Hi everyone! I hope you are enjoying the cooler weather and looking forward to a fun busy weekend in NYC with the family!
This weekend check out Celebrate Pride at Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Movies Under the Stars: Tom and Jerry in Commodore Barry Park, Brooklyn Pride Movie Night: The Princess Bride at Old Stone House, All Aboard for a Virtual Party on Wheels with Dan + Claudia Zanes, Red Hook Fest, Virtual Nature Crafts with Angel: Make Your Own Field Flower Press, ‘Oklahoma!’ Children’s Theater Performance in Fort Tryon Park, Summer on the Hudson: Harlem Moves with Limón Dance Company in West Harlem Piers, Cooking on the Farm with Families at Urban Farm in Randall’s Island Park, Ribbon Dancing in Bryant Park, Art of Brooklyn Film Festival – Evening of Short Films in Sunset Park, Local Produce Mini-Festival of the Performing Arts at Gowanus Dredgers Boathouse, First Annual: Pride Atlantic Avenue, Queens International Children’s Festival at Jamaica Performing Arts Center and a Brass Bands Festival in Brooklyn Bridge Park.
Also check out long running events like The Wizard of Oz at Puppetworks, 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, Splash Pad in Prospect Park, Tall Ship Wavertree at South Street Seaport and Free Bike Mornings and The Yard – Adventure Playground on Governors Island.
The calendar has a lot of events to check out this weekend. Also like us on Facebook for last minute events and updates.
Have a fabulous time this weekend!
~ Deirdre (mom to O & C)
Friday June 11th
Ribbon Dancing in Bryant Park
Fridays 10-11a in June. Free. Location: Upper Terrace. Combine cardio with artistry as you wave long ribbons in the air to create rainbows, waterfalls, dragons and ocean waves. Ribbon Dancing is as visually stunning as it is fun and easy to learn! All ages and skill levels are welcome. A face covering is required for participation in this program. Ribbons will be available to borrow, but participants can also bring their own ribbons, or wear gloves.
Summer on the Hudson: Harlem Moves with Limón Dance Company in West Harlem Piers
Friday June 11th 6-7p and 2nd Friday of every month until August 13th. Free. Pre-registration for the event is required. Management reserves the right to cap participation in accordance with current COVID-19 outdoor safety guidelines. Please register online. Join the world-renowned Limón Company Dancers as they teach the energetic and ease-filled Limón Technique, accompanied by live music. No experience necessary. Class is open to all levels.
Brooklyn Pride Movie Night: The Princess Bride at Old Stone House (Park Slope)
Friday June 11th 630-9p. Free. Celebrate with our friends from Brooklyn Pride at the annual Pride Movie Night on the turf at OSH.This year, the film will be The Princess Bride, beginning with pre-show entertainment including Gotham Cheer and songs from the new musical Prospect Hill. Bring your picnic blanket, friends, and family to enjoy the evening!
Art of Brooklyn Film Festival – Evening of Short Films in Sunset Park
Friday June 11th 815-10p. Free. Join NYC Parks for Festival Fridays with the Art of Brooklyn Film Festival. Enjoy these great Brooklyn indie film on a big screen! Know Before You Go: You should arrive before 8p. to get your spot. Please bring your own picnic blanket or chair. Food is OK, but no alcohol or smoking. Reservations are not taken, so space is available on a first come first served basis. All are welcome! See the website for information on the short films.
See all the Friday events here.
Saturday June 12th
Celebrate Pride at Brooklyn Children’s Museum (Crown Heights)
Saturday June 12th 10am-1pm & 2pm-5pm. Purchase timed entry tickets here. Tickets: $13 per person (children under 1 free). Join us to celebrate all kinds of love during Pride on June 12 and throughout the month of June! Families will be invited to enjoy a special storytime program with Drag Queen Story Hour, and then show off your dance moves for a family dance party with DJ Dynamite.
Local Produce Mini-Festival of the Performing Arts at Gowanus Dredgers Boathouse
Saturday June 12th 11a-730p (rain date June 13th). Free admission. Now celebrating its 28th season, Spoke the Hub Dancing is delighted to welcome artists and audiences back to our real time, real space, post-pandemic spring “bacchanal” on the banks of the iconic Gowanus Canal. Local Produce 2021 is a community-based, cultural “green market” highlighting the diversity, creativity and vitality of Brooklyn’s own performing and teaching artists-in-residence of all ages and genres. See website for information on performers.
All Aboard for a Party on Wheels with Dan + Claudia Zanes (virtual)
Saturday June 12th 12n-1p. Registration for the online event is FREE! Everyone is welcome and all are encouraged to donate what you’re able. Register here. All aboard! Join Grammy Award winner Dan Zanes and Haitian-American jazz vocalist Claudia Zanes on Saturday, June 12th as they take the Transit Museum stage online! Settle in with a virtual walkthrough of some of our favorite vintage train cars before the show, and then dance and sing along to some favorite Dan + Claudia tunes right from home! We’ll close out the event with time for a few questions for our special guests, and a music- and transit-inspired drawing activity.
Red Hook Fest on Richard St
Saturday June 12th 4-7p. Free. Red Hook Fest will wrap 2021 programming with an evening of music and dance, emceed by Jive Poetic. Featuring performances by LayeRhythm Jam and Los Cumpleaños, audiences can sing and dance (socially distanced) with their neighbors. With local organizations, resources, food giveaways, and activities for the whole family, June 12th will bring a fun and festive close to two weeks of much-needed celebration.
Movies Under the Stars: Tom and Jerry in Commodore Barry Park
Saturday June 12th 815-10p. Free. Location: Lawn adjacent to Park Avenue and N. Elliot Place. Join NYC Parks and New York City Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment for this free family film! Tom and Jerry (2021): Based on the iconic cartoon characters created by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, this live-action/computer-animated slapstick comedy centers on the legendary rivalry when Jerry moves into New York City’s finest hotel on the eve of the wedding of the century, forcing the desperate event planner (Chloë Grace Moretz) to hire Tom to get rid of him. As mayhem ensues, the escalating cat-and-mouse battle soon threatens to destroy her career, the wedding, and possibly the hotel itself. Know Before You Go: You should come before 8:15 p.m. to get your spot for the movie. Please bring your own picnic blanket or chair. Food is OK, but no alcohol or smoking is permitted. All are welcome! Please refer to the NY State Department of Health’s website for updates and CDC’s guidance on large gatherings in regards to COVID-19 restrictions.
See all the Saturday events here.
Sunday June 13th
Nature Crafts with Angel |Make Your Own Field Flower Press (virtual)
Sunday June 13th 10-11a. Free. For ages 5+. Register here. It’s a great time of year to think about preserving some of the most beautiful flower blossoms we’re seeing bloom all around us. In this virtual program, Environmental Educator Angel Ehlers will teach you the really easy steps of how to make your very own field flower press out of mostly recycled materials. Once you’ve made it, you can go out and preserve some of your favorite plants and buds. When your flowers are all dried and fully pressed, they can be added to various craft projects or saved for nature journals!
First Annual: Pride Atlantic Avenue
Sunday June 13th 12n-5p. Free. Atlantic Avenue will be beaming with pride for the first ever “Pride on Atlantic Ave” event. The Atlantic Avenue Local Development Corporation, in collaboration with Brooklyn Pride, is excited to launch this colorful celebration of the LGBTQIA+ community on Sunday. Join us on Brooklyn’s proudest historic avenue, from the Waterfront to Fourth Avenue. Pride month is a vibrant, rainbow-filled recognition of the LGBTQIA+ community and the fight for equal rights. “Pride on Atlantic Ave” will celebrate the community and how much has been accomplished. Local Atlantic Avenue businesses will show their support for pride with festively, rainbow decorated windows and outdoor dining fences. There will be promotions, discounts, art exhibitions and special offers. Local bars will celebrate with specially created pride cocktails for attendees to enjoy.
Cooking on the Farm with Families at Urban Farm in Randall’s Island Park
Sunday June 13th 2-330p. This is a free event, but registration is required. Location: Wards Meadow Loop. Join Randall’s Island Park Alliance for a cooking demonstration at the Urban Farm! Enjoy a true farm-to-table cooking experience, and watch as Chef LeeSandra prepares a delicious seasonal salad with produce from the Urban Farm.
Brass Bands Festival in Brooklyn Bridge Park
Sunday June 13th 230-6p. Free. Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy is excited to announce the first ever Brass Bands Festival in the Park on Sunday, June 13 from 2:30-6:00pm! Co-produced with local favorites, L Train Brass Band, come enjoy a brand-new summer kickoff event that will feature both roving and stationary live musical sets by a diverse and energetic range of NYC’s brass band community including L Train Brass Band, Hot Hand Band, Brass Queens, Low Beat Brass, and Slavic Soul Party!. Learn more about the bands on the website.
‘Oklahoma!’ Children’s Theater Performance in Fort Tryon Park
Sunday June 13th 3-5p. Free. The Pied Piper Children’s Theatre of NYC, based in Inwood in Manhattan, is thrilled to bring live theatre back to our northern Manhattan community with Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma!” This free theatre-in-the-round performance takes place at Fort Tryon Park’s Dongan Lawn. Face masks required. Bring a blanket!
See all the Sunday events here.
All Weekend
Queens International Children’s Festival at Jamaica Performing Arts Center
Saturday-Sunday June 12th-13th 12n-5p. Free family friendly event featuring live music and dance performances, a magician and more! JCAL’s Queens International Children’s Festival has returned with free entertainment and activities for the entire family to enjoy. The two-day fun-filled family event brings high-quality arts performances and craft activities to inspire young people and families to enjoy the arts. Activities will include live music and dance performances, a magic show, a socially distanced dance party and more! COVID-19 Safety Protocol will be observed throughout and only 150 people will be allowed on the grounds at a time. Reserve tickets here.
Splash Pad in Prospect Park
Ongoing 10a-7p until September 6th. Free. Location: LeFrak Center at Lakeside. The Splash Pad, named Best of New York by New York Magazine, is Prospect Park’s largest water play area, with 47 water spray jets covering 16,000 square feet to provide hours of warm-weather fun. Open free to the public for children 12 years of age and under in season.
The Wizard of Oz at Puppetworks (Park Slope)
Ongoing Fridays 4p and 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.
Tall Ship Wavertree at South Street Seaport
Open Friday-Sundays 11a-5p through October 2021. The permanently-moored 1885 tall ship Wavertree will be open to the public for FREE with timed entry, from at Pier 16 (Fulton and South Streets). Visits will be self-guided along a set route and will include access to the main deck and quarter deck. Learn how people worked and lived aboard a 19th century cargo sailing vessel, from the captain to the ship’s officers, cooks, and crew. Then visit the cargo hold and stand atop the viewing platform where you can take in the massive main cargo area.The Museum will allow no more than 150 guests on board the ship at any time to encourage social distancing from different households. All guests above the age of 2 will be required to wear a face covering at all times aboard Wavertree and at the Museum’s pop-up gift shop. Reserve tickets here.
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.
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!
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.