
One of the themes of this site is the wonderful riches of NYC for kids. We're not talking about investment bankers or bugaboo strollers. We're talking about the wealth of cultural institutions, the hidden gems, and the overall abundance of amazing opportunities for children in New York. Especially when these things can all be had for free.
Lincoln Center's summer programming is a perfect example of the richness of New York City's offering for children. Through Lincoln Center's many festivals and outdoor programming, children can experience an incredible range of high quality performances, all for free, from the world's leading performing arts center.
Here are some highlights:
Midsummer Night Swing is an outdoor dance party where anyone can dance the night away to live music. This Saturday morning children can learn the basics of ballroom, tango, merengue, and swing dancing at Midsummer Night Swing's Kids Day ( a second kids day will be held on July 14th).
This summer,
Lincoln Center Out of Doors celebrates the spirit of the Sixties with over 100 free performances taking place on the plazas of Lincoln Center. There will be dance-ins, poetry, puppets, music, magical juggling, Chinese Theater, African Ballet, Hawaiian Dance and more. Many of the performances are geared for children.
The festival opens with
Arlo Guthrie and Roy Brown on August 2 followed by too many great events to list. Here are some stand-outs, but definitely
check out the entire list of events:
Enjoy a day of family fun at the
Lincoln Center PlayDay Dance In. Kids will learn the Apache line dance and the hustle, recycle everyday objects into musical instruments with Bash the Trash, and check out retro styles at the Hippie Flash Sideshow Fashion event.
Mark Nizer Combines comedy, movement, music and technology, juggling genius as he amazes his audiences juggling just about everything including the kitchen sink.
The
Bread and Puppet Theater has been enacting its radical Utopian vision in larger than life puppets for over 40 years. You don't have to agree with or even understand the politics behind the performance to be amazed by the pageantry.
Anna Fader
Founder of Mommy Poppins
A fourth-generation Brooklynite, Anna started Mommy Poppins in 2007 to help families find the best things to do with kids in NYC, with a particular emphasis on sharing activities that are free, affordable, and enriching. The site, used by millions of families, has grown to become the ultimate resource for parents in the major US cities, plus travel guides for 100s of destinations.
Anna is a believer in the magic of summer camps, traveling with kids, and that you can raise kids on a budget and still have a rich life full of amazing memories. Anna's first Mommy Poppins book, The Young Traveler's Journal and Activity Book, published in 2025 and co-written with her daughter, Amelia Eigerman, brings that ethos to life, in addition to this website.
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