We’ve picked the top 14 things to do with your kids in Manhattan this May, including Super WHY on stage on the Upper West Side, the NYRR Youth Jamboree on Randalls Island, the annual HOWL Festival in the East Village, and several Mother’s Day events.
‘Super WHY Live: You’ve Got the Power!’
Beacon Theatre, Upper West Side
May 2
Based on the Emmy-nominated PBS Kids series, Super WHY Live: You’ve Got the Power! brings together entertainment and education in an interactive, live performance for the preschool set. The show features favorite literacy-powered superheroes Alpha Pig, Wonder Red, Princess Presto, and their puppy pal Wooftster, with a book written by Super WHY creater Angela Santomero and musical score by Jack Antonoff of the Grammy-nominated band fun.
NYRR Youth Jamboree
Icahn Stadium, Randalls Island
May 5
At the NYRR Youth Jamboree, kids as young as 4 can experience all the fun of a track and field competition—no experience necessary. In this daylong event, kids in pre-K through high school will participate in races ranging from 55 to 800 meters as well as relays, long jump, and shot put events. First-, second-, and third-place finishers will receive ribbons, and all other finishers will receive participation ribbons. Online registration is strongly recommended.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Manhattan, Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens
Throughout May
Mother’s Day should be completely stress-free, so we’ve done your activity planning for you. All you have to do is pick your favorite activity from our list of 22 fun Mother’s Day events in NYC, including 9 in Manhattan.
RHAW: Rennie Harris Awe-Inspiring Works
The New Victory Theater, Times Square
May 17-26
Urban dance guru and award-winning choreographer Rennie Harris has put together a new family show that celebrates street dance. In RHAW: Rennie Harris Awe-Inspiring Works, the music is as diverse as the dance styles, but the whole show promises to deliver “spirit and straight-up Philly soul.” The nine young dancers who make up the company show extreme skill and have a reserve of seemingly never-ending energy, as they pop and lock, b-boy and boogaloo to create funky, upbeat depictions of city life, young love, and growing up. Overall, the show is inspiring, relevant, and above all, a ton of fun.
HOWL! Festival
Thompkins Square Park, East Village
May 31 – June 2
Beat poets and counter-culture lovers rejoice, because the HOWL! Festival is coming back to town and it’s celebrating its 10th year on the scene. This festival of freewheeling bohemia celebrates poetry, music, dance, and art while highlighting the history of the East Village and the Lower East Side. The festivities call on the spirit of the late poet Allen Ginsberg as more than 350 artists, poets, and performes—including many youthful new talents—transform Thompkins Square Park into a participatory artwork infused with creative energy and inspiration. The festival opens with the signature group reading of Howl, one of Ginsberg’s most famous works, on Friday afternoon and features family entertainment through Sunday. On Saturday and Sunday, make sure to take advantage of The Great HOWL! Out Loud Kid’s Carnival, which features carnival games, funhouses for all ages, fairway attractions, arts and crafts activities, miniature golf, and continuous kids’ entertainment (both for kids and by kids). FREE!
Sprout Film Festival
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Upper East Side
May 31 – June 2
Mainstream media has a long way to go when it comes to representing everyone fairly and accurately, and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (both as subjects and performers) often appear only on the sidelines. The Sprout Film Festival aims to change that by showcasing works of all genres featuring this population. The festival is entering its 11th year with a robust program of educational and inspiring works, including the “Foreign Gems” program, which features unique and rarely seen stories from foreign lands (with subtitles); The Punk Syndrome, a feature documentary following Finland’s most outlandish punk rock band; and Growing Pains, a thought-provoking drama about adolescence, to name a few. (Pictured: My Brother Vinnie, starring Australian actor Aaron Pedersen and his brother Vinnie, will screen June 1.) Perfect for parents and older children, this festival also offers a number of free museum events open to all festival attendees and particularly tailored to people with special needs.
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