All Weekend

Astoria Park Festival – Astoria
Get ready for some old-fashioned thrills as the parking lot of the popular Queens green space hosts a colorful carnival with rides, games, food and live performances. Free admission but there are fees for activities

Fantasy Shore Amusement Park Grand Opening – Staten Island
From the folks behind Fantasy Forest at the Flushing Meadows Carousel comes this brand-new mini-amusement park at Midland Beach. The only amusement park on Staten Island, Fantasy Shore features four mild rides that are perfect for preschoolers and young kids. Free admission but rides cost $3-$4

Ramadan Festival – Upper West Side
Learn about the Muslim observance of Ramadan, which begins on Saturday, at the Children's Museum of Manhattan. Make traditional crafts like lanterns and courtesy calendars, and enjoy a themed storytime. Free with admission: $11

Harlem Arts Festival – Harlem
Celebrate Harlem's vibrant arts scene at this two-day interdisciplinary fest featuring live music, dance and spoken word performances, a visual arts area, and a kids' corner with face painting and cool craft activities. FREE
 

Saturday, June 28

Puppetry Arts Festival of Brooklyn – Park Slope
Meet some prehistoric residents from New Jersey's Field Station: Dinosaurs, pose with Star Wars characters, hit the bouncy house, play games and catch shows by Puppetry Arts, all right outside the fabulous J.J. Byrne Playground. The first 200 kids to arrive snag free goody bags. Free admission but there are fees for activities

Outdoor Summer Movie Series: Frozen – Roosevelt Island
Pack a picnic and tram over to the isle for an outdoor screening of Disney's mega-hit. Make a day of it by arriving early and exploring the picturesque island. FREE

Circle Line's Hidden Harbor Tour – Midtown West
See New York Harbor in a whole new way on this brand-new cruise filled with all kinds of cool behind-the-scenes info. Tour guides point out notable attractions, like lighthouses, forts and historic buildings, and there are plenty of tug boats, barges and helicopters for kids to spot along the way. Best for tweens and up. Don't forget to bring your camera as there are plenty of great photo ops. $40 for adults, $26 for children

Fishing and Water Celebration – Harlem
In honor of New York State's Free Fishing Days, families can cast a line at the Harlem Meer, no permit required. Catch and release largemouth bass, pumpkinseed sunfish, bluegill sunfish, carp and chain pickerel, and enjoy guided nature walks around the Meer, live performances by Arm-of-the-Sea Theater and Billy B., and the Ponds, Pipes, and People: Water in Central Park exhibit in the Dana Discovery Center. FREE

Bug Day – Corona
Head to the New York Hall of Science to get up close and personal with live critters, learn about beekeeping and sample fresh honey, release lady bugs into Flushing-Meadows Corona Park, make insect-themed crafts, explore the BioBus and even taste some of creepy crawlers (yes, taste!). Free with admission: $11 for adults, $8 for children ages 2-17

Word for Word Kids: Starfish – Midtown West
Hit Bryant Park for an outdoor concert by this all-dad rock band. Afterward, stick around for stories with Flaubert Frog and a ride on the carousel. FREE

Family Day – Harlem
Head to Morris-Jumel Mansion in Roger Morris Park to play colonial games, make old-fashioned crafts, take kid-friendly tours and listen to special musical performances in the period garden. FREE

No Longer Bored Family Day: Building Sugar Hill – Harlem
Celebrate the opening of No Longer Empty's new site-specific installation, If You Build It, with an interactive family day. Tour the exhibit, which focuses on urban blight and regeneration, scavenger hunt-style, and then enjoy storytelling and hands-on art workshops. FREE

See all Saturday events.
 

Sunday, June 29

Everything Kids Expo – Marine Park
Find everything for families under one roof at the Brooklyn Spectator's giant family expo at the Aviator Sports and Events Center. Enjoy a bouncy house, performers from the Big Apple Circus, hands-on activities and lots more. Be sure to drop by the Mommy Poppins table to make a cute WeeWork Clothespin Critter and to enter our Walking with Dinosaurs giveaway. $5 for a family four-pack but we're also giving away Everything Kids World Expo tickets through Friday.

Summer on the Hudson: River Fish Celebration – Harlem
More fishing fun! Drop a line in the Hudson with the NYC Park Rangers, and enjoy live music, arts and crafts, and other festivities. FREE

Rockaway! – the Rockaways
You'll find more than just the beach if you head to Rockaway this summer. A collaboration between MoMA PS1, the Rockaway Artist Alliance and the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy, Rockaway! is a season-long installation of artworks that celebrate the ongoing restoration of the beachfront neighborhood and the recently reopened Fort Tilden. Conceived in part by punk goddess (and Rockaway resident) Patti Smith, the exhibition includes her "The Resilience of the Dreamer," Adrián Villar Rojas' clay-and-straw nests to protect birds, the military chapel at Fort Tilden and a large group display at the Rockaway Beach Surf Club. Celebrate opening day with tours, kids' activities, and a spoken-word performance by Smith and James Franco at 7pm. FREE

Soundview Park Summer Festival – the Bronx
Celebrate the Bronx's waterfront at this fifth annual family fest featuring live music, hip-hop and spoken word performances, a hula-hoop contest, arts and crafts projects, sports clinics, nature walks and a DJ spinning cool tunes. FREE

See all Sunday events.

Don't forget: There's even more fun to be found in our Event Calendar. Before heading out on your adventures, be sure to download our FREE Mommy Poppins Kids on the Go app so you can find the best family destinations wherever you happen to be in NYC.