Hi everyone! The weather has cooled down in time for a fun 4th of July weekend here in NYC!
This weekend check out Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks, an Independence Day Celebration at Historic Richmond Town, Coney Island 4th of July Fireworks, Rock and Roll Playhouse: Music of Grateful Dead at Industry City, an Independence Day Celebration at Fort Hamilton, Nathan’s Famous July 4th Hot Dog Eating Contest, Concerts for Kids: Spanglish Fly at Lincoln Center, Star Gaze and Game Night in Riverside Park South, Meet NYC’s Piping Plovers in Rockaway Beach, Virtual Sea Chanteys and Maritime Music Broadcast, Movies Under the Stars: Independence Day in CPL. Thompson Park, Double Dutch in Brooklyn Bridge Park and
Tee Time at Brooklyn Commons.
Also check out long running events like Camp Kids: Puppets, Crafts and Magic in Bryant Park, 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 is full of weekend events so check it out and go have fun. Also like us on Facebook for last minute events and updates.
Happy 4th of July!
~ Deirdre (mom to O & C)
Friday July 2nd
Tee Time at Brooklyn Commons (Downtown Brooklyn)
Daily 11a-8p until July 11th (The course will not be open on Sunday, July 4th in observance of the holiday). Free. For ages 5+. Location: Brooklyn Commons Park (formerly known as Metro Tech Commons). Putt putt your way through this 7-hole mini golf course. Grab a friend & make a day of it at Brooklyn Commons at MetroTech Center! There is no pre-registration to play; ticket times are offered on a first come first served basis. See the website for the event details.
Independence Day Celebration at Fort Hamilton
Friday July 2nd 4-930p. $5 for Civilian, DoD ID Card Holder & Community Club Member. Registrati0n required. Join us to celebrate Independence Day 2021. Enjoy a live Concert and fireworks show on the lawn with the best sea view in New York City. * Current Federal Covid-19 guidelines and restrictions will be in place.
Summer on the Hudson: Pier I Game Night in Riverside Park South
Friday July 2nd 7-9p. Free. Location: Pier I. Pre-registration for the event is required. Management reserves the right to cap participation in accordance with current COVID-19 outdoor safety guidelines. urvey says…you don’t want to miss this one. Census of Humor is a Family Feud inspired game built for multiple groups to play at once. Try to identify the top answers received from surveys around the city. The game is free to play and all you need is a smartphone to access the digital answer sheet via a link that the host will provide. Play from the comfort of your seat while enjoying the sights and sounds of Riverside Park.
Double Dutch in Brooklyn Bridge Park
Friday July 2nd 6-8p and the first Friday of August. Free. Capacity will be limited to 45 participants. Advanced registration and waivers are required, although walk-up registrations can be accommodated as space allows. Register here. The public is invited to jump Double Dutch with experienced Coach Kizzy Samuel-Parsons! A fun and social fitness opportunity, participants will experience a socially-distanced jump rope class that teaches the fundamentals of street-style and competitive jump rope. Location: rain or shine at the Pier 2 Ping Pong Table sheltered area.
See all the Friday events here.
Saturday July 3rd
Meet NYC’s Piping Plovers in Rockaway Beach
Saturday July 3rd 11a-2p. Free. Location: Beach 84th St at the boardwalk. Love the beach? So do nesting piping plovers. These tiny shorebirds fly over 700 miles to nest at Rockaway Beach every year. Meet the team from NYC Parks that monitors this endangered species and other nesting shorebirds. Then enjoy a family friendly, self-guided scavenger hunt and learn more about how we can all share the beach. Prizes for all participants.
Concerts for Kids: Spanglish Fly at Restart Stages at Lincoln Center (UWS)
Saturday July 3rd 1130a. Performance Length: Approximately 60 minutes, no intermission. Seats are available via the TodayTix Lottery. Enter for a chance to win a FREE pod (four seats) starting two weeks before the show. Entries close three days before a performance at 12:59 pm ET. “Boogaloo Familia” (featuring members of Spanglish Fly), is an interactive, bilingual musical history of Latin boogaloo, or bugalú. More than just a concert, it is designed to teach children—and their caregivers!—about this fun and culturally significant genre, still relevant today, while also entertaining and engaging the audience. Members of acclaimed NYC Latin boogaloo band Spanglish Fly talk about the roots, sounds, and social impact of bugalú–and how to sing and dance to it!
Rock and Roll Playhouse: Music of Grateful Dead at Industry City (Sunset Park)
Saturday July 3rd 1-2p. Ticket: $5. A family concert series, presented by Volvo every Saturday in Summer. Rock n’ Roll Playhouse plays tunes from a rotating roster of artists for kids, and adults too. Expect dancing, interactive games and loads of fun. All are welcome. The core audience is children 10 years and under. This event is free for anyone under 1-year-old.
Summer on the Hudson: Star Gaze in Riverside Park South
Saturday July 3rd 8-11p and every 1st Saturday of the month until September 4th. Location: Pier I. Pre-registration for the event is required. Management reserves the right to cap participation in accordance with current COVID-19 outdoor safety guidelines. A summer evening in Manhattan is made complete when the Amateur Astronomers Association’s expert stargazers help us peer heavenward to see stars and planets.
Movies Under the Stars: Independence Day in CPL. Thompson Park
Saturday July 3rd 830-1030p. Free. Join NYC Parks and the New York City Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment for a free film. Independence Day: Strange phenomena surface around the globe. The skies ignite. Terror races through the world’s major cities. As these extrodinary events unfold, it becomes increasingly clear that a force of incredible magnitude has arrived; it’s mission: total annihilation over the Fourth of July weekend. The last hope to stop the destruction is an unlikely group of people united by fate and unimaginable circumstances to save the planet.
See all the Saturday events here.
Sunday July 4th
Independence Day Celebration at Historic Richmond Town (Staten Island)
Sunday July 4th 11a-4p. Tickets are $10 per person (free for HRT members). Celebrate our nation’s independence with old fashioned family fun! Visit Historic Richmond Town on July 4th for home-churned ice cream, a patriotic pinwheel parade, and an inspirational reading of the Declaration of Independence. Talk with costumed interpreters inside the historic Guyon-Lake-Tysen farmhouse, and visit historic trades people in New York City’s living history village. See the website for all the details on the activities.
Nathan’s Famous July 4th Hot Dog Eating Contest (virtual)
Sunday July 4th 12n. Registration closed for in person viewing. Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog-Eating Contest will air live on Sunday, July 4, at noon ET on ESPN. The one-hour telecast marks the 18th consecutive year ESPN has televised the event. Coverage for the women’s championship kicks off at 11:30a.m. ET on ESPN3, followed by the men’s championship at 12 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Virtual Sea Chanteys and Maritime Music Broadcast
Sunday July 4th 2-4p. Free. Sign up here to receive the Zoom link 24 hours prior. South Street Seaport Museum’s monthly Sea Chanteys and Maritime Music continues – virtually. From our living rooms and kitchens, and even from the deck of Wavertree, join us for our round-robin of shared sea songs, featuring members of The New York Packet and friends. Listen in, lead or request a song, and belt out the choruses for your neighbors to hear. Hosted by singers from the New York Packet.
Macy’s 4th Of July Fireworks
Sunday July 4th 8-10p. Free. Location details coming. See website for more information. The Macy’s incredible lineup of performers can also be enjoyed by tuning in to the one-night-only NBC broadcast special, Macy’s 4th Of July Fireworks Spectacular, on Sunday on NBC (channel 4 in NYC).
4th of July Fireworks (Coney Island)
Sunday July 4th 10p. Free. A 4th of July special for all families and visitors to enjoy! Bring your family and friends down to the beach and watch the fireworks along the beautiful sea horizon!
See all the Sunday events here.
All Weekend
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 1230p 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 50% capacity): 718-965-3391 or e-mail to: puppetworksinfo@gmail.com. Masks required to protect the unvaccinated (especially children).
Camp Kids: Puppets, Crafts and Magic in Bryant Park
Saturdays-Sundays 12n-230p until August 22nd (none 7/4). Free. Location: Upper Terrace near the William Cullen Bryant monument. Join Bryant Park for a fun filled afternoons with music, magic, puppet shows, and science projects, plus arts and crafts between shows! 12n puppet show, 1p arts & crafts & 130p music. Go to the website to see information on the performers.
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!
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.