Hi everyone! All the trees are green again and a lot of places are opening up so get ready for a busy Spring weekend in NYC!
This weekend check out the Opening Day of Governors Island and The Yard – Adventure Playground, Art in the Garden: Spring Weekends with Joanie Leeds at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Play + Go and Nature’s Helpers and the Carousel in Prospect Park, TREEmendous Trees! on Randall’s Island Park, El Día de los Niños Celebration: Sofi’s Magical Adventure, Children’s Read Aloud in Randall’s Island Park, Rubin Museum Family Sundays: Finding Patterns in Chaos, City Nature Challenge: Nature Exploration and Discovery in Marine Park, Flower Patch at Queens Botanical Garden, NYC Virtual Irish Dance Festival, Open Studios Residency at Brooklyn Bridge Park, Green Meadows Farm: Floral Fantasy at Aviator Sports and Events Center and the reopening of The Museum of the Moving Image.
Also check out long running events like Roller Skating at Lakeside in Prospect Park, The 3 Wishes & 3 Little Lambs at Puppetworks, Dynamic H2O at Children’s Museum of Manhattan, The Nature of Color Exhibit and Worlds Beyond Earth at the American Museum of Natural History and Urban Farm Exploration Days! in Randall’s Island Park.
These are just some of this weekends events so check the calendar to see everything going on. Also like us on Facebook for last minute events and updates.
Happy May & have a fabulous weekend!
~ Deirdre (mom to O & C)
Friday April 30th
TREEmendous Trees! on Randall’s Island Park
Friday April 30th 10a-1230p. Free. Location: Touchdown of the 103rd Street Footbridge. Celebrate Arbor Day on Randall’s Island with crafts, games, and info about the Island’s magnificent trees! Look out for chalked messages along our pathways, highlighting some of our common species, impressive trees, and important services the forests of Randall’s Island provide for the park and city. All items are “to-go” so they can be enjoyed safely out in the park, or at home!
El Día de los Niños Celebration: Sofi’s Magical Adventure (virtual)
Friday April 30th 1030-1130a. Free. Join us on the Sunset Park Library Facebook page for Sofi’s Magical Adventure, a bilingual musical puppet performance based on Raquel M. Ortiz’s bilingual children’s picture book Sofi and the Magic, Musical Mural. Join Sofi exploring public art, imagination, and the Puerto Rican cultural tradition of Carnival as Sofi visits beautiful places on the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico and gets to know the carnival character, a vejigante. And, sing along, in Spanish and English, (and maybe even dance) to bouncy plena music created by four-time Grammy nominated composer William Cepeda. After the performance, join author Raquel M. Ortiz in making a vejigante puppet inspired by her book. Then join her in singing some of the carnival songs from Sofi’s Magical Adventure. Grab-and-Go Kits available Mon April 26 – Fri May 7 (while supplies last).
Opening Weekend of the Carousel in Prospect Park
Starting April 29th hours are Thursdays-Sundays 12n-5p. Tickets are $2.50 or book of 5 for $11.50. The Prospect Park Carousel + Pony Express Snack Bar open on April 29! COVID-19 Update: The Prospect Park Carousel is open with COVID-19 protocols in place, including social distancing, enhanced cleaning and reduced capacity on the ride. Tickets are first come, first served.
Opening Day of the Museum of the Moving Image (Astoria)
Starting April 30th the hours are Fridays 2-8p and Saturdays-Sundays 12n-6p. Museum admission: $15 adults 18+ & $9 youth (3-17). Check out the The Jim Henson Exhibition and also there is a screening of The Muppet Movie Saturday May 1st at 3p. See the website for all the details. Purchase timed entry tickets here and for information on Covid-19 protocols.
See all the Friday events here.
Saturday May 1st
Opening Day of Governors Island
Saturday May 1st 10a-7p and open daily until October 31st. Hours 10a-6p weekdays and 10a-7p weekends. Admission to the island is free but fees for the ferry. See the website for all the details and health and safety protocols. Note: this year, Governors Island’s Brooklyn ferries will run from both Pier 6 and Red Hook on weekends all season, and you can book your tickets now. Residents of NYCHA housing, kids, seniors, military servicemembers, IDNYC holders and Governors Island members always ride our ferries for free.
Children’s Read Aloud in Randall’s Island Park
First Saturday of the month 10-11a until October 2nd. Location: Urban Farm. Free. Boogie Down Storytime is a family-friendly experience that cultivates early literacy awareness through joyful reading experiences. An interactive read-aloud that incorporates mindful breathing, which helps build social-emotional skills along with question and discussion activities that build community. Movement inspired by the week’s book selection led by a children’s yoga teacher.
City Nature Challenge: Nature Exploration and Discovery in Marine Park
Saturday May 1st 11a-12n. Free. Location: Salt Marsh Nature Center. Which city around the world has the most nature? The City Nature Challenge 2021, happening April 30 to May 3, will help us find out! In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 City Nature Challenge will not be focused on competition but will instead embrace the healing power of nature and celebrate tens of thousands of people all around the world, searching for and documenting their local biodiversity, together in this event. Participants will make observations and record data using iNaturalist. Participants are encouraged to download the iNaturalist app onto their mobile device, prior to the event for an interactive experience. Please see the website for Covid-19 protocols.
The Yard – Adventure Playground Opening Weekend on Governors Island
Saturdays-Sundays 12n-4p. Free. Welcome back to The Yard, New York City’s only adventure playground! The Yard offers free weekend play from 12-4pm, with Covid safety protocols in place. The Yard is a kids-only space recommended for young people ages 6 to 18, stewarded by trained playworkers. The Yard supplies young people with loose parts materials for building, exploring, imagining and destroying. Rules and more information: No more than 35 children at a time will be allowed in The Yard. Children must be over 5 years old. Masks are required. Shoes: Closed-toe shoes are required. play:groundNYC has a limited selection of loaner shoes on site. See the website for the waiver.
Play + Go and Nature’s Helpers in Prospect Park
Saturday May 1st 12n-4p. Free, No Registration Required. Location: Flatbush Avenue Entrances. Join Prospect Park Alliance at pop-up locations around the park and surrounding neighborhoods as we bring our favorite activities from the Prospect Park Audubon Center and Lefferts Historic House on the road in easy-to-borrow Pop-Up Lefferts and Pop-Up Audubon Play + Go Kits. Pick up to five (5) items and mix and match historic games and toys, or nature games and activities. While you are here, you can participate in our new Nature’s Helpers activities by lending a hand and participating in stewardship activities such as raking, litter patrol or mulching and afterwards, take a fun nature walk and explore the natural wonders of the park or search for the many historic elements that are scattered all around us. See the website for all the event details.
See all the Saturday events here.
Sunday May 2nd
Flower Patch at Queens Botanical Garden
Sundays 11a-530p until May 9th. Timed entry tickets every 30 min. Tickets: $15 per Adult ,$12 per Child (ages 4-12), Students, & Seniors. Free for Children 3 and under (pot of flowers not included). Free for Members (pot of flowers not included). Visit Queens Botanical Garden Flower Patch on the Farm for an intimate experience among spring flowers on Sundays. Unique floral and garden creature installations transform the QBG Farm into a fantastic flower spectacle creating an immersive environment and stunning backdrop for photos. Take home your own pot of flowers and a floral themed grab-and-go craft activity kit! Fee includes general Garden admission and entry to the Patch. Note: $10 parking rate in effect. Please arrive within an hour of the start time of your ticket. Purchase tickets here.
Open Studios Residency at Brooklyn Bridge Park
Sunday May 2nd 12n-2p and occurs every other Sunday 10a-2p until July 11th. Free. Location: Harbor View Lawn. The Conservancy is proud to welcome its first two Open Studios Artists-in-Residence: Fogo Azul NYC and Oyu Oro Experimental Afro-Cuban Dance Ensemble. Open-air working rehearsals by both groups take place at Harbor View Lawn every other Sunday, beginning April 18 and culminating on July 11 performances of their original work developed during their residency. The public is welcome to stop by at any point throughout the series to get a unique window inside the creative process and enjoy live performing arts activating Brooklyn Bridge Park. Note: Open Studios on May 2nd will run from 12n-2p and will only feature Fogo Azul NYC.
Rubin Museum Family Sundays: Finding Patterns in Chaos (virtual)
First Sunday of the month 1-2p. Free. Register here. At Home Art-Making. Ages 3 and older with accompanying adults. Sundays are for families! This fall join the Rubin Museum live on Zoom every first Sunday of the month from the comfort of your own home for an afternoon of activities both kids and grownups will enjoy. This month’s theme: Finding Patterns in Chaos ~ When life feels chaotic, create art! Whirling feelings inside can make it hard to do things, but that’s okay! Together we will learn how that chaos can help us grow.
NYC Irish Dance Festival 2021 (virtual)
Sunday May 2nd 2p. Free (donations accepted). Register here. Irish Arts Center kicks off Riverside Park’s 2021 Summer on the Hudson series with an online presentation of our long-running, annual community festival. Join us for an afternoon of workshops and traditional Irish dance and music performances, including an appearance by the five-time world champion Gardiner Brothers. See the website for details on the performers.
Art in the Garden: Spring Weekends with Joanie Leeds at Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Sunday May 2nd 3p, 4p & 5p. All programs free with Garden admission. Purchase timed entry tickets here. Celebrate the welcome return of spring at Brooklyn Botanic Garden with casual, pop-up music and dance performances on weekends until May 9th. Joanie Leeds will be singing Jewish and secular songs from her nine children’s albums, Grammy Award winner Joanie Leeds celebrates spring, New York City, and animals in the Water Garden. See the website for information on the additional performances this weekend and next weekend.
See all the Sunday events here.
All Weekend
The 3 Wishes & 3 Little Lambs at Puppetworks (Park Slope)
Ongoing Saturdays-Sundays 1230p & 230p until May 2nd. Tickets: Children $10 each, Adults $11 each. Suggested for 2 and up. The 3 Wishes a double-feature with 3 Little Lambs (a reimagining of The 3 Little Pigs) adapted for Hand Puppets by Nicolas Coppola. Call for reservations(recommended, due to our 33% capacity): 718-965-3391 or e-mail to: puppetworksinfo@gmail.com. Masks Required.
Green Meadows Farm: Floral Fantasy at Aviator Sports and Events Center
Ongoing Saturdays-Sundays 11a-5p until May 2nd. Admission: $12 per person age two and above. Register here. Picture Perfect! They have transformed our farm into an endless family photo-op throughout your visit. Take a stroll to the family selfie stations with thousands of beautiful flowers then meet our animals and explore our play areas. This outdoor kid-friendly event truly will make you say, ”What a great day.” Bring the whole family and bloom into spring! The FLOWER-FILLED event with your paid admission includes these highlights and more: Visit with our Animals, Sit on Ten Different Tractors, Glide down the Hay Wagon Slide, Operate our Bulldozer, Milk “Katie” the Cow, Enjoy the Bunny Barn, Discover our Farm Playground and Open Areas for Picnics. Extra charges apply for: Animal Feed. Please note: this is an outdoor event rental. Due to National Park Service COVID-19 safety regulations, no public access is permitted to Aviator’s indoor facility.
Roller Skating at Lakeside in Prospect Park
Mondays-Thursdays 11a-7p, Fridays 11a-630p, Saturdays 12n-8p & Sundays 12n-6p until May 28th. Admission: $6 weekdays, $10 weekends. Skate Rentals: $7 everyday. There will be Timed 90-Minute Public Skating Sessions. COVID-19 Safety Note: A safe experience for all our Guests and Staff is our foremost priority. Strict COVID regulations and cleaning protocols are in place including regular scheduled cleaning and sanitizing of the facility. Due to COVID restrictions, maximum skating capacity will be limited and strictly enforced to meet city and state mandated safety requirements. Masks and face coverings are required at all times. Please practice safe social distancing. Purchase timed entry tickets here. Bikes and boats are also open. See the website for the information.
Urban Farm Exploration Days! in Randall’s Island Park
Saturdays-Sundays 10a-4p until October 17th. Free. Explore the Randall’s Island Urban Farm’s variety of crops, rice paddies, fragrant herbs, and meet the chickens too! All ages welcome!
Dynamic H2O at Children’s Museum of Manhattan (UWS)
Starting Saturday April 17th and open weekends only. Reserve tickets for 11a, 1p & 230p here. Come play, learn and splash in CMOM’s seasonal outdoor exhibit Dynamic H20 (all ages)! Learn more about NYC’s amazing water cycle as you play on our new expanded 22-foot-long water table, located in CMOM’s Sussman Environmental Center. *Please be advised this exhibit may close due to inclement weather. All tickets are non-refundable, however we will be happy to reschedule your visit. On this 75-minute tour, families can: Interact with the table’s waterfalls, spinners, and spouts. Build bridges and direct water flow. Pretend to fish! Construct a city by the water’s edge!
Brooklyn Public Library Vitural Storytimes
Daily usually at 11a & 2p. Free. Sometimes the storytimes are on the Brooklyn Public Library Family facebook page and other times they are on a specific branch facebook page. See the website for all the details.
The Nature of Color Exhibit at American Museum of Natural History (UWS)
Museum is open Wednesdays-Sundays with timed entry tickets are available 10a-4p (museum closes 530p). Exhibit is open until August 8, 2021. Select a General Admission + One or General Admission + All ticket, choose date and time of entry to the Museum, then select The Nature of Color. Reserve tickets here. Our world is awash in color. Color makes the world feel vibrant and alive. But that’s not all. Color helps us make sense of the world. It contains vast amounts of information—about the natural world, and the human world. Come and explore the world of color in this immersive exhibition. Worlds Beyond Earth at the Hayden Planetarium Space Theater is now open with limited seating to maintain health and safety. See all the details here.
Children’s Museum of Manhattan at Home
CMOM is now open Wednesday-Sunday 10a-5p. CMOM at Home is still ongoing. Activities are sent in a daily email newsletter. CMOM can still be a part of your day through videos, sing-a-longs, games and so much more for you to do together with your family at home! Sign up for emails here. From slime-making, dance parties and being transported to Japan with a recipe for sushi, to making animal puppets from recycled materials around the house, creating a bedtime routine and storytimes, “CMOM at Home” is sure to delight. Each day of the week will feature a different theme: Magical Monday, Move & Grove Tuesday, Our World Wednesday, Artsy Thursday, Feel Good Friday, Storytime Saturday and Surprise Sunday.