Village
Sunday, October 13
Immerse yourself in West African music and culture through live drumming at a free outdoor dance class to celebrate Edges of Ailey, led by a member of the Ailey School faculty and Ailey Extension instructor, Maguette Camara.   READ MORE

Fall Fest at the Atlantic Terminal Mall

Boerum Hill, Brooklyn – FREE
Sunday, October 13
Brooklyn Bridge Parents hosts a family festival with arts and crafts, pumpkin painting, block building, music, and more! Kids are encouraged to come in costume. READ MORE

Indigenous Peoples Day on Randall's Island

Randall's Island – FREE
Sunday, October 13-Monday, October 14
Head to Randall's Island for a celebration of NYC's indigenous people. This two-day fest includes performances of spoken word, live music, and guest speakers. Food and wares are available for purchase. READ MORE

Honoring Indigenous Peoples Day at the Brooklyn Children's Museum

Crown Heights, Brooklyn
Sunday, October 13-Monday, October 14
The Brooklyn Children's Museum rooftop is the stage to honor Indigenous Peoples Day with storytelling, dance, and cooking, pottery, and basketry workshops, in partnership with the North American Indigenous Center of New York. READ MORE

Indigenous Peoples Day in Prospect Park

Prospect Park, Brooklyn – FREE
Monday, October 14
Join the Prospect Park Alliance when school is closed for Indigenous Peoples Day. Enjoy free nature education activities, animal encounters, bird walks, and more at the Prospect Park Audubon Center, and take a ride on the beloved Prospect Park Carousel. READ MORE

Columbus Day Parade

Midtown East – FREE
Monday, October 14
The 80th Columbus Day Parade processes up Fifth Avenue from 44th Street to 72nd Street—with red carpet performances on Fifth Avenue between 67th and 69th Streets—including high school bands, professional musicians, folk dance troupes, floats, and more.  READ MORE

Indigenous Peoples Day at the Seaport Museum

South Street Seaport
Monday, October 14
Visit the 1885 tall ship Wavertree, where you can discover the traditions of the area’s indigenous people and play the same games that were enjoyed here long before the city we know today. READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

Bay 84th Street Community Garden
Greg's Pumpkin Patch in Greenwood Park
Rockefeller Center - Rink Level
The Whitney Museum of American Art