Hi everyone!
Doesn’t it feel like the summer is zipping by very very fast!
The weekend weather looks perfect for the outdoor events happening this weekend like Summer Stroll in Bay Ridge, Peter Pan and the Pirates Performance in Prospect Park, FAB Friday events, Summer Streets in Manhattan, Pedal Stop at Brooklyn Bridge Park, Father Goose Hip Tot Family Day at Lakeside and The Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival at Flushing Meadows Park!
Some more events happening are a variety of FringeJr family shows, B’rook’lyn Chess Festival at the Dr. Ronald McNair Park and Civil War Weekend 2014 on Governor’s Island! There are even more events going on so check out the calendar and see what else is happening this weekend in Brooklyn & NYC! Please remember to check with venues to see if there are any schedule changes. Remember to like us on Facebook for last minute events and news!
Have a great weekend!
~ Deirdre (mom to O & C)
Friday August 8th
Free Concert for Kids at Putnam Triangle Plaza (Clinton Hill)
Friday August 8th 10-11a. Free.
Enjoy FREE Live Music Featuring: Miss Nina and Her Pink Guitar! Before she was known as “Miss Nina”, Nina could be found dancing everywhere and anywhere you’d let her. Professionally or just for fun, music and movement has been her passion and part of her daily life forever. Whether you see her performing in concert, in class or listen to her original music you can witness her high-energy joy that fuels her dancing spirit. And Nina hopes its contagious! Providing children and their families the space and opportunity to enjoy music and movement together is her passion. Also the Uni Project will be at the Putnam Triangle Plaza 2-6p! Pop-up reading room with children’s picture books for browsing and a variety of activities such as making origami and reading aloud by volunteers and FAB Friday Afternoon from 4-6p with FREE Games and arts and crafts with New York Cares volunteers!
Fizz Boom Read: Little Scientists at Brooklyn Public Library (Greenpoint)
Fridays until August 22nd 1030-1115a. Free.
Pre-school aged children explore the world through art and science!
Drop-in Sing Along with Jon Samson at LARK (Flatbush/Prospect Park South)
Fridays 11-1145a. $5/family.
While Lloyd H. Miller is on sumer break, his friend Jon Samson will be filling in for him throughout the summer! Jon is an incredibly accomplished musician and self-proclaimed “goofball.” Come meet Jon this Friday at 11am at LARK and be prepared to sing, dance and feel the music! Discover more about Jon thru his website below. Suggested $5/ family. Check out his work and his website: http://www.cocreativemusic.com
Summer Stroll in Bay Ridge
Friday August 8th & 15th from 6-10p. Free. Third Avenue from 80th to 90th Street.
It’s Friday night in the middle of summer and you don’t feel like dealing with the crazy Jersey Shore or Hamptons traffic. Summer Stroll in Bay Ridge is the place to be! Join us for some family-friendly fun as we close the main neighborhood strip to traffic and open up the streets like the Piazza San Marco. Be there!
For more Friday events please click here!
Saturday August 9th
Summer Streets (Manhattan)
August 9th & 16th 7a-1p. Free.
Starts at the Brooklyn Bridge and goes up Lafayette & Park Ave to Central Park/72nd St. With nearly 7 miles of open streets, 5 rest stops and a seven-block-long art installation in the Park Avenue Tunnel – there is plenty to explore at Summer Streets. And remember, everything at Summer Streets is free! See website for more details.
B’rook’lyn Chess Festival at the Dr. Ronald McNair Park (Crown Heights)
Sat Aug 9th 10a-4p. Free.
Learn to play, hone your skills, or challenge the Master at this exciting chess event! Activities for all skill levels will be offered. Attend beginner or intermediate clinics to learn the game and sharpen your skills. Participate in checkmate lessons, test your skills with pickup games, and more! Participants can also sign up to challenge Chess Master Giorgi Kacheishvili. Please RSVP for one or more activities, whatever you’re interested in! Online registration is available at: bkchessfestival.eventbrite.com
Brooklyn Summer Shakespeare-ience: A Mid-Summer Night’s Dream at Brooklyn Central Library (Prospect Heights)
Sat August 9th 1-3p. Free. On the Plaza.
The Brooklyn Summer Shakespeare-ience is a summer intensive designed to make Shakespeare accessible to inner city youth in the borough of Brooklyn using the activities of reading, analyzing and performing Shakespeare. It is both a literacy and performance arts program. Students of the program will perform the romantic comedy, A Mid-Summer Night’s Dream.
Peter Pan and the Pirates Performance in Prospect Park
Sat August 9th & 16th 2-4p. Free. At the Zucker Natural Exploration Area (in Nellie’s Lawn).
Peter Pan vanquishes Captain Hook and his Pirates with the help of the brave Princess Tiger Lily, and the fierce crocodile. Eva Dean Dance is thrilled to expand the existing production Peter Pan and Stardust Dances that was a featured FringeJR show in the 2013 FringeNYC. In Peter Pan and the Pirates, Eva Dean Dance is inspired by the Zucker Exploration Area in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park to create a magical site specific Neverland, choreographed to David Kahne’s Peter Pan Ballet sound score.
For more Saturday events please click here!
Sunday August 10th
Pedal Stop at Brooklyn Bridge Park
Sun August 10th 10a-4p. Pier 5. Free.
Stop by the free rider assistance and information station from Bike New York where you can get a drink of water and healthy snack, then pick up safety instruction, bike maps and route suggestions.
Hip Tot Family Day at Prospect Park’s Lakeside Rink
Sunday Aug 10th 11a-2p. Free.
Live Concert with Grammy Winner Father Goose + Mr Marc the MC & DJ Beyonder + Melanie Hope Greenberg author/illustartor of Mermaids on Parade! Father Goose, also known as Rankin’ Don, also known as Wayne Rhoden, began his music career in reggae dancehalls. He teamed up with a popular children’s musician, Dan Zanes, where he took on another moniker, Father Goose. And under that name, he brings dancehall boogie to a pint-sized audience. Melanie Hope Greenberg has illustrated 16 children’s books and is the proud author of six of them. She will be reading her Brooklyn classic Mermaids on Parade. Mr. Marc the MC + DJ Beyonder know how get the crowd going, especially if the crowd is mostly toddlers. Mr. Marc the MC has years of experience hosting family events, headline concerts and currently playing the role of resident MC for the legendary Baby Loves Discoh.
Fringe Jr: And Then Came Tango
Sun August 10th 12n. At the The Theater at the 14th Street Y. For ages 6-12yy. Tickets $13. Additional shows and times. See website for schedule.
A celebration of the modern family inspired by the true story of Roy and Silo, male Chinstrap Penguins at the Central Park Zoo who formed a pair bond and caused a public outcry when they raised and hatched a chick named Tango
Kid/Around with The Pop Ups at South Street Seaport
Sun Aug 10th 2-4p. Free.
KidAround! at the South Street Seaport is a FREE family event series featuring live music, story-time with your favorite characters, games and more! Happening this Summer at See/Change. The Pop Ups (Jason Rabinowitz and Jacob Stein) are a Brooklyn-based musical duo which the Wall Street Journal says “reflects the creativity percolating on the independent children’s music scene.” Time Out New York Kids recognizes them as one of the top 15 kids’ music bands in the nation. In April 2014, the duo made their national TV debut on Sprout’s “Sunny Side Up Show,” and they will release their third all-ages release celebrating the power and joy of creativity, Appetite for Construction, in summer 2014.
For more Sunday events please click here!
All Weekend
The Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival at Flushing Meadows Park (Queens)
Sat & Sun Aug 9th & 10th 1030a-4p. Rain or shine.
The Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival is a multi-cultural celebration and sporting event held annually on Meadow Lake in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Queens. The boating competition is a centuries old Chinese tradition that has now become an internationally recognized sport. The event recognizes the Taoist holiday Duanwu Jie, the fifth moon, or month, in the lunar calendar. The festival is also said to memorialize the life and death of Qu Yuan, a poet and council to the Emperor during the Zhou Dynasty. Held throughout the world, the customary contest showcases races between ornately painted, long, slender boats, each distinctively carved with the head and curved tail of a dragon. Each team’s vessel is manned by up to 20 crew people, including traditional drummers, and custom created by master craftsmen in Hong Kong. See website for full schedule of events.
Civil War Weekend 2014 on Governor’s Island
Sat & Sun Aug 9th & 10th 11a-6p. Free.
Join the National Park Service and dozens of soldiers, civilians, officers and prisoners re-creating the summer of 1863 on Governors Island. Gettysburg has just been fought and the New York City Draft Riots are about to terrorize the city–see what life was like for on Governors Island during this critical moment in American History.
D.I.Y. Summer Crafting: Sunglasses! at Brooklyn Children’s Museum (Crown Heights)
Sat & Sun Aug 9th & 10th 230p. Free with museum admission. For ages 2.5 to 5y.
Nothing says “summertime” like a cool pair of sunglasses! Observe real sunglasses of different shapes and sizes, and decorate your own paper sunglasses to wear indoors and out. It’s just in time for some fun in the sun!
Theatreworks USA Presents: The Lightning Thief at Lucille Lortel Theatre (West Village)
Performances Monday July 21-Friday August 22nd at various times (no shows on Sat) See website for full schedule. Free. For ages 7y+
Let Theatreworks take you into a world with gods, monsters, and heroes! The Lightning Thief is a new musical adapted from the book, “Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief”, by Rick Riordan. With the rights provided by Twentieth Century Fox, and through a special arrangement with the Lucille Lortel Theatre, Theatreworks is excited to bring this new musical adaptation to children and families in New York, with book by Joe Tracz and music and lyrics by Rob Rokicki, choreographed by Sam Pinkleton and directed by Stephen Brackett. The Lightning Thief features Percy Jackson, the 12-year-old son of Poseidon, who gets pulled into an unfamiliar, mythological world full of treacherous encounters and challenges thrust upon him by the Greek Gods. Percy struggles with dyslexia and ADHD, coming to terms with a father he has never known, and solving the mystery of Zeus’ stolen lightning bolt, alongside his two best friends Grover and Annabeth. Since this is a free event please read the information on the website about how to get tickets.
Subway Sounds at the New York Transit Museum (Downtown Brooklyn)
Sat & Sun Aug 9th & 10th. For all ages. Ongoing from 11:30am to 4pm. Free with paid museum.
The Museum’s Platform level becomes a musical journey – we’re inviting musicians to play a few numbers in our vintage subway cars and we want you to groove along with us as part of our “Underground Summer!”
Preschool of Rock at the Bronx Zoo
Sat & Sun August 9th & 10th 1130a, 130p & 230p at the Terrace Cafe. Free with zoo admission.
Join Mr. Michael for an afternoon of musical entertainment as he teaches children about animal sounds and much more!
Victorian Garden at Wollman Rink (Central Park)
Daily until Sun Sep 7th various times and admission & ride prices varies by day. See website. Enter park from 59th St. and 6th Avenue.
Victorian Gardens will open its gates Memorial Day Weekend! Opening weekend times: May 24th 10a-9p, May 25th and May 26th 10a-8p. Victorian Gardens is a traditional family amusement park featuring one-of-a-kind handcrafted rides, games of chance, classic concessions, face painting and live entertainment.
Bessies’s Big Shot at Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre (Central Park)
M-Sun now until August 24th M-F 1030a & 12p, Wed 1030a, 12p, & 230p, Sat-Sun 1p. Tickets: $7 children under 12y & $10 all others. For all ages.
Based on the famed PuppetMobile show of the same name, this popular production makes its Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre debut! Directed by Bruce Cannon and co-written by Douglas Strich, Alexander Bartenieff and Bruce Cannon, this version of the beloved show will feature several new puppets in addition to new and extended scenes. It’s a bird … it’s a plane … no … it’s Bessie the cow! CPF’s original production, Bessie’s Big Shot, follows Bessie the cow’s dream of joining the circus. Can she lift more than Ziegfried, the strongest man in the world? Fly on a trapeze high above the crowd? Train Munson the Monkey? This variety show cheers Bessie on as she attempts the impossible and searches for her special talents.
CMA/Free Arts Island Outpost on Governors Island
Sat-Sun now until Sep 28th and Labor Day Sep 1st 11a-3p. For ages 1-15y. Free.
Join us as we spend the summer amongst the trees, with the crickets and cicadas, dreaming of far away spaces and surreal surroundings! Places with wonderful surprises and strange twists, where not making sense makes the most sense! Be prepared for theater games and film-making; painting, collage, and found object art; costume and prop-making; up-cycling, recycling, and re-purposing! And don’t forget: The Flubber Experience! Location: Governors Island, Outside Buildings 11 & 14 in Nolan Park.
Kids Corner at Habana Outpost (Fort Greene)
Saturdays & Sundays until August 24th 11a-3p.
Drop in for FREE, fun arts & crafts every Saturday and Sunday in the courtyard of Habana Outpost. August 9th & 10th: Plastic Bag Kites
Dinosaur Safari: Mysteries Revealed! at the Bronx Zoo
Now until November 2nd 10a-5p. Admission included in total experience ticket price. Dinosaur Safari: Mysteries Revealed! Nine new dinosaur species have been added this year including the deinonychus, prodohadros, stegosaurus, and edmontonia. Returning for the Dinosaur Safari: Mysteries Revealed, the ever-popular 40-foot long tyrannosaurus rex will send chills up the spines of Bronx Zoo adventurers. At the end of the experience, there is a field site that includes a fossil dig for children; a Tyrannosaurus rex photo-op; a paleontologist’s tent that includes a fossil museum; and an interactive robotic dinosaur that illustrates how the animatronics work.
Pterosaurs: Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs at the American Museum of Natural History (UWS)
Now until January 4th 10a-545p. Free with General Admission Plus One
In the new exhibition Pterosaurs: Flight in the Age of Dinosaurs, rare fossils, life-size models, and hands-on interactives bring these ancient animals to life. Step back in time to see pterosaurs, including giants such as Tropeognathus mesembrinus,with a wingspan of more than 25 feet, and find out how they moved on land and in the air. Get a first-hand look at the rare pterosaur fossils that have helped paleontologists learn all that we know about these animals. In a virtual flight lab, use your body to pilot a pterosaur over a prehistoric landscape. Encounter the exceptional creatures that flew in the age of dinosaurs.
Prospect Park Carousel Summer Hours
Now until September 1st 2014 Thu–Sun: 12n–6p. $2 per ride, $9 for a book of 5 tickets.
Kick off spring with a ride on the Park’s beautiful 102 year-old carousel. Located in the Park’s “Children’s Corner,” the Carousel features 51 magnificently carved horses, a lion, a giraffe, a deer, and two dragon-pulled chariots. Carved in 1912 by Charles Carmel, one of the foremost carousel designers of the time, and restored by the Prospect Park Alliance in 1990, the Carousel promises that classic summertime amusement will be available for generations of fun. In addition, the Prospect Park Carousel is one of the few in the world that is wheelchair accessible.
Pop-Up Audubon in Prospect Park
Saturdays & Sundays until October 19, 2014: 12n–5p. Free.
The Prospect Park Alliance presents Pop-Up Audubon, now in its second season, which invites families to directly engage with nature through outdoor learning in locations around the Park. JUNE: Incredible Invertebrates. Location: Entrance to the Ravine, downhill from the Picnic House
The Art of the Brick at Discovery Times Square (Hell’s Kitchen, Midtown West)
Now until Sep 7th. Sun-Tues 10a-7p, Wed & Thur 10a-8p, Fri & Sat 10a-9p. Tickets: $19.50/adult, $16.50 kids age 4-12y. The return of The Art of Brick!RT OF THE BRICK, and will feature a newly introduced gallery that showcases artist Nathan Sawaya’s In Pieces collection, a multimedia collaboration produced in tandem with award-winning photographer Dean West.
Sawaya’s original Art of the Brick exhibition is a critically acclaimed collection of intriguing and inspiring works of art made exclusively from one of the most recognizable toys in the world — LEGO® bricks. The Discovery Times Square exhibit will be the world’s biggest and most elaborate display of LEGO® art ever and will feature brand-new, never-before-seen pieces by Sawaya. Don’t miss the show named one of CNN’s Top 10 ‘Global Must-See Exhibitions.’
For a full calendar of events please click here!