Hi everyone! Happy Lunar New Year to all and there are lots of events to enjoy this month!
This weekend check out REFLEX: Unravelling 4,000 Years Of Juggling at Theater Mitu580, The 24th Annual BAMkids Film Festival, Lunar New Year at Brooklyn Children’s Museum, DTBK Presents: Lunar New Year Celebration in Albee Square, Waterfront Sunset Hike in Brooklyn Bridge Park, Celebrate Lunar New Year with the New York Chinese Cultural Center, Lunar New Year Celebration at Brookfield Place Waterfront Plaza, Lion Dance in Bryant Park, Lunar New Year Celebration Event at Queens Botanical Garden, Studio Sunday: Celebrate the Year of the Tiger at Museum of Arts and Design, Virtual Sea Chanteys and Maritime Music Broadcast, Stories of Heroes: African American Scientists Virtual Program with NYPL, Winter Fun At Randall’s Island Park and Sunday Story Time @ Home: The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth & Harlem’s Greatest Bookstore.
Also check out long running events like Ice Skating at LeFrak Center at Lakeside in Prospect Park, “A Wonderful, Awful Idea”: Animating the Grinch Who Stole Christmas at Museum of the Moving Image, Holiday Express: Toys and Trains from the Jerni Collection at New-York Historical Society, Governors Island Winter Village Ice Skating Rink and Beauty & the Beast at Puppetworks.
These are just some of the weekend events so check the calendar to see everything going on. Also like us on Facebook for updates.
Have a fabulous time this weekend!
~ Deirdre (mom to O & C)
Friday February 4th
Lunar New Year Celebration at Brookfield Place Waterfront Plaza (Battery Park City)
Friday February 4th 12n-8p (ice sculpture display) and Saturday February 5th 1130a-1p (live ice carving) and ice sculpture display open through 630p. Free. Ring in the Year of the Tiger at Brookfield Place! Experience a multi-day celebration that includes a live ice carving, kids crafts and more! Discover ice sculptures by New York City-based art collective, Okamoto Studio, on the Waterfront Plaza. In celebration of the Lunar New Year there will be a live ice carving and display all weekend long.
Stories of Heroes: African American Scientists Virtual Program with NYPL
Friday February 4th 2-230p. Free. Register here. Join us for a read aloud of books about inspirational African American scientists: Neil deGrasse Tyson, Mae Jemison, and Raye Montague. for children ages 4-6.
Celebrate Lunar New Year with the New York Chinese Cultural Center (virtual)
Friday February 4th 330-415p. Free. Welcome the Year of the Tiger with music and dance performances including Peking Opera, a Chinese ribbon dance, and a lion dance. This pre-recorded program will air at 330p on the BPL Facebook page.
REFLEX: Unravelling 4,000 Years Of Juggling at Theater Mitu580 (Gowanus) [sponsored]
Friday February 5th 8p, Saturday February 5th 2p, 5p & 8p, Sunday February 6th 11a, 2p & 5p and ongoing various times until February 19th. See website for the schedule. Tickets: $40 plus fee. This winter, Hideaway Circus presents the world premiere of REFLEX, a new show from the mind of the master juggler and visual artist Jay Gilligan. Based on a series stories about gravity and stunning juggling sequences featuring Jay’s unique inventions, props, and robots, REFLEX is a one of kind theatrical experience. Discover secrets of a timeless craft, be mesmerized by visual music, and moved by the artistry of object manipulation. This astonishing international creative collaboration is playing until to February 19th, 2022 at theater space Mitu580. The final week of performances will also be available for live online streaming.
See all the Friday events here.
Saturday February 5th
The 24th Annual BAMkids Film Festival at BAM (also virtual)
Saturday-Sunday February 5th-6th various times. In-Person: Adults: $14; Children: $10; Members: $9.Come over to BAM or snuggle up on the sofa at home to join the 24th annual BAMkids Film Festival. BAM is screening short films from around the globe that encourage kids to embrace their dreams, follow their hearts, and let their imaginations soar. Plus, BAM has got a great lineup of free activities—including dance and circus performances, creative workshops, and the Young Filmmakers Showcase—offered online, at BAM, or both. Choose the combination of in-person and virtual programming that’s right for your family, and let BAMkids help you stay safe, comfortable, and creative! Virtual: Feb 5th-13th. See website for all the details.
Lunar New Year at Brooklyn Children’s Museum (Crown Heights)
Saturday February 5th 10a-1p & 2-5p. Free with Museum admission. Join Brooklyn Children’s Museum as we usher in the Year of the Tiger! Learn about the festival and traditions of Lunar New Year through storytelling, live music, plus a calligraphy workshop and a rooftop lion puppet parade led by the Chinatown Community Young Lions. See the website for Covid-19 protocols and to purchase timed entry tickets.
Lunar New Year Celebration Event at Queens Botanical Garden
Saturday February 5th 12n-3p. Free. Walks-in welcome. Note: Most activities are outdoors and weather permitting. Schedule subject to change. Mask wearing is strongly recommended. Check out Compost Tours, Winter Scavenger Hunt, Zodiac Animal Library and Storytime, Lion Dance Performances, Paper Blossom Crafts & more. See website for all the event details.
DTBK Presents: Lunar New Year Celebration (Downtown Brooklyn)
Saturday February 5th 2-5p. Free. Ring in the Lunar New Year at Albee Square with a celebration featuring traditional lion dance performances by the New York Choy Lay Fut Lion Dance Team and DJ KDOTLIM. Snap a social-distanced selfie with the lion dancers, tag @downtownbrooklyn on Instagram, and pick up a traditional red envelope which contains small prizes! A few lucky red envelopes include gift cards to spend at some of the Asian-owned businesses in Downtown Brooklyn – Bokki Seoul Food, Yaya Tea Garden, or the Asian food stalls in DeKalb Market Hall. Follow the lions into DeKalb Market Hall for a Lunar New Year inspired meal! Tradition says that a good lion dance performance brings good luck and happiness. Shedule: 2-330p Albee Square, 330-5p DeKalb Market Hall.
Winter Fun At Randall’s Island Park
Saturday February 5th 330-5p. Free. Location: North Entrance, Icahn Stadium, near Field 10. Join us for a day of winter fun! Enjoy the winter weather with hot cocoa and s’mores, we will also have snowshoes available for children to use. Please Note: Most of our snowshoes will fit children between the ages of 6-15. Adults are welcome to join if they feel they can do so comfortably without snowshoes. Registration not required.
See all the Saturday events here.
Sunday February 6th
Studio Sunday: Celebrate the Year of the Tiger at Museum of Arts and Design
Sunday February 6th 1030a-12n. Free with Museum admission. For ages 6 and up. Celebrate the Year of the Tiger and make your own lucky red envelope with MAD! This year’s Lunar New Year falls on February 1 and will be celebrated until February 15. Lunar New Year red envelopes symbolize prosperity and good luck, and they carry those wishes to those we love. Join us in the studio to make your own personally designed, red envelopes to share with family and friends. Studio Sunday is a drop-in, art-making program for visitors of all ages. Admission is free with entrance the Museum. Timed tickets to the Museum are recommended. The program is offered in accordance with the Museum’s safe social-distancing practices and visitors must be masked at all times.
Sunday Story Time @ Home: The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth & Harlem’s Greatest Bookstore (virtual)
Sunday February 6th 1130a. Free. Register here. Join via Zoom for story time and crafts! Each class includes a special hello song, silly dances and games, a story book reading, and a craft to do together. Welcome to Black History Month! Learn about and celebrate the accomplishments of Black Americans throughout history! Start right here in New York City with The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth & Harlem’s Greatest Bookstore, written by Vauda Micheaux Nelson and illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. Learn how Lewis Michaux—yep, the author’s grand-uncle—founded the National Memorial African Bookstore and used it to foster new ideas and help people stand up for their rights. After the story, make your own book about equality, love, and other things that are important to you!
Virtual Sea Chanteys and Maritime Music Broadcast
Sunday February 6th 6th 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.
Lion Dance in Bryant Park
Sunday February 6th 3-330p. Free. As a part of our Lunar New Year celebration, watch a lion dance performed by New York Chinese Cultural Center. This traditional dance is performed to bring good fortune and prosperity to viewers of all ages! The performance starts on the Northwest corner of the Rink Deck at 3pm. Find your way by spotting the silk lanterns and wishing tree.
Waterfront Sunset Hike in Brooklyn Bridge Park
Sunday February 6th 5-630p. Free. Location: Corner of Furman and Old Fulton Streets (Pier 1). Join us on this hike along the Brooklyn waterfront and enjoy the spectacular scenic city view from the Brooklyn Heights Promenade during the winter twilight hour.
See all the Sunday events here.
All Weekend
Beauty & the Beast at Puppetworks (Park Slope)
Saturdays-Sundays 1230p & 230p until April 3rd (and Monday February 21st 1230p & 230p). Tickets: Children $10 each, Adults $11 each. Suggested for 3 and up. Beauty & the Beast, the French Fantasy with a “live” Beast adapted for Marionettes by Nicolas Coppola. New York City requires you to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to enter Puppetworks. Those 12 years of age and older must show proof of COVID-19 vaccination. Masks are required.
Governors Island Winter Village Ice Skating Rink
Rink hours: Fridays 12n-5p, Saturdays-Sundays 10a-5p through February. Rink admission: $11, skate rental $8. Admission is free Fridays (walk up only). Purchase advance tickets here. The Governors Island Winter Village, in Colonels Row, features fun activities and winter vibes for visitors of all ages! The Village includes a 5,000-square-foot ice skating rink open Fridays-Sundays and daily attractions and activities including more than a dozen lawn games, fire pits, sled and bike rentals, twinkling holiday light displays and delicious cold-weather food and drinks.
The Rink at Brooklyn Commons (Downtown Brooklyn)
Daily until February 27th. Hours: Monday-Thursday 2-8p, Friday 2-9p, Saturday 10a-9p & Sunday 10a-7p. $15 public skating admission, $5 skate rental. Situated in Brooklyn Commons Park, residents, families, professionals and tourists alike can enjoy a festive winter skating experience in Downtown Brooklyn! The Rink features an outdoor skating rink and offers daily public skating as well as upscale ice skating programs for men, women, and children.
Sharks at the American Museum of Natural History (UWS)
Museum hours Wednesday-Sunday 10a-530p. Included in General Admission+One. See website for all the details.The new exhibition Sharks features dozens of life-sized models ranging from 33 feet to 5.5 inches long, fossils from the Museum’s collections, touch-free interactive exhibits that challenge visitors to hunt like a hammerhead, and more for visitors of all ages. Older than dinosaurs—and more threatened than threatening—sharks are spectacular, surprising, and often misunderstood. Discover the incredible diversity of this ancient and fascinating group of fishes. Note: In accordance with the New York City vaccine requirement, you must be vaccinated against COVID-19 to enter the Museum.
Ice Skating at LeFrak Center at Lakeside in Prospect Park
Hours for covered rink: Monday-Thursday 9a-430p, Friday 9a-7p, Saturday 1-9p, Sunday 1-430p. Open air rink hours: 9a-7p, Friday-Saturday 9a-9p & Sunday 9a-7p. Admission rates: $8 weekday per person, $12 weekend per person. Reserve your desired 90-minute skate session for access to one of our two available ice rinks online now and guarantee your ice time. Skate rentals are available at an additional cost or feel free to bring your own skates. Purchase online today as capacity is limited. To help our young skaters, helpful Skate Aids are available and can be rented in advance or on the day of your visit, on a first-come, first-serve basis. Reserve open air rink tickets here and covered rink tickets here.
“A Wonderful, Awful Idea”: Animating the Grinch Who Stole Christmas at Museum of the Moving Image (Astoria)
Ongoing until February 27th. Museum hours: Fridays 2-8p, Saturdays-Sundays 12n-6p. Included with Museum admission. Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a made-for-television short by legendary animation director Chuck Jones, based on the 1957 book by Theodor Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss). First aired by CBS in 1966, this 24-minute animated story of a grouchy curmudgeon who tries to ruin Christmas has become an enduring holiday classic. The sketches, animation cels, and backgrounds on exhibit—40 selections from the extensive private collection of Bill Heeter and Kristi Correa—illustrate Jones’s approach to adapting Geisel’s story for the screen. In contrast to the book’s black, white, and red palette, Jones unleashed a riotous array of vivid colors to depict the story’s settings and characters. The film showcases Jones’s unparalleled character animation and comic timing, creating an utterly believable, villainous—but ultimately redeemed—Grinch that became the standard for all subsequent adaptations. See the website for information on Covid 19 protocols.
Holiday Express: Toys and Trains from the Jerni Collection at New-York Historical Society (UWS)
On exhibit until February 27th. Museum hours: Wednesdays-Thursdays 11a-5p, Fridays 11a-8p and Saturdays-Sundays 11a-5p. Free with Museum admission. This year Holiday Express goes to the amusement park! Joining a selection of toy trains, figurines, and miniature models from the renowned Jerni Collection, this year’s festive display includes never-before-seen toy rides. Visitors can marvel at a miniature Ferris wheel, carousel, blimp ride, and roller coaster.The carnival toys on display recall the colossal machines that have fascinated and delighted the American public for decades, like the Ferris wheel, which was introduced in the U.S. at Chicago’s World’s Columbian Exposition in 1893, and early American roller coasters, like the ones introduced at Coney Island in 1884. New York’s favorite amusement ground was also the site of one of the United States’ first carousels, a musical merry-go-round appointed with colorful mechanical horses. The display also includes a variety of toy train stations dating from the turn of the 20th century to the World War II era, showcasing the evolving designs of American and European toymakers. As part of New York City’s Key to NYC program, all visitors to New York City museums ages 12 and over are required to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19. For more details, go to the FAQ page. Note: the Museum will close 3p on 12/31 and be closed 1/1.
Ice Skating at Winter Village in Bryant Park
Open daily until March 6th. Hours: Monday-Thursday 8a-10p, Friday-Sunday and holidays 8a-1130p. Winter Village at Bryant Park is Manhattan’s winter wonderland. Enjoy New York City’s only free admission ice skating rink, the Holiday Shops, and rinkside eats and drinks at The Lodge by Prime Video. Reserve timed entry tickets here.