Hi everyone! March has arrived and there is lots to do with the family this weekend in NYC!
This weekend check out the New York International Children’s Film Festival, The 47th Annual Queens County St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Song of the North at BAM, First Discoveries at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, St Pat’s For All Parade in Sunnyside, BKLYN Indoor Block Party at City Point,Hands on History: Irish, Immigrant Women at King Manor Museum, Family Sundays: Prayerful Losar at Rubin Museum, Virtual Bilingual Stories in English and Chinese, Greenbelt Virtual: FrogWatch Community Science Training, Irish Step Dancing with Dawn Daniels at the Staten Island Children’s Museum, Virtual Sea Chanteys and Maritime Music Broadcast and a Book Launch: Olympians: Dionysos: The New God by George O’Connor at Powerhouse at Industry City.
Also check out long running events like Ice Skating at LeFrak Center at Lakeside in Prospect Park, Beauty & the Beast at Puppetworks, 1885 Tall Ship Wavertree Free Tour at South Street Seaport, Wake Up Daisy! at the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre and the Reopening Weekend of The Butterfly Conservatory at the American Museum of Natural History.
These are just some of the weekends events so check the calendar to see everything going on. Also like us on Facebook for updates.
Enjoy the weekend and 17 days until Spring!
~ Deirdre (mom to O & C)
Friday March 4th
Reopening Weekend of The Butterfly Conservatory at the American Museum of Natural History (UWS)
Exhibit reopening and available during museum hours Wednesday-Sunday 10a-530p until May 30th. Included in General Admission+One. See website for all the details. Celebrating its 23rd year at the Museum, this popular attraction transforms the coolest day into a summer escape, inviting visitors to mingle with up to 500 fluttering, iridescent butterflies among blooming tropical flowers and lush green vegetation in 80-degree temperatures. There are more than 250,000 known species of Lepidoptera, of which about 18,000 are butterflies. Based on their anatomy, butterflies are classified into five families.
First Discoveries at Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Fridays 1030a-1230p until March 25th and also Wednesdays. Free with Garden admission. This is a drop-in program for families with children ages 0–5. Calling all explorers (and their caregivers)! Learn about winter plants and nature in the Discovery Garden. Touch and smell plants, read a story, pot up a plant, or create a nature craft to take home. Activities rotate weekly. All programs are outdoors and canceled in inclement weather.
Bilingual Stories in English and Chinese (virtual)
Friday March 4th 330-4p. Free. Enjoy stories, rhymes, poetry of the Tang Dynasty, three-character classics, songs and fun activities, in Chinese and English with Ms. Janice, Early Learning Assistant at Flushing Library. See the website for instruction on how to join the virtual storytime.
New York International Children’s Film Festival
Starting Friday March 4th various times and Fridays-Sundays until March 19th. For ages 5+ (note virtual tots pass also available). Tickets: $17 general admission, $20 special events. Return to the magic of big screen events with the New York International Children’s Film Festival (NYICFF), North America’s largest film festival for kids and teens, and celebrate their 25th annual festival IN-PERSON. Catch must-see screenings of exciting new animated, live action and doc films for young audiences, plus filmmaker Q&As March 4th-19th. See website for schedule of movies. Location: SVA Theatre. See the website for Covid-19 protocols.
See all the Friday events here.
Saturday March 5th
BKLYN Indoor Block Party at City Point (Downtown Brooklyn)
Saturday March 5th 11a-3p. Free. Live music, bouncy house, LEGO® building, arts + crafts, unicorn slime, live music, Pokemon trading + games, Boat building, soccer games, a summer camp fair, and more.
The 47th Annual Queens County St. Patrick’s Day Parade (Rockaway Beach)
Saturday March 5th 1p. Free. Parade starts at 1pm sharp at beach 130th Street and Newport Ave. parade route is down newport ave, across beach 116th street, down rockaway beach blvd by reviewing stand on beach 105th street and r.b.b. to parade end by ST. Camillus Church.
Hands on History: Irish Immigrant Women at King Manor Museum
Saturday March 5th 1-4p. Free. Register here. March 8th is International Women’s Day, but March is also Irish Heritage Month. In celebration of the Irish immigrant women who worked at King Manor, join us in our historic kitchen to learn about their lives in the United States and make a craft young Irish women would have brought to remind them of their country of origin. Note: Masks required. Per NYC mandates, participants ages 5 and up must be vaccinated against Covid-19.
Book Launch: Olympians: Dionysos: The New God by George O’Connor at Powerhouse at Industry City (Sunset Park)
Saturday March 5th 1p. Free. Join Powerhouse at IC for the live event of the final installment of the Olympians graphic novel series, Dionysos: The New God, with New York Times–bestselling author/artist George O’Connor! It’s an event you won’t want to miss!
Song of the North at BAM (Fort Greene)
Saturday March 5th 2p & Saturday March 12th 2p & 7p. Tickets beging at $12. Purchase tickets here. For ages 8-14. An inspirational epic from ancient Persia comes to life in this stunning multi-disciplinary performance, created through shadow puppetry, projected animation, music, movement, and theater. 483 handmade puppets are used to tell the story of Manijeh, a courageous heroine who uses her strengths and determination to rescue her beloved and help prevent a war. Adapted from the Book of Kings (Shahnameh), a historical and cultural touchstone that is a national treasure in Iran, Song of the North challenges the Eurocentric worldview of art and storytelling. Carefully crafted for young audiences, it’s a one-of-a-kind multimedia experience that celebrates collaboration, experimentation, and unity.
See all the Saturday events here.
Sunday March 6th
St Pat’s For All Parade (Sunnyside/Woodside)
Sunday March 6th 12n. Free. return this year to Skillman Avenue and the hospitable communities of Sunnyside and Woodside. We gather to celebrate our immigrant history and heritage, Irish and Celtic. Here in New York, St Pats For All joins community groups, unions, businesses, activists, schools, clubs, artists, musicians and dancers who, for a few hours, turn the streets of Sunnyside and Woodside GREEN. Hospitality is at the heart of this diverse and inclusive St. Patrick’s celebration which each year welcomes all immigrant families and communities in Queens to join us, “cherishing all the children of the nation equally.”
Family Sundays: Prayerful Losar at Rubin Museum (Chelsea)
Sundays in March 1-3p. Ages 3 and older with accompanying adults. Pre-registration is required for either the 1p or 2p time slots. The program is free for you and your family, and each ticket comes with free access to the Museum galleries. Family Sundays are back in person! Bring your family to the Rubin Museum for an afternoon of creativity and self-exploration in our new space, the Mandala Lab, that both kids and their grown-ups will enjoy. Each month we explore a new theme, with an art-making activity centered around that theme. A Museum educator will do a brief demonstration of the project, teach the art-making techniques, and let you explore ways to make the project your own. March Family Sundays: Prayerful Losar ~ The Rubin Museum is celebrating Losar, the Tibetan New Year! One of the most important festivals in the Tibetan calendar, Losar is marked with an effort to cleanse and purify. The New Year is an opportunity to say “goodbye” to the negatives of the past year and invite all good, positive things into our lives.
Greenbelt: FrogWatch Community Science Training (virtual)
Sunday March 6th 2-315p. Free. Register here. Become a community scientist and discover how you can help frogs and toads in our environment by identifying and monitoring their unique vocal calls. The Greenbelt’s FrogWatch USA chapter is part of a nationwide program that monitors and tracks amphibian populations by collecting data with help from volunteers like you! During this training, you will learn how to collect data that is used in assessing the health and biodiversity of local amphibian populations, and you may also have a chance to monitor your favorite wetland with your family, friends, or scout troop. You may also have the opportunity to attend special workshops related to amphibians.
Virtual Sea Chanteys and Maritime Music Broadcast
Sunday March 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.
Irish Step Dancing with Dawn Daniels at the Staten Island Children’s Museum
Sunday March 5th 4-5p. Included with Museum admission. The local Dawn Daniels Irish Dance Troupe will perform and demonstrate the traditional and celebrated Irish Step dancing in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. Visitors are invited and encouraged to join in!
See all the Sunday events here.
All Weekend
Beauty & the Beast at Puppetworks (Park Slope)
Saturdays-Sundays 1230p & 230p until April 3rd. 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.
Wake Up, Daisy! at the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre (Central Park)
Fridays-Sundays 11-1145 (doors 1030a) & 1-145p (doors 1230p) until 12/31/22. Tickets: $12 adult, $8 child. Purchase tickets here. Location: 79th Street and West Drive Central Park. Wake Up, Daisy! tells the story of Daisy, a lively little girl living in the heart of New York City in an apartment overlooking Central Park. At Daisy’s much-anticipated birthday party, she encounters three special guests, known as her “Squad-parents”, from Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx who grant her the gifts of courage, knowledge, and a second chance. When an unwelcome guest shows up and casts a curse on her, Daisy’s life is forever changed. But through the support of her friends and an adventure throughout the city, Daisy’s strong self-determination and vivid imagination may be all she needs to break the curse.
1885 Tall Ship Wavertree Free Tour at South Street Seaport
Saturdays-Sundays 11a-5p until April 30th. Free. The permanently-moored 1885 tall ship Wavertree is open to the public for FREE on Saturdays and Sundays, with timed entry, at Pier 16 (Fulton and South Streets). Guided tours depart hourly and last approximately 30 minutes. Advance reservations are recommended. Guided tours 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. Proof of vaccine required for all guests over age 5. Masks required.
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 until April 3rd. 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.
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.