Hello all
I hope everyone is having a wonderful Thanksgiving with their friends and family and ready for a fun weekend!
This weekend take the kids and enjoy Park Slope Fifth Avenue Tree Lighting Ceremony, Brooklyn Holiday Bazaar at 501 Union, Little Makers: Gingerbread Celebration at New York Hall of Science, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood – LIVE! at Kings Theatre, Junie B.’s Essential Survival Guide to School at Queens Theatre, Thanksgiving in Prospect Park, Breakfast with Santa at Rock Center Café, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory & Thanksgiving Family Workshop: Sweets on Screen at the Museum of the Moving Image, Macy’s Santaland: Opening Weekend at Macy’s Herald Square, BAMkids Movie Matinees: The Muppet Movie, Family Comedy Show with Billy Kelly at the Jalopy Theatre and Winter on a Flatbush Farm at the Lefferts Historic House with a St. Nicholas will visit too!
Also check out the long running events going on this holiday season like the Holiday Train Show at The New York Botanical Garden, Pip’s Island at Skylight Modern, Three Bears Holiday Bash at the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre, 15th Annual Holiday Train Show in Grand Central, Gingerbread Lane at New York Hall of Science, Origami Holiday Tree at the American Museum of Natural History and Hansel & Gretel at Puppetworks.
There are more events on the calendar so check it out & have fun with the kids! Remember to like us on Facebook for last minute events and news!
Enjoy the long weekend!
~ Deirdre (mom to O & C)
Friday November 25th
Macy’s Santaland: Opening Weekend at Macy’s Herald Square
Santaland Opening Weekend Hours: Friday November 25th: 7am-9pm, Saturday, November 26th: 8am-9pm, Sunday, November 27th: 10am-9pm. Free to visit! Professional photos are available for purchase, but they’re optional. Packages start at $20.99. Nothing will put you more in the Christmas spirit than a trip to Santaland! In this enchanted holiday wonderland, you can tell Santa what you’d like for Chirstmas, get your picture taken with him and enjoy all sorts of other wonderful holiday magic. Santaland is open until December 24th. See here for hours.
Screening: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory at the Museum of the Moving Image (Astoria)
Friday-Sunday November 25th-27th 1230p. Tickets: $12 (Free for members at the Film Lover and MoMI Kids Premium levels and above). Ticket purchase may be applied toward same-day admission to the Museum. Dir. Mel Stuart.1971, 100 mins. 35mm. With Gene Wilder, Jack Albertson, Peter Ostrum. “A little nonsense now and then is relished by the wisest men,” says Gene Wilder as the candy king Willy Wonka in this enduring fantasy film. This adaptation of Roald Dahl’s children’s book about five children, including our hero Charlie, who win a coveted trip to a chocolate factory, is (according to Roger Ebert) “probably the best film of its sort since The Wizard of Oz.” Also check out Thanksgiving Family Workshop: Sweets on Screen.
Junie B.’s Essential Survival Guide to School at Queens Theatre
Friday November 25th 1p & 3p. Tickets: $14 (members $12). Now that Junie B. Jones has been going to school for over one-and-a-half years, who better to write the book on everything you need to know? From bus rules to band-aids, carpools to cookies, Junie B. and friends deliver the definitive word on surviving and thriving in style. An all-new musical adventure based on Barbara Park’s popular book.
Jason Bishop: Straight Up Magic at The New Victory Theater
Friday-Saturday November 25th-26th 2p & 7p & Sunday November 27th 12n & 5p. For ages 6+. Tickets start at $16. Performance facts: 1 hour and 45 minutes including one intermission. He walks through walls, makes objects disappear and turns a dollar bill instantly into a hundred. No, this isn’t make believe, but it is unbelievable! In STRAIGHT UP MAGIC, Jason Bishop infuses old school tricks with new school stagecraft in a virtuosic performance. Without fuss or frills, he moves from stunning sleight of hand to dazzling illusions with an easy humor and exceptional talent—and a little help from his tiny tail-wagging terrier, Gizmo! When he levitates a woman a dozen feet in the air and soars up to retrieve her, any skepticism will, as they say, vanish in the blink of an eye.
Saturday November 26th
Breakfast with Santa at Rock Center Café (Midtown)
Saturday-Sunday November 25th-26th times: 7:15 AM, 8:45AM & 9:15a and additional dates in December. See website for more information. Pricing begins at $70 Adults & $50 Children. Treat your family to a beloved holiday tradition with Breakfast with Santa at Rock Center Café. Make their Christmas dreams come true with a breakfast experience at the season’s most iconic destination – Rockefeller Center, with the famed Christmas tree and our ice rink illuminated by the magical twinkle of holiday lights. Join us for a sumptuous breakfast feast, gingerbread men, candy canes and gifts from Santa and his elves. Then lace up your skates for spins, twirls and crazy-eights with Santa himself at the world-famous Rink at Rockefeller Center, an experience that truly brings Christmas to life for any child. Rock Center Cafe is a great choice for young children, boasting a Throne Room for that perfectly-posed shot on Santa’s lap, plus a Candy Bar Experience where little ones can assemble souvenir bags filled with candy treats to take home.
Brooklyn Holiday Bazaar at 501 Union (Gowanus)
Saturday-Sunday November 26th-27th 11a-6p. Free admission. Shop, eat, drink & play! Brooklyn Holiday Bazaar is a unique annual event that showcases the best of Brooklyn under one beautiful roof. The 4th edition will be packed with fine handmade goods, delicious food, drinks, music, craft activities with Make Workshop, a photo booth to pose for your family portrait, free gift wrapping and more good times.
Thanksgiving in Prospect Park
Saturday November 26th 12n–3p. Free. Join the Prospect Park Alliance for holiday programming at Lefferts Historic House and the Audubon Center. Nature Exploration, 12–3p in the Prospect Park Audubon Center (Free) Join the Prospect Park Alliance for nature education programs at the Prospect Park Audubon Center, the first urban Audubon Center in the nation. Bird Nerds Game Hour, 1–2 pm: Test your knowledge of birds in this fun, mildly competitive hour of puzzles, Bingo, card games, and more! Nature on the Go!, 2–3 pm: An Alliance naturalist will lead children and families to areas near the Audubon Center, where you can learn about the nature that is all around us and participate in a Citizen Science project. Animal Encounter, 3–3:30 pm: Want to watch the snake gobble up a mouse? Join Alliance Naturalists in learning more about the animals in the Audubon Center’s collection and even assist in an actual feeding. Discovery Pack, 12–3 pm: The Prospect Park Alliance invites you to get inspired by nature with our new Discovery Packs, a ready-to-go kits filled with nature activities for families. Paper Quilting, 1–3pm at Lefferts Historic House ($3 suggested donation). Now at Lefferts: Our annual show with the Brooklyn Quilters Guild is on display in the month of November. While you are here, make your own paper quilt collage to take home or add it to our community patchwork.
Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood – LIVE! at Kings Theatre
Saturday November 26th 230p & 6p. Tickets: $30-$50. The Legacy of the beloved “Mister Rogers’ lives on with the hit television series, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood. Now, Daniel and all of his friends are hopping aboard Trolley to delight live audiences with Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood Live!
Park Slope Fifth Avenue Tree Lighting Ceremony
Saturday November 26th 630-8p. Free. The Park Slope Fifth Avenue Business Improvement District will be hosting its annual tree lighting ceremony at the corner of 5th venue and 4th Street at 6:30 pm. Live music, puppets, Santa Claus, free activities and treats. Don’t miss NYC’s first tree lighting of the holiday season!
Sunday November 27th
Little Makers: Gingerbread Celebration at New York Hall of Science (Flushing)
Sunday November 27th 1030a-1215p. $8 per family, plus NYSCI admission. (Members: $5 per family.) Little Makers: Gingerbread Celebration will take place at: 10:30 – 11:15 am & 11:30 am – 12:15 pm. Recommended for children ages 18 months and older. Run as fast as you can to our GingerBread Lane. Design and create your own delicious mini gingerbread house. Sometimes creativity can get messy, so dress your little maker (and yourself) in old clothing that can be splattered with things like paint, ink and oobleck.
Winter on a Flatbush Farm at the Lefferts Historic House (Prospect Park)
Sunday November 27th 1-4p. $3 suggested donation. Get ready for winter as they did in the 19th century farming village of Flatbush. Learn how to make a candle, watch a master spinster spin wool thread, and enjoy Dutch treats made at our outdoor hearth from a Lefferts family recipe. St. Nicholas will visit at 3 pm.
Family Comedy Show with Billy Kelly at the Jalopy Theatre (Carroll Gardens/Red Hook)
Sunday November 27th 2p. Price: $5 kids/$10 adult/$25 family. Recommended for families with kids ages 8 and up. Grammy-nominated family entertainer Billy Kelly is bringing his squeaky-clean comedy home to his native Brooklyn for an all-ages matinee show. Come on out for some good clean laughs and absurd fun that people of all ages can enjoy together. Because the world needs more of that sort of thing! Recommended for families with kids ages 8 and up. Opening comic: Joe Francine
BAMkids Movie Matinees: The Muppet Movie (Fort Greene)
Sunday November 27th 2p. General admission: $10, $7/children under 12y. Run time: 95 min. Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie, and friends hit the road to Hollywood in their film debut. Jim Henson’s creations make it to the big screen with all the winking humor, goofy charm, and intelligence of the television series intact. Plus: everyone’s favorite frog singing “The Rainbow Connection” and appearances by Steve Martin, Bob Hope, Richard Pryor, Mel Brooks, Madeline Kahn, Orson Welles, and others.
Creativity Lab at the Brooklyn Museum (Crown Heights)
Sunday November 27th 4-530p. Free with Museum admission. Visitors of all ages are invited to drop by our studios and explore their creative side. In this drop-in workshop, take inspiration from our galleries and get messy, experiment with materials, and learn artistic techniques with a new project each month. Bring the whole family and stay for as long as you’d like! Meet in the Education Studios, 1st Floor.
All Weekend
Origami Holiday Tree at the American Museum of Natural History (UWS)
Monday November 21st 10a-545p and on display until January 8th. Grand Gallery, near the 77th Street exit on the Museum’s first floor. Free with admission. An annual tradition, the delightfully decorated Origami Holiday Tree has marked the start of the holiday season at the Museum for more than 30 years. The tree is decorated with handmade origami models inspired by items in the permanent halls, current exhibitions, and Museum collections. Volunteers began folding in March to complete the hundreds of creations displayed on the tree. During the holiday season, knowledgable volunteers will be on hand to teach visitors of all ages the art of origami folding.
Holiday Train Show at The New York Botanical Garden (Bronx)
Tuesday-Sundays until Monday January 16th. Also open on Monday December 19th & 26th) Various times and prices. See website for information. Advance reservations are strongly recommended as tickets do sell out. Purchase tickets here. Celebrating 25 Years of Holiday Magic! Enchanting model trains zip through a display of 150 landmarks, each re-created with bark, leaves, and other natural materials—all under the twinkling glow of the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. Marvel at G-scale locomotives humming along among familiar sights such as the Brooklyn Bridge, Statue of Liberty, and Rockefeller Center—surprising at every turn—on nearly a half-mile of track. The recent exhibition expansion continues with more trains, an all-new Queensboro bridge, and a true New York finale featuring a whimsical tribute to the iconic Coney Island amusement park’s architecture and attractions.
Three Bears Holiday Bash at the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre (Central Park)
Monday-Friday 1030a & 12n and 230p on Wednesdays and Saturday-Sunday 1p until Friday December 30th (no performances 11/24 & 12/24-25). See the website for times. Cost: $7/children and $10/adults. The Three Bears Holiday Bash is a variety show that celebrates the holiday season in song, dance and puppetry. This production quickly becomes a comedy of errors when Baby Bear invites Santa to star in Mama and Papa Bear’s annual holiday show. The audience also gets to join in on the fun with a “12 days of Christmas” sing-a-long during the performance! Written and directed by the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre’s longtime Artistic Director, Bruce Cannon, The Three Bears Holiday Bash draws from the stories of Hanukkah, The Night Before Christmas, and Kwanzaa, making it a great way to get into the holiday spirit!
Pip’s Island at Skylight Modern (Midtown West)
Ongoing Tuesday-Sundays until January 8th at various times. See website for performance times. No performances December 25th or January 1st. Run time: 60 minutes. Tickets: $50/standard. It’s time to zip up your explorer vest and join the irrepressible Pip, Pebble and Finn on an hour-long, uniquely immersive experience. Children of ages 4-10 will unlock a mysterious tree portal and step through it onto the shores of a fantastic and magical island, where wild adventures await them! The whole family will journey together, alongside the characters, through an array of lush, multi-sensorial environments. They’ll get to explore crazy gadgets and gizmos, feed giant hungry puppets, interact with the Island’s fantastical creatures, and ultimately collect five powerful Sparks of energy in order to save the day! Now’s your chance. Pip’s Island welcomes your entire family! To make it easier to bring the entire family, use code FAMILY and receive a discount of 10% on your purchase of 4 or more full priced tickets to a regular performance! Note that this offer may not be redeemed for preview performances or combined with other discounts. FIND THE ISLAND. SEEK YOUR SPARK!
15th Annual Holiday Train Show in Grand Central (Midtown)
Ongoing until Sunday February 26th, 2017. Hours: Monday–Friday 8a-8p; Saturday–Sunday 10a-6p. Free. Come celebrate the holiday season with us! This year’s Holiday Train Show display will feature a 34-foot-long “O gauge” model train layout with Lionel’s model Metro-North, New York Central, and vintage subway trains running on eight separate loops of track, against a backdrop featuring graphics celebrating the Museum’s 40th anniversary by artist Julia Rothman. Vintage “O gauge” and “N gauge” model trains and a selection of Transit Museum Collection ½” scale trolley models made by Dr. George Rahilly will also be on view. Transit gifts are available online at www.nytransitmuseumstore.com.
Gingerbread Lane at New York Hall of Science (Flushing Meadows)
Daily until Sunday January 15th, 2017. Monday–Friday 930a–5p & Saturday-Sunday 10 am – 6 p. Free with Museum admission. Visitors can marvel at homemade gingerbread houses made entirely of edible gingerbread, royal icing and candy. The houses are drafted, designed, baked, planned, built and decorated by chef Jon Lovitch over the course of an entire year. GingerBread Lane has won the Guinness World Record for 2013, 2014 and 2015 for the largest gingerbread village. Lovitch’s creation will again contend for this year’s Guinness World Record. Closed Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.
Ice Skating at LeFrak Center at Lakeside (Prospect Park)
Mondays-Thursdays 9a-515p, Friday 9a-9p, Saturday 1130-9p and Sundays 1130a-515p. Entry to the LeFrak Center is free and open to the public. Weekday skate pricing $6, weekends & holidays $9 (weekend pricing begins Friday 4p). Skate rental: $6. An admission fee is associated with skating and skating-related services. Lakeside is the largest and most ambitious project in Prospect Park since the Park’s completion nearly 150 years ago. The LeFrak Center at Lakeside provides the public with: A skating pavilion with two rinks providing 32,000 square feet for seasonal ice skating, roller skating, and water play, 15,000 square feet of beautifully landscaped viewing terraces, year-round café with a seating area, public restrooms, public programs, seasonal sports, classes, and event space.
Hansel & Gretel at Puppetworks (Park Slope)
Saturdays & Sundays 1230p & 230p until December 18th. Suggested 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). Hansel & Gretel ~ Brothers Grimm story; Humperdinck songs & adapted for Marionettes by Nicolas Coppola.
To see all the events click here for the calendar!