Drew Kristofik

Drew Kristofik's early career editing teen magazines somehow morphed into a seven-year stint at MacNeil/Lehrer, followed by a very long sojourn at Nickelodeon/Viacom as Director of Content for Nick online and then Editor-in-Chief of ParentsConnect.com local. She was a founding member of the WebbyAward winning GoCityKids, has written for Family Fun Magazine, Vanity Fair, and New York, and her novel for middle schoolers, The Time Boat, is available on Amazon Kindle. She strives to keep the MommyPoppins New York Events calendar packed and accurate, and can be reached at events@mommypoppins.com.

Latest posts by Drew

Weekend Fun: Summer Solstice, Mermaid Parade, Drums Along the Hudson

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Wed, 06/19/2019 - 4:00pm

Join NYBG Summer Solstice Weekend, the first big harvest of the growing season, to celebrate the long summer days ahead. Photo courtesy of NYBG

This weekend Coney Island hosts a little something called the Mermaid Parade, Drums Along the Hudson pounds a steady beat in Inwood, Randall's Island hosts a splashy Waterfront Festival, and you can stomp on the porches on Governors Island.

Summer solstice, celebrating the longest day of the year, spills over into Saturday revelries with family fun at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx and free workshops at Cooper Hewitt. Two terrific Shakespeare productions—in addition to the big Delacourt Theatre offering—are up and running this weekend: Hamlet, at Castle Clinton, and Romeo and Juliet on the Smith Street Stage in Carroll Gardens. Plus, superheroes can commune with like-minded do-gooders at the NYSoM SuperHero SciFi Fest.

Our encyclopedic Free Outdoor Movie guide keeps growing. This weekend, Mary Poppins Returns to Greenwich Village, Ralph Breaks the Internet in Brooklyn on Saturday in Harry Maze Park and Sunday in Kolbert Park as well as in Queens' Astoria Park, and families can brush up on Captain America's origin story on Staten Island.

Heat getting to you? Check out our parent-tested list of great water parks for toddlers or best water playgrounds and sprinklers. And, as always, scroll through our calendar to find all the best things happening near you and around NYC.

Weekend Fun: Pride Celebrations, Bus Festival, Riverfest, Family Fairs

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Wed, 06/05/2019 - 4:00pm

Celebrate the Hudson RIver and have a blast at the Riverdale RiverFest. Photo courtesy of the event

Looking for a party? June's second weekend is packed with kid-friendly celebrations. The Riverdale RiverFest features boat rides, mini-golf, a bounce house, and more in the Bronx. The Children's Museum of Manhattan hosts a weekend-long celebration of Puerto Rican culture. Brooklyn toasts Coney Island's immigrant past with performances and music on the boardwalk for History Day. In Queens, the Green Day Festival salutes Mother Earth with kid-friendly activities and demos. On Sunday, the NY Transit Museum brings vintage buses to Dumbo.

June is Pride Month, and the second weekend in June kicks off Pride celebrations around town. On Saturday, Brooklyn's 23rd Annual Pride Celebration lights up Park Slope with a street fair and parade, and the Brooklyn Children's Museum gets in on the fun too. On Sunday, the Children's Museum of the Arts hosts its own Pride Cultural Festival, complete with a mini-Vogue Ball and a drag queen storytime.

Randall's Island offers tours of FDNY's Training Academy on Saturday, where fire engine fans can learn all about how fire fighters train to keep the city safe. Stick around for a free outdoor screening of Mary Poppins Returns as the sun goes down. Other movies al fresco this weekend also include Avengers: Infinity War in Manhattan and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse on Staten Island. Check out our growing lists of FREE concerts and outdoor movies around town.

For more ideas, see our Summer Fun Guide, and keep an eye on our endlessly expanding calendar! Plan ahead for Father's Day with our handy guide to the top things to do in the city with your favorite dad.

Weekend Fun: World Science, Figment Fest, Dinosaur Day

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Wed, 05/29/2019 - 4:00pm

Dinosaurs return to the Bronx Zoo. Photo courtesy of WCS

The first weekend of June bursts with fun for New York City kids. The 12th annual World Science Festival packs Washington Square Park with FREE hands-on activities, and for more STEM and science-focused fun, there's the Carnival and Science Spectacular on Staten Island and International Dinosaur Day/Weekend at the Bronx Zoo.

This weekend's summer festivals include a biggie: the Figment Festival, debuting on Roosevelt Island after several years on Governors. The 2019 Uptown Games sports festival for families also revs up on Saturday. Nature-loving families can join the citywide NYC Fish Count, stargaze in Brooklyn Bridge Park or Riverside Park, Go Green at McCarren Park, hit Union Square's It's My Park Day, or try Greenbelt Adventure Day in Willowbrook Park on Staten Island. Plus, Hunts Point's Rocking the Boat opens its FREE boating program with a party on Saturday.

Need to recuperate from outdoor time? How about trading books at the Brooklyn Book Bodega, or exploring kid lit at the Irish Arts Center's Rí Rá Children’s Festival of Literature? The Pop Ups are playing a free concert for kids at the Lincoln Center Atrium. Kitten and cat fans can make new feline friends at Jason Galaxy's Cat Camp. Or hit the Made in NY Media Center's 15th Annual Kids Film Fest in Brooklyn.

Did someone say film? FREE outdoor movies this weekend include Mommy Poppins Returns in Carl Schurz Park, Ralph Breaks the Internet in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, and Anastasia at Manhattan Beach Park. Or get a little exercise chasing The Importance of Being Earnest around Central Park!

Festivals and fairs, indoor fun, kid-friendly theater, and outdoor family concerts—all that and more have our calendar bulging! Also, see our guide to accessing any beach in New York City and check out our list of nearby farms for strawberry picking. We're banking on at least one dry day.

For even more ideas, don't miss our shiny Summer Fun Guide! There's no excuse to sit inside...except air conditioning. Pace yourself.

Memorial Day Weekend Fun for NYC Kids: Fleet Week, DanceAfrica, Festivals, Parades

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Wed, 05/22/2019 - 4:00pm

A New York City Fire Department vessel honors the Statue of Liberty with a water salute for Fleet Week. Photo courtesy of Fleet Week New York

Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of summer, is here at last! New York City's big seasonal attractions open on Saturday, like local beaches, Prospect Park's Splash Pad, and the Victorian Gardens in Central Park. If it reaches 80 degrees, the city's playground sprinklers might be on, too.

On tap this weekend only: Fleet Week, Marine Day in Prospect Park, DanceAfrica, and a passel of parades, including the always entertaining Loisaida on Sunday, and Memorial Day marches on Monday in Brooklyn and Queens. Mamapalooza rocks Riverside Park's Pier 1 on Sunday, and Much Ado about Nothing sets the stage for this summer's Shakespeare in the Park productions.

This holiday weekend is also the perfect time to visit the FREE Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens or The Yard, an adventure playground open for the season on Governors Island. By the way, Governors Island also hosts weekend programs where kids can make slime and superhero art. If you're hopping ferries anyway, why not check out the new Statue of Liberty museum?

Our NYC Parks and Playgrounds Guide is always a safe bet for staycations, as is our Indoor Play Spaces Guide for the possible rain headed our way. Unless... thinking about a last-minute getaway? We've pulled together great family day trips in the Hudson Valley, as well as our favorite nearby beaches and those down the Jersey Shore. You might also try a day at a nearby amusement park or water park for early summer fun!

Read on for our top picks for Memorial Day weekend events for kids in NYC. Even more family fun can be found via our Event Calendar, Spring Fun Guide, and our fresh-out-of-the-oven Summer Fun To-Do List.

However you spend the three-day holiday weekend, we hope you have a blast!

Weekend Fun: Spring Flings, Dance Parades, Food Fests, Ninja Turtles

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Wed, 05/15/2019 - 4:00pm

Over 1,000 dancers plus DJs and live bands will light up NYC at the annual Dance Parade. Photo courtesy of the event

Spring fling takes on a whole new meaning this weekend at Saturday's spectacular 13th Annual Dance Parade, plus Brooklyn's Spring Fling in Prospect Park, and the bound-to-be-wild Swamp in the City Cajun Family Dance in Red Hook. Speaking of swamp things, the Paley Center's new Teenage Mutant Ninja celebration may be right down your manhole—er, up your alley, with giveaways and a meet-and-greet with the rad reptiles on Saturday.

Fairs and festivals are everywhere, of course. The 9th Avenue International Food Festival takes over the west side all weekend—though vegetarians might want to detour to 18th Street for the Vegetarian Food Fest. Truck afficionados can touch their fill at PS 295's Touch-a-Truck extravaganza, and the Bronx Kid Fest promises deep sea VR fun in addition to the usual kids' activities.

On Sunday, don't miss Brooklyn's Fabulous Fifth Street Fair, the Annual Fleece Fest at the Prospect Park Zoo, and the National Museum of the American Indian's annual Children's Festival. Ferry to Ellis Island for the Asian American & Pacific Islander Fest. Or get your barbecue on at the Essex Street Market Block Party.

Looking for evening entertainment under the stars? Shakespeare in the park kicks off with an abbreviated, female-led Hamlet: Princess of Denmark in Bryant Park. Bring blankets and other critical movie-watching paraphernalia to FREE evening screenings of Sing in Queens, Ralph Breaks the Internet and Teen Titans Go! to the Movies in Brooklyn, or Incredibles 2 on the Upper East Side, in the Bronx, and in Brooklyn.

Planning ahead? Today would be the perfect time to sign up for a 4th of July cruise to maximize fireworks fun (before they all sell out!).

Meanwhile, the MommyPoppins events calendar continues its breakneck buildup of spring and summer events. Dig in!

Weekend Fun: Governors Island, Lincoln Center, Free Comics, Star Wars, NYC Bikes

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Wed, 05/01/2019 - 4:00pm

Artists and makers lead workshops and demonstrations for kids at the Inventgenuity Festival. Photo courtesy of the Beam Center

They don't call it MAYhem for nothing: May in NYC means a zillion things for families to celebrate and do. From the 21st Annual Blessing of the Bikes to Bike Expo New York, to fun fests like the Lincoln Center Block Party, the Transit Museum's Party on Wheels, CMA's Japanese Cultural Festival, Brooklyn's Inventgenuity Fest, and the Urban Wildlife Fest, you can't help but get into the spring swing this weekend.

It's opening weekend—at last—on Governors Island, which means The Yard is ready for kids to start constructing (or deconstructing), and Adventures on Governors Island is back with its zip line, maze, and climbing walls. New on Governors this year: the 1st Annual Shindig asks families to pitch in around the isle in exchange for an exclusive afternoon party. Bonus: The ferries are FREE for opening week!

The Children's Museum of Manhattan rolls out a full weekend of Star Wars-themed fun for May the Fourth Be With You Day. May 4 is also FREE Comic Book day: Be sure to check with your local comic haunt for goodies. And it's Big Swim Big Kick day at Asphalt Green! Meanwhile on Staten Island, the Willowbrook Park carousel opens, and Cinco de Mayo gets a salute with a park screening of Coco.

A bumper crop of school fairs are happening this weekend, including Calhoun (West 81st), PS 116, and Columbia Greenhouse (West 116th). The annual Hippo Playground Fair romps onto the calendar with pony rides and bouncy castles. And PS 56 in Brooklyn is full STEAM ahead, with a fair dedicated to interactive science and math fun.

Be sure to glance at our May GoList and our guide to May Fairs and Festivals around NYC, and maybe get a leg up on Mother's Day (next weekend!) with our updated Mother's Day Brunch picks or top 25 activities. This weekend is especially packed with possibilities, so don't forget to review our calendar for more ideas.

Weekend Fun: Car-Free Earth Day, Arbor Day, and Festivals Galore

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Wed, 04/24/2019 - 4:00pm

Get ready for old-school fun at the 12th Annual Street Games at Thomas Jefferson Park in East Harlem. Photo courtesy of NYC Parks

National Arbor Day is April 26, so naturally this weekend includes lots of tree-themed outings. For starters, the massive Brooklyn Botanic Garden Sakura Matsuri festival takes place all weekend, celebrating those fleeting cherry blossoms and Japanese culture. More tree hugging can be accomplished at Wave Hill's Arbor weekend, at The Evergreens Cemetery, and at the Queens Botanical Arbor Fest. While you're in Queens, stop by the Hello Kitty Cafe Truck for a snack.

All that, plus Car Free Earth Day is back in Manhattan and Brooklyn on Saturday, and every borough is hosting festivals galore, including this weekend's Street Games in Harlem, the Puppetry Arts Fest in Park Slope, the free NYFEST (about all things soccer) in Brooklyn Bridge Park, Prospect Park's Earth Day fest, the Jack and Jill School Spring Fair in Stuyvesant Town, and Staten Island's How To Festival, to name just a few. And something more to chew on: the Brooklyn Public Library celebrates the Very Hungry Caterpillar's 50th anniversary on Sunday.

Check out our Spring Fun Guide, the best upcoming family festivals this season, events for the pre-K and toddler crowd, and more outdoor fun like the May 1 opening of Governors Island, or maybe a little mini golf (did you know there are now 14 miniature golf courses in NYC—at least one in each borough?)! And don't forget the calendar, which gets fatter every day as summer approaches!

Weekend Fun: Egg Hunts, Earthfest, Cherry Blossoms, Little League Parade

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Wed, 04/10/2019 - 4:00pm

At Four Freedoms State Park on Roosevelt Island, the Cherry Blossom Festival features traditional and modern Japanese cultural performances. Photo courtesy of Roosevelt Island

It's only the middle of April, and the Mommy Poppins Event calendar is bursting at the seams. Easter on the horizon means there are scores of egg hunts around town. This weekend alone, FREE Easter egg hunts are happening in Carl Schurz Park, Fort Greene Park, Highbridge Rec Center, Old Stone House, and more. Or head over to the Macy's Easter Eggs-Perience for crafts, candy, and photo ops with the Easter Bunny.

At the American Museum of Natural History's annual Earthfest on Saturday, Patti Smith and Michael Stipe perform on the main stage, and kids can party with the Pop-Ups, participate in Bash the Trash workshops, and explore interactive carts. Saturday is also Little League Opening Day in Prospect Park, complete with parade and ceremonial first pitch.

One of the cooler, slightly under-the-radar, FREE events this weekend is Columbia University's Community Day on Saturday. Head to the Upper West Side for screenings of Flubber or The Absent-Minded Professor, virtual reality fun, and the chance to hold a brain in your hands.

Spring festivals are in full swing. On Roosevelt Island, families can check out cherry blossoms as well as traditional tea ceremonies, Japanese performances, and a cultural fair. The Apple Blossom Fest in Queens runs through Sunday, too. Plus, it's time again for the annual Shearing of the Heather. Bagpipes and kilts abound in Fort Tryon's gorgeous heather garden, and it's Spring Sunday at Rockefeller Plaza, with music by Dan and Claudia Zanes, face painting, and art projects for kids.

Of course there's more. Take a gander at the ever-expanding calendar, bookmark our juicy April GoList, nab some inspiration from our Spring Fun Guide, and—if you've been putting it off—let us give you a leg up on summer camp planning.