Free Family Events This Holiday Weekend! (December 30-January 1)

Celebrate New Year's Eve with fireworks in Brooklyn's Grand Army Plaza. Photo by Russell Bernice via Flickr. — Celebrate New Year’s Eve with fireworks in Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza. Photo by Russell Bernice via Flickr.

Have an amazing holiday weekend without opening your wallet! For even more activity inspiration, check out our Weekend Planner.

Friday, December 30

Seasonal Arts and Crafts: Snowman Bottle
2:30-4pm
Poe Park, Bronx
All Ages
This Friday, visitors to the Bronx’s Poe Park can create a snowman bottle out of plastic containers and jars! For inspiration, kids can check out the park’s new “Whimsical Winter Wonder…Exhibition.” Participants must bring their own bottles. Containers should have labels removed and be clean and dry. Please do not bring jars that are larger than 16 oz.

Saturday, December 31

3rd Annual Coney Island New Year’s Eve Celebration
9pm-Midnight
Coney Island, Brooklyn
All Ages
Ring in 2017 on Coney Island! There will be free rides on Deno’s Wonder Wheel, the Thunderbolt, and the B&B Carousel (weather permitting), ice skating at Abe Stark Rink (6-10pm), fireworks, and live music and performances. To insure a good time is had by all, the New York Aquarium will be open late.

The Coney and a Casino with Paul Pippin

Schneps Connects

New Year’s Eve Fireworks
11pm-Midnight
Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn
All Ages
Are you still looking for something to do on New Year’s Eve? This year, ring in 2017 by viewing a spectacular firework display in Prospect Park, and help kick off the Park’s 150th anniversary! The festive celebration includes live performances and tasty hot chocolate that will help keep the family warm into the New Year. Don’t forget your blanket! Registration is required.

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Sunday, January 1

Early Morning Bird Walk: Bring in the New Year with Birds
10-11am
Prospect Park, Brooklyn
All Ages
Start your New Year by exploring the fascinating birds of Prospect Park! On New Year’s Day, the Brooklyn Bird Club is hosting a tour of the park’s nature trails and sharing interesting tales of the ducks who call the park home during the cold weather months while visitors admire their beautiful plumage. This experience is sure to delight the birdwatchers in the family!

Annual New Year’s Day Swim
1-2pm
Coney Island, Brooklyn
Ages 18 and up; children under 18 must have a parent/guardian register for them
Here’s your chance to swim with the polar bears! Join the Coney Island Polar Bear Club and Camp Sunshine for this annual New Year’s Day swim. Families who are willing to brave the frosty weather can take a plunge in the Atlantic Ocean and help raise money to send children with life-threatening illnesses and their families on a retreat. If you’re too scared to “freeze for a reason” and take the plunge, do the “Chicken Dip” where you just wiggle your toes in the water. Either way, the money raised is going to a great cause! Please note: This event is free, however there is a suggested donation fee of $40 per swimmer.

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Manhattan Mandarin

Manhattan Mandarin runs the Mandarin after-school programs at over 40 schools nationwide, including St. Bernard's, Chapin, Allen-Stevenson, and Buckley. Whether in schools, students' homes, in the office, online, or on our beloved China trips, our teachers and tutors have helped hundreds of students of all ages master the Mandarin language on their own unique paths to fluency. Our philosophy has always been to make private lessons and classes perfectly tailored for each individual student. We look forward to working with you. - Jamie Keyte, Founder

Speakitaly NYC

SPEAKITALY NYC offers stimulating and entertaining lessons for children 0 to 16 years through a wide combination of activities based on the communicative approach anchored in the Common European Framework of Reference: active learning (group work, role plays, etc.) and practice exercises aimed to improve listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Kids will start speaking and using Italian in a very natural way.&nbsp; Small classes capped at 6 students to make sure each one gets the needed attention and facilitate learners' progress.&nbsp; Our method is driven by a didactic method that is the result of constant updates, professional certifications and more than 10 years of experience in working with non-native speakers from different native languages and levels of knowledge. Our aim is to develop a range of Italian language skills while improving accuracy that will enable the students and participants to interact without stress or feeling rushed. We want to help those in the community really embrace not only the true culture in Italy but the Italian culture within New York City&hellip; Who doesn&rsquo;t love what Italy represents in the kitchen, in history &amp; in the arts? Speakitaly wants to support multilingual families who want to learn a new language or pass along their ancestor&rsquo;s heritage and culture. Raffaella, the founder said: "We see language awareness and intercultural sensitivity as the milestones for an inclusive society. Italian, like all other languages, is an enrichment and a growth in every way. Vi aspettiamo!"

New York Society of Play Summer Camp and Classes

Summer Game Camp There are many who do not feel safe sending their children back out into the world with summer camp, this year. To serve those parents and keep the children connected and stimulated during this challenging time, we are offering NYSP Digital Summer Camp. The name of the game with NYSP Summer Camp is community. We have made a large effort to make our camp feel like a living space, with features including &ndash; - Role-Playing games familiar and new, led by our master storytellers! - Enriching electives such as Chess, World Building, Character Acting, Crafts, Drawing, and more! - Discussion and media screening rooms during lunch! - A digital campus! - Moderated chat hours! &nbsp; Join us for a summer of games, friends, and more! Mon - Fri 10am - 2:30pm &nbsp; Roleplay Expeditions: Dungeons &amp; Dragons No experience is required to join one of our Dungeons &amp; Dragons games. Our game masters have pre-made character sheets, so you'll be able to start playing the game right away! We adapt the rules of traditional Dungeons &amp; Dragons to make them more approachable to children of various ages. Battle in dungeons, search for relics, and make new friends in our one-of-a-kind Dungeons &amp; Dragons workshop!&nbsp; &nbsp; Public games meet once per week, with different groups every time. Private games meet 1 to 2 times per week with the same group of kids. Since the players and the storyteller in the group are consistent, this enables us to tell epic tales of adventure together! &nbsp; Dungeons &amp; Dragons Junior No experience is required to join one of our drop-in Dungeons &amp; Dragons games. Our Dungeons &amp; Dragons Jr. game provides a D&amp;D storytelling experience without character sheets. Battle in dungeons, search for relics, and make new friends in our one-of-a-kind Dungeons &amp; Dragons workshop! A great way to introduce young children to D&amp;D so they can eventually move onto the main game.