Free Family Events This Weekend! (March 9-11)

The Annual St. Patrick’s Open Day will take place this Sunday at the Irish Arts Center! Photo via irishartscenter.org.

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

Through Saturday, March 31

LOOP Installation
All day
Garment District Plazas
All Ages
LOOP is an interactive art installation that turns animated flipbook-esque movies into a sight to see by displaying them on large futuristic cylinders. This free installation is open to the public now through March 31, providing the perfect activity for families and those of all ages to explore New York City during the springtime.

Saturday, March 10

Family Cooking Class: Look Who’s Cooking
10:30am-12pm
Fulton Market Stall
Ages 4-12
Bring your kids ages 4-12 to this fun and free cooking event. You’ll learn nutritional basics as well as some cooking skills! Be sure to register ahead of time; each class is limited to 25 participants.

Tilt Kids Festival: Yasmine Al Massri’s “Pearls on a Branch” by Najla Khoury
11am
Cultural Services of the French Embassy
Ages 5 and up
Award-winning actress Yasmine Al Massri shares Syrian and Lebanese folktales with children at this free, public event. The folktales, passed down by women for generations, were originally collected and published in Arabic in Pearls on a Branch: Oral Tales collected by Najla Khoury.

Sunday, March 11

City of Science 2018: Bronx
10am-4pm
Lehman College
All Ages
This touring fair features interactive demonstrations, hands-on activities, and massive exhibitions. It is free and open to the public.

Annual St. Patrick’s Open Day
12-4pm
Irish Arts Center
All Ages
Those seeking a kid-friendly St. Patrick’s Day celebration can explore and engage with Irish culture at the Irish Arts Center’s annual St. Patrick’s Open Day. Children of all ages are invited to the Center where they’ll learn to play the tin whistle, speak Gaelic with the Center’s instructors, learn how to make soda bread during a cooking demo, participate in an Irish Instrument Petting Zoo, and much more.

The Beauty of Ballet
2-3:30pm
Kumble Theater
All Ages
At this performance, members of the School of American Ballet perform favorite moments from iconic shows like Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty. The show serves as a fabulous introduction for first-timers as to just what ballet is. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Tilt Kids Festival: Simon Critchley & Guests’ “Philosophy for Kids”
2-4pm
Central Library, Brooklyn Public Library
Ages 6-12
Philosophy is a seemingly deep and intricate subject. However, philosophy can also be quite simple, because it can relate to daily activities, decision making, friendship, kinship, and more. Acclaimed scholar Simon Critchley is coming to the Brooklyn Public Library’s Central Library this Sunday with some of his fellow scholars to lead discussions with children on subjects such as friendship and society. Plus this year, parents can also participate in a concurrent seminar.

Speakitaly NYC

<p>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;</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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?</p> <p>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!"</p>

Plugged in Band

<div>Plugged In is a nonprofit program that offers online programs to student&nbsp;musicians (Ages 10-18) in a non-competitive environment and provides band and individual performance opportunities in support of community and charitable causes.</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Our programs include:</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Rock Band Classes</div> <div>Private Music Lessons</div> <div>Summer Camp</div> <div>Digital/Audio Production</div> <div>Songwriting and Recording Workshops</div> <div>&nbsp;</div> <div>Oh and hey parents, we are now offering private music lessons and our rock band program for adults too. Reach out to us for more information.&nbsp;</div>