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.

Latest posts by Drew

Big Umbrella Festival, Earthfest, Babytopia & More Things To Do this Weekend in NYC with Kids

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Fri, 04/04/2025 - 8:45am

The larger-than-life spinning tops of “Los Trompos” are headed to Damrosch Park for our Big Umbrella Festival! Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center

Looking for the best things to do in New York City this weekend? Here are some family-friendly events and activities to add to your list.

Lincoln Center's Big Umbrella Festival opens its campus-wide takeover on Thursday, April 3. Earthfest at the American Museum of Natural History sets the standard for Earth Day celebrations, and our own BABYTOPIA sparkles with dozens of activities and options for little ones and their families.

Plus, the New York Theatre Ballet's Royal Collection sets classic fairy tales on their toes, and The Jewish Museum welcomes ShirLaLa for a family-friendly concert as part of its Freedom Art Jam on Sunday.

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

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Mon, 03/31/2025 - 2:46pm

Get ready to shine onstage at Child's Play NY. Photo courtesy of Child's Play NY

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.

Easter Egg Hunts and More Best Things To Do in NYC April 2025 with Kids

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Sun, 03/30/2025 - 5:54am

The Macy's Flower Show is one of the most colorful destinations in NYC. Photo by Jody Mercier

Dinos, Easter, and Earth Day add up to lots of fun for kids in New York City this April!

April arrives with fool-proof fun: The animatronic Dinosaur Safari is stomping through the Bronx Zoo again, families can shift gears at the New York International Auto Show, and everyone can celebrate Earth Day at the American Museum of Natural History.

Catch some rising stars at LaGuardia High's production of Little Shop of Horrors, hang with Mommy Poppins at Babytopia, and show off your Easter finery at the annual Easter Parade or one of these Easter egg hunts popping up all over town.

21 Best Spring Festivals and Fairs in NYC this April for Families

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Fri, 03/28/2025 - 10:44am

Celebrate the end of Ramadan with music, dance, food, and family-friendly activities at the Brooklyn Children's Museum. Photo by Winston Williams /courtesy of Brooklyn Children’s Museum!

Spring festivals abound this April as New York City's fair season kicks off with nearly two dozen fun and mostly FREE fairs, festivals, parades, and carnivals. Of course, it helps that April not only brings showers, it also brings plenty of fun holidays to celebrate alongside accompanying spring festivals! Annual Mommy Poppins favorites this April include the Big Umbrella Festival, Car-Free Earth Day, and our own Babytopia!

Read on for our top picks for NYC spring festivals this April and bookmark our Family Activity Calendar and Spring Fun Guide for all our seasonal must-do's.

Free Activities in April 2025: Best Things To Do in NYC

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Mon, 03/24/2025 - 2:21pm

The Big Umbrella Festival welcomes kids, teens, and adults for a dynamic series of programming at Lincoln Center beginning Friday, April 4. Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center

April in New York City showers us with tons of FREE things to do, including Lincoln Center's Big Umbrella Festival, a slew of Earth Day celebrations, and tons of Easter egg hunts!

Families can parade around NYC in Tartan or Easter bonnets, celebrate spring with music at Carnegie Hall, and snatch awesome freebies at our own Babytopia event! And don't miss all the free Kids' Week fun in all five boroughs during the action-packed spring break week.

22 Best Easter Egg Hunts in New York City

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Sun, 03/23/2025 - 10:09am

The Queens County Farm Museum hosts a massive Barnyard Egg Hunt complete with with Whiskers the Bunny photo-ops. Photo courtesy of the museum

An Easter egg hunt is the perfect way to celebrate the season. With Easter Sunday just a hop, skip, and a jump away on Sunday, April 20, 2025, we've got the scoop on treat-filled Easter egg hunts in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and the Bronx.

Most of these Easter egg hunts in NYC are outdoors in local playgrounds and parks, and a few even offer additional spring fun, like Easter Bunny photo-ops. Find more ways to celebrate the season, including Easter Bunny brunches in our Spring Fun Guide for NYC Families.

Best Easter Brunches in NYC with Fun Activities for Kids

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Tue, 03/18/2025 - 11:32am

Dress in your Sunday best for an Easter brunch and Easter Bunny pictures on a City Cruise. Photo courtesy of City Cruises

Easter brunch is a quintessential rite of spring, and we've found a handful of Easter brunches in NYC with the Easter Bunny, kid-friendly menus, and even a few egg hunts spread across the five boroughs. So, get into the springtime spirit by booking your reservations for one of these Easter brunches in NYC, where the fun includes a delicious meal and the chance to snap pictures with the Easter Bunny. Our picks for family-friendly Easter brunches in NYC range from inexpensive affairs to lavish spreads and even a few NYC Easter brunches that include boat rides around the city.

Reservations for these Easter brunches in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island always sell like hotcakes, so get them before they're gone. Find more seasonal fun in our NYC Kids' Guide to Easter Fun, including our top picks for Easter egg hunts in NYC .

STEM Summer Camps in NYC: Robots, Coding, and More Tech Fun

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Mon, 03/03/2025 - 11:52am

From coding and robotics to art and design, Snapology's diverse range of programs caters to every child’s interests. Photo courtesy of Snapology

NYC kids who are itching for the school year to end so they can devote more time to STEM are in luck. We've rounded up the best STEM summer camps in New York City. Most of these STEM summer camps in NYC offer hands-on building, coding, 3D printing, and robotics. We've also found a few that bring art and sports into the summer camp mix.

Read on for our picks for the best STEM summer camps in NYC. You can find more summer camps in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and the Bronx, including our picks for the top summer camps in NYC for tweens and teens, in our NYC Kids Guide to Summer Camp and NYC Camp Directory, where you can search for summer camps in NYC by type, age, and neighborhood.

Drew Kristofik

Latest posts by Drew

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