Yes, Thanksgiving is less than a week away (where has November gone?), but we think you should skip the stress of planning the festivities and enjoy the weekend with your brood instead. Since holiday decor is already gracing the windows of stores and institutions around the city, make a checklist of the various spots and spend the afternoon peering at their lights and life-size panoramas; the weather is supposed to be perfect for a fall stroll. Our favorites so far are the brightly colored windows of Macy’s and the traditional arrangements at Bloomingdale’s.
If you’re looking for other no-cost activities, check out Super Sabado at El Museo del Barrio, which is hosting a bunch of family-friendly happenings and free admission to boot. Should you find yourself in Queens, stop by City Ice Pavilion’s Opening Weekend Celebration, which includes free ice time and skates (Sat 7–9:30pm, Sun noon–2pm) and a performance by NY’s Ice Theater. If you’d rather cozy up indoors, MoMA hosts an afternoon of animated shorts; after the flickfest, families can enjoy the museum without paying a dime. Check out all the free events here.
Saturday’s got a lot in store: For just $5, you can rock out with your kiddos at the Roulette Children’s Concert, which features kid-friendly renditions of jams from cool artists like Nick Cave. If you want to follow the holiday theme this weekend, the New York Botanical Garden launches its Holiday Train Show—a must see for city tykes. See more Saturday events here.
Looking for more fun on Sunday? Kids who don’t mind getting a little dirty will dig Brooklyn Children’s Museum’s Ickyfest. If your tots prefer to stay clear of snot and slime, pop into the Guggenheim for its Family Day, or enjoy some tunes with Elizabeth Mitchell at the 92YTribeca. Browse all Sunday events here.
It’s not even Thanksgiving, but the December holiday season has (unofficial) arrived. If you’re itching to get into the spirit, head to one of the seasonal shows (Wintuk, White Christmas and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular all started this week), or click through our holiday section to see all the fun that lies ahead. Not quite ready to embrace Santa and his merry elves? There’s plenty of great events happening this weekend, most of which are completely free—which means less spending, and thus more gift-giving next month.
Stop by the Brooklyn Public Library for a party to kick off the commemorative Sesame Street 40th Anniversary exhibit; a costumed Elmo will even greet little ones. If you find yourself on the Upper West Side on Saturday, pop into the JCC’s open house, or take a listen to the Demolition String Band in Tribeca on Sunday. Looking for something a little more literary? Peek into the pop-up book party at Books of Wonder on Saturday, where authors will read from their 3-D tomes. Peruse all of our no-cost picks here.
Looking for other options on Saturday? Check out the Yankee Fair in Brooklyn Heights, where Hicks and Henry Streets will be transformed into a giant fairground, or take in some live music with Father Goose at the Fillmore. See all Saturday events here.
There’s plenty to do on Sunday, too. Three kindie concerts get little booties shakin’ around town: Catch Gustafer Yellowgold at the Jewish Museum, Ratboy Jr. at Bowery Poetry Club and the Kidrockers at The Living Room. Get your giggle on at Cirkus Cirkor, where performers mesmerize with their jaw-dropping stunts. Browse all Sunday picks here.
Halloween is just a memory now but that doesn’t mean your weekend has to be boring: There’s plenty going on around town, and most of it is absolutely free!
Complimentary events span many genres this weekend, including two book readings tonight (one from Mo Willems and another from the pair behind the Fancy Nancy series), a concert from Chocolate Chip Chamber Music on Saturday and ice skating in Bryant Park. Get your fill of fall fun before the frost sets in at the Crotona Park Harvest Festival on Sunday, where kids can enjoy pumpkin picking and decorating, canoeing and hayrides. Want more options? Check out the best free weekend events.
If you’re looking for other ideas for Saturday (and don’t mind spending a few bucks), the Queens County Farm Museum is hosting a nature-themed festival where kids can see birds of prey, frogs and other critters. If you want to get your groove on, tote your kids to Baby Loves Disco or sway in your seats while watching the talented tots in Mad Hot Ballroom, which screens at Tribeca Cinemas Kids Club. See all Saturday picks here.
Best bets for Sunday include the Shangri-La Chinese Acrobats on Staten Island and a concert by kiddie musician (and former Fleshtones bassist) Uncle Rock at Bowery Poetry Club. See all Sunday picks here.
Whatever you do this weekend, have fun!
We’re lucky enough to have Halloween on a Saturday this year (yay!). Unfortunately, rain may be in the forecast (boo!). Fret not, little Frankensteins: We’ve got plenty of outdoor and indoor options so you can celebrate the holiday no matter what tricks Mother Nature may have in store.
If you’re looking to stay inside, check out the Brooklyn Children’s Museum’s Monster Mash Party Nights both this evening and tomorrow (only $10!). However, lots of completely free events abound: The Winter Garden at the World Financial Center transforms into a haunted house on Saturday, while Tribeca hot spot Moomah treats families to plenty of spooky fun. Looking for some fresh air? Prospect Park holds a big festival of creepy activities, or head to a participating zoo or aquarium for their ghastly gatherings throughout the weekend.
But what’s Halloween without a parade? There’s more than just the blowout in the Village; check out processions in Park Slope or Brooklyn Heights, among other ‘hoods. See all the haunted holiday happenings here.
Want more picks for the weekend? Saturday offers tons of Day of the Dead celebrations; the one at El Museo del Barrio sounds extra cool. And though it doesn’t exactly qualify as a Halloween event, the Chocolate Show promises a afternoon of tasty treats.
Sunday offerings include Symphony Space’s Super Duper Just Kidding Extravaganza, where Dan Zanes, Gustafer Yellowgold and others will rock out. Too busy cheering on the NYC Marathon runners? No problem: We’ve sussed out the best spots for watching the race throughout the city.
Phew. We’re tired just thinking about the number of great family activities happening in Gotham this holiday weekend. Is New York City the best place to celebrate Halloween, or what?
With Halloween just a week away, the frightful festivities are well underway. There are tons of spooky activities planned this weekend, and as long as the rain holds out (hey, it happened last Saturday), they should be a ton of fun. Although Saturday is shaping up to be wet, Sunday looks lovely. Make sure you check each event’s website, just in case the details change!
On Saturday, head to Central Park’s free Pumpkin Festival where you can get spooked in the haunted house, take a hayride and more. If you want your pup to get in on the outings, hit the Tompkins Square Dog Parade, where costumed canines reign supreme.
On Sunday, Queens’ Socrates Sculpture Park ihosts its Halloween Harvest Festival, rife with crafts, music (AudraRox!), face painting and other activities. If you’re a Manhattanite looking to stay local, check out P.S. 166’s Big Green Halloween fair on the Upper West Side, where kids can watch eye-popping tricks by Magician Marco and contortionist Jared Rydelek. We’ve also got a bunch of indoor options, including New York Sports Club’s Ghoulie Pool Party and the Halloween Bash at the Manhattan House. To see all the haunted happenings this weekend, click here.
Want to hold off on the creepfest until next weekend? Then peruse our non-Halloween events on Saturday and Sunday, like National Chemistry Day and Schoolhouse Rock Live! Junior at the New York Hall of Science.
Phew! We’re tired just thinking about all the fun that’s to be had over the next two days. Have a great weekend—we expect a full recap on Monday!
A little rain can be fun, sure. But a torrential downpour that lasts for two days—lame. Due to the inclement weather, a lot of highly anticipated (not to mention heavily promoted) outdoor events, including Socrates Sculpture Park’s Halloween Harvest Festival and Old Navy’s Urban Pumpkin Patch, have moved to next weekend. But some fabulous festivals, notably Time Out Kids’ Fall Kids Fest at Madison Square Park, plan to carry on, rain or shine. (Don’t worry, we’ve got tents!) That said, be sure to check the respective websites for all the alfresco activities that hope to happen this weekend: You don’t want to show up only to find out an event’s been canceled.
Of course you can always opt for a little indoor fun, and there’s plenty of that this weekend, too. El Museo del Barrio shows off its magnificent makeover at its free reopening bash on Saturday. Sony Wonder Technology Lab is showing Monster House on Saturday for free. For the nominal price of admission, you can attend a Halloween Party at the New York City Police Museum on Sat. And a bunch of Northern Manhattan hot spots are participating in the free Uptown Treasures Celebration on Sunday.
If you don’t mind spending a few bucks, (okay, more like $10 to $25), there are a number of cool kiddie concerts (all indoors!) this weekend, including Justin Roberts & the Not Ready for Naptime Trio, They Might Be Giants and the FunkeyMonkeys. If you want to geek out with your kids, take them to Big Apple Comic Con’s family day on Sunday. And you can Meet the Breeds at the Jacob Javits all weekend long. So even if you feel like pulling the covers over your head this weekend, don’t. As kids know, getting out of the house is always the best remedy for the rainy day blues.
