Free Family Events This Weekend! (February 16-18)

Brookfield Place’s Lunar New Year celebration will take place this Saturday! Photo via artsbrookfield.com.

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

Friday, February 16

NYC Lunar New Year Students Day
10am-12:30pm & 12:30-3pm
Lincoln Center
All Ages
This Friday, students are invited to Lincoln Center to celebrate the Lunar New Year! Festivities include performances by the National Dance Institute, New York Philharmonic musicians, and the Lang Lang International Music Foundation, calligraphy art workshops, red envelop decorating, a Sugar Sculpture Folk Art demo, and more.

19th New Year Firecracker Ceremony & Cultural Festival
11am-3:30pm
Sara D. Roosevelt Park
All Ages
Celebrate the Lunar New Year with spectacle at this ceremony, full of firecrackers and cultural programming.

Saturday, February 17

Lunar New Year
2pm
Brookfield Place
All Ages
This family-friendly performance (which includes a lion dance) is a great way to celebrate the Lunar New Year with the whole family!

Saturday, February 17-Sunday, February 18

33rd Annual Half Moon Sword Dance Festival
Saturday: 1-3:30pm; Sunday: 12:30-2:30pm
Various locations throughout NYC
All Ages
Ten teams will perform the sword dance at various public locations across the city for free. Check website for times and locations.

Sunday, February 18

Losar Family Day: Himalayan New Year Celebration
12-4pm
The Rubin Museum
All Ages
Visit the Rubin Museum for an afternoon of arts, crafts, food and music in celebration of Losar, the Himalayan New Year. Paint with mud, interact with therapy dogs, drink Himalayan butter tea, go on a family gallery tour, and enjoy traditional Tibetan music.

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>

Asphalt Green

<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" data-sheets-value="{" data-sheets-userformat="{">Asphalt Green&rsquo;s high-quality sports programs start at 4 months old. Two beautiful facilities in vibrant Manhattan neighborhoods provide the optimal space for children to learn the fundamentals, play for leisure, or compete at the highest level.<br />As the leading sports and fitness facility in Manhattan, Asphalt Green&rsquo;s never-before- seen training methods focus on improving your mental and physical game. Whether participating in swim, soccer, flag football, martial arts, basketball, baseball, tennis, or volleyball, coaches instill values that set athletes up for success in life and bring out their full potential in sports.</span></p>

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>