Hi everyone
The first weekend of June is here and there are lots of events to enjoy with the family!
This weekend enjoy Frolic: A Fabulous Family Festival at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden celebrating the new Discovery Garden, check out the Ezra Jack Keats Family Concert in Prospect Park, go to World Oceans Day at the NY Aquarium, listen to stories at The Hans Christian Andersen Storytelling in Central Park, fly kites at PS 132’s 11th Annual Kite Festival in East River State Park and watch the Best of BAMkids Film Festival at BAM Rose Cinemas!
Also happening this weekend is the The 22nd Annual Red Hook Fest, The Trummytones at Little Laffs at the Jalopy Theatre, Sketching Tour: Draw the City at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Figment Festival on Governors Island, The New Victory Theater’s Paper Planet at The Duke on 42nd Street and Museum at Eldridge Street’s Egg Rolls, Egg Creams & Empanadas Festival.
There are more events on the calendar so check it out and start planning your weekend! Remember to like us on Facebook for last minute events and news!
Enjoy the weekend!
~ Deirdre (mom to O & C)
Friday June 5th
Opening Day of Frolic: A Rockin’ Tot Spot at Children’s Museum of Manhattan (UWS)
Opens Friday June 5th 10a-5p. Free with museum admission. Exclusively for ages 5 & younger. Come ‘shake, rattle and roll’ in the Children’s Museum of Manhattan’s new interactive rock ‘n’ roll-themed pop-up play space dedicated to children 0-5 years old. Throw your hands up in the air as you sing, dance and play in this pint-sized rockers’ dream. The under-five ‘born to be wild’ crowd will climb aboard a replica of a 1970’s Volkswagen minivan, slide down a Rolling Stones-inspired tongue slide, keep rock alive on the mini-performance stage, sell tickets at a ticket booth, and hop and bop at an interactive video music wall. Little rockers can also mix it up at a baby sensory music mixer, crawl around the soft foam butterfly and whimsical mushrooms, and bounce to the beat of a rock ‘n’ roll soundtrack.
The New Victory Theater’s Paper Planet at The Duke on 42nd Street
Friday June 5th 1p. See website for additional times. For ages 2+. Tickets start at $20 and member tickets: $13. 60 minute performance with no intermission. Venture into a wild woodland unlike any other. There, a dragon! Look, a butterfly! In PAPER PLANET, kids and their adults team up to explore a jungle of cardboard trees filled with paper flora and fauna. Folding, scrunching and crawling, families contribute original art and populate the ever-changing environment with their own rustling paper creations. When the mic comes around for a chance to chime in and add silly sounds to the music of Mother Nature, kids are sure to get wrapped up in this forest of fun.
Rolie Polie Guacamole Sing Along at ELK Cafe (Windsor Terrace)
Fridays 4p $10 and $5 for siblings. Backyard singalong (weather permitting) with Frank & Andrew with great songs and family fun.
The Red Hook Fest Community Cookout & DJ Dance Party at PS 15 Playground
Friday June 5th 6-8p Community Cookout with free BBQ & DJ Dance Party! Join the neighborhood for a celebration of Red Hook. Food and music, fun games and activities for kids. Presented in conjunction with Good Shepherd Service’s Red Hook Community Center Beacon at PS 15. We’ll be serving food off the grill (first-come, first-served!) while a DJ keeps everyone moving.
For more Friday events please click here!
Saturday June 6th
The Hans Christian Andersen Storytelling in Central Park (UES)
Starting Saturday June 6th and on Saturdays in July, August & September 11a-12n. Free. Rain or shine. 72nd St. & 5th Ave. On Saturdays all summer long for more than 50 years, New York children have gathered around Hans Christian Andersen’s statue at the Conservatory Pond in Central Park to hear his tales told by a fine ensemble of storytellers. See website for the schedule of stories and story tellers. Appropriate for children ages 6 and up. Fun for Adults as well. Children are asked to sit with parents or guardians.
Sketching Tour: Draw the City at the Whitney Museum of American Art (Meatpacking District)
Saturday June 6th 1115a-1215p. For families with kids 6-10y. Tickets for this program are required: $5 per person, plus Museum admission ($22 adults, $18 seniors, free for children under 18). Families are encouraged to sign up for just one tour a month. Tickets cannot be refunded or exchanged. Explore America Is Hard to See through drawing! Look closely at works of art and create experimental sketches inspired by artworks in the Whitney’s collection. This month, learn how artists have represented the city and capture the views around our new building in your own drawings. Purchase tickets here. Tours also available June 13th & 20th.
The 22nd Annual Red Hook Fest
Saturday June 6th 12pm-7pm. Rain date Sunday June 7th 12n-7p. Free. Location: Louis J. Valentino, Jr. Park & Pier (Coffey & Ferris Streets) Featuring performances by a world-class lineup of bands and dance companies on the beautiful Brooklyn waterfront, plus fun activites for all ages like kayak rides in New York Harbor (c/o the Red Hook Boaters), hands-on drawing activities, and a Red Hook trivia contest (with prizes!). Also featuring over 150 Brooklyn youth performers, representing the next generation of artists in Brooklyn. Emceed by Kymbali Craig. Featuring performances by: A Palo Seco Flamenco, Chop and Quench, Karikatura, Laurie M. Taylor/Soul Movement & Mawu Dance
Frolic: A Fabulous Family Festival in Brooklyn Botanic Garden (Crown Heights)
Saturday June 6th 1-5p. Free. Bring your wild wings and your dancing shoes for a fabulous family festival celebrating springtime whimsy and the opening of Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s new Discovery Garden. Dragonflies, butterflies, and other winged friends are welcome! Activities begin at Cherry Esplanade. See the BBG website for full schedule of events.
Creole for Kidz! Terrance Simien & The Zydeco Experience in Prospect Park
Saturday June 6th 4-7p. Free. BRIC precents Ezra Jack Keats Family Concert. CELEBRATE BROOKLYN! @ Prospect Park Bandshell. The NOLA accordionist, singer, and educator TERRANCE SIMIEN, “a Zydeco Master” who “delivers soul worthy of Stax greats,” (Rolling Stone) brings a touch of the bayou to our annual Ezra Jack Keats Family Concert. Presented with support from the Ezra Jack Keats Foundation, which is dedicated to highlighting the importance of diversity in children’s illustrated literature and has created many programs that support children and educators as well as public libraries, schools and other institutions, the day will include readings from the great Brooklyn-born children’s book author’s works by Celebrate Brooklyn! favorite DAN ZANES, complete with video projections.
For more Saturday events please click here!
Sunday June 7th
Little Laffs at the Jalopy Theatre (Carroll Gardens/Red Hook)
Sunday June 7th Show starts at 1030a. Tickets: $5 Kids, $10 Adults (includes a Bloody Mary or Mimosa), $25 Family. Little Laffs, “Big Fun for Little Ones” is a fun and entertaining variety show for kids ages 3-9, that mixes juggling, balloon art, music, comedy, and more. Sunday June 7th: Music: The Trummytones, Magic: Gary the Great, Host: Twistin’ Todd Neufeld, Juggling: Handsome Harry. Next month the show will be on Sunday July 12th.
PS 132’s 11th Annual Kite Festival at East River State Park (Williamsburgh)
Sunday June 7th 12n-5p. Free admission, fees for activities and refreshments. Location: Kent Ave & N8th St. The students, parents and faculty at PS 132 are gearing up for the 11th annual Kite Festival at East River State Park in Williamsburg. The event kicks off at noon, with performances taking place throughout the day, as well as arts & crafts, face painting, yummy food, and of course kites! Participants can decorate biodegradable lunch bags and t-shirts, as well as create capes, tutus, bracelets and more. If you like gardening, you can even plant flowers! PS 132 is thrilled to welcome The Painted Cloud as a kite-making sponsor. They will host a booth where participants can make their own biodegradable kites. The “legendary New York brass ensemble” Hungry March Band will lead a parade up Kent Avenue to State River Park, welcoming everyone to the event. The student performers will then take the stage. The lineup for the afternoon includes the PS 132 Band (Grades 3-5), its Talent Show (Grades 1-5), and TADA! Show (2nd Grade). Guests performers include the IS 318 Jazz Band (Grades 6-8), MS 577 Guitar Club (Grades 6-8), parent David Foster (of critically acclaimed NY band Bubble), and Brooklyn sax quartet The Side Project. This is a free event and is open to the general public. All proceeds from food sales, silent auction and general donations will benefit PS 132.
Museum at Eldridge Street’s Egg Rolls, Egg Creams & Empanadas Festival (Lower East Side)
Sunday June 7th 12n-4p. Free. This year the Museum at Eldridge Street will present its Egg Rolls, Egg Creams & Empanadas Festival, a celebration of the diverse ethnic communities of the Lower East Side. This block party, which began as a celebration of Jewish and Chinese art, culture and community, has become the Museum’s signature event and annually attracts more than 8,500 visitors in a single day. This year, on its fifteenth anniversary, the Museum is expanding its festival to additionally showcase the contributions of the Puerto Rican community to the Lower East Side through music and material culture. The Festival will feature performances of klezmer, cantorial, Peking opera, bomba and plena music; Yiddish, Mandarin, and Spanish lessons; Hebrew and Chinese scribal art, yarmulke making, Chinese and Puerto Rican mask making; games of mah jongg; community arts and crafts; and, of course, egg rolls, egg creams and empanadas. These folk arts, juxtaposed one next to the other, will illustrate cultural commonalities while preserving the distinctive voices of each community.
Best of BAMkids Film Festival at BAM Rose Cinemas (Fort Greene)
Sunday June 7th 2p. General admission: $10, Children 12 & under: $7. Missed this year’s edition of our beloved annual festival? Catch two of the most popular films from the recent children’s film festivals in North America. Pim and Pom: The Big Adventure – Two cats named Pim and Pom are best friends. But when their owner’s nieces come to visit, they want to keep Pim and Pom for themselves. After escaping the girls’ clutches, the pair must learn to survive on the streets. Will Pim and Pom be able to stay together and find their way home? Little Moon Lost (2011): A boy nurses the moon back to health after it has fallen out of the sky. But how will it get home in time for nightfall?
BKB Kids Summer Preview at Brooklyn Boulders (Gowanus)
Sunday June 7th 12n-4p. Parents, this event is suggested for kids ages 5 – 12. Registration is free & open to the public. RVSP today to enter our raffle and a chance to win prizes at the event! Join us for our Summer Preview – a jam-packed day for all of the climbers, skaters, musicians and acrobats! Parents and kids of all ages are invited to Brooklyn Boulders catch a sneak peek of the numerous programs we are offering this summer. Come for a fun-filled day, featuring: Climbing on our auto-belays, Extreme rope swing fun, A speed climbing challenge, Arts & crafts activities, Information Fair. Beyond climbing, our friends from Homage Brooklyn, Brooklyn Beanstalk, Trail Blazers Camps, and Brooklyn Music Factory will also be hanging out all day to answer all of your questions about our partnership programs! Interested in making a whole day out of it? Stay and climb afterwards with a special Summer Preview Day Pass + Gear Rental, for just $19 @ the front desk!
For more Sunday events please click here!
All Weekend
Figment Festival on Governors Island
Saturday-Sunday June 6th-7th 10a-6p. Free. FIGMENT is an explosion of creative energy. It’s a free, annual celebration of participatory art and culture where everything is possible. For one weekend each summer, it transforms Governors Island into a large-scale collaborative artwork – and then it’s gone. Art and activities in every medium available. Note: The event is rain-or-shine. If the forecast calls for rain, be prepared to hide – or dance – under porches, arches, and umbrellas while the clouds pass.
World Oceans Day at the NY Aquarium (Coney Island)
Saturday-Sunday June 6th-7th Free with admission. World Oceans Day is Monday June 8th. Come to the NY Aquarium to celebrate the ocean. The World Oceans Day theme for 2015 – 2016 is Healthy oceans, healthy planet.square-ocean-heart. The ocean is the heart of our planet. Like your heart pumping blood to every part of your body, the ocean connects people across the Earth, no matter where we live. The ocean regulates the climate, feeds millions of people every year, produces oxygen, is the home to an incredible array of wildlife, provides us with important medicines, and so much more! In order to ensure the health and safety of our communities and future generations, it’s imperative that we take the responsibility to care for the ocean as it cares for us. Celebrate the Seas with the Bubble Guppies 11a, 1p & 3p. Enjoy crafts 11a-4p. Turn beach trash into art materials in developing an ocean scene (Saturday only, starting at 1130a. Meet the diver 10-1045a & 130-215p and more. See website for the full schedule of events.
The New Victory Theater’s Paper Planet at The Duke on 42nd Street
Friday June 5th 1p, Saturday-Sunday June 6th-7th 10a, 1p & 4p. See website for additional times. For ages 2+. Tickets start at $20 and member tickets: $13. 60 minute performance with no intermission. Venture into a wild woodland unlike any other. There, a dragon! Look, a butterfly! In PAPER PLANET, kids and their adults team up to explore a jungle of cardboard trees filled with paper flora and fauna. Folding, scrunching and crawling, families contribute original art and populate the ever-changing environment with their own rustling paper creations. When the mic comes around for a chance to chime in and add silly sounds to the music of Mother Nature, kids are sure to get wrapped up in this forest of fun.
International Children’s Day Celebration at Children’s Museum of the Arts (SOHO)
Friday-Sunday June 5th-7th. Free with museum admission. See website for museum hours. Join us June 1-7 as we celebrate children and cultures around the world in honor of International Children’s Day! Participate in workshops throughout the museum, including creating a collaborative community portrait in the Fine Arts Studio, a collaborative, 3D model of the Earth in the WEE Studio, World Flags & National Flowers at the Clay Bar, a pixilated wall of GIFs, and more! Also, view a special exhibition of puppets from around the world!
CMA: Free Art Island Outpost on Governors Island
Every Saturday & Sunday 11a-3p until September 27th (and Labor Day September 7) (NO Programming Saturday, July 4). For ages 1-15y. Free. Location: Outside Building 14 in Nolan Park. Bring the whole family and join CMA’s Teaching Artists, as we spend the summer making artwork inspired by Governors Island itself! Participants will create works that show the importance of nature and parks, and our place in between those two. We will be influenced by the works of Andy Goldsworthy, Nils-Udo, and Richard Shilling as we scavenge for what nature has to offer, collaborating with site specific installations, and showcasing interactions with the sun, trees, water, and rocks. And be prepared to exploit the creative potential of everyday trash, repurposing it away from the landfills and oceans, by making it into clever and meaningful art. For more information on Governors Island, please visit www.govisland.com.
Splash Pad at the LeFrak Center at Lakeside in Prospect Park
Monday 11a-6p. Free. The Splash Pad, offically known as the Matilda Raffa Cuomo Water Playground, is the LeFrak Center’s free water play area for kids 12 and under. Open from Memorial Day to Labor Day, the water feature welcomed over 30,000 visitors last summer. Featuring 47 water spray jets and covering 16,000 square feet, Splash Pad is largest water play area in Prospect Park. In addition, the LeFrak Center offers roller skating, the Bluestone Café, and surrounding landscapes for picnicking and relaxation.
Pinkalicious, The Musical at Culture Project’s Lynn Redgrave Theater
Saturdays & Sundays 1p until August 30th. Tickets: $36.50. For ages 2 to 7y. Pinkalicious can’t stop eating pink cupcakes despite warnings from her parents. Her pink indulgence lands her at the doctor’s office with Pinkititis, an affliction that turns her pink from head to toe – a dream come true for this pink loving enthusiast. But when her hue goes too far, only Pinkalicious can figure out a way to get out of this predicament.
Jack & The Beanstalk at Puppetworks (Park Slope)
Saturdays & Sundays 1230p & 230p until August 23rd. For 3y+. Admission for a Child is $9, an Adult $10. No credit cards accepted. Reservations are suggested: 718-965-3391 (current day or advance reservations) or e-mail us: puppetworks@twcmetrobiz.com (NO same day e-mail reservations). Jack & The Beanstalk with an Original Song Score and a “live” Giant. Adapted for Marionettes by Nicolas Coppola
Kids Corner at Habana Outpost (Fort Greene)
Saturdays & Sundays until August 30th 11a-3p. Free. Presented by Sean Meenan and Habana Works. The Kid’s Corner is a weekend program that offers free, creative workshops and crafts that teach environmentalism, wellness and community to neighborhood kids. June 6th & 7th- Live Ladybug Release! Join us for this annual event as we release live ladybugs into the courtyard of Habana Outpost and learn how ladybugs protect our garden.
Jack and the Beanstalk at Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre (Central Park)
Tue–Fri 1030a & 12p, Wed 1030a, 12p & 230p and Sat & Sun 1p until June 26th. Tickets are $7/children and $10/adults. Based on the classic English fairytale, this fresh retelling of the Swedish Cottage original production takes Jack on an enchanting adventure up a magical beanstalk. In this starry new world, Jack encounters the notorious Giant, Milford, whose thieving ways have brought misfortune upon Jack and his mother. Determined to make life better for his family, Jack, with help from friends old and new, risks his life to take back what the Giant stole.
For a full calendar of events please click here!