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Best Family-Friendly Street Fairs and Summer Festivals in NYC this July

Ballet Folklórico Mexicano de Nueva York leads a celebration of Mexican culture in Socrates Sculpture Park during Guelaguetza. Photo by Bob Krasner
Ballet Folklórico Mexicano de Nueva York leads a celebration of Mexican culture in Socrates Sculpture Park during Guelaguetza. Photo by Bob Krasner
6/28/24 - By Drew Kristofik

We're entering peak season for the family-friendly festivals that pop up all over NYC all summer long. Our list of fun summer festivals for kids this July includes annual favorites like City of Water Day and the blocks-long Bastille Day, plus little-kid picks like Sprinkler Day at Asphalt Green, a brand-new Slide City Waterpark in Forest Park. The fun all kicks off with the Mommy Poppins Seaport Kids Beach Fest—complete with a pop-up sandy beach!

As always, if an event piques your interest, click through to our listing for all the details, including addresses and times, and any reservation requirements.

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Head to Asphalt Green's Upper East Side campus for an afternoon of wet and wild fun on Sprinkler Day. Photo courtesy of Asphalt Green
Head to Asphalt Green's Upper East Side campus for an afternoon of wet and wild fun on Sprinkler Day. Photo courtesy of Asphalt Green

Best Summer Festivals and Street Fairs in July

Richmond Town Independence Day Celebration

Richmond, Staten Island
Thursday, July 4, 2024
Celebrate our nation’s independence with old-fashioned family fun! Visit Historic Richmond Town for home-churned ice cream, a patriotic pinwheel parade, and an inspirational reading of the Declaration of Independence. READ MORE

Empire Outlets 4th of July Fireworks & Block Party

St. George, Staten Island – FREE
Thursday, July 4, 2024
Empire Outlets hosts a celebratory block party with face painting, balloon animals, popcorn, cotton candy, live music, and more. A fireworks show caps off the fun around 9pm. READ MORE

Travis Parade

Travis, Staten Island – FREE
Thursday, July 4, 2024
Travis hosts one of the oldest consecutive Independence Day celebrations in the United States. The festivities start at noon with a ceremony at Independence Park. READ MORE

Seaport Kids Music Fest & Beach Fest Weekend

South Street Seaport – FREE
Thursday, July 4-Sunday, July 7, 2024
Seaport Beach Fest transforms the neighborhood into a four-day coastal oasis with live music performances, pop-up bars and food trucks, and a giant sandbox. The highlight for families is Saturday, July 6, when Mommy Poppins and Brooklyn Bridge Parents program the Seaport Kids x Music Fest with free music, activities, and fun for the whole family.  READ MORE

Annual Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Williamsburg

Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Wednesday, July 10-Sunday, July 21, 2024
The Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel and San Paolino di Nola is one of the oldest Italian American feasts in America. Celebrate with the congregation of OLMC church during this blocks-long carnival. The celebration dates back to 1903, when the Nolani immigrants first held their transplanted feast, maintaining many of the traditions from the Mezzogiorno. READ MORE

West Side Fest

Chelsea – FREE
Friday, July 12-Sunday, July 14, 2024
Go west, young families, for a weekend celebration of all the west side offers. Participating organizations, including the Atlantic Theater Company, the Whitney, The High Line, and The Joyce provide fun activities for all ages. READ MORE

City of Water Day at the Seaport

South Street Seaport – FREE
Saturday, July 13, 2024
City of Water Day celebrates NYC's long history as a port and water-bound metropolis. Festivities include boat tours on all kinds of vessels, from tall ships to tugboats, plus free rowing, kayaking, paddleboarding, and more. READ MORE

The Big Busk in Brooklyn Bridge Park

Dumbo, Brooklyn – FREE
Saturday, July 13, 2024
Citizen Cope leads an open busk performance, inviting members of the public to join. Musicians of all ages and abilities are invited to participate by helping select the songs to be performed and participating in a massive sing- and play-along! READ MORE

NYC Math Festival in Fosun Plaza

Financial District – FREE
Saturday, July 13, 2024
MoMath presents the annual NYC Math Festival, providing a full day of math fun in the sun for all ages. Enjoy hands-on math exhibits, entertaining mathematical games, and intriguing puzzles and brainteasers.  READ MORE

New York City Poetry Festival on Governors Island

Governors Island – FREE
Saturday, July 13-Sunday, July 14, 2024
The New York City Poetry Festival unites the vast and diverse New York City poetry community on Governors Island. The festival invites poetry organizations and collectives of all shapes and sizes to bring their unique formats, aesthetics, and personalities to the festival grounds. READ MORE

Bastille Day on Madison Avenue

Upper East Side – FREE
Sunday, July 14, 2024
Celebrate France’s national holiday at this annual street fair on Madison Avenue! Featuring French cuisine, music, dance, and myriad attractions for the whole family, FIAF's fête populaire invites New Yorkers to revel in the flavors, sounds, and joie de vivre of France. READ MORE

Waterfront Festival on Randall's Island

Randall's Island – FREE
Saturday, July 20, 2024
Celebrate the vibrant waterfront on the shores of Randall’s Island with music, arts and crafts, a live performance by Arm of the Sea Theater, and interactive bubble play. READ MORE

One Crown Heights Neighborhood Festival

Crown Heights, Brooklyn– FREE
Sunday, July 21, 2024
Celebrate diversity and unity in the community through local eats, live music, dance, double dutch, and performances at the ninth annual One Crown Heights fest.   READ MORE

Thunderbird American Indian Mid-Summer Powwow at Queens County Farm Museum

Floral Park, Queens
Friday, July 26-Sunday, July 28, 2024
New York City's oldest and largest powwow features three days of intertribal Native American dance competitions, and the public is invited. More than 40 Indian nations are represented at this spectacular event held in the apple orchard on the farm grounds. READ MORE

Sprinkler Day at Asphalt Green

Upper East Side – FREE
Saturday, July 27, 2024
Don’t let the soaring summer temperatures discourage you from enjoying the outdoors. Cool off by splashing around in Asphalt Green’s high-powered sprinklers and slip and slides. READ MORE

STooPS Art Crawl in Bed-Stuy

Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn – FREE
Saturday, July 27, 2024
STooPS Bed-Stuy, an annual celebration of creativity in Brooklyn, returns to Bedford-Stuyvesant for an afternoon of dance, music, spoken word, theater, visual art, conversations, and workshops as artists transform the stoops, storefronts, yards, and sidewalks of Hancock Street into dynamic stages for interactive art performances. READ MORE

Ballet Folklórico Mexicano De Nueva York’s Guelaguetza in Socrates Sculpture Garden

Long Island City, Queens – FREE
Sunday, July 28, 2024
Ballet Folklórico Mexicano de Nueva York (BFMNY)’s Annual Guelaguetza Festival is  dedicated to preserving the culture and traditions of Mexico. Representatives of the eight regions of Oaxaca gather together wearing traditional costumes to dance, sing, and give gifts to the crowd. Each region offers a unique contribution to the festivities — including the much-loved Dance of the Pineapple! READ MORE

Public Theater Block Party at Astor Place

Astor Place – FREE
Sunday, July 28, 2024
The Public hosts a block party that includes a performance by headliner Olivia K & The Parkers. The afternoon also features past and present Public Theater productions, from Hair to Hamilton, with additional performances and participating cast members to be announced on Tuesday, July 9. READ MORE

BAAND Together Dance Fest at Lincoln Center

Upper West Side – FREE
Tuesday, July 30-Saturday, August 3, 2024
See five of NYC’s most iconic dance companies—Ballet Hispánico, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, New York City Ballet, and Dance Theatre of Harlem—together on one stage as the BAAND Together Dance Festival returns to Damrosch Park for five midsummer nights. READ MORE

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