15 Great Events For Spring 2018

April 28-29

[All Ages]

This year, Sakura Matsuri returns to the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. With a combination of both traditional and contemporary Japanese culture, the event celebrates cherry blossom viewing season, also known as hanami. This two-day festival features several events, from music and exhibits to demonstrations and fashion shows. There’s enough to do to fill the whole weekend, including several kid-focused events! Kids under 12 free, $25 students (ages 12-17), $30 adults, 10am-6pm. Brooklyn Botanic Garden, 718-623-7200, bbg.org

images: seastreak.com

March 3-April 22
[All Ages]
Now in its 16th year, the Orchid Show continues to astound onlookers big and small. Daniel Ost crafts a display of thousands of flowers in the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory at the New York Botanical Garden, adhering to the conservatory’s Victorian-era style. Think of it like taking the kids to an art exhibit; the attention to detail, form, color, and structure are exacting. You’ll be able to see rare and iconic species in the exhibition, and in the evenings there’s wine, performances, and music for the adults. Prices vary, 10am-6pm. New York Botanical Garden, 2900 Southern Boulevard, Bronx, 718-817-8700, nybg.org

image: nybg.org

March 21-25
[Ages 0-2]
At Lincoln Center’s Hup, your average musical quartet is a little bit more fun. Designed for the youngest children, this live orchestral experience engages with spunk; even sleepy kids won’t be able to miss the raccoon when it enters the scene! A fantastic way to expose babies to classical music, the playful program will be sure to entertain both kid and parent. $25, times vary. Clark Studio Theater, 165 West 65th Street, 212-721-6500, lincolncenter.org

image: lincolncenter.org

April 8
[All Ages]
If you want a family outing, look no further than Carnegie Hall. Their spring family day will entertain all ages, offering everything from live performances to creating handmade instruments. Your little musician will be sure to get up and sing and dance along with the professionals (and hopefully, you’ll join them!). You can drop in for a moment or stay the entire day: whatever fits your schedule. Free, 12-4pm. Carnegie Hall, Resnick Education Wing, 881 7th Avenue, 212-903-9600, carnegiehall.org

image: carnegiehall.org

March 17
[All Ages]
The trek to Princeton’s campus will be well worth it this St. Patrick’s Day to see Baby Got Bach perform the String ‘Stravaganza. You’ll be able to listen to the quintet’s (composed of a viola, two violins, a piano, and a cello) classical performance while also learning about string instruments and how different ones work. It’s a must for the musical kid in your family. $10 adults, $5 kids/students, 1pm. Princeton University, Richardson Auditorium in Alexander Hall, 68 Nassau Street, Princeton, NJ, 609-258-5000, babygotbach.org

image: babygotbach.org

March 17-18
[All Ages]
Our senses are how we engage with the world around us. In this Senses Lab, children will get the opportunity to explore the human brain. In the Sackler Education Lab, children will explore how exactly our brains work to process information. Neuroscientists will join the kids to explain the science behind the important organ, lead the group in experiments and activities, and answer any questions kids—or adults!—might have. Free with museum admission, 12-5pm. American Museum of Natural History, Sackler Education Lab, Central Park West at 79th Street, 212-769-5100, amnh.org

image: amnh.org

April 14
[Ages 8+]
Celebrate the power of the spoken word at this Brooklyn Academy of Music event. The concert features New York-based hip hop trio The Mighty Third Rail as well as Brooklyn-based MC Mikal Amin, who will be joined by local performers and student poets. Mixing beatboxing, violin, hip hop poetry, and upright bass, Get Up, Stand Up is a great way to introduce kids to hip hop as poetry and poetry itself. Part of the BAMkids series, this event is sure to entertain and educate its young audience. $10, 2pm. BAM Fisher, 321 Ashland Place, Brooklyn, 718-636-4150, bam.org

image: bam.org

Opens April 22
[All Ages]
After opening in London, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” is moving to Broadway. A companion to J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” takes place well into the trio’s adulthood, focusing on their—spoiler alert!—children and lives. Primarily, the story follows Harry, now a Ministry of Magic employee, and his youngest son Albus Severus, who is about to attend his first year at Hogwarts. This tale, previously only on view in England, is essential viewing for Harry Potter fans, theater fans, and magic fans alike. The show actually has two parts (either performed on consecutive nights or across one weekend day) so be sure to book both! Prices and times vary. Lyric Theatre, 214 West 43rd Street, 212-556-4765, harrypottertheplay.com

image: harrypottertheplay.com

Saturdays and Sundays, April 14-August 19
[Ages 4+]
Remember the classic tale of Mowgli and Baloo? The masters at Puppetworks will bring the classic tale to life with their marionettes. This isn’t the Disney edition, so it might be a new story for some kids who’ve seen the movie; it’s based heavily off of author Rudyard Kipling’s Fables of India. You can watch a colorful group of puppets recreate these vibrant stories and follow Mowgli, raised by wolves, on his journey. The show will feature an original score and costumes inspired based on authentic Indian motifs. $10 children and $11 adults, 12:30pm and 2:30pm. Puppetworks – Park Slope, 388 6th Avenue, Brooklyn, 718-965-3391, puppetworks.org

image: puppetworks.org

April 7-18 and April 14-15
[All Ages]
The Children’s Carnival returns to Queens Farm this spring. The kids’ event will be held in the orchard and offers carnival rides, midway games, hay rides, and prizes. Plus, plenty of food vendors will be on site, so it promises to be a tasty afternoon. There’s no better way to celebrate the season than outdoors with the whole family! $15, 11am-6pm. Queens County Farm Museum, 73-50 Little Neck Parkway, Floral Park, NY, 718-347-3276, queensfarm.org

image: queensfarm.org

April 7-8
[Ages 10+]
Grab your artists for the MOCCA Arts Festival, Manhattan’s largest fest to feature independent comics, cartoons, and animation. Over 7,000 people attend annually and over 400 artists exhibit work. There are also conversations with award-winning honorees like award-winning New Yorker cartoonist ​Roz Chast and more. The event will take place at the Metropolitan Hotel with programming at nearby Ink48 Hotel. Be inspired by these big names in illustration! $7, 11am-6pm. Metropolitan West, 636 West 46th Street, 212-838-2560, societyillustrators.org

image: societyillustrators.org

April 5-8
[All Ages]
Want to see robots battle it out? Fifty-one FIRST teams will compete at this event, some of whom are local and others who hail from Brazil, Turkey, China, and other countries. The winners will then move on to a global competition. For older kids, there’s also a career and college fair attached that can counsel on a future working in tech. Free, times vary. The Armory Track & Field Center, 216 Fort Washington Avenue, nycfirst.org

Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival

April 1
[All Ages]
There might not be any floats or marching bands, but this parade sure is a spectacle. A less organized sort of parade, the Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival’s real focus is on the fashion. In past, paraders have worn everything from period costumes to outfits accented with living animals. For the parade, which stretches from 49th to 57th Street on 5th Avenue, children often decorate bonnets or even make group costumes. Although it’s a brief parade, it’s definitely worth seeing on Easter Sunday. Free, 10am-4pm. 5th Avenue between 49th and 57th Streets

here’s no park in the city quite like the High Line. “From Freight to Flowers” celebrates that fact, offering the story of the High Line’s history as you walk through the elevated park. The tour, led by High Line Docents, delves into the park’s design and landscape with a little extra insider information. The 45-minute tour is a great way to see the park and a different perspective of surrounding Chelsea while you learn. Free, 12-12:45pm. The High Line, Gansevoort Street, 212-500-6035, thehighline.org

image: thehighline.org

March 30-April 15
[Ages 5+]
You and your kids will gasp at Air Play, a circus spectacle performance that uses air to create movement. In this hour-long show, performers make umbrellas take flight, experiment with balloons, and manipulate shimmering silk in a dazzling display of color. The globetrotting Acrobuffos, Seth Bloom and Christina Gelsone, defy gravity and captivate audiences with their buoyant experiments and surprise-filled suitcases. Tickets start at $16, times vary. The New Victory Theater, 209 West 42nd Street, 646-223-3010, newvictory.org

image: newvictory.org