If you’re looking for fun and free or low-cost things to do this June in Westchester County, NY, we’ve got you covered. We present the top kids’ events of the month, including a popular pirate festival, outdoor arts festival, and Father’s Day activities.
June 2-3
Family Arts Al Fresco
Stroll through White Plains’ picturesque Tibbets Park, while enjoying the 50th annual White Plains Outdoor Arts Festival. The juried art show features enough fine arts, photography, jewelry, handcrafted pottery, glassware, and more to interest moms and dads, while special features appeal to kids, including a free children’s art workshop, exhibition of award-winning student art, raffle, and a host of international food vendors.
June 3
Walk the Walk
According to Autism Speaks, the nation’s largest autism science and advocacy organization, one in every 88 children, including one in 54 boys, is now diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, making it the fastest-growing serious developmental disability in the U.S. Help raise funds and awareness by joining the 11th annual Westchester/Fairfield Walk Now for Autism Speaks. All event proceeds will support Autism Speaks’ local and national work. The day includes a 2- to 3-mile walk around the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital in White Plains and a Community Resource Fair with educational sources, therapists, schools, recreational organizations, and kid-friendly activities.
June 16-17
Anime Fix
See Porco Rosso, a little-known film from Japanese master animator Hayao Miyazaki (creator of “Ponyo” and “Spirited Away”), screening at the Jacob Burns Film Center in Pleasantville.
June 17: Father’s Day
No More Aftershave, Please!
Not that there’s anything wrong with that old standby bottle of Old Spice…we just think Dad and Grandpa will enjoy these Father’s Day options a little bit more.
John Deere Dads: Bond with Dad and Grandpa while exploring farm equipment old and new at Muscoot Farm’s Big Farm Equipment Day in Katonah. FREE!
Hang with the Big Dogs: Throw Daddy to the Wolves! No, not literally…just bring him to the Wolf Conservation Center in South Salem for a special Father’s Day program. Learn all about the mythology, biology, and ecology of wolf families, then visit with the WCCs furry residents. Guests will also assemble and present a special Father’s Day surprise to the wolves.
Gone Fishin’: What could be more relaxing than a day spent fishing? One day a year, Westmoreland Sanctuary suspends its “No Fishing” policy and holds a Father’s Day Fishing Derby in honor of dads and their kids (ages 5-12). Bring your own equipment and bait. All fishing is catch and release only. FREE!
Get Creative Together: Wave Hill in the Bronx hosts Family Art Project: Tees for Dad and Me, where participants will explore and sketch the center’s gardens and woodlands, then put their favorite image onto two T-shirts—one for themselves and one for Dad.
June 30
Good Muddy Fun
Grab a net and scoop to find out what’s mucking about in the Pond Life program at Teatown Reservation in Ossining.
Starts June 30
Ahoy, Mateys!
Gangs of swashbuckling buccaneers take over Philipsburg Manor in Pirates of the Hudson: The Siege of Sleepy Hollow. This annual Historic Hudson Valley event has been expanded to seven days this year to allow for more fun and mayhem. Musical pirates, gypsy sword dancers, and scallywags of all sorts will roam the grounds. Kids can take part in the Pieces of Eight treasure hunt, wiggle their way into a pirate shipwreck, trade barbs with a talkative parrot, and learn to speak and act like a bloody pirate. Pirate palate-pleasing feasts will be available from Tastefully Yours, along with pints of grog from Pleasantville’s Captain Lawrence Brewery.
Weekends throughout June
Meet You on Avenue Zoo
Kate Monster, the beloved puppet star of the Tony Award-winning musical Avenue Q, takes a new musical journey that begins when she misses her stop home and ends up on Avenue Zoo. Bronx Zoo visitors join Kate on a wild adventure as she meets various animals and learns that they aren’t so scary after all. The show teaches kids about the importance of wildlife conservation. Stop by to see it this month, when the zoo is also hosting its annual Animal Tales Extravaganza.
For even more fun family events in Westchester and the NYC area, search our full calendar of events
