Hi everyone! April has flown by so quick and the calendar is filling up with lots of fun Spring events to enjoy with the family.
This weekend take the kids and enjoy Flutter: A Discover Play for Babies at A.R.T./NY South Oxford Space, Arbor Day at Prospect Park Audubon Center, Classical Kids Fair at Brooklyn Children’s Museum, City Nature Challenge in Brooklyn Bridge Park and City Nature Challenge citywide, Cherry Blossom Festival in Randall’s Island Park, Apple Blossom Carnival at Queens County Farm Museum, Sea Chanteys and Maritime Virtual & In-person Music Broadcast, Arbor Weekend at Wave Hill, Flower Patch on the Farm at Queens Botanical Garden, Kindness Rocks Garden at Williamsburg Brooklyn Public Library, KidsRead / KidsWrite: The Center for Fiction’s Family Day at The Plaza at 300 Ashland, Hippo Playground Spring Fair in Riverside Park, Spring Chores n’ Tours at Historic Richmond Town and E.P.I.C. Players at David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center.
Also check out long running events like Pinocchio at Puppetworks, Roller Skating at LeFrak Center at Lakeside Prospect Park, Family Discovery Days at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the 1885 Tall Ship Wavertree Free Tour at South Street Seaport, Wake Up Daisy! at the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre, Farm Exploration Days in Randall’s Island Park, The Yard: Adventure Playground on Governor’s Island, Seaport Discovery: Exploring Our Waters with Eric Carle at South Street Seaport Museum and the opening weekend of Baby Farm Animals & Children’s Fun at Aviator Sports and Events Center
Check the calendar to see everything going on this weekend. Also like us on Facebook for updates.
Enjoy the weekend!
~ Deirdre (mom to O & C)
Friday April 29th
Arbor Weekend at Wave Hill
Friday-Saturday April 29th-30th 10a-530p. Free with admission. Admission: Adults $10. Students & Seniors 65+ $6. Children 6+ $4. Wave Hill Members Free. Join us as we celebrate the trees in our gardens and neighborhoods with walks, art-making, kid-friendly activities, and more! By popular demand, arborists from Almstead Tree, Shrub & Lawn Care return this spring to host a family-favorite activity, the Junior Arborist Station.
Arbor Day at Prospect Park Audubon Center
Friday April 29th 12n-4p. Free. Join Prospect Park Alliance for Arbor Day fun with nature games and an exhibit in Brooklyn’s last remaining forest, Prospect Park! Check out Discovery Pack, 12–3p: Come explore nature on your own with our Discovery Packs, a backpack filled with nature activities and exploration tools, perfect for families and kids to interact with the park in a whole new way! Nature on the Go, ID a Tree, 2–3p: Take an in-depth look at the largest organism within Prospect Park (trees) and discover the important role forests play in providing different habitats for the park’s wildlife. This program departs from the Audubon Center promptly at 2p. Nature’s Helpers, 3–4p: Did you know that trees help trees? After learning how mulch protects tree roots, spend time spreading wood chips around trees. This program departs from the Audubon Center promptly at 3p.
DIY- Kindness Rocks Garden at Williamsburg Brooklyn Public Library
Friday April 29th 3-4p. Free. Acts of kindness come in all different shapes and sizes. One of those small acts that can bring a big smile is a cheerily painted rock. We’re providing the rocks and art supplies and you provide the inspiration and kind words.Join us to paint the rocks at the library to install a Kindenss Rocks Garden at the front of the library buidling that everyone can enjoy. Help spread kindness in your community.
Apple Blossom Carnival at Queens County Farm Museum
Friday April 29th 530-830p, Saturday-Sunday April 30th-May 1st 11a=6p. General Admission: $12.95 – $21.95 (all ages; ages 0-2 free) . Purchase tickets here. Advance tickets recommended. A ticket is required to enter carnival ride area, whether riding on rides or not. Height requirements apply at all rides. Put the Spring in your step down on the farm with the Apple Blossom Carnival! Merry Go Round in our orchard and celebrate the season with assorted carnival rides by Newton Shows. Add to the fun with hayrides, midway games, local food vendors, and a visit with our farm animals! (Ticket includes unlimited carnival rides. Additional fees apply for hayrides, midway games, and food vendors).
See all the Friday events here.
Saturday April 30th
Flutter: A Discover Play for Babies at A.R.T/New York (Fort Greene) [sponsored]
Saturday-Sunday April 30th-May 1st 1015-11a, 1130a-1215p. For Ages 6-18months. Tickets: $35 general admission (1 ticket covers both carer & baby), $20 Low-Income Family Option, $15 Single Child Admission, $8 Single Child Admission Low-Income (+ fees). Purchase tickets here. Treehouse Shakers’ Flutter, for babies ages 6-18 months and their caregivers, is a stunning new discovery play that introduces the very young to the four seasons. Conceived and written by Mara McEwin, with choreography by Emily Bunning, the piece is performed by three performers, who are the dancers, puppeteers and play-makers. Flutter explores the seasons through a sensory experiential journey of visuals, sounds, objects, some language, and an open concept of play. Using a non-traditional theatrical set-up, the audience is immediately transformed into a nurturing and welcoming space created by the feeling and ambience of the piece. As the piece begins, caregivers and babies are seated in the round, with the performance in the center. Using original music creates the seasons’ tone, and ambience; music being the first language for the very young mind. Babies and toddlers will have the freedom to crawl, walk, and move within the space, investigate hands-on textures, crawl and climb while experiencing the language/sounds/music and engaging visuals.
KidsRead / KidsWrite: The Center for Fiction’s Family Day at The Plaza at 300 Ashland (Fort Greene)
Saturday April 30th 11a-1p. Free. Across the street from our home, The Center for Fiction presents an outdoor celebration of storytelling for young readers at The Plaza at 300 Ashland. The event will include a mobile book fair for young people and their caregivers along with a performance of new works from the New York Philharmonic’s Very Young Composers program by the O Kwarteto Collective from 1130a–1230p!
Baby Farm Animals & Children’s Fun at Aviator Sports and Events Center
Saturdays-Sundays 11a-4p until May 29th. Admission: $14 per person age two and above. Register here. The Baby Animals Are Here! Come discover Green Meadows Farm new little additions to the GMF family. So many NEWBORN BABY ANIMALS plus all of their amazing other farm animals — PONIES, ALPACAS, LLAMAS, CALVES, PIGS, SHEEP, GOATS, BUNNIES, and more. Paid admission include: happy hayrides, Visit Alpacas, Llamas, Sheep, Goats, Pigs, Rabbits, Chickens, and Ponies, Sit on Ten Different Tractors, Fun Roller Slides, Operate our Bulldozer, Milk “Katie” the Cow, huge Farm Playground and Open Areas for Picnics. Extra fee: Animal Feed.
E.P.I.C. Players at David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center (UWS)
Saturday April 30th 11a & 730p. This event is free and open to the public. Seating and entry are first-come, first-served; the line will form at the Atrium’s entrance on Broadway, between 62nd and 63rd Street. The nonprofit, neuro-diverse theatre company E.P.I.C. Players returns to Lincoln Center after a much-loved performance at last summer’s Big Umbrella Outdoors. Dedicated to creating supportive, professional opportunities in the arts for individuals with developmental disabilities, they believe our differences are our greatest strengths. This family-friendly performance, presented twice on Saturday will leave you feeling uplifted and empowered as the artists sing songs and share stories about hope for the future.
Flower Patch on the Farm at Queens Botanical Garden
Saturdays-Sundays until May 8th 11a-4p. $16 per Adult (flower pot included), $14 per Child (ages 4-12), Students (with ID), & Seniors (62+) (flower pot included), Free for Children 3 and under (flower pot not included), Free for Members (flower pot not included), Additional flowers available for $7/pot, while supplies last. Unique floral and garden creature installations transform the QBG Farm into a fantastic flower spectacle, an immersive environment and stunning backdrop for photos. Meet costumed nature creatures, pick your own pot of flowers, do floral-themed crafts, and make your mark on Chalk Walk! For adults 21 and older, available for purchase are spring-themed beers and ciders. Note: Ticket fee includes general Garden Admission. Registration strongly recommended; Walk-ins welcome upon availability.
See all the Saturday events here.
Sunday May 1st
Classical Kids Fair at Brooklyn Children’s Museum (Crown Heights)
Sunday May 1st 10a-1p & 2-5p. Tickets: $13 per person, $12 seniors (children under 1 free). Book tickets here. WQXR is heading to Brooklyn for the Classical Kids Fair at Brooklyn Children’s Museum! Families can experience live performances, an instrument petting zoo, arts and crafts, radio and dance workshops, and more! Listen, look, and play alongside WQXR and our friends from the Brooklyn Conservatory of Music, The Little Orchestra Society, and Dancers of the Met. See the website for the schedule of events.
Hippo Playground Spring Fair in Riverside Park (UWS)
Sunday May 1st 10a-4p. Free admission. An Upper West Side institution, the Annual Hippo Playground Spring Fair is Sunday(Rain date – Sunday, May 15). We are so excited to offer pony rides, games, prizes, a petting zoo, inflatables, bouncy house, food, entertainment and much more.
City Nature Challenge in Brooklyn Bridge Park
Sunday May 1st 11a-2p. Free. As part of the City Nature Challenge, help us discover and capture photos of all the diverse species living in Brooklyn Bridge Park. On Sunday Conservancy Educators will be stationed at Pier 6 in the Park to help you navigate the iNaturalist app. We will hand out prizes for anyone who successfully posts an observation and will have paper scavenger hunts for younger kids who want to be involved too! Join us for these special guided activities: 1130a at Pier 5: Oyster Monitoring and 1p at Pier 6 Flower Field: Family Friendly Nature Walk. There are City Nature Challenge all over NYC this weekend. See the website for more information.
Cherry Blossom Festival in Randall’s Island Park
Sunday May 1st 12n-3p. Free. Location: Fields 62/63. Each spring Randall’s Island Park Alliance’s annual Cherry Blossom Festival ushers in the warmer months and gives visitors the opportunity to appreciate the park’s spring beauty. Join us for paper flower making, face painting, kite flying, crafts, games, performances, and more!
Sea Chanteys and Maritime Music Broadcast (virtual & in-person)
Sunday May 1st 2-4p. Free. Registration required. South Street Seaport Museum’s monthly Sea Chantey and Maritime Music, the original NYC chantey sing, continues with options to participate both in-person and online. Join a round-robin of shared songs featuring members of The New York Packet and friends. Listen in, lead a song, and belt out the choruses on the first Sunday of every month. All will be able to see and hear all the singers, remote and virtual. Both remote and in-person participants are able to lead a song. In-Person Location: 12 Fulton Street. A large screen and speakers will allow song presentations from Zoom participants who are not onsite, and an onsite camera will allow in-person song leaders to present on Zoom. Before or after the sing, participants are invited to tour the Seaport Museum gallery exhibitions, as well as visit the 1885 tall ship Wavertree and the 1908 lightship Ambrose on Pier 16. Please note, in-person participants must show proof of vaccination and booster and also must wear a mask. Register here, choose the next Chantey Sing date shown on the calendar, and indicate whether you plan to join in-person or online.
See all the Sunday events here.
All Weekend
Pinocchio at Puppetworks (Park Slope)
Saturdays & Sundays 1230p & 230p until August 7th. Tickets: Children $10 each, Adults $11 each. Suggested for 3 and up. Pinocchio Collodi’s Adventures of a Marionette. Adapted for Marionettes by Nicolas Coppola. Call for Reservations (recommended): 718-965-3391 or e-mail to: [email protected].
Family Discovery Days at Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Saturdays-Sundays 1030a-1230p until May 22nd. Free with Garden admission. This is a drop-in program for families with children of all ages. Experiment, learn, and play! Hands-on activity stations throughout the Discovery Garden encourage families to explore science and nature together. Pot up a plant or create a nature craft to take home alongside volunteer Discovery Docents and GAP Teen Apprentices. All programs are outdoors and canceled in inclement weather. Also check out Discovery Days: Spring Break Week Tuesday-Friday April 19th-22nd 1030a-1230p.
Spring Chores n’ Tours at Historic Richmond Town (Staten Island)
Saturdays-Sundays 11a-4p until May 1st. Included with admission. This Spring, explore the reawakened historic village of Historic Richmond Town. Costumed Historical Interpreters will display 19th century lifeways, demonstrating housekeeping, cleaning, and chores we perform today with modern conveniences. Your ticket gives you access to the open village with select buildings open for self-guided tours and demonstration areas showcasing the lived experiences of everyday people. At the Guyon-Lake-Tysen House, see demonstrations of nineteenth century laundry with water warmed over an open fire. Try your hand at churning butter, and explore a home rich in Staten Island history. In the General Store, the wares of a small town shop illustrate comforts and remedies sought out by Americans before the dawn of the superstore. Historical Interpreters will demonstrate soap-making, with all natural ingredients mixed with lavender. In the yard, a dusty rug will take a beating, aided by visitors. The Historical Museum will be open for self-guided exploration as well. See the immense collection of Historic Richmond Town up close, and take part in a scavenger hunt through the galleries.
Roller Skating at LeFrak Center at Lakeside Prospect Park
Monday to Friday: 12n-6p, Saturday: 12n-730p & Sunday:12n-6p. Admission: $6 weekdays, $10 weekends (Weekend pricing begins Friday at 4pm). Skate rentals: $7. The carousel is also open Thursdays–Sundays and Holidays 12–5p.
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.
Seaport Discovery: Exploring Our Waters with Eric Carle at South Street Seaport Museum
Fridays-Sundays 11a-5p in April & May. Admission is $5 per child aged 1-12, with no charge for accompanying caregivers, teens, and infants. Advanced timed tickets are recommended. Book today! Visit our new discovery room of maritime-themed art by Eric Carle, beloved creator of picture books for young children. Seaport Discovery: Exploring Our Waters with Eric Carle is designed specifically for children aged 2-7 and their adults. In June, it will open Wednesday through Sunday from 11am to 5pm. Please note that people over age 5 will be required to show proof they are fully vaccinated to enter indoor exhibition spaces and to board Ambrose.
The Yard: Adventure Playground on Governor’s Island
Saturdays-Sundays 12n-4p. Free admission but fees for ferries. See website for details. Welcome back to The Yard, New York City’s only adventure playground! The Yard offers free weekend play from 12 – 4pm. The Yard is a kids-only space stewarded by trained playworkers. The main play area is recommended for young people ages 6 to 12 and the family play area welcomes children under 5. The Yard supplies young people with loose parts materials for building, exploring, imagining and destroying. In addition to free weekends, The Yard also offers summer camp, school field trips, birthday parties and special programs, all with adherence to CDC guidelines. See the website for all the details.
Farm Exploration Days in Randall’s Island Park
Saturdays-Sundays 10a-4p until October 8th. Free. Location: Urban Farm. Explore the Urban Farm’s variety of crops, rice paddies, and fragrant herbs, and meet the chickens too! All ages welcome!
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: The Museum continues to require vaccinations against COVID-19 and facial coverings.
See the calendar for all the events