Hi everyone! May is winding down and the weather is warming up. Hard to believe summer is almost here. Get ready for a fun weekend with the family in NYC!
This weekend Public Seining in Brooklyn Bridge Park, BKLYN Kids Block Party in Albee Square/City Point, Public Seining in Brooklyn Bridge Park, Wyckoff Farm Volunteer Day: Mushroom Inoculation, BPL Outdoors Library Party in Linden Park, Japan Performing Arts: Dance, Music & Kimono on Governors Island, Calpulli Mexican Dance, Birding: Spring Migrants in Highland Park, Kids Doga on Zoom with Karma Kids Yoga, Movies on the Waterfront: Back To The Future in Astoria Park, Virtual Meet the Author: Michael Hearst’s Unconventional Vehicles, Family Fitness with Chelsea Piers Fitness in Brooklyn Bridge Park and Pokemon Club at Brooklyn Game Lab.
Also check out long running events like Green Meadows Farm: Friendly Farm Animals at Aviator Sports and Events Center, Roller Skating at Lakeside in Prospect Park, The Wizard of Oz 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, Urban Farm Exploration Days! in Randall’s Island Park and Free Bike Mornings and The Yard – Adventure Playground on Governors Island.
This is just some of the weekend events so check the calendar to see everything going on. Also like us on Facebook for last minute events and updates.
Have a fabulous weekend!
~ Deirdre (mom to O & C)
Friday May 21st
Calpulli Mexican Dance (virtual)
Friday May 21st 330-430p. Free. Calpulli Mexican Dance Company’s mission is to celebrate the rich diversity of Mexican and Mexican-American cultural heritage through dance-based programming. Join us for a festive celebration of Mexican dance and music! This pre-recorded program will air on the Pacific Library Facebook page and remain there for 48 hours, then will be taken down.
City Point Cirque (Downtown Brooklyn)
Friday May 21st 11a-12n for 3-6y and 5-6p for 7-13y. Ticket Price: Pay-What-You-Can (Suggested Donation: 25 / Adult and 15 / Kids). Advanced Reservations Required: info@anverentertainment.com. A Family Friendly Variety Show featuring Aerialists! Hula Hoopers! Contortionists! And More!
Movies on the Waterfront: Back To The Future in Astoria Park
Friday May 21st 815-1015p. Free. Location: Astoria Park Lawn (Shore Boulevard between the Hell Gate Bridge and the pool). Join Central Astoria Local Development Coalition Inc. for Movies on the Waterfront at Astoria Park! Back To The Future (1985): Michael J. Fox stars as Marty McFly, a California teen sent 30 years into the past in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his close friend, scientist Doc Brown (Christopher Lloyd).
See all the Friday events here.
Saturday May 22nd
BKLYN Kids Block Party in Albee Square/City Point (Downtown Brooklyn)
Saturday May 22nd 11a-3p. Free. Back by popular demand the party to Downtown Brooklyn at both City Point (indoors) and at Albee Square (outdoors) with free fun activities for families with kids ages 1 to 10! Performances, balloon art, virtual reality, science lab, arts & crafts, bouncy house, chess, gardening, more!
Wyckoff Farm Volunteer Day: Mushroom Inoculation (Canarsie)
Saturday May 22nd drop-in anytime between 11a-4p with RSVP. RSVP here. Join the Wyckoff House Museum for a special Farm Volunteering Day! Help inoculate logs with “mushroom spawn” so we can start a small mushroom farm. Great opportunity to get hands-on with and learn about the fascinating world of fungi. We will provide tools, hand sanitizer, and masks for those who need them. We recommend that volunteers dress with layers in clothing suitable for outdoor work, durable boots or sneakers, bring a refillable water bottle, and snacks.
BPL Outdoors Library Party in Linden Park
Saturday May 22nd 11a-3p. Free. Join Brooklyn Public Library for a free outdoor celebration at Linden Park! Have fun and enjoy the sunshine with us as we bring the library outdoors to you. This family fun day will take place at Linden Park (aka Gershwin Park) on the corner of Vermont St and Linden Blvd. Everyone is welcome to free festivities such as: Storytime, Magic Show with Amazing Ken, Arts and Crafts, Free Giveaways, Bookmobile, Library Card Sign Ups, Community Hope Tree, Play Games Outside. Note: Masks are required and social distancing will be observed. Event is weather permitting. Rain date will be Saturday, June 5, 2021.
Public Seining in Brooklyn Bridge Park
Saturday May 22nd 1130a-1230p & 1230-130p. This is a free event and advance registration is required. Register here. Location: Pier 4 Beach. Discover the amazing biodiversity of the Hudson River Estuary as our staff and scientists use a seine net to catch and release incredible creatures that live below the water’s surface! This is a free event and advance registration is required. Please register for one time slot only. We will also do our utmost to accommodate as many walk-ups as space allows.
Meet the Author – Michael Hearst’s Unconventional Vehicles (virtual)
Saturday May 22nd 3-345p. Free online program, recommended for ages 5 and up. Register here. What’s the strangest kind of transportation you’ve ever heard of? Author and musician Michael Hearst may be able to top it! To celebrate the release of his new book and album Unconventional Vehicles: Forty-Five of the Strangest Cars, Trains, Planes, Submersibles, Dirigibles, and Rockets, Hearst will share some of his favorite quirky and unusual vehicles with us and also sing some original tunes. Join us for this fun peek into the world of wild and wacky transportation!
See all the Saturday events here.
Sunday May 23rd
Birding: Spring Migrants in Highland Park
Sunday May 23rd 9-10a. Free. Location: Vermont Place parking lot. New York City is home to an amazing abundance of wildlife. Our Urban Park Rangers will guide you to the best wildlife viewing spots in the urban jungle. To enhance your experience we encourage you to bring binoculars and field guides. Please see the website for Covid-19 protocols.
Kids Doga on Zoom with Karma Kids Yoga (virtual)
Sunday May 23rd 10-1030a. Fee: $10 per household. For ages 6 and up and their dogs (parents welcome to join). Register here to reserve your spot. Let’s celebrate our furry friends by giving them a space on our mat to practice along! Dogs really love the energy that yoga brings to their humans…it makes so much sense that they’ve been crashing our classes! Dogs will be an active part of the class through yoga poses, belly rubs, breathing exercises and even showing off their own tricks! Shari and her dog, Dexter, will also show you how to teach your dog to do a downward facing dog on command!
Family Fitness with Chelsea Piers Fitness in Brooklyn Bridge Park
4th Sunday of the month May-August 12n-1245p. Free. Location: Pier 6 Liberty Lawn. Registration opens every Tuesday at 10a for fitness classes the following week. Register here. Get the whole family moving together at this family-focused class for movers of all ages with Chelsea Piers Fitness. This class starts with a dynamic warm-up followed by an introduction to a key element of fitness. Whether it’s a squat, plank, or push-up, your family will gain a new fitness skill. The class will also include classic games such as Minos and Sharks and Tag, as well as introduce skills including breathing techniques and meditation. Be prepared to engage with your family members at all times as this is not a drop-off class. This is a class specifically designed to bring families together.
Pokemon Club at Brooklyn Game Lab (Park Slope)
Sundays 12n-2p until June 20th. $24/class. For ages 6-16y. Register here. Send in your kid to enjoy all things Pokemon! This program helps kids learn the nuances of this popular game and immerses them in Pokemon lore and play. Each Sunday, they build decks, compete, and explore a lab-original, Pokemon themed universe. Notes: Children should come with Pokemon decks they own! Please make sure they are in a container and clearly labeled with first and last name. Brooklyn Game Lab is not responsible for any lost or damaged cards. More decks and cards are available for purchase. We conduct health screenings upon arrival. Children must wear masks, and COVID safety protocol is followed.
See all the Sunday events here.
All Weekend
The Wizard of Oz at Puppetworks (Park Slope)
Ongoing Saturdays-Sundays 1230p & 230p until August 1st. Tickets: Children $10 each, Adults $11 each. Suggested for 3 and up. The Wizard of Oz, L Frank Baum’s American classic with an original song score adapted for marionettes by Nicolas Coppola. Call for reservations(recommended, due to the 33% capacity): 718-965-3391 or e-mail to: puppetworksinfo@gmail.com. Masks Required.
Japan Performing Arts: Dance, Music & Kimono on Governors Island
Saturdays-Sundays 1-5p until May 30th and 11a-p on May 31s (Memorial Day). Free. Fees for ferry. See website for details. JPA’s outdoor cultural program ”Dance, Music ＆ Kimono” this year introduces 10 different variation of Japan’s performances, lectures and workshops! Some performance programs are designed to enjoy stage shows, and others welcome participants to join. The perfect green environment on Governors Island provides the perfect setting to engage in exercise activities with Japanese music and dance. See the website for all the event details and to register for workshops.
Green Meadows Farm: Friendly Farm Animals at Aviator Sports and Events Center
Saturdays-Sundays 11a-5p until May 30th & Monday May 31st 11a-5p. Admission: $12 per person age two and above. Register here. Come meet us! Celebrate spring by getting outside and enjoying our animals PLUS our playgrounds. This FRIENDLY event with your paid admission includes: 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.
The Carousel in Prospect Park
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.
Free Bike Mornings on Governors Island
Mondays-Fridays 10a-12n. Free. Blazing Saddles offers bikes, surreys, pedal cars, scooters and more for rental. Free Bike Mornings allow visitors to borrow a bike from Blazing Saddles for free for up to one hour every weekday between 10 AM and noon. Come visit Blazing Saddles at the north end of Colonels Row and bike the Island! This year you need a reservation for the ferry. See the website for all the details.
The Yard – Adventure Playground 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 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.
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)
Now open Wednesday-Sunday. Tickets: $15 adult/child (children under 1 free). 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.