Weekend Fun for NYC Kids: Thunderbird American Indian Pow-wow, Korean New Year, Inexpensive Family Theater January 31-February 1
It's going to be a snowy Super Bowl weekend with lots of cool options for NYC families who aren't into watching the game. (We're Puppy Bowl fans in our house!) Enjoy multicultural fun at the Korea Society's New Year's celebration, the Children's Museum of Manhattan's Japanese storytelling fest and the annual Thunderbird American Indian Dancers Annual Dance Concert and Pow-wow at the Theater for the New City.
It's also a great weekend to see a family show. Click, Clack, Moo at the Kaye Playhouse, Lionboy at the New Victory Theater and TADA! Youth Theater's Everything About a Family (Almost) are all wonderful choices. Or you can also score majorly discounted tickets to many Broadway and Off-Broadway shows.
And if we get another "blizzard," you can hit one of NYC's best sledding hills or hole up inside and try some of these snow day boredom busters.
These are just a few of the great things going on this weekend. All of our best bets are below. If you want to plan out your entire month, check out our brand-new NYC GoList highlighting the absolute best things to do with kids throughout February.
All Weekend
Thunderbird American Indian Dancers Annual Dance Concert and Pow-wow – East Village
A January GoList pick: Enjoy dances, stories and music from the Iroquois and Native Peoples of the Southwest and Great Plains regions at the Theater for the New City. On weekend matinees, kids get in for just a buck and can even interact with the performers. $10, $1 for children under age 12 for matinees only
Kamishibai Weekend: The Art of Japanese Storytelling – Upper West Side
Explore the Children's Museum of Manhattan's new interactive installation Hello from Japan! and then enjoy Japanese storytelling-themed activities like crafting Bunraku puppets, printing with woodblocks and listening to Kamishibai tales. Free with admission: $11
Spellbound Theatre’s Wink – Park Slope
Unfortunately all performances of this show are now sold out.
See the classic children's poem "Wynken, Blynken, and Nod" come to life via shadow puppets and animation at the Old Stone House. A great show for first-time theatergoers! Buying advance tickets recommended. $16 for adults, $12 for children under age 12
Best of the New York International Children's Film Festival – Astoria
Get psyched for the upcoming New York International Children's Film Festival by watching selections from last year's edition at the Museum of the Moving Image, including award-winning shorts aimed at ages 8 and up. Free with admission: $12 for adults, $9 for students, $6 for children ages 3-12
20at20 – Manhattan
If you've been meaning to take the kids to see The Berenstain Bears LIVE!, Gazillion Bubble Show, Stomp or another Off-Broadway family show, now's the time to go. Thanks to the 20at20 initiative, many Off-Broadway productions are selling $20 tickets 20 minutes before each performance through February 8. Read our post for more info and for the scoop on how to get two-for-one tickets for Broadway shows.
Saturday, January 31
Family Day: Korean New Year – Midtown East
Celebrate the New Year at the Korea Society with traditional folk tales, games, crafts and ethnic eats. $15 per person, $30 per family
Winter Carnival in Bryant Park – Midtown
Bundle up and hit the midtown green space for an all-day outdoor fete featuring ice golf, curling and juggling lessons, a hockey shoot out, snowflake crafts and no-cost ice-skating. Too cold for you? Warm up in the lodge or hit the theater tent to see short plays about climate change. FREE
Life-size Candy Land Game – Greenwich Village
If your kids (or you!) ever dreamed of strolling through the colorful candy cane forest and gumdrop mountain in the classic board game, this is for you. Head to the Hudson Park Library to play a life-size version of Candy Land, make crafts and snag no-cost treats. FREE
See all Saturday events.
Sunday, February 1
Winter Green Festival: A Tu B’Shvat Celebration – Lower East Side
One of our February GoList picks: Celebrate the Jewish New Year of Trees at the Museum at Eldridge Street's annual fest. Enjoy traditional eats at a mini Tu B’Shvat seder, bake some challah, learn about genealogy and make a family tree, and enjoy a concert by Bash the Trash. $12 for adults, $6 for children ages 3-17
Light in Winter – Crown Heights
Head to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden to enjoy a variety of seasonal fun including bird-watching, narrated strolls and a Hawaiian dance class for teens. Free with admission: $10 for adults, free for children under age 12
TheaterworksUSA: Click, Clack, Moo – Upper East Side
Find out what happens when cows go on strike (they don't want more pay, they want blankets!) in TheaterworksUSA's charming musicalization of the award-winning picture book. $20-$30
Portrait Power: Family Day – Upper East Side
Explore the Jewish Museum's latest exhibit, Helena Rubinstein: Beauty is Power, and then craft a headdress or mask, dance to a live swing band, get your face painted by Agostino Arts and enjoy more stylish fun. Free with admission: $15 for adults, free for children under age 19
See all Sunday events.
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