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Best Art Summer Camps near NYC: Performing Art Camps, Theater Camps, Sleepaway Art Camps

Get ready to shine onstage at Child's Play NY. Photo courtesy of Child's Play NY
Get ready to shine onstage at Child's Play NY. Photo courtesy of Child's Play NY
3/31/25 - By Drew Kristofik

New York City is the epicenter for the arts, so of course, it's home to a diverse and amazing selection of art summer camps. With many world-class professional artists teaching here, there's a huge selection of art summer camps in NYC, ranging from visual art camps to performing art camps and filmmaking summer camps. From Brooklyn to Midtown to the Bronx and beyond, you can find the perfect New York City art summer camp from our list below for your budding artist.

For more summer camps in New York City, including free and cheap summer camps for NYC Kids and popular preschool camps in NYC, be sure to bookmark our NYC Summer Camp Guide and our Camp Directory to search for summer camps by type, age, and neighborhood.

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Dance and Performing Arts Summer Camps for NYC Kids

Child's Play NY

Fort Greene, Brooklyn Heights, and Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn
Ages 3-11
Child’s Play NY teaches kids sophisticated theater techniques and encourages them to build their bravery and talents. An award-winning drama program, it's led by vibrant teaching artists using a games-based curriculum that inspires collaboration and joy. Experience the joy of Child's Play NY programming through classes, school-break and summer camps, and by booking it as a private party entertainer in NYC. READ MORE

New York Theatre Ballet School

East Village
Ages 5-13
New York Theatre Ballet School is the official training academy of NYTB, offering classes and camps for ages 4 and up. Since 1978, the NYTB School has developed its young dancers by following the Cecchetti syllabus, a method that emphasizes musicality, theatricality, gesture, and style. The summer session features pre-ballet for ages 5-7 (no audition required) as well as a higher level summer intensive for ages 8-12. READ MORE

Harlem School of the Arts Summer Arts Experience

Harlem
Ages 5-12
Founded in 1964 by internationally acclaimed African American soprano Dorothy Maynor, Harlem School of the Arts (HSA) offers instruction in music, dance, theater, musical theater, and media and design to children ages 2-18. The summer arts camp program is open to kids ages 5-12, giving kids the opportunity to sing, dance, act, and design, all while immersing themselves in the creative history of Harlem with guest artists, special trips, and opportunities to present their work each session. READ MORE

TADA! Youth Theater - Camps & Classes

Flatiron
Ages 5-12
TADA! offers fun, interactive, musical theater classes and camps for kids of all ages and from all backgrounds. Its musical theater programs aim to build creativity through high-quality productions. Summer and school break camps are offered. Financial aid aims to make arts education at TADA! accessible to all.  READ MORE

CinemaKidz

Multiple Locations
Ages 5-15
Kids ages 5-15 learn the fundamentals of storytelling, cinematography, editing, costume design, and other media arts in a hands-on creative environment. Choose from four camp locations: Downtown Brooklyn, Queens, the Upper West Side, and Union Square. READ MORE

BOLD Arts

Multiple Locations
Ages 5-10
BOLD Arts offers week-long summer camps and school break camps. A different, thought-provoking theme centers each week's activities, including dance, music, and art projects. Every session ends with a performance where kids are the stars and the costumes, scenery, and performances are their own creations. Creative kids can invite a BOLD Arts educator to lead their birthday party and choreograph a dance to their favorite song. Parties culminate with a performance and family dance party.  READ MORE

Piper Theatre Summer Programs

Park Slope, Brooklyn
Ages 7-17
Piper Theatre Productions offers a variety of performing arts summer camps. Young "Starlings" can enjoy 1-2 week programs, while the most dedicated actors ages 15-17 can enroll in four-week intensives. No matter your child's age, an end-of-camp performance shares what they learned.  READ MORE

Atlantic Acting School - Summer Camps

Chelsea
Ages 5-18
Atlantic Acting School's excellent performing arts program invites young actors to delve into creating characters, crafting scripts, and taking the stage to produce their own works of art. Each session includes lessons in musical theater, sketch, improv, scene study, film/TV, and more—and all instruction is rooted in the Atlantic Technique. READ MORE

Riverdale Children's Theatre Summer Lights

Riverdale, the Bronx
Ages 7-14
At Riverdale's Summer Lights program, kids explore the magic of theater and participate in a fully staged production with professional production values. Campers receive training in acting, theater, and dance. Every child receives personalized, one-on-one, voice lessons. When they're not on stage, kids can enjoy traditional summer camp fun, and a field trip to a Broadway play is part of this summer-long program. READ MORE

A Class Act NY - Camps

Midtown West
Ages 7-19
A Class Act offers in-studio musical theater, on-camera, voice-over, and dramatic arts programs taught by amazing Broadway veterans, Los Angeles casting directors, and television and film directors. READ MORE

Visual Art Summer Camps for New York City Kids

Fashion Squad School

Tribeca
Ages 5-13
Fashion Squad offers unique classes and camps that not only introduce the basics of sewing but mimic the real-life experience of fashion design. From a sketch to the final runway show, young fashionistas and fashionistos bring their wildest ideas to life. General art classes are also offered and include instruction in painting, drawing, collage, sculpture, and more. Options include after-school classes with pick-up, birthday parties, summer and school break camps, and weekend drop-in classes. READ MORE

Creatively Wild Art Studio

Dumbo, Brooklyn
Ages 6-9
Creatively Wild Art Studio provides an inspiring, artistic class experience to nurture and enrich creative minds. Classes are offered for all ages and abilities in a gorgeous, light-filled, airy studio. Budding artists work with authentic professional art materials, dabble in techniques like color mixing, texture, and brushwork, and learn fun paint applications as well as explore non-traditional media. The studio also hosts birthday parties, plus summer and school break camps. READ MORE

Brooklyn Museum Summer Camp

Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Ages 8-13
The Brooklyn Museum offers campers a chance to experience a variety of mediums, including photography, sculpture, mixed media, drawing, painting, animation, and more. Kids explore the museum's collection, try out new techniques, and share their creations during Open Studio time on Fridays. READ MORE

Center for Architecture Summer Camps

Greenwich Village
Ages 7-17
The Center for Architecture's summer camps cater to kids entering grades 3-12 and get them dreaming about the possibilities of design, form, and building. Past week-long programs have included building bridges, theater design, store design, fairytale architecture, and more. READ MORE

The Art Farm NYC Camps

Upper East Side
Ages 2-11
The folks behind this innovative, animal-focused play space offer full- and half-day camps for kids as young as 3 split between two private school locations. Campers participate in art-making, animal care, gardening, and more. Full-day campers take swimming lessons at the 92nd Street Y. READ MORE

Usdan Summer Camp for the Arts

Wheatley Heights, New York
Ages 5-18
Set on an idyllic 140-acre campus on Long Island, Usdan is one of the nation’s top not-for-profit summer day camps for the arts. Diverse and playfully rigorous, Usdan brings world-class teachers and visiting artists to work with its campers ages 5-18. Campers choose a major for their time at camp, ranging from art to chess, creative writing, theater, and more. READ MORE
French Woods campers perform the final moment of The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night-Time. Photo courtesy of the camp
French Woods campers perform the final moment of The Curious Incident of The Dog in the Night-Time. Photo courtesy of the camp

Sleepaway Arts Summer Camps for New York City Kids

Performing Arts Camp at French Woods

Hancock, New York
Ages 7-17
Internationally recognized as a premier program in the performing arts, French Woods features options in music, art, theater, dance, circus, magic, and horseback riding. In addition to core activities, traditional summer camp programs are also offered. READ MORE

Interlochen

Interlochen, Michigan
Ages 8-18
Interlochen's exceptional summer programs run the gamut from creative writing to musical theater, dance, film, and visual arts. In addition to top-of-the-line instruction in the arts, Interlochen campers enjoy traditional summer camp fun on the 120-acre, lakefront campus.  READ MORE

Long Lake Camp for the Arts

Long Lake, New York
Ages 8-16
Long Lake offers three- or six-week overnight sessions for girls and boys from all around the world. Kids can create their own schedule, with offerings that include circus, theatre, music, dance, magic, and more. READ MORE

Camp Ballibay

Wyalusing, Pennsylvania
Ages 8-16
Camp Ballibay offers deep, engaging programs for young artists at all levels in a traditional summer arts camp setting. The 174-acre campus boasts outstanding facilities for theater, fine art, dance, and rock music. READ MORE

Maine Arts Camp

Waterville, Maine
Ages 9-16
Located on the campus of Thomas College, Maine Arts Camp limits its enrollment to just 90 campers per session. Kids can choose to attend for two- and four-week sessions and take classes like still life painting, metal jewelry, fiction writing, musical theater, tennis, and fusion cuisine. READ MORE

Buck's Rock Camp

New Milford, Connecticut
Ages 11-16
Buck’s Rock Performing and Creative Arts Camp is a unique program where campers have the freedom to choose their activities in a supportive, non-competitive environment. Campers work with qualified, professional artists and instructors who nurture and support their skills and interests in professionally equipped studios. READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

Buck's Rock Performing and Creative Arts Camp

About the Author

Drew Kristofik
Drew Kristofik’s career took a twist from editing teen magazines to a seven-year stint at MacNeil/Lehrer, followed by a long run at Nickelodeon/Viacom as Director of Content for Nick Online and Editor-in-Chief of ParentsConnect.com. A founding member of the Webby Award-winning GoCityKids, she’s written for Family Fun, Vanity Fair, and New York. Her middle school novel, The Time Boat, is available on Amazon Kindle. Drew keeps the MommyPoppins New York Events calendar spot-on and can be reached at events@mommypoppins.com.
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