Hi everyone
Wow the last weekend in August is here! The summer is unofficially winding down but there are still lots of fun family events to enjoy in NYC!
Take the kids and enjoy the last weekend of FringeJr shows at the 14th Street Y, learn history at the Battle of Brooklyn Commemoration at The Green-Wood Cemetery, cheer on your favorite racer at the Open Source Gallery: Soap Box Derby 2015, check out the Magic of Amore at the Carroll Gardens Brooklyn Public Library, bring the baby to a New Parent Meet-up at LARK, have a ball at the Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day, dance with Hot Peas ‘N Butter at the Bronx Zoo, get the kids biking at the Bike New York: Learn to Ride-Kids on Governors Island and get something to eat at the Smorgasburg in Prospect Park.
Also this weekend make sure to check out Dancewave’s The DeGraw Street Block Party, Free Family Days at The Wyckoff House Museum, 39th Annual Brighton Jubilee, Goldilocks & the 3 Bears at PuppetWorks, Traveling in the New York City of Tomorrow at the NY Transit Museum, a Collaborative Map Project at the Children’s Museum of the Arts and Pinkalicious, The Musical at Culture Project’s Lynn Redgrave Theater.
That is just some of the events happening this weekend so check the calendar for all the NYC events! Remember to like us on Facebook for last minute events and news!
Happy last weekend of August!
~ Deirdre (mom to O & C)
Friday August 28th
Kids’ Discovery Stations at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden (Crown Heights)
Friday August 28th 1015a-1230p. Last one! This docent-led, drop-in program is for families with children of all ages as well as camp groups. Free with Garden admission. Get your hands dirty at kids’ discovery stations throughout the Garden. Investigate a mystery plant, hold a water plant and learn how it floats, or go on a pollinator hunt in the meadow! All programs are outdoors and canceled in inclement weather; for updates, call 718-623-7200, ext. 7801.
New Parent Meet-Up at LARK (Flatbush/Prospect Park South)
Fridays 1-2p. Free. There seems to be a lovely little baby boom in our neighborhood of late. We’d love to offer our separate space on FRIDAY between 1-2pm for a new parent gathering. Come meet other new moms and dads and make some lasting connections with your neighbors! The first few months can be so difficult and isolating and it’s such a victory when you can get out of the house if only for one hour, so we hope you’ll join us.
Magic of Amore: A Magic Show! at the Brooklyn Public Library (Carroll Gardens)
Friday August 28th 2-330p. Free. Come join us for the Magic of Amore, a magic show by James Lazzarini, for our end of summer reading party! Summer reading has been fun, right? The fun continues with a magic show!
FringeJr: Rapunzel in the Wild West at the 14th Street Y (Stuyvesant Town/East Village)
Friday August 28th 7p. See website for additional shows and times. Last weekend for FringeJr! Rapunzel in the Wild West: The evil Bandit Queen is robbing every town in the West. Can Rapunzel and her famous hair-lasso save the day and prove she’s more than just a lady? Join this interactive melodrama, and help Rapunzel lasso the Bandit Queen! These productions are specifically recommended for families and groups with children ages five (5) to twelve (12). $13 FringeJR tickets will be available to the youngsters for all FringeJR shows and may only be purchased in person: Either in advance (the day before the performance) at FringeCENTRAL (cash or credit card), or at the box office where the show is playing 15 minutes prior to curtain (credit card only). General admission tickets are $18.
For more Friday events please click here!
Saturday August 29th
2015 Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day at Arthur Ashe Stadium (Flushing)
Saturday Aug 29th 930a-1p. Free for Kids Day activities, concert at 1p costs extra. Purchase tickets here. Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day presented by Hess is the largest single-day, grassroots tennis and entertainment event in the world, with chart-topping performers, celebrities and some of the best tennis players in the game coming together to celebrate the life and values of tennis legend and humanitarian Arthur Ashe. The event takes place the Saturday before the US Open. Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day features a ticketed Stadium Show and concert inside Arthur Ashe Stadium preceded by a free Grounds Festival on the grounds of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. Activites include: Face Painting, Juggling Workshop, 10 and Under Tennis, Hair Beading and Braiding, Storytelling, Balloon Artists, Roving Entertainers, Wilson Burn Challenge and The US Open American Express Fan Experience. See website for full schedule of events.
Free Family Days at The Wyckoff House Museum (East Flatbush)
Saturday August 29th 11a-3p. Free. Join us this summer and fall for a family day! While our public tours on Fridays and Saturdays are normally geared for an adult audience, we’ve planned engaging, kid-friendly tours, hands-on activities, scavenger hunts, and more on select Saturdays. If the weather’s nice, bring a picnic and enjoy our grounds before or after your visit to the house. If you plan to visit with children under 10, we recommend visiting before 2 p.m. to take advantage of specially planned activities for younger children. See website for more details on the events and upcoming Free Family Days.
Open Source Gallery: Soap Box Derby 2015 (South Slope)
Saturday August 29th on 17th Street at 12n. Free. Join us for the 8th annual Open Source Soap Box Derby! Experience the thrill of witnessing our participants from the summer Soap Box Workshop race their fun, funky, eco-friendly contraptions down 17th Street in Brooklyn. Since 2008, our Soap Box Derby has been a staple of the neighborhood. Each year, the Soap Box Workshop encouraging children to think outside the box. Children plan their inventions using sketches and calculations, bringing them to life with found and recycled objects as well as building materials. Over the course of the workshop, participants turn piles of seemingly useless trash into functional machines while learning about construction and design and, more importantly, having fun. Leading up to the derby, kids test drive their racers, ensuring the safety and functionality of each invention. At the Soap Box Derby, participants get to race their soap box cars for real as friends, families, and neighbors cheer them on as they race down the street.
Dancewave: The DeGraw Street Block Party (Gowanus)
Saturday August 29th 12n-6p. Free & open to the public. Location: DeGraw Street & Fourth Ave. Dancewave invites you to a fun exciting end of summer block party on DeGraw Street and Fourth Ave brought to the hood by Dancewave! Fast becoming an epicenter of cultural life in Gowanus, Fourth Avenue is the ARTery between the Slope and downtown Brooklyn area. To celebrate our lively community and lovely neighbors, we are organizing a wonderful day that features dance classes & performances by Dancewave students and faculty, Drum lessons and acoustic performances from School of Rock, obstacle courses from Brooklyn Boulders, mini fencing lessons by Brooklyn Fencing Center and plenty more to keep, you, your besties rockin’!
Bike New York: Learn to Ride-Kids on Governors Island
Saturday August 29th 12n-2p. Free. Location: Little Liggett Parking Area – Division St (east of Island’s midpoint). Kids must bring their own bike and helmet. Registration policy: Advance registration is preferred; walk-up students are accepted if space allows. Register here. Learn to Ride—Kids is a free group class for children who are ready to ditch their training wheels and ride a two-wheeler for the first time. With our safe, easy, effective method and experienced instructors, kids will learn how to balance, pedal, start, stop, and steer a bicycle. Most students get the hang of it in one session, but even if they don’t, parents will leave equipped with an easy, low-stress technique that will have their kids riding independently in no time.
For more Saturday events please click here!
Sunday August 30th
Battle of Brooklyn Commemoration at The Green-Wood Cemetery
Sunday August 30th 10a-3p. Location: 5th Avenue at 25th Street. (718) 768-7300 for reservations and more information. 10a-12n: Greenwood historian Jeff Richman and author Barnet Schecter conduct a trolley tour of the cemetery (reservations necessary). 1130a-1230p: Living History Programming with drills, weapon firing, games and historic personalities. Old fashioned ice cream,shubs and lemonade, and other family activities. 1230-115p: Re-enactment inside the Main Gate at The Green-wood Cemetery. 130p: Parade to the top of Battle Hill. 2p: Memorial Ceremony at Battle Hill
39th Annual Brighton Jubilee
Sunday Aug 30th 10a-5p. Free. The Jubilee is our only fundraiser and is a Brooklyn tradition that celebrates diversity. The multi-block festival features multiple entertainment stages and blocks of merchandise and informational booths, as well as kiddie rides and delicious food. Established 38 years ago, the Jubilee now attracts more than 125,000 people every year and is dedicated to bridging the communication gap through the international language of music.
Smorgasburg in Prospect Park
Beginning Sunday August 30th until October 11th 11a-6p (September 6th 11a-4p). Location: Breeze Hill. Smorgasburg, in partnership with the Prospect Park Alliance, presents Smorgasburg Prospect Park, which will offer a range of cuisines from local and regional food purveyors on Sundays through October 11, 2015. The 100 vendors and small businesses of Smorgasburg Prospect Park will include longtime favorites such as Red Hook Lobster Pound, Milk Truck Grilled Cheese, and People Pop’s, as well as popular newcomers such as Home Frite (fresh-cut fries), Big Mozz (hand-stretched mozzarella), and Best Buds Burritos (carne asada burritos with French fries inside).
Warmth Presents Sunday Sessions at Redwood Studios (Gowanus)
Sunday August 30th 2pm – 9pm. $10 for adults; $25 per family (two adults and kids). For dance music fans of all ages, Sunday Sessions promises to be the perfect way to wind up the weekend during the summer. We invite you to park your stroller, grab some grub, and get your groove on. Doors open at 2pm and the party will heat up till 9pm. With a festival-like environment, Sunday Sessions will have food and drink available for purchase, plus kid-friendly activities such as misting hoses, bubbles, balloons, and sidewalk chalk. This event will happen on the 2nd & last Sunday of the month until September 27th.
Movies in the Parks: Guardians of the Galaxy in Irivng Square Park (Bushwick)
Sunday August 30th 830-10p. Free. Join NYC Parks for free, family-friendly movies in our city’s parks! You should come before 8:30 p.m. to get your spot. Bring a chair or blanket to the park and enjoy this Marvel story about a team of misfit space heroes who must learn to get along so that they can save the world. Rated PG-13.
For more Sunday events please click here!
All Weekend
FringeJR shows at the 14th Street Y (Stuyvesant Town/East Village)
Friday-Sunday August 28th-August 30th at various times. Last weekend! The FringeJr productions are specifically recommended for families and groups with children ages five (5) to twelve (12). $13 FringeJR tickets will be available to the youngsters for all FringeJR shows and may only be purchased in person: Either in advance (the day before the performance) at FringeCENTRAL (cash or credit card), or at the box office where the show is playing 15 minutes prior to curtain (credit card only). General admission tickets are $18. Productions this year: The Commedia Rapunzel, Haunted Holliot Hildorf Hotel and Shadow’s Unicycle, Ideas, Not Theories, PEDRO PAN, Rapunzel in the Wild West and Solina. See website for tickets and times.
Hot Peas ‘N Butter at the Bronx Zoo
Saturday-Sunday August 29th-30th at 1230p, 2p & 330p. Free with zoo admission. Join Hot Peas ‘N Butter, an award-winning and unique children’s musical group, at the zoo! We’ll dance along to their music, a combination of traditional Latin music, Afro-Caribbean rhythms, jazz, folk, and rock, as part of their newest album video release party for “Amistad”!
Waku Waku +NYC at various locations (Greenpoint/Williamsburg)
Saturday-Sunday August 29th-30th 10a-10p Tickets: $15-$65. “Waku Waku” is a new Japanese pop culture festival launching this summer in New York City. Waku Waku +NYC brings together the worlds of anime, manga, music, food, film, and fashion inside Brooklyn’s Greenpoint and Williamsburg neighborhoods. Featuring exhibits, panels, screenings, and interactive events across multiple locations, Waku Waku +NYC looks to blend Japanese pop culture with Brooklyn culture. We look to gather a group of creative artists from Japan in order to share their passions with us. It’s Cool Japan meets New York’s Coolest Borough. With a focus on access and engagement, Waku Waku +NYC is built to inspire new audiences, new ideas, and feel “Waku Waku!” (わくわく) = Japanese “excitement in a dream-like state.” We want your dreams, ideas, and passions to come into fruition all in one event! See the website for schedule of events.
Collaborative Map Project at the Children’s Museum of the Arts (SOHO)
Friday August 28th 12n-6p, Saturday-Sunday August 29th-30 10a-5p. $12 per person ages 1-65; Infants, Free; Seniors, Pay As You Wish. In conjunction with the exciting exhibition, If You Lived Here, You’d Be Home, opening this September, families are invited to participate in the creation of a mural-sized world map in the CMA Fine Arts Studio on August 27-31 during general hours! Inspired by Aleksandra Mizielinska’s book, MAPS, families will collaborate with CMA Teaching Artists to first outline and then collage to add color, flora, fauna and points of interest to the large-scale world map. Join us to learn scaling techniques, geography as well as about new cultures and places!
Traveling in the New York City of Tomorrow at the NY Transit Museum (Downtown Brooklyn)
Saturday-Sunday August 29th-30th 130-215p. For all ages. Free with museum admission. We’ll take a look at some practical and fantastical transportation technology ideas, then use craft materials to design vehicles for the 21st centrury and beyond.
Battle Week – the 239th Commemoration of the Largest Battle of the Revolutionary War (various locations)
Ongoing until Sunday August 30th. Some events have fees. See website for location details and schedule information. A week of events and activities commemorating the opening chapter in America’s drive for independence.
Goldilocks & the 3 Bears at PuppetWorks (Park Slope)
Saturday & Sundays August 29th-30th 1230p & 230p. 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). Robert Southey’s beloved Folk-Tale from 1837. Adapted for Hand Puppets by Jack Kaplan.
Jack and the Beanstalk at Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre (Central Park)
Fridays 1030a & 12n and Saturdays & Sundays 1p. See website for additional weekday show times this summer. 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.
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. August 29th – 30th: Egg Carton Goggles! See the world through your very own recycled goggles. Last weekend!
Splash Pad at the LeFrak Center at Lakeside in Prospect Park
Monday-Saturday 10a-7p & Sunday 10-6p. 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.
CMA: Free Art Island Outpost on Governors Island
Saturday & Sunday 11a-3p until September 27th (and Labor Day September 7). 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.
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.
For a full calendar of events please click here!