Weekend Planner: Best Weekend Events for Families (January 25-27)

The Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) is excited to announce MOCA FEST 2019, an 8-week Lunar New Year celebration at MOCA to welcome the Year of the Pig and the start of year 4717 on the Chinese calendar. Festivities will include the launch of MOCA’s new shop in partnership with Pearl River Mart; Lunar New Year-themed programs, speakers, and children’s activities; MOCA’s popular Night Market showcasing cuisine from famed Asian American chefs; a Family Festival; and a glamorous Lunar Soiree. The Museum invites people of all ages to take part in its uniquely designed celebration aimed at providing a genuine and deep understanding of this famed holiday and what it means in American society. All proceeds go towards supporting the Museum of Chinese in America, the largest institution of its kind. Through its critically acclaimed exhibitions and collection of over 65,000 artifacts, the Museum provides an immersive approach to learning about the multi-faceted identity and untold stories of Chinese people in America and their contributions to the American historical and cultural narrative.

Polarbear intertwines his masterful storytelling with interactive, theatrical experiences, creating a show that both serves as his personal monologue and a creative writing workshop for his viewers. Both his and their own stories will come to life. 11am and 2pm. Repeats on Jan. 27 at 11am. For ages 8-11. $25. Clark Studio Theater, 165 West 65th St., 7th Floor. 212-875-5456. lincolncenter.org.

Get your kids moving with this winter sports festival that will make a snow field by blowing snow all over the area. Kids can learn to ski, take turns sledding, and more. They’re sure to have winter fun they’ll never forget. Free 11am-3pm. For all ages. Central Park Bandshell Area, enter at 72nd St. 212-360-8213. nygovparks.org.

Children’s Museum of the Arts (CMA) is pleased to announce A Way With Words: The Power and Art of the Book, an exhibition that presents artworks which draw attention to the long and remarkable history of the book, on view from November 29, 2018 to April 29, 2019. The invention of the printing press in the 1440s launched the book into the industrial age, increasing the production and distribution of the written word, and with it, knowledge and literacy. Today, our libraries are filled with millions of books, and the digital age allows us to access literature instantly in the palm of our hand. Because the book has been produced around the globe, it has become a versatile and creative source of artistic inspiration.

Including works by Cara Barer, Doug Beube, Long-Bin Chen, Casey Curran, Brian Dettmer, Ann Hamilton, Andrew Hayes, Lisa Kokin, Guy Laramée, Mike Stilkey, and Robert The, A Way With Words will show the transformation of everyday books into expressions of identity, community, environmentalism, memory, and reconstructed narratives. Families will see unconventional treatments such as cutting, weaving, tearing, burning, and shredding, as artists transform books into sculptures, animation, drawings, and paintings that capture the book’s significant history and power to inform the public. Children and their families will also create their own artworks inspired by the exhibition.

Meet the Living Historians who portray Harriet Tubman, a 19th-century woman who defied racial oppression. Learn about her great accomplishments and the impacts that she had made. Explore and ask questions about how she and her associates were able to escape through by the Underground Railroad to reach freedom. Also, discover how Tubman and her associates were able to avoid capture and head North.

An original story and production from the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre, Yeti, Set, Snow! is the story of a young girl named Widget, and her friend, Twig, who encounter a yeti named Pascetti on the first snow day of the winter season. Pascetti, who lives on a mountain top nearby, dislikes the snow. Through songs and snow day activities, Pascetti discovers not only that snow can be fun but also the value of friendship. cityparksfoundation.org

Bring the kids to this futuristic rock musical set in the world 2211. There are no adults, technology, or running water in this world for Aurora and her friends. Meanwhile, a girl named Claire wonders if there’s anyone else out there on the planet. Runs through February 24: Fridays at 7pm, Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm and 4pm. $15 kids, $30 adults. TADA! Youth Theater, 15 W 28th St. 212-252-1619. tadatheater.com.

New York’s rich visual vernacular is a colorful setting for illustrated stories, so it comes as no surprise that our iconic transportation system plays a starring role in comics and graphic novels. Drawing on satirical cartoons, comic strips and comic books from the 19th through the 21st centuries, Underground Heroes: New York Transit in Comics is a raucous ride through New York’s transit system from a range of visual storytellers. The exhibit includes such luminaries as Winsor McCay, Will Eisner, Bill Griffith, Roz Chast, Ronald Wimberly and Julia Wertz whose work demonstrates the influence that mass transit has on the stories that are irrevocably woven into the cultural fabric of New York City. Through 3/17. $10/adults, $5/children. New York Transit Museum 99 Schermerhorn Street. nytransitmuseum.org

The Thing is being so loud that Emily can’t sleep, but all he wants is to find his Cuddly. She sets out to help him be reunited with his friend so they can all go to sleep. Repeats on Jan. 27, Feb. 2, and Feb. 3 at 11am, with a talk-back performance on Feb. 2 at 3pm. For ages 4-7. Tickets start at $25. The New Victory Theater, 209 W 42nd St. 646-223-3010. newvictory.org.

Head to the Rubin Museum’s Family Sundays this month to ask: “What kinds of growth and change do you want to spark in 2019?” Get inspired by creating dynamic sculptures with floral foam, which can be used to nurture plant life and hold together intricate arrangements. Ages 3 and older with accompanying adults. Free for children and accompanying adults. Repeats every Sunday in January. 1-4pm. Rubin Museum, 150 West 17th Street. rubinmuseum.org.