Free Family Events This Weekend! (October 6-8)

The Little Red Lighthouse Festival will take place this Saturday in Fort Washington Park! Photo by gigi_nyc via Flickr.

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

Friday, October 6

Family Fridays: “A Construction Toy Revolution: Introducing Lux!”
6:30-8pm
National Museum of Mathematics
All Ages
Think toys and math don’t go together? Think again! Toy creator Mike Acerra will be showing and demonstrating Lux, his latest creation, at the Museum of Mathematics. The toy, built with hinges and links, provides a new way for children to learn while they play. Pre-registration is required.

Saturday, October 7

The Happy Racers
11am & 2pm
Lincoln Center
Ages 2-5
The Happy Racers will be performing at Lincoln Center’s David Rubenstein Atrium! The kindie rock trio will perform tracks from their “Sidewalk Chalk” EP and their debut album “Ready Set Go.” Fan favorites include “Lovabye Dragon” and “I Can Do Anything.”

FamJam: Picture This
11am-2pm
BRIC House, Brooklyn
Ages 7 and up
Learn about the time before digital cameras with BRIC House’s teaching photography artists. Enjoy a fun hands-on workshop for families as you make your own pinhole cameras and sun prints. Discover how early photographers used to capture images before advanced technology. Space is limited, so admission is on a first-come, first-served basis. Don’t forget to bring an object that can cast a silhouette! Pre-registration is required.

Children’s Harvest Festival
11am-2pm
Jefferson Market Park
All Ages
As the days cool down, head over to Greenwich Village for an afternoon of pumpkins, crafts, and more fun activities. Bring the kids to the Jefferson Market Garden to enjoy a day surrounded by beautiful plants and the outdoors. Don’t miss an opportunity to enjoy nature right in your backyard!

8th Annual Harlem Harvest Festival
11am-4pm
St. Nicholas Avenue (between 117th and 118th Streets)
All Ages
Come up to Harlem for an re-imagined state fair! There will still be fresh produce and harvest food, but with a slight twist! Local restaurants will be on hand to serve their food alongside the farm fresh fare. A Kids Corner will have games, arts and crafts and pumpkin carving. There will also be music pumping and performances on display.

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Little Red Lighthouse Festival
12-4pm
Fort Washington Park
All Ages
Bring your family to the Little Red Lighthouse Festival in Fort Washington Park to enjoy food, music, and storytelling. The festival celebrates Manhattan’s only lighthouse which has inspired two children’s books. Children can also attend a fishing clinic, go on a tour of the lighthouse with the Urban Park Rangers, and enjoy a host of other activities.

Diwali at Times Square
2-9pm
Times Square
All Ages
Celebrate Hindu culture in Times Square! Don’t miss free concerts from Bollywood artists, stars, and performers, and local and international cultural performances celebrating South Asian culture! Enjoy this huge celebration of the Festival of Lights with delicious food and drink and a bazaar featuring ethnic clothing, jewelry, accessories, and more.

Sunday, October 8

Sky High Sukkah Party
10:30am-12pm
14th Street Y
Ages 5 and under
Join the 14th Street Y and the Town and Village Synagogue as they celebrate Sukkot as a community. Bring your young children and enjoy a pizza party and concert. Play, sing, celebrate, and create on the rooftop under the sunlight! Reservations are recommended. Please note: While admission is free, a $5 donation is appreciated.

The Annual Narrows Botanical Harvest Festival
12-5pm
Narrows Botanical Gardens, Brooklyn
All Ages
Bring the entire family to Narrows Botanical Gardens for a day of fun and dancing. Enjoy their best crafters and artisans and some country music with the Al “e” Mo Square Dancers. Don’t forget your dog and their costume if you wish to participate in the Annual Canine Costume Contest. There will even be a Great Pumpkin Patch.

Cultural Festival and Lantern Parade
12-5pm
Leif Ericsson Park, Brooklyn
All Ages
Enjoy a day of cultural events and fun at the Cultural Festival and Lantern Parade. Come out to Brooklyn to check out booths, food, and a stage performance in Leif Ericsson Park.

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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.

A-Game Sports

<div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; background-color: #ffffff;"> A-Game Sports is a premier provider of sports camps, programming and instruction for kids of all ages ranging from toddlers to teens. As an instructional and recreational youth sports facility, our goal is to make athletics a rewarding experience for all kids. A-Game Sports is located in New Rochelle, NY, and offers camps, lessons, customized programs for more than 10 sports and rental space for private events. A-Game Sports was founded in 2013 by two guys who decided that it was time to do what they truly love in life. Since then, we've made the ideology of fusing hard work and fun into a reality. Our dedicated staff of professional coaches share their enthusiasm with kids of all ages and skill levels that take part in our programs. </div> <div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; background-color: #ffffff;"> &nbsp; </div> <div style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; background-color: #ffffff;"> With turfed fields for soccer, lacrosse, field hockey and flag football, batting cages and tunnels for baseball and softball, and various basketball programs, A-Game Sports is one of the premiere sports facilities for kids and adults of any age. Aspiring athletes and fitness enthusiasts will benefit from our many strength and conditioning programs, while children new to sports will learn skills and techniques within their chosen sport, all while having a great time and keeping the game fun. </div>

Brooklyn Robot Foundry - Virtual Classes

Brooklyn Robot Foundry offers super fun online robot-building classes for children 2-13 years old!&nbsp;&nbsp;Each week, students are introduced to new engineering concepts and components while building that day&rsquo;s robot in their own &ldquo;workshop&rdquo;.&nbsp;&nbsp;All classes maintain a very low student-to-teacher ratio, allowing for plenty of individualized instruction and socializing. The supplies are shipped in advance and classes are led by amazing instructors, taking all the pressure off parents.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Foundry&rsquo;s main focus however, is that kids have fun, get creative, and enjoy being part of this STEAM-loving community!&nbsp;