Have an amazing weekend without opening your wallet! For even more activity inspiration, check out our Weekend Planner.
Through Sunday, October 15
Honk NYC: 11th Annual Street Band Explosion
Various times
Various venues throughout NYC
All Ages
Get ready to hear some bold funky beats and groove to the swing of the brass brands at Honk NYC’s 11th Annual Street Band Explosion. This free annual extravaganza provides brass musicians and entertainers from across the globe with the opportunity to jam throughout New York City. Join in the fun and enjoy the sounds of traditional grassroots brass and percussion music.
Saturday, October 14
Queens Food Day
11am-3pm
Socrates Sculpture Park, Queens
All Ages
Join the Queens Action Council, Socrates Sculpture Park, and the rest of Northwest Queens for the annual Queens Food Day. Stop by for an interactive and fun day with a variety of community organizations. Learn about resources for nutrition education, food affordability and accessibility, urban farming, planting and gardening, sustainability, and healthy living.
Kids Fest: Stages in the Square
11am-3pm
Madison Square Park
Ages 12 and under
Join other NYC families in Madison Square Park this Saturday for the park’s third annual performing arts fest for children! Throughout the day two stages will feature musical and theatrical performances, workshops, and storytelling for ages 0 through 12 and their families. Performers scheduled to appear include Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, WonderSpark Puppets, Sammie and Tudie’s Comedy Magic Circus, the Story Pirates, Mario the Maker Magician, It’s Showtime NYC, Falu’s Bazaar, and others. There will also be face painting, lawn games, and much more. Plus fill up on mouth-watering grub from local eateries.
Design Fest
11am-4pm
Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum
All ages
Help the Cooper Hewitt kick off their annual National Design Week with a day of workshops, virtual reality experiences with Play Lab, and hands-on activities with Sesame Workshop. Become a designer by learning how to think and play like one. Collect stickers as you travel through the different activities and workshops to add to your Design Fest Passport and win a prize. National Design Week starts October 14, so don’t miss out! Pre-registration is encouraged.
[gravityform id=”14″ title=”false” description=”false” ajax=”true”]
Saturday, October 14-Sunday, October 15
Open House New York
Various times
Various locations throughout NYC
All ages
For two days each October, Open House New York opens hundreds of sites across the five boroughs—from the historical to the contemporary, and the residential to the industrial—for tours, talks, performances, and additional special events. Family-friendly sites this year include the African Burial Ground National Monument, the Sims Sunset Park Material Recovery Facility, and the King Manor Museum. There are plenty of happenings just for kids—such as scavenger hunts, special tours, and art-making—around the city. Check the event website for more details and to make reservations. This event will take place rain or shine; some activities require advance registration.
Sunday, October 15
Halloween Howl and Healthy Hound Fair
12-3pm
Carl Schurz Park
All ages
A Sunday isn’t complete until you watch more than 200 pups strut around in dog-sized Halloween costumes. Hosted in Carl Schurz Park, the pooches will compete to win the costume contest with fashion industry experts acting as judges.
Harvest Festival
12-4pm
Randall’s Island
All ages
The annual harvest festival on Randall’s Island is back, with a fresh crop of crops! To celebrate the bounty of the earth, there will be face painting, live music, self-guided tours of the farm, and a Randall’s Island Chef Showdown. Your kids will love eating these vegetables!
Lower East Side Pickle Day
12-5pm
Orchard Street (between Delancey and East Houston Streets)
All ages
In a pickle for what to do on Sunday? The Lower East Side Pickle Day will feature more than 20 picklers, live music, face painting, a pickle toss, and giant games! Don’t worry, even if you aren’t a fan of pickled food there will be other food vendors as well.
