All Weekend

BAMkids Film Festival – Fort Greene
One of our February Go List picks: Catch more than 70 titles from around the world at BAM's 16th annual family film fest. In addition to shorts programs for all age ranges and a handful of full-length films, two NYC-based acts will be performing live in BAMcafe upstairs. Elena Moon Park and friends celebrate East Asian folk music in Rabbit Days and Dumplings, and singer/songwriter Amelia Robinson and her talented pals croon folk, funk and blues tunes as Mil's Trills. Advance tickets are a must since many of the screenings sell out. $13 for adults, $9 for children under 14 per screening or performance

Culinary Kids Food Festival – the Bronx
Celebrate the farm-to-table movement at the New York Botanical Garden's hands-on fest. Enjoy cooking demons, tastings, live music and activity stations where kids can learn about kitchen chemistry and the roots of various foods. If you go on Sunday, you can also catch the Bronx Arts Ensemble Family Concert of Hansel and Gretel. All activities free with All-Garden Pass: $20 for adults, $8 for children ages 2-12

Kids Week at the Intrepid – Midtown West
Head to the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum for the last few days of its annual February break fest. Kids can enjoy active stations like a quarterback toss, a hockey goal shooting alley and a baseball toss; meet the mascots for the New York Mets and the Brooklyn Cyclones; and learn about space including "the real scoop on astronaut poop." Most activities are free with admission: In advance: $22 for adults, $17 for children ages 7-17, $10 for ages 3-6; at the door: $2 more per person. But there's a great buy one general admission, get one free deal going on.

Iván Navarro: This Land Is Your Land – Flatiron
Another February Go List pick: Hit Madison Square Park to check out this brand-new public art installation. Brooklyn-based Chilean artist Iván Navarro created three massive water towers elevated eight feet off the ground so visitors can walk underneath and look up. Inside of each one are neon reflections that go on forever kind of like an infinity room. FREE

Steal Away: The Living History of Harriet Tubman – Midtown West
Learn about the life and legacy of Harriet Tubman, a runaway slave turned abolitionist who was very active on the Underground Railroad. Her incredible story is told with puppets and live actors, and lasts just an hour. A great way to celebrate Black History Month with kids. Admission is pay what you can with a $5 suggested minimum.

Bob Marley's Three Little Birds – Midtown West
It's your last chance to catch this colorful musical, featuring all of Bob Marley's greatest hits. I saw it with my daughter a few weeks back and it's perfect for young elementary schoolers (ages 5 to 7 seems to be the sweet spot). The story (based on Cedella Marley's picture book) about a perpetually worried little boy is easy to follow, the costumes are wonderfully creative and vibrant, and the performers and live band really jam out on his iconic reggae tunes. $14-$38

The Wong Kids in the Secret of the Space Chupacabra Go! – East Village
Another fabulous children's show closing this weekend. This sci-fi epic is great for geeky tweens. It follows the adventures of a pair of gawky siblings with superpowers who must save the universe from the villainous Space Chupacabra. My eight-year-old just loved it and I did too. It's amazingly inventive and very funny, and delivers its morals (believe in yourself, be kind to your siblings, don't worry if you don't fit in) in a non-saccharine way. $30 for adults, $10 for children under age 10; save $5 off adult tickets with the discount code FINAL
 

Saturday, February 22

The Muppets Character Encyclopedia – Astoria
Indulge in a little Muppet mania with cool clips and wacky trivia contests at the Museum of the Moving Image. Craig Shemin, author of the book The Muppets Character Encyclopedia, hosts the festivities, which include "Piggy, Babs, or Both," in which contestants need to figure out which facts pertain to Miss Piggy, Barbra Streisand or both divas, and a Muppet impression competition. Free with admission: $12 for adults, $6 for children ages 3-12

FamilyDay@theCenter: I Love NY Tunnel Books – Greenwich Village
Head to the Center for Architecture to create 3-D “tunnel books” of NYC using an assortment of materials and architectural images. Windows and doors will be a theme, and families will explore how they help frame our view of the Big Apple. Preregistration required. $20 per family.

Sci-Tech Workshop: Soldering Circuits – Midtown East
Calling all budding engineers ages 10 and up: Learn how to create simple circuits by soldering and connecting LEDs to batteries at the Sony Wonder Technology Lab. Supplies, tools and safety equipment are provided. Advance reservations required. $15

Close Encounters of the Third Kind: Director's Cut – Midtown East
More fun at the Sony Wonder Tech Lab: Catch Steven Spielberg's ultimate version of the sci-fi movie that helped make him famous, about a repairman who has a UFO encounter and then is inexplicably drawn to a mysterious mountain. Afterward, stay and play at a wide variety of high-tech stations at the always free museum. Advance reservations recommended. FREE

Medieval Arts Children’s Workshop – Morningside Heights
Carve a block of limestone, make medieval illuminated letters, design gargoyles, weave and try other period crafts at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine. 10am-noon. $6 per adult-child pair.

The Okee Dokee Brothers – Upper West Side
Get ready to stomp your feet and clap your hands! This Minnesota duo won the 2013 Best Children’s Album Grammy for "Can You Canoe?" and they'll be playing all of their hit nature-themed Americana tunes on guitar and banjo at Symphony Space. $20 for adults, $15 for children

Bubble do the Beatles – South Street Seaport
Catch the kid-friendly Beatles cover band at the South Street Seaport's brand-new indoor pop-up venue. Drinks and food will be available for purchase. FREE but preregistration required

Washington’s Birthday Celebration – Harlem
Celebrate our original POTUS at the historic Morris-Jumel Mansion by trying on Colonial costumes, going on a themed scavenger hunt, and taking kid-friendly tours of the house that served as General Washington's NYC headquarters during the Revolutionary War.

See all Saturday events.  
 

Sunday, February 23

Sunday Movies at the Palace with Lin-Manuel Miranda: West Side Story – Washington Heights
And another February Go List pick: Tony-winning In the Heights songwriter, actor and native New Yorker Lin-Manuel Miranda handpicked the six classics that make up this movie series at the stunning United Palace Theater. Today, Miranda will show the famous 1961 movie musical West Side Story and interview star Rita Moreno, who snagged an Oscar for her performance as Anita. My daughter and I have tickets and can't wait! In advance: $10 for adults, $5 for children under 12; at the door: $15 for adults, $5 for children

The Beauty of Ballet – Corona
Got an aspiring ballerina at home? Then head to the Queens Theatre in Flushing Meadows Corona Park where dancers and faculty from the School of American Ballet will demonstrate various steps and training exercises, and perform excerpts from Sleeping Beauty and The Nutcracker. FREE but reservations required.

North by Northwest – Greenwich Village
Catch this witty and wonderful Hitchcock thriller at Film Forum. See Cary Grant at his charming best as an average Joe mistaken for an international spy. The climax on Mount Rushmore is unforgettable, as is Bernard Herrmann 's evocative score. Best for ages 8 and up due to some non-graphic violence. 11am. $7.50

See all Sunday events.

Don’t forget: There are lots of other options in our Event Calendar.

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