All Weekend

Kids Food Festival – Midtown West
The Pond at Bryant Park hosts NYC's first-ever Kids Food Festival, which aims to teach families about healthy eating. Try free samples or buy snacks from the 30 kiosks situated around the ice rink, or warm up with free hot cocoa from Organic Valley. Kids can also try to score a free goody bag by participating in a food scavenger hunt. Of course, the main attractions here are the celebrity chef demos, children's cooking classes and live kids' bands like Joanie Leeds and Kimmy Schwimmy. Admission to the fest is free, but most activities cost $25 per child.

Little Miss Muffet’s Monster-Sitting Service – Upper West Side
Central Park's charming Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre debuts its brand-new production this weekend. A clever twist on the old nursery rhyme, this puppet show follows the adventures of Miss Muffet's great–great–great–great granddaughter and Al the spider as they join forces to open a baby-sitting business. $8 for adults, $5 for children under 12. Read about other currently playing puppet shows.

Hibernators’ Pajama Pop-In – the Bronx
Wave Hill celebrates winter at this weekend-long festival. Families are encouraged to come in their PJs (and coats, of course) to make animal masks, listen to stories about hibernating creatures, and play winter games like a Jack Frost treasure hunt. FREE

Pre-Lunar New Year Gala and Flower Market – Flushing
Families can ring in the Year of the Dragon a little early at the Queens Botanical Garden. Watch a dragon dance, sit in on kung fu, feng shui and cooking demos, and browse the lovely flower market. FREE

Lunar New Year Celebration – Corona
In honor of the Year of the Dragon, families can meet a live bearded dragon and other reptiles at the Queens Zoo. Afterward, enjoy New Year’s-themed crafts, zookeeper demos, and free hot cocoa and tea. Bonus: The first 100 kids to visit snag a free holiday treat. Free with admission: $8 for adults, $5 for children ages 3-12, free for kids under 2.

Your Attention Ladies and Gentlemen – Brooklyn Heights
The New York Transit Museum invites families to learn about the history of the subway PA system. Afterward, head to the museum's technology lab to create your own (hopefully audible) subway announcements. Free with admission: $7 for adults, $5 for children ages 2-17, free for kids under 2.

20at20 and Broadway Week – Manhattan
If you've been meaning to take your kids to see Freckleface Strawberry, Traces, The Berenstain Bears or another family-friendly Off Broadway show, now's the time to go. Through Monday, February 6, select productions are selling $20 tickets 20 minutes before each performance. There is some fine print: Tickets are cash only and if the performance sells out in advance, you're out of luck. But we're guessing most family shows won't have that problem. $20. In addition, it's Broadway Week through Saturday, February 4, which means you can purchase two-for-one tickets to participating shows.

Brooklyn Inventgenuity Festival – Cobble Hill
We wrote a dedicated post about this cool creative event last year, and now its back for its third annual edition. Beam Summer Camp sponsors two jam-packed days of hands-on projects for children ages 7 and up at the Invisible Dog Art Center. This year's activities include the communal “Dis/Assembly Line,” an evolving decomposition and aesthetic reprocessing of an entire room of everyday objects, plus puppetry, food, electronics, crafts and other workshops. FREE but preregistration required. It always fills up!

The Spellbound Theatre’s Wink – Park Slope
The classic tale of Wynken, Blynken and Nod comes to life via shadow puppets, physical theater and projections at the Old Stone House. Reservations recommended. $10 for adults, $7 for children under 12.

Camp Fairs – Manhattan
It's never too early to plan for summer! New York Family magazine is holding a pair of camp fairs this weekend where you can meet representatives from more than 60 programs. Saturday's is on the Upper East Side, Sunday's is on the Upper West Side. FREE

New York City Department of Parks & Recreation's Swim Program Lottery – Citywide
The Parks Department is holding an online lottery for free winter swimming lessons for kids and adults from Friday, January 20 at noon through Wednesday, January 25 at midnight, and we've got the scoop on how to apply. Raven enrolled her daughter in an after-school swim class last semester and she was really happy with the instruction, though she cautions that there's no coddling. Kids literally have to sink or swim. Also, she notes that lessons were sometimes canceled without notice, and since they were free there were no makeups. Still, it's a bargain for the price! FREE

Saturday, January 21

Bindlestiff Family Cirkus with the Cavalcade of Youth All-Stars – Upper West Side
One of our favorite local circus troupes presents an all-ages show at the Calhoun School. Marvel at vaudeville, wild west, sideshow and other offbeat acts, from clowning to juggling to aerial arts performed by adults and kids. $10 for adults, $5 for children under 12.

Scandinavian Sing-along – Murray Hill
Kids can sing and dance to English versions of classic Scandinavian children's songs with Danish musicians Anne Mette Iversen and Vibe Normann. Afterward, visit the recently remodeled Heimbold Family Children’s Learning Center. $7 for the sing-along, $8 per child for the center.

Winter Carnival – Battery Park City
Let the kids blow off steam at P.S./I.S. 276’s annual indoor fest, featuring a bouncy house, photo booth, carnival games, mini-golf, karaoke sing-alongs, a dessert bar, manicures, face painting, arts and crafts, and an international food court. $3 plus additional fees for certain activities.

Drip Drop: A Water Workshop – Morningside Heights
The Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine hosts a family workshop in conjunction with its The Value of Water exhibit. Kids can explore the interaction between people, water and the environment through stories and art, and also learn about the water cycle. Participants will use what they learn as inspiration for their own water-themed art project. $8 per child-adult pair.

Family Art Workshop: Wood Block Printing – Chelsea
The Rubin Museum of Art invites kids use its collection of wooden blacks to print Himalayan prayer flags inspired by the ones on display. Be sure to bring a piece of fabric or old T-shirt from home to work with. $10

Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem – Upper West Side
This Connecticut mom (who was raised in NYC) and her rootsy Americana string band play tunes from their award winning family album Ranky Tanky at Symphony Space. $20 for adults, $13 for children.

Whitney Wees Workshops – Upper East Side
Tots get the opportunity to explore faces throughout the Whitney’s galleries, and then create their own art with museum educators. Unfortunately, the Family Fun Workshops for older kids is currently full. Advance registration is a must. $10 per family.

Family Day: Korean New Year – Midtown East
Celebrate the Lunar New Year Korean-style with games and activities for all ages. Play tuhonori (a horseshoe type game), make crafts like kites and masks, sample Korean delicacies and practice sebae, the New Year's bow. $30 per family.

Lunar New Year Celebration with Jin Jin the Dragon – Prospect Heights
Chinese ringmaster and author, Grace Chang, puts on a magic, dance and acrobatics show with the help of her sidekick Jin Jin the Dragon at the central branch of the Brooklyn Public Library. FREE

See all Saturday events.

Sunday, January 22

Lunar New Year Festival Day – Chinatown
The Museum of Chinese in America throws its annual celebration in honor of the Lunar New Year. Kids can enjoy Mandarin and calligraphy demos, holiday arts and crafts, a lion dance performance and family-friendly gallery tours. $10

Art & Music Open House at the 92nd Street Y – Upper East Side
Check out everything the Upper East Side institution has to offer in its School of the Arts, including fine art, photography, ceramics, jewelry and media classes for kids. FREE

Mother Goose Tales with the Three Bears – Greenwich Village
Beloved nursery rhymes are the focus of the latest puppet production from the Penny Jones Puppet Co. These simple, charming and inexpensive productions are a great way to introduce young tots to live theater. $5.

Mario the Magician
Mario and his sidekick, a live dove named Mozzarella, hit the stage for an interactive magic show inspired by old-time vaudeville and sprinkled with slapstick and a dash of rock 'n' roll. $20 for adults, $10 for children under 12.

Are you My Mother? – Corona
Fans of P.D. Eastman’s children's book will enjoy this musical adaptation of the tale of a baby bird in search of his mama, which plays at the Queens Theatre in the Park. $14

David Grover in Concert – Crown Heights
The wonderful David Grover will delight kids with his folk music at the Brooklyn Children's Museum. Free with admission: $7.50.

Randy Kaplan in Concert – Upper East Side
The Jewish Museum welcomes the kids' crooner for a show inspired by its The Snowy Day and the Art of Ezra Jack Keats exhibit, which closes in a few weeks. The rocker will play tunes that reference the author-illustrator's books Clementina’s Cactus, Jennie’s Hat and Whistle for Willie. $16 for adults, $11 for children under 12.

Bash the Trash 'n' Dueling Duo Trumpets! – Upper East Side
Kids can create their own trash trumpets with Bash the Trash, an eco-friendly band that will also play tunes and tell tales in this offbeat workshop at the 92nd Street Y. $12.

Special Day for Special Kids – Brooklyn Heights
The New York Transit Museum opens an hour early exclusively for families with special needs. Kids can enjoy live music, art projects and scavenger hunts, plus there will even be a quiet room for chill time. FREE 10-11am; half-price admission 11am-5pm: $3.50 for adults, $2.50 for children ages 2-17. Read about other museum programs for kids with special needs.

See all Sunday events.

Outside of NYC

The Chinese Language School of Connecticut in Stamford throws its annual New Year’s Festival, featuring a buffet, acrobats, traditional dragon and lion dances, and holiday arts and crafts.

More Lunar New Year fun: The New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark hosts the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company. There will also be a family ribbon dance workshop offered before the show.


Don't forget: We have additional activity options in our Event Calendar.

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