Weekend Fun: Coney Sand Sculpting Contest, Kite Fest, FringeJR, August 15-16
If you haven't made it to Coney Island yet this summer, the beach should be extra fun on Saturday thanks to its annual Sand Sculpting Contest, one of our top family event picks of the month. Other weekend highlights include innovative family theater at the Fringe Festival, a kite festival in Riverside Park South and the final installment of Summer Streets.
Read on for all of our best bets for the weekend. You can find additional options in our Event Calendar and our Summer Fun Guide.
All Weekend
FringeJR – East Village
An August GoList pick: The 19th annual Fringe Festival kicks off this Friday and there are a handful of shows aimed at families playing at the 14th Street Y. This weekend, catch a pair of quirky takes on Rapunzel: Commedia Rapunzel and Rapunzel in the Wild West; get spooked at Haunted Holliot Hildorf Hotel and Shadow’s Unicycle; clap your hands to the percussion show Ideas, Not Theories and be moved by the real-life drama Pedro Pan.
Harlem Week: Children's Festival and Harlem Day – Harlem
Take the A train to 135th Street for tons of family fun. On Saturday, hit the annual Children’s Festival featuring live performances, arts and crafts, sports activities and the Historic Black College Fair & Expo. Sunday is Harlem Day, which includes the Upper Manhattan Auto Show and a back-to-school celebration. FREE
Family Art Project: Green Bugs Gathering – Riverdale
Examine cicadas, katydids and crickets, and then craft paper insects at the bucolic Wave Hill. Afterward, make your best bug noises at a lively insect parade. Free with admission, which is waived until noon on Saturday.
Living History Weekend – Upper West Side
Learn all about the Revolutionary War at the New-York Historical Society. Meet reenactors from the Jersey Greys, a light infantry division from New Jersey, and find out what it was like to fight in General Washington's Army. Free with admission, which is waived for children under age 19 on weekends through Labor Day.
Saturday, August 15
Sand Sculpting Contest – Coney Island
Another August GoList pick: Grab your buckets and shovels for Coney Island's annual sand building competition. All ages can enter and there are prizes in multiple categories. Arrive early to sign up on-site to participate, or just come to gawk at the amazing entries, and then enjoy everything else Coney Island has to offer. FREE
Rhyme-Writing Workshop with Secret Agent 23 Skidoo – Flatiron
Hit Madison Square Park to rhyme with a master: Grammy-nominated family hip-hop artist Secret Agent 23 Skidoo. Kids will learn lyric-writing techniques before creating their own rap. FREE
FlyNYC 2015 – Upper West Side
Go fly a kite at this annual festival in Riverside Park South. Kids can fashion paper flyers with the help of park volunteers or bring their own from home. Afterward, enjoy live music, grab a bite at the Pier I Cafe or head a few blocks north to romp in Elephant Playground. FREE
Summer Streets – Manhattan
Our final August GoList pick of the weekend: It's your last chance this season to cycle, scooter or stroll this car-free, seven-mile route through Manhattan streets. Be sure to check out some of the activities along the way at multiple interactive rest stops, like cycling lessons, bike tune-ups, live performances and a zip line. FREE
Craftsmen Days – Jamaica
Head to the King Manor Museum to check out 19th-century crafts like tinsmithing, woodturning and basket weaving, and enjoy live tunes played on a fiddle and dulcimer. FREE but house tours cost extra
Celebrate India Day – Crown Heights
Celebrate India's independence at the Brooklyn Children's Museum with a slew of cultural activities. Kids can get henna designs on their hands, make rakhi bracelets or shishadur (fabric with mirrors), enjoy live sitar and tabla music, and hit the rooftop dance party with DJ Rekha. Free with admission
Elements Preschool Carnival – Lower East Side
Enjoy live music, water slides and face painting at this preschool fundraiser. Free admission but there are fees for certain activities.
3D Printing Workshop – Hudson Square
Head to the Children's Museum of the Arts for an intro to 3D printing. Design your own small item on modeling software and print it out!
See all Saturday events.
Sunday, August 16
Boogie on the Boulevard the Bronx
Enjoy car-free fun on the Grand Concourse including live music, dancing and spoken-word performances. Street soccer, an obstacle course and kids' activities at the Bronx Museum are also on tap. FREE
See all Sunday events.
Don't forget: There's more fun to be found in our Event Calendar.
