Events: Top Kid-Friendly Activities For The Week

10406466_847012048643458_6391711052174955185_n — Rockaway Beach will host the 5th annual NYC Honey Fest this Saturday. Photo via NYC Honey Fest /FB

Hope everyone had a relaxing long weekend! This week marks the start of the fall fests in NYC, and we’ve included some of our favorites in this week’s event picks. An eclectic mix awaits, including the annual Feast of San Gennaro in Little Italy, a Fall Family Festival celebrating Chinese culture, the sweet NYC Honey Fest on Rockaway Beach, an amazin’ Mets Jam Music Festival, and last, but by no means least, Sesame Street Live!

Beginning Thursday, September 10

89th Annual Feast of San Gennaro
Mulberry Street (between Canal Street and Houston Street)
Sunday-Thursday: 11:30am-11pm; Friday & Saturday: 11:30am-midnight
Celebrate Italian culture at the Feast of San Gennaro in Manhattan’s Little Italy neighborhood. For its 89th year, this 11-day street festival will feature parades, processions, live musical entertainment, mouth-watering Italian food, and more! Plus be sure to cheer on the competitors of the Feast’s “world-famous” cannoli-eating contest. This year’s Grand Procession’s Grand Marshal will be actor Tony Danza. Admission is free. Runs though Sunday, September 20.

Saturday, September 12

Fall Family Festival
The China Institute
10:30am-3pm
The China Institute will welcome families to its new downtown location with a Fall Family Festival on Saturday. Fest-goers can enjoy film screenings for kids, delicious Chinese food, arts and crafts workshops, a Kung Fu performance, a children’s Tai Chi session, wonton making, a learn-to-speak Mandarin class and tons more! Admission is free. Registration is not required.

NYC Honey Fest
Rockaway Beach (97th Street and the Boardwalk)
11am-sunset
Rockaway Beach will be buzzin’ this Saturday during the fifth annual NYC Honey Fest! This year, this bee-utiful festival will feature honey tastings from local hives such as Andrew’s Honey, The Commuter Bee, Brooklyn Grange, Johnston’s Honeybee Farm and others. Activities for children include face painting, bee-hat and costume making, honey extraction demos, interactive activity stations, a tie-dye booth, and a raffle. Plus stick around for live music, food, film screenings and much more. Admission is free. The rain date for this event is Sunday, September 13.

Mets Jam Music Festival
Brooklyn Bridge Park
12pm-4pm
Join Z100 New York for the Mets Jam Music Festival at Pier 2 in Brooklyn Bridge Park. The park will host an afternoon of free fun for baseball fans and families with children of all ages. Festivities include live performances from Tori Kelly and A Great Big World, batting cage and pitching practice for kids, a Mets players meet and greet session with legends like Darryl Strawberry, Howard Johnson, and Edgardo Alfonzo, and free swag giveaways. This event is free.

Saturday, September 12-Sunday, September 13

Sesame Street Live: “Make A New Friend”
Kings Theatre
Various times
Your little Sesame Street fan will love Sesame Street Live’s newest show, “Make A New Friend” at Brooklyn’s Kings Theatre. This weekend, Grover, Elmo and Abby Cadabby will meet Chamki, an Indian girl who will teach everyone that friendships can exist between different cultures. Tickets start at $25.

Chickenshed NYC

Chickenshed is an inclusive theatre company that began in the UK in 1974. Chickenshed NYC is a young organization bringing that same ethos and unique methodology to the USA. Chickenshed&rsquo;s mission is to create entertaining and outstanding theatre that celebrates diversity and inspires positive change. Chickenshed's model of Inclusive Theatre is based in the belief that everyone can flourish when everyone is included. At Chickenshed everyone is welcome, everyone is valued, and together we produce remarkable theatre. We want to break down barriers between people to create a world without labels and where differences no longer divide. At Chickenshed, support is given to those who need it, and given by those who can . We believe that creative activities, self-expression and performance should be available to anyone who has the desire, no matter their background or circumstances. We know that when everyone has the opportunity to shine, amazing things happen. Chickenshed NYC provides programming for little ones, children and youth through semester-long activities and performances.

Explore MetroWest Boston

<h1>Turn Whining into Winning in MetroWest Boston</h1> From beer gardens to corn mazes, state parks to beautiful art, MetroWest Boston is a great destination for a weekend trip! Enjoy <a href="https://www.metrowestvisitors.org/get-outside/?imgoing-place=hopkinton-state-park-61a91acef30b531a665ab64d">Hopkinton State Park</a>&rsquo;s gorgeous foliage while kayaking on the lake or hiking, mountain biking, or snowshoeing on the amazing trails. In the evening, catch a play, musical, concert, art exhibition, dance performance, or immersive theatrical event at <a href="https://www.metrowestvisitors.org/culture/?imgoing-place=hopkinton-center-for-the-arts-63c03d7e0d792d753263b4d1">Hopkinton Center for the Arts</a>. Get a great night&rsquo;s sleep at one of the region&rsquo;s hotels, such as <a href="https://www.metrowestvisitors.org/where-to-stay/?imgoing-place=the-verve-hotel-boston-natick-tapestry-collection-by-hilton-61aa4790f30b531a666119e4">The VERVE</a>, with its fun and funky pop art d&eacute;cor, or <a href="https://www.metrowestvisitors.org/where-to-stay/?imgoing-place=aloft-framingham-6216279ccc891d1d0862c8c2">Aloft</a> with their pool tables and lobby games. In the morning, visit the <a href="https://www.metrowestvisitors.org/culture/?imgoing-place=danforth-art-school-61a8e11cf30b531a66592d90">Danforth Art Museum</a>, a jewel box housing 3,500+ artworks from three centuries, including groundbreaking sculptures depicting the African and African American experience by Meta Vaux Warrick Fuller. Cross the street to the <a href="https://www.metrowestvisitors.org/culture/?imgoing-place=framingham-history-center-61a8e11cf30b531a66592d92">Framingham History Center</a> to explore their new multilingual exhibit that traces the city&rsquo;s immigration story, from those fleeing the 1690s Salem Witch trials, to the Irish and Italian influx in the 1800-1900s, to the current migration of Brazilians. &ldquo;Framingham&rsquo;s Collective Journeys&rdquo; includes oral histories, interactives, and artifacts. No visit to Framingham is complete without stopping at legendary <a href="https://www.metrowestvisitors.org/eat/?imgoing-place=jacks-abby-craft-lagers-61a8e11cf30b531a66592da0">Jack&rsquo;s Abby Craft Lagers</a>, one of 17 breweries in MetroWest, where you can enjoy a flight with a schnitzel sandwich or their famous Framinghamburger. Afterwards, spend a few hours at <a href="https://www.metrowestvisitors.org/activities/?imgoing-place=level99-64a8389c51f92a351a6a3f06">Level99</a> testing each other with 50+ mental and physical escape rooms and challenges. The next day, tour the <a href="https://www.metrowestvisitors.org/where-to-stay/?imgoing-place=longfellows-wayside-inn-61aa7aa3f30b531a66621f57">Wayside Inn</a>. The oldest inn in America&rsquo;s 100-acre property includes the Old Barn, now a farm stand with displays of antique farming tools, the historic Grist Mill, and beautiful grounds containing the Longfellow Memorial Garden, the Redstone Schoolhouse from the poem &ldquo;Mary Had a Little Lamb&rdquo;, the Martha-Mary Chapel, and Josephine's Pond for fishing. Stay for a delicious gourmet meal in their historic dining room. Spend the afternoon at the <a href="https://www.metrowestvisitors.org/culture/?imgoing-place=american-heritage-museum-61a92852f30b531a665b17bf">American Heritage Museum</a>. Start your tour in the depths of a WWI trench listening to a nurse&rsquo;s first-hand account from the Western Front while bombs explode above you and the floor begins to shake. This extraordinary museum features one-of-a-kind historic aircraft, tanks, cars and rare relics from the Revolutionary War to today, in immersive exhibits and living history events. Afterwards, wander the charming shops and boutiques of downtown Hudson. <h3>MetroWest Boston offers these and many other attractions, activities and events for the whole family!</h3>

Play On! Studios

Play On! Studios offers theater day camps and after-school classes on the UWS that are guaranteed to give kids a summer full of acting, music, and fun they won't soon forget! Young actors will rehearse and perform in a full production, work with professional NYC actors/teaching artists, build up their skills in a nurturing, non-competitive environment and play lots of drama games! Creative Drama Camps are perfect for kids entering grades K-4. Campers will work each week to put on a brand-new show! Each session, they will receive a script, rehearse a production, make a set and costumes, and perform their play. Kids will also play drama games, play outside (weather permitting), and have tons of fun! Musical Theater Camps are aimed at kids entering grades 4-9. In Musical Theater Performance Camp, campers put on a complete musical production in a professional NYC theater! Campers will stretch their skills with drama exercises and games, vocal coaching, field trips, and building a professional set. Our incredible teaching artists and campers come together to put on a truly remarkable show! During the school year, classes are great for beginners or more experienced actors - sing, dance, and put on a play! Whether your child is just starting out, or ready for Broadway, we&rsquo;ve got the class for them. Classes are available for grades PreK-8, after school or on Saturdays! Come play with us. &nbsp;