Hi everyone!
The last weekend of summer is packed with super fun activities!
The Brooklyn Book Festival has been happening all week and this weekend there are loads of events for children such as Dinosaur vs. School and Other Stories at BAM, An Otter Celebration at the Prospect Park Zoo & NY Aquarium and children & youth events the day of the Brooklyn Book Festival!
Also happening this weekend is the World Maker Faire at the NY Hall of Science, 32nd Annual Queens County Fair at the Queens County Farm Museum, Mario the Magician LIVE at The Drilling Company, Bryant Park Square Dance and the last weekend of Bessies’s Big Shot at Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre!
And some fun events happening right here in Brooklyn like Montague Street Summer Space, the Bounce Back To School Carnival at PS 9, Seining the River Wild at Brooklyn Bridge Park, Spellbound Theatre’s GRUMP at the Old Stone House and the Flatbush Frolic!
That is just some of the events so check out the calendar and see what else is happening 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!
Get out and enjoy the last summer weekend!
~ Deirdre (mom to O & C)
Friday September 19th
Children’s Storytime at Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden (UES)
Friday September 19th 1030a. For children 6 and under. Free with Museum admission; museum members free.
Join us on the third Friday of every month at 10:30am for historically-themed stories and activities, dress-up in the Children’s Corner and role-play with the museum’s Touch Collection. An optional brief tour of the period rooms will follow. September 19: Autumn leaves
Children Music Performer “Jose-Luis Orozco” at Brooklyn Carroll Gardens Public Library
Friday September 19th 11a-1215p. Free.
Please join Jose-Luis Orozco at the Carroll Garden Library for a family concert, where your children will sing, dance,clap and laugh, all while learning basic language and literacy skills in an interactive musical experience.
Baby and Me Pilates at The Stomping Ground (Crown Heights)
Fridays 1130a. $7 members / $15 non-members.
Baby and Me Pilates is perfect for parents with babies who can’t yet crawl (at least not too far). Get in a regular Pilates workout while also keeping your little one occupied and entertained! We incorporate games like peek-a-boo and sing-alongs throughout the workout, so you get all the benefits of Pilates and your baby has fun too! Led by Angelica Thornhill.
Learn and Play Dates at Brooklyn Children’s Museum (Crown Heights)
Fri September 18th & 19th 3-5p & Sat September 20th 10a-12n. Free with museum admission. For all ages.
Celebrate going back to school with BCM and Imagination Playground as families learn, build, and play with the fantastic Imagination Playground blue blocks.
For more Friday events please click here!
Saturday September 20th
Dinosaur vs. School and other stories at BAM Fisher Hillman Studio (Fort Greene)
Sat September 20th 1030a-1130a. Free.
Official Brooklyn Book Festival Bookend Event Co-presented with Greenlight Bookstore. Children’s author/illustrator Bob Shea reads from his widely acclaimed Dinosaur Vs series in this free, interactive family event. Kids and parents alike will chuckle and guffaw as Dinosaur tackles some of his most fearsome opponents yet, from the first day of preschool to the dreaded clean-up time! This event has a limited capacity and seats are available on a first-come, first-seated basis. A line will start forming at 10am at the BAM Fisher (321 Ashland Pl).
Bounce Back To School Carnival at PS 9 (Prospect Heights)
Sat September 20th 11a-5p. Fees: $5/Adult,$2/Children (Children under 2 Free) – Children’s ticket is good for 1 Free Bounce! Fun for all ages
This year’s carnival will feature 5 Bouncy Houses (including 1 for toddlers), face painting, carnival games and a huge outdoor dance party by Baby Loves Disco! There will be BBQ, drinks, popcorn and other snacks for all to enjoy. Bounce Houses & Carnival Games 1 ticket each & food varies. Ticket prices. 1 ticket – $2, 6 tickets $10, 12 tickets $20. Also available All-Day Bounce Bracelet – $35 (Cash, Visa and Mastercard (Square), pre-purchase will be available).
Seining the River Wild at Brooklyn Bridge Park
Sat Sept 20th 12n-130p. Free with RSVP. At Empire Fulton Ferry.
Learn about the remarkable creatures of the East River as our scientists use a seining net to humanely catch and release these unique critters. Tip: Getting wet is always a risk when you’re seining the river wild!
Brooklyn Book Festival: An Otter Celebration at the Prospect Park Zoo
Sat Sep 20th 2p. Free with zoo admission.
After touring the Zoo, enjoy an afternoon filled with books and otters! The Brooklyn Book Festival has been going on all week and it is also Sea Otter Awareness Week this year! In celebration of books and these amazing marine mammals, we hope you’ll join us for free readings by author Jennifer Holland from the sea otters chapter of her new book, Unlikely Heroes. Visitors will also enjoy special activities throughout the day highlighting the Prospect Park Zoo’s river otters. Also there is An Otter Celebration at the NY Aquarium at 11a on September 20th!
For more Saturday events please click here!
Sunday September 21st
Brooklyn Book Festival (Downtown Brooklyn)
Sun Sept 21st 10a-6p. Free. At Brooklyn Borough Hall.
The Brooklyn Book Festival is the largest free literary event in New York City, presenting an array of national and international literary stars and emerging authors. One of America’s premier book festivals, this hip, smart diverse gathering attracts thousands of book lovers of all ages to enjoy authors and the festival’s lively literary marketplace. Kid friendly events at the BKBF Children’s Area in Columbus Park every 30 minutes come listen to your favorite children’s book authors read, perform, create drawings before your eyes! All readings are followed by book signings at the adjacent signing table. Also events at the Youth Pavillion: 10a Comics Quick Draw, 11a Anything for a Laugh, 12n It’s Elementary!, 1p New York, New York, 2p That’s Entertainment!, 3p I Love You. The End., 4p I’ll Make My Own Identity, 5p Welcome to Fantasy Island. See website for more details.
Flatbush Frolic
Sun September 21st 11a-6p. Free.
Join us on Cortelyou Road, between Ocean and Coney Island Avenues (in the heart of Victorian Flatbush). The Frolic will be filled with music, food, children rides and activities, merchandise and arts & crafts vendors and the Cortelyou Beer Garden. Cortelyou Road Radio will run live at the Frolic Main Stage and band performances include Hey Lady, Sarah Amina, Chevy Lopez, The Lords Calverts, Ethoscope, Future Promise Cases, and Lords of 1010. In addition to a dynamic musical lineup, we are proud to feature dance performances by Latin Fever Dance Studio and Cynthia King Dance Studio. Families with young children are invited to visit the “Just For Kids” area at the Tot Lot Playground, hosted by Midwood Martial Arts & Family Fitness Center and FDC’s After School Programs. They will be entertained by Telephone Pioneers Clowns, Blue Lightning (young musicians 9 to 12 year old) and Lucy Kalantari and her enchanting ukulele. Children will experience hands on science experiments with Kiddie Science and sing-a-longs with Musical Explorers and Joanne Reil. Young Players Theater will teach improve and acting skills to all budding actors and Miss Wendy will lead an engaging Pre-School Storytime. FDC’s after school program will host fun craft projects, creative play and an All Ages Hula Hoop Competition. All children can participate in kids’ karate, gymnastics and yoga mini-classes with Midwood Martial Arts Instructors.
Montague Street Summer Space
Sun Sept 21st 12n-5p. Free. Summer Space is held on Montague Street between Clinton and Hicks Streets.
On September 21st, Montague Street welcomes visitors to Summer Space – a day of FREE, outdoor events, including the Brooklyn Heights Dog Show, live music and dance performances, fitness classes, activities for the entire family, food samples from local restaurants, and special store promotions. See website for full schedule.
Mario the Magician LIVE at The Drilling Company (UWS)
Sunday September 21st 1230p (doors open at 1220p). Tickets for Adults $20 & children 2-12y $15. Recommended for ages 3-10y. Length of performance: approx. 45-50 minutes.
Join Mario the Magician for an uplifting, inventive, and highly interactive magical performance for the young and young-at-heart! Part retro, part rock and roll, Mario is an artist and inventor who creates his own props. Mario’s old world looks and physical comedy style are reminiscent of his heroes, Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin, but he puts a thoroughly modern spin on everything he does. PLEASE NOTE: The theatre is a third floor walk-up, so while there is some (very limited) storage for strollers, we recommend only bringing what you can comfortably carry up two flights of stairs!
For more Sunday events please click here!
All Weekend
Bryant Park Square Dance
Fri & Sat Sept 19th-20th 6-9p and Sun 1-4. Free. On the Lawn.
It’s a Midtown hoedown like no other! Bryant Park Square Dance is blowing back into town for an exciting all-weekend event, September 19 – 21! Dancing: Do-si-do the night away with our featured caller, Dave Harvey of NYC Barn Dance, to live Appalachian fiddle tunes by The Calamity Janes. No experience? No partner? No problem! We’ll help pair y’all up and teach ya the steps. Also happening is bull rides (Fri & Sat only), photo booth, games, giveaways and snacks & suds available for purchase. See website for full details.
Spellbound Theatre: GRUMP at the Old Stone House
Sat & Sun Sept 19th & 20th 10a & 1130a. Tickets $10 for childgren and $15 for adults. Tickets available online here.
“Grump”, an original play by Spellbound Theatre, will have its world premier in Brooklyn this fall. Created for ages 2-5, “Grump” is about the rules and routines in a toddler’s world, and the exhilaration and heartbreak that can come from breaking them. Spellbound Theatre is New York’s only theatre exclusively for ages 0-5. Learn more about our performances, classes, and community programs at www.SpellboundTheatre.com or by emailing us at info@spellboundtheatre.com.
World Maker Faire at the NY Hall of Science (Flushing)
Sat September 20th 10a-7p & Sun September 21st 10-6p. Day ticket $40 for adults & $25 for 2-17yr olds. Weekend tickets available for purchase. Discounts for advance purchase. See details here. A festival of invention, creativity and resourcefulness, World Maker Faire showcases what people are making and provides a forum to learn by sharing knowledge and experience. 600 makers will exhibit their projects in addition to performance, demonstrations and a speaker roster including authors, innovators, and leading thinkers in the Maker movement.
Trav-o-lution University at the NY Transit Museum
Sat & Sun 20th-21st 130p. Free with museum admission. For ages 5+
How did we get from the horse-drawn streetcar to the motorbuses of today? Get an honorary degree in Trav-o-lutionary Science by learning all about the pros and cons of street travel by foot, omnibus, trolley and bus.
Amazing Maize Maze at Queens County Farm Museum
Saturdays & Sundays September 20th-October 26th & Columbus Day (10/13) 11a-430p (last ticket sold 430p). Amazing Maize Maze: $9 adults, $5 kids age 4 to 11, free for kids age 3 and under. Enjoy getting lost in our 3-acre interactive corn maze. The adventure begins with a “Stalk Talk” to prepare you for the challenge of finding clues, solving puzzles and making your way out of the maze. Feel up to the challenge? Then join us for the fun of getting lost and loving it! *NOTE: Sept 20-21 & Oct 26 there is an admission fee to enter the farm grounds. These are the days of the Queens County Fair and Children’s Fall Festival.
32nd Annual Queens County Fair at Queens County Farm Museum
Saturday & Sunday September 20th & 21st 11a-6p. ADMISSION: $9/adult, $5 child 12 & under. Gate admission does not include The Amazing Maize Maze, carnival rides/games and various other fair activities. One of our most popular events of the year! Don’t miss this traditional county fair with blue ribbon competitions in livestock, produce, home crafts, arts & crafts, and more. The fair features pie eating- and corn husking-contests, pig races, hayrides, carnival rides, midway games, and kids’ entertainment by Big Apple Circus To-Go. Dance the day away at the Bavarian Garden with an Irish band (Saturday) and German band (Sunday). Check out the ConEdison Ecology booth where you can adopt a worm for your home compost bin, get gardening & recycling tips, and enjoy free crafts for kids. Our corn maze opens this weekend, and we’ll have craft and food vendors at the farm all day.
Depot Time! At the NY Transit Museum
Sat & Sun 13th-14th 130p. Free with museum admission. For ages 5+
New York’s 4,431 buses roll out from 30 different depots spread across the five boroughs, and return at the end of their day at work. Learn more about these special homes for buses – where to find them and some of the unique features of these giant bus garages. We’ll design our own depots and create “dispatch schedules” for your own bus fleet!
Sensory Room Family Hours at Brooklyn Children’s Museum (Crown Heights)
Tue & Thu 3-445p & Sat & Sun 2-445p. Free with museum admission. Space is limited; availability on first come, first served basis.
Over, under, swing, and rock as you explore our newest space at BCM. Unlock doors on our Sensory Snake or relax and read on our fluff chair mountain This is an inclusive space that engages children of all abilities. This room provides a welcoming environment for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).
Bessies’s Big Shot at Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre (Central Park)
Weekends until September 21st at 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 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.
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 Fall Hours
Now until October 26th 2014 Thu–Sun: 12n–5p. $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
For a full calendar of events please click here!