Hi everyone! I hope the long weekend was wonderful and you are ready for another fun week here in NYC.
This week head out and enjoy Stomp, Clap & Sing with Little Maestros at Central Brooklyn Public Library, Light Up MetroTech, Brainy Bill: Plant Party at Macon Brooklyn Public Library, DUMBO Holiday Tree Lighting, Winter’s Eve at Lincoln Center, Mad. Sq. Holiday 2019 in Madison Square Park, Light Up Luminaries at Brookfield Place, Sing & Move! with The Sparrow Sisters at Monkey Do! Yoga, Move, Dance, Play: Creative Movement with Andrea at Raising Astoria, Selina Alko – Meet the Author/Illustrator at Cortelyou Brooklyn Public Library and The Giant Hoax at Theatre Row – Theatre One.
Also check out the long running events like the Holiday Lights at the Bronx Zoo, the 18th Annual Holiday Train Show at Grand Central Terminal, Survival of the Slowest at Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Ed Center in Brooklyn Bridge Park, Tots Drop in Center at Congregation Beth Elohim,Drop-in Storytimes at Stories Bookshop + Storytelling Lab, Origami Holiday Tree and T. rex: The Ultimate Predator exhibit at the American Museum of Natural History, GingerBread Lane and The Art of the Brick at New York Hall of Science, Holiday Express: All Aboard to Richard Scarry’s Busytown at New-York Historical Society, Yeti, Set, Snow! at Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre, the NYC Winter Lantern Festival at Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden, Photos with Santa in Brookfield Place, Free Admission Winter Weekdays at Brooklyn Botanic Garden and the opening of the Industry City Ice Rink.
This is just some of the events this week so check the calendar to see everything going on. Also follow us on our Facebook page for last minute news and event reminders.
Stay warm & have fun!
~Deirdre (mom to O & C)
Monday December 2nd
Sing & Move! with The Sparrow Sisters at Monkey Do! Yoga (Gowanus)
Mondays 10a & 11a. For 0-3y. Drop in $15 (per caregiver/child pair). Additional Family Member $8 and 5 pack $67. Sing and Move in this active sing-a-long. Live instruments, props, and fun! This 45 minute movement and music class will lead toddlers and parents through a series of simple poses accompanied by story songs and live music (kids love the ukulele!). We will also explore rhythm with clapping exercises and percussive toy instruments.
Move, Dance, Play: Creative Movement with Andrea at Raising Astoria
Mondays 330-415p until December 16th. $20/drop-in. For ages 2-4y. Explore the art of movement! In this class, we engage our creativity to develop gross motor skills and learn basic concepts of movement. Through the use of story-telling and imaginative play, children explore the elements of space, time, force, body, movement and form. The benefits of creative movement include aerobic exercise, self-expression, learning cooperation and developing body awareness, control and coordination. Andrea Cilento has a long dance history, beginning with Creative Dance classes at the age of two. Her teaching is based on the work of Creative Dance pioneer Anne Green Gilbert, founder of BrainDance. Above all, this class is a place for children to discover the joy of Creative Movement! Note: Adults must stay in the back room. Please bring water for your little one! Adults and children must wear socks. Strollers must stay outside.
Winter’s Eve at Lincoln Center (UWS)
Monday December 2nd from 530p-9p (rain or shine!). Free. New York’s largest holiday festival, Winter’s Eve at Lincoln Square, features free entertainment, family fun, outdoor food tastings and more, and begins with Lincoln Square’s Upper West Side tree lighting ceremony at Dante Park. Created in 2000, Winter’s Eve is a unique, neighborhood holiday celebration that draws upwards of 25,000 people and features free entertainment and live music at over 20 performance venues, food tastings from 30+ of the area’s finest restaurants and eateries, shopping and more. See the website for event details.
See all the Monday events here.
Tuesday December 3rd
Free Admission Winter Weekdays at Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Tuesdays-Fridays 10a-430p until February 28th. Closed Mondays (but open Martin Luther King Jr. Day and Presidents’ Day). Free admission winter weekdays! Last admission into the Garden is 30 minutes before closing time.
Stomp, Clap & Sing with Little Maestros at Central Brooklyn Public Library
Tuesday December 3rd 11a-12n. Free. Location: Dweck Center. You and your child will love our catchy original music, musical story-time, language development segments, funny and meaningful puppet shows, and “bubble music”. Little Maestros is continuously creating! Each presentation is fresh and special. Friendships are made, children have the ideal experience for their developing minds and spirits, and everyone leaves with a smile! Families will be given seating priority. Seating is limited. First come, first served.
Light Up Luminaries at Brookfield Place (Battery Park City)
Tuesday December 3rd 5-8p. Free to attend. Light up Luminaries signals the start of the holiday season with an evening full of fun and holiday cheer as Brookfield Place celebrates the spectacular light installation and holiday tradition. Enjoy ice skating on the waterfront, sweet treats, and performances by Joe McGinty & the Loser’s Lounge and more! Luminaries is a mesmerizing light installation created by the LAB at Rockwell Group for Brookfield Place, inspired by the season’s traditions of sharing, giving, and community. Visitors are immersed in the suspended canopy of glowing lanterns that change in color and intensity within the Winter Garden. This interactive exhibit features three Wishing Stations where touch-activated wishes can be sent to the canopy of lanterns above, activating a magical display of lights and colors. Visitors are encouraged to watch light shows every hour and send wishes to the canopy above from the glowing wishing stations. Brookfield Place will donate $1, up to $25,000, for every wish made during the holiday season to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer. Luminaries will be on display daily 10a-8p December 4th-January 3rd.
See all the Tuesday events here.
Wednesday December 4th
Opening Week of The Industry City Ice Rink (Sunset Park)
Wednesdays-Thursdays 4-8p, Fridays 11a-8p, Saturdays 10a-8p and Sundays 10a-5p. Tickets will be $10 for adults and $6 for kids 12 and under, with skate rentals costing $9. Tickets can be purchased on site at IC Ice Rink in courtyard 5/6. The Industry City Ice Rink opens November 30 and welcomes guests to join for an iconic winter experience every Wednesday to Sunday with ice skating theme parties on Fridays + Saturdays. The rink is outside and uncovered, so dress appropriately for an enjoyable and comfortable skate. If you come at a popular time and there’s a line, there are plenty of other activities to fill your time while you wait. Pop into our game room, browse + shop The Makers Guild, hang by the fire pit or grab a drink inside any of our brewers and distillers. See website for all the details.
Light Up MetroTech (Downtown Brooklyn)
Wednesday December 4th 5-630p. Free. Light Up MetroTech celebrates the start of the holiday season with an evening full of fun and holiday cheer on the MetroTech Commons presented by Brookfield Properties. Enjoy the following activities: Live ice carving by Okamoto Studio, Music by Ushka, Performance by Batalá New York, Hot cocoa and donuts, Tree lighting with Santa and more!
Selina Alko – Meet the Author/Illustrator at Cortelyou Brooklyn Public Library
Wednesday December 4th 5-6p. Free. Suffragist Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass were close friends who shared the common goals of social justice and civil rights. In Two Friends, they recount their similar stories fighting to win rights for women and African Americans. The premise of this particular exchange between the two is based on a statue in their hometown of Rochester, New York, which shows the two friends having tea. This event was inspired by the 1619: 400 Years Later project, organized by Nikole Hannah-Jones, which re-examines the history of slavery in the United States.
See all the Wednesday events here.
Thursday December 5th
Mad. Sq. Holiday 2019 in Madison Square Park
Thursday December 5th 330-530p. Free. All ages welcome. Join us around the Madison Square Park Holiday Tree on Thursday, December 5, the community comes together for the festive event and participates in free seasonal activities. With live music, giveaways, and treats, this annual event is the perfect place to kick off the holidays! Music by Lucy Kalantari & the Jazz Cats at 330p & 455p. See website for all the event details.
DUMBO Holiday Tree Lighting
Thursday December 5th 4-7p. Free. Tree Lit at 6pm Sharp! Free and open to all! Carols, Calypso and Cocoa! Join us to ignite some holiday cheer! The DUMBO Improvement District is thrilled to sponsor the 15th Annual DUMBO Holiday Tree Lighting Ceremony. Tree Lighting! Santa Claus! Calypso Music! Caroling! Hot Cocoa & Sweet Treats! Also a toy drive, coat drive & food drive! See the website for all the event details.
Brainy Bill: Plant Party at Macon Brooklyn Public Library
Thursday December 5th 4-5p. Free. Kids ages 6-12 are encouraged to come and check out the life cycle of living things by exploring plants from seed to…bug-eating mouth!? Edutainer Brainy Bill will guide you into the world of plants–make some close up observations of roots, create photosynthesis art using ultraviolet flashlights, observe some plants with bizarre adaptations like fuzziness, carnivorousness, and being ticklish, and wrap it up with a take-home germination necklace that uses colorful water orbs and body heat to sprout a new plant!
See all the Thursday events here.
Ongoing Events
The Giant Hoax at Theatre Row – Theatre One [sponsored]
Tuesday December 3rd 7p, Wednesday December 4th 2p & 8p, Friday December 6th 8p and Saturday December 7th 2p. Tickets: $40 Rear Orchestra, $55 Regular Orchestra & $75 Premium Seating. The runtime is approximately 90 minutes with no intermission. Step back in time with us to 1869! Emily, a bright young girl with an overactive imagination, has run away from home to prove that there are wonderful things in the world out there! Before long, she finds herself in the employ of a shady showman, William “Stub” Newell, the owner of a prehistoric, petrified giant! She and the Giant become instant “imaginary friends,” but all is not well. When the unscrupulous circus impresario, P.T. Barnum, offers a hefty sum to buy Newell’s profitable, prehistoric attraction and is refused, he comes up with a scheme to steal Stub’s business right out from under his nose forcing Emily to sort through what is fact, what is fiction, and what’s all in her imagination. Kit Goldstein Grant’s new musical, based on the true story of New York’s famed Cardiff Giant, features a catchy score packed with wonderfully whimsical music and clever lyrics making for a fun, family musical that bursts with excitement – and even a bit of history – as a cast of colorful characters takes you on a journey to the past by way of a young girl’s imagination.
18th Annual Holiday Train Show at Grand Central Terminal (Midtown East)
Ongoing until February 23rd 2020. Free. Hours: Monday–Friday 8a–8p, Saturday and Sunday: 11a–6p. Closed for special events and major holidays. Every holiday season, the New York Transit Museum’s Grand Central Gallery plays host to a city within a city with the display of a miniature electric railroad running over, through, and beneath some of New York’s most magnificent landmarks. Celebrating its 18th year of operation, this beloved annual holiday exhibit features model trains traveling along a 34’ long, two-level, “O” gauge model train layout. This year’s exhibit is set against a mural designed by cartoonist Julia Wertz. Departing from a miniature replica of Grand Central Terminal, the Transit Museum’s collection of Lionel trains including Metro-North, Polar Express, and vintage subway train sets will dazzle the eyes of children and adults alike as they make their way past New York landmarks and on to the North Pole! Note that strollers are not permitted in the Gallery & Store. Additionally, Grand Central Terminal does not permit unattended strollers. Please consider leaving your strollers at home. See website for directions to event.
NYC Winter Lantern Festival at Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden (Staten Island)
Ongoing until January 12th. Hours: Wednesdays-Thursdays 5-930p. Fridays-Sundays 5-1030p. Also open Monday-Tuesday December 30th-31st 5-10p. Tickets: $25 general admission, $17 youth ticket (ages 3-12y), $20 Senior/Military/Student. After our success last year, the NYC Winter Lantern Festival is back to transform Staten Island’s Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden into a whimsical world of light. There will be over 1,000 lanterns on display, sculpted into magnificent figures of luminescent art. Bring your whole family to revel in eight acres of lights, live cultural shows, interactive exhibits, and more. For those of you who attended last year’s event, prepare yourself for a completely fresh, new, and unique display! Purchase tickets here.
Holiday Lights at the Bronx Zoo
Ongoing until December 31st (excluding December 24th-25th) and January 3rd-5th. Hours: Sunday-Thursday 5-9p & Friday-Saturday 5-10p. Tickets: $22.95 for children 3-12y, $29.95 for adult. Discount available for WCS. See website for details. Discover the holiday season at the Bronx Zoo. Animal lanterns, animated sculptures, and colorful designs will light your way throughout the park. Enjoy a magical night that’s greener than ever thanks to LED technology. There will also be roaming carolers, ice carving, a holiday train, costumed characters ad seasonal food & souvenirs. See the website for all the details.
GingerBread Lane at New York Hall of Science (Flushing Meadows)
Daily until January 12th 2020. Hours are Monday-Friday 930a-5p & Saturday-Sunday 10a-6p. Free with Museum admission. GingerBread Lane is the record-holder of the Guinness World Records for largest gingerbread village. In order to be eligible for the title, every element of the gingerbread display must be edible, and the display must imitate a village with houses, shops and town services such as a firehouse and police station. Creator Jon Lovitch will again try to break his own record with this year’s GingerBread Lane. This year’s GingerBread Lane includes a number of storefronts with quirky names: Eleven Pipers Piping – Piping Hot Soup, My Two Front Teeth General Dentistry, Visions of Sugar Plums Eye Glasses, and Letters to Santa – GingerBread Lane’s Post Office. Also check The Art of the Brick exhibit.
Photos with Santa in Brookfield Place (Battery Park City)
Hours: Tuesday-Friday 12n-8p, Saturdays 10a-8p, Sundays 10a-6p, December 24th 10a-4p. Closed Mondays except 12/23. Santa takes a break to feed his reindeer around 3-4pm each day. Create lasting photo memories with Santa at BFPL! Photo packages start at $29. See website for full pricing information. Walk ins for photos with Santa are welcome, or click here to reserve your spot in advance.
Yeti, Set, Snow! at Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre (Central Park)
Mondays-Fridays 1030a & 1130a and Saturdays & Sundays 1p and ongoing at various times until February 23, 2020. See website for the full schedule. Tickets: $12 adult, $8 child. An original story and production from the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre, Yet, Set, Snow! is the story of a young girl named Widget, and her friend, Twig, who encounter a yeti named Pascetti on the first snow day of the winter season. Pascetti, who lives on a mountain top nearby, dislikes the snow. Through songs and snow day activities, Pascetti discovers not only that snow can be fun but also the value of friendship.
Origami Holiday Tree at the American Museum of Natural History (UWS)
On display 10a-545p until January 12th (except 12/25). Free with Museum admission. Visit the American Museum of Natural History this holiday season to see one of New York’s most beloved displays, the Origami Holiday Tree—an annual tradition for more than 40 years. The theme of this year’s 13-foot tree is T. rex and Friends: History in the Making, with models inspired by the Museum’s special exhibition T. rex: The Ultimate Predator, which celebrates the most famous dinosaur species that was first discovered, named, and exhibited to the public by the Museum. Feeling crafty? Volunteers from OrigamiUSA will be on hand at the Museum to teach paper folding to visitors of all ages. Also check out the T. rex: The Ultimate Predator exhibit.
Survival of the Slowest at Brooklyn Children’s Museum (Crown Heights)
Ongoing until February 2nd 2020. Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday & Friday 10a-5p, Thursday 10a-6p & Saturday-Sunday 10a-7p. Free with Museum admission. Meet Roger the sloth! He has two toes, lives in Central America, and is visiting Brooklyn with his friends. Learn about how slow animals survive and thrive in our fast-paced world at BCM’s newest exhibit. Survival of the Slowest features 19 distinct habitats with live animals, including Roger the two-toed sloth, a blood python, a roughneck monitor lizard, and many more. Each day this exhibit will offer up-close experiences with slow and small species that survive and thrive in a world where large, strong, and fast animals are often at the top of the food chain. Survival of the Slowest prompts families to appreciate the different evolutionary paths of these incredible creatures, and showcases the value of deliberation in our fast-paced city. While exploring Survival of the Slowest, young visitors will explore concepts of biology and evolutionary science. Live animal presentations are offered throughout the day to educate, entertain, and most importantly, connect visitors with wildlife and nature.
Tots Drop in Center at Congregation Beth Elohim (Park Slope)
Tuesdays-Fridays 915a-12p starting November 12th. Fees: Temple Member $13/child, $18 with additional sibling. Non-member $15/child, $21 with additional sibling. 10 packs also available for purchase. See website for more information. The tots drop-in center is a place for children ages 0-24 months and their parents/caregivers to explore, learn, and have fun! Drop in for play with age-appropriate toys and activities in our social hall (large indoor space). Please check the preschool calendar for holiday closures. No advanced registration required – please do drop in!
Holiday Express: All Aboard to Richard Scarry’s Busytown at New-York Historical Society (UWS)
Ongoing until February 23rd 2020. Museum hours: Tuesday-Thursday 10a-6p, Friday 10a-8p, Saturday 10a-6p & Sunday 11a-5p. Free with Museum admission. Holiday Express returns to New-York Historical this holiday season, reimagined to celebrate the 100th birthday of Busytown author and illustrator Richard Scarry. The installation showcases artwork and graphics of Scarry’s characters (like Huckle Cat and Lowly Worm!) from publisher Penguin Random House alongside Jerni Collection toys. Children and adults can also experience dynamic displays exploring the workings of the railroad, the services it provides, and the jobs required to keep people and goods moving.
Drop-in Storytimes at Stories Bookshop + Storytelling Lab (Park Slope)
Mondays 1130a, 1230p & 3p, Tuesdays 1030a, Wednesdays 1130a & 1230p, Thursdays 1030a & 1130a & Fridays 1130a & 1230p. No sign-up or registration is needed for Storytimes. We lead storytimes with our staff for babies through toddlers five days a week! Weekday Storytimes with our staff are $10 per family, with further discounted Read-y passes available for sale in our bookshop. See website for information.