Hi everyone! I can’t believe the year is almost over and hope everyone is ready for another fun week here in NYC.
Take the kids and enjoy the New Year’s Eve Fireworks in Prospect Park, New Year’s Eve Ball Drop & Dance Party at Children’s Museum of Manhattan, Noon Year’s Eve at Grand Central NY Public Library, New Year’s Day Hike: Prospect Park, Coney Island Polar Bear New Years Day Plunge, 12th Annual Celebrate Kwanzaa at Brooklyn Children’s Museum, “New Year Tree Miracle Tale” at Kings Highway Brooklyn Public Library, Chanukah Activity Room at Jewish Children’s Museum, the 42FT – A Menagerie of Mechanical Marvels at The New Victory Theater, Family Matinee: Pokémon Detective Pikachu at Museum of the Moving Image, December School Vacation Week at New-York Historical Society, Therapy Dog at Tompkins Square NY Public Library and A Charlie Brown Christmas at The Secret Theatre.
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, 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, the Industry City Ice Rink and Luminaries at Brookfield Place.
These are just some of the events in NYC so check the calendar to see everything going on. Also follow us on our Facebook page for last minute news and event reminders.
Enjoy the last few days of the break & Happy New Year!
~Deirdre (mom to O & C)
Monday December 30th
12th Annual Celebrate Kwanzaa at Brooklyn Children’s Museum (Crown Heights)
Monday December 30th various times. Free with Museum admission. Join Brooklyn Children’s Museum and Brooklyn-based Asase Yaa Cultural Arts Foundation as we mark our 12th annual Kwanzaa celebration together at the largest family Kwanzaa event in New York City! With five days of incredible programs highlighting the culture, art, dancing, and music of this African-American holiday, this year we invite visitors to join us in exploring Kwanzaa’s seven principles: unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, faith, and creativity. Learn about the history and significance of Kwanzaa; play the djembe drum; create Zawadi gifts for your family and others; hear African folktales; and help paint a mural that explores each of Kwanzaa’s principles with artist, Mincho Vega! See the website for all the event details.
Yeti, Set, Snow! at Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre (Central Park)
Monday-Tuesday December 30th-31st 11a, 1p & 3p (none 1/1 or 1/2). Additional performances until February 23rd. 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.
December School Vacation Week at New-York Historical Society (UWS)
Monday-Wednesday December 30th-January 1st. Free with Museum Admission. All Ages. Stop by the New-York Historical Society during our annual December School Vacation Week and explore our special exhibition Holiday Express: All Aboard to Richard Scarry’s Busytown! “I Spy” Scavenger Hunt (daily, all day): I spy with my little eye… Pick up an “I Spy” scavenger hunt and take the whole family on an adventure through Holiday Express. Kids and adults alike will delight in discovering Busytown surprises tucked in among the toys and trains! Train Tales and Crafts (daily at 2p): Hear a classic train storybook read aloud and then, stay to do a related craft activity. Books for the week include favorites like The Little Engine That Could by Watty Piper; Steam Train, Dream Train, written by Sherri Duskey Rinker and illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld; Shark vs. Train, written by Chris Barton and illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld; and more! Busytown Mysteries (daily at 3p except 12/31): Put on your detective cap! Stop in to solve mysteries alongside beloved Richard Scarry characters like Huckle Cat, Lowly Worm, Sally Cat, and Hilda Hippo on adorable episodes of Busytown Mysteries.
See all the Monday events here.
Tuesday December 31st
Noon Year’s Eve at Grand Central NY Public Library (Midtown East)
Tuesday December 31st 1130a. Free. Celebrate the end of the year and the start of a new one with a special storytime for kids. Help us count down and see our ball drop at noon! An extended playtime will follow.
New Year’s Eve Ball Drop & Dance Party at Children’s Museum of Manhattan (UWS)
Tuesday December 31st 12n, 2p & 4p. Free with Museum admission. For all ages. Drop-in. Location: 1st Floor Art, Artists & You. 10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…HAPPY NEW YEAR! Join us for a countdown party to the New Year!
New Year’s Eve Fireworks in Prospect Park
Tuesday December 31st 1030p – Wednesday January 1st 1230a. This event is free and open to the public, and will take place rain or shine! Join Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams and Prospect Park Alliance for Brooklyn’s most spectacular New Year’s Eve Fireworks Celebration at Prospect Park’s iconic Grand Army Plaza. This free event includes live entertainment by Brooklyn’s own Quintessential Playlist, followed by fireworks at the stroke of midnight. This family-friendly fireworks display, now in its 39th year, attracts tens of thousands of revelers to Prospect Park, making it one of the city’s most popular celebrations.
See all the Tuesday events here.
Wednesday January 1st
New Year’s Day Hike: Prospect Park (Light)
Wednesday January 1st 11a-1230p. Free. Location: Audubon Center at the Boathouse. If your New Year’s resolution is to get healthy, why not start outdoors? Dress warmly, put on your hiking shoes, and head to the park. Our Urban Park Ranger hiking guides will introduce you to the hidden gems of New York City. On our hikes, you may explore nature, discover our city’s urban forests, or just unplug from the world to clear your head. Our hiking programs feature intensity levels ranging from light to moderate to vigorous. Our light hikes feature a leisurely stroll on mostly paved paths.
Coney Island Polar Bear New Years Day Plunge
Wednesday January 1st 1p. Join us for the 116th Annual Coney Island Polar Bear Club Plunge! Taking place on January 1, 2020 at 1pm sharp on the world famous Coney Island Beach is the 116th Annual Coney Island Polar Bear Club Plunge. All swimmers should meet at the Boardwalk & Stillwell Avenue. This year’s plunge will raise funds for the Coney Island community to create a more sustainable and cleaner environment, programming for Coney Island youth as well as improve quality of life for residents. See the website for all the event details.
42FT – A Menagerie of Mechanical Marvels at The New Victory Theater
Wednesday January 1st 2p. Tickets start $22. 1 hour and 45 minutes including one intermission. For everyone 5 and up. Behold! A man so strong he juggles trees! An acrobat so light she floats on air! With a brilliant blur of sequined stilts, feathered frocks and flashing circus stripes, the endlessly inventive Cirque Mechanics upends expectations in a dizzying, dazzling array of acts that have never before appeared on the New Victory stage. Bright with light, laughter and good cheer, this stunning spectacle is a high-flying hit for the holidays! Also additional performances are ongoing until January 5th. See website for all event details.
See all the Wednesday events here.
Thursday January 2nd
“New Year Tree Miracle Tale” at Kings Highway Brooklyn Public Library
Thursday January 2nd 330-530p. Free. Start your adventure with Favorite Folk Tale characters!
Therapy Dog at Tompkins Square NY Public Library
Thursdays 4p in January. Free. Recommended for children 6 and up. This lovable dog is wishing someone would read to her! Her wish came true at the Tompkins Square Library. Meet Joan and her Beagle Maddie! Make a appointment with a librarian today! Every Thursday in January. Location: 2nd floor.
A Charlie Brown Christmas 2019 at The Secret Theatre Long Island City
Thursday-Friday January 2nd-3rd 7p and Saturday January 4th 3p & 7p. Tickets: adults $22 advanced, $25 at door, child (ages 16 and under) $12.50 advance, $15 at door. Run Time: 45 minutes with nor intermission. Join Charlie Brown and his Peanuts gang in this heart-warming holiday musical as they dig past the commercialized gimmicks of presents and decorations to rediscover the true meaning of Christmas. Through a pageant and a spindly tree, Charlie Brown and friends bring the holiday spirit back to life. Based on the beloved animated TV special! Featuring the song Christmas Time is Here, the music of jazz artist Vince Guaraldi, and new original dance and song numbers.
See all the Thursday events here.
Ongoing Events
Chanukah Activity Room at Jewish Children’s Museum (Crown Heights)
Monday-Wednesday December 29th-January 1st starting at 12n (end time varies). Cost: Museum admission + $1 Per ticket (Includes both Activities) Donut Decorating Create your own one-of-a-kind Chanukah treat at our exclusive donut decorating station! Dreidel Pillow Making Stuff, Tie and decorate your very own dreidel shaped pillow!
Winter Recess Family Matinee: Pokémon Detective Pikachu at Museum of the Moving Image
Monday-Wednesday December 30th-January 1st at 11a. Tickets: $15 ($11 seniors and students / $9 youth (ages 3–17) / free or discounted for Museum members ). Ticket purchase includes same-day Museum admission and access to Winter Recess Moving Image Studio. Recommended for ages 8+. Dir. Rob Letterman. 2019, 104 mins. DCP. With Ryan Reynolds, Justice Smith, Kathryn Newton, Ken Watanabe. In the first live-action Pokémon movie, a teenage boy teams up with a strange Pikachu to investigate the disappearance of his father. Pikachu, a supremely cute CGI yellow furball, is played by Ryan Reynolds in a hilarious big-hearted performance that is both playful and believable (parents who have seen Reynolds as Deadpool will get a kick out of this PG-rated role). The growing friendship and trust between Pikachu and the boy Tim are at the emotional core of the movie, but the weird wonderful world of hundreds of Pokémon just living their lives offers another level of pleasure.
Luminaries at Brookfield Place (Battery Park City)
Luminaries will be on display daily 10a-8p until January 3rd. Free to attend. This mesmerizing installation and holiday tradition features a canopy of colorful lights emanating from hundreds of suspended lanterns. Luminaries was created by the LAB at Rockwell Group for Brookfield Place, inspired by the season’s traditions of sharing, giving, and community. LIGHT SHOWS (8am-10pm): Special light shows will be presented at the top of every hour, set to popular holiday songs by Michael Bublé, The Bird and The Bee, Tony Bennett, and featuring a new show featuring “Let it Snow” by Pentatonix! HOLIDAY WISHES (10am-8pm): The interactive exhibit includes three Wishing Stations located on the ground that will allow visitors to send a touch-activated wish to the canopy of lanterns above, activating a magical display of lights and colors. Brookfield Place will donate $1, up to $25,000, for every wish made during the holiday season to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer.
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.
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.
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 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.
Origami Holiday Tree at the American Museum of Natural History (UWS)
On display 10a-545p until January 12th. 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.
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.