Events: Top Kid-Friendly Activities For The Week

Where has February gone?! The first week of March begins with tons of family-friendly madness in NYC. There’s a beloved city-centered musical in Queens, an electric science theater show in downtown Manhattan, a classical music performance on the Upper East Side, and two family fests: One focused on international culture and one centered around food. Happy Monday!

Beginning Friday, March 4

Tilt Kids Festival
Various locations throughout NYC
Various times
The Cultural Services of the French Embassy and the French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) are hosting the first-ever Tilt Kids Festival this month! This cultural festival for families will highlight international works as well as pieces specially commissioned for the festival. In partnership with venues throughout the city, including the Museum of Food and Drink, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and the NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts, the fest will offer philosophy, music, circus, magic, design, dance, and gastronomy events. This weekend’s events include a cabaret-style magic show entitled “Cabaret de Magie Nouvelle” at FIAF’s Florence Gould Hall and the opening of Anima, an interactive installation at the Invisible Dog Art Center in Brooklyn. Runs through Sunday, April 3. Ticket prices vary.

Friday, March 4-Sunday, March 6

“West Side Story”
The Knockdown Center
Friday & Saturday: 8pm; Sunday: 3pm
As part of the Somewhere Project–in celebration of Carnegie Hall’s 125th anniversary season–the Weill Music Institute presents three performances of “West Side Story” at the Knockdown Center, a restored factory in Queens. While professional artists will take on the lead roles, students and community members from across the city will take the stage alongside them. Directed by Marin Alsop, one of Leonard Bernstein’s former protegees, this performance is a celebration of music and community. Call CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 for ticket prices.

Saturday, March 5

Doktor Kaboom: “Live Wire!: The Electricity Tour”
NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts
2pm
Ages 5 and up can go on an electric adventure this Saturday with Doktor Kaboom. During “Live Wire!,” the Doktor will perform safe science experiments onstage to demonstrate how electricity can be harnessed and transformed. This one-hour comedic science show is part of the center’s Big Red Chair Family Series. Tickets start at $25.

Saturday, March 5-Sunday, March 6

Little Orchestra Society: “Tchaikovsky: Bigger than Ballet”
The Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College
Various times
Guest conductor David Alan Miller will conduct the Little Orchestra Society in its last LOS Kids concert of the season! Recommended for ages 3-7, “Tchaikovsky: Bigger than Ballet” will focus on the work of legendary Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Selections performed include excerpts from “The Nutcracker,” and “Swan Lake” as well as “Serenade for Strings” and “Mozartiana.” Tickets are $28.

Kids Food Festival
Bryant Park
10am-4pm
The Kids Food Festival is a fun-filled, tasty weekend-long event that’s also educational. The event aims to teach families about making balanced food choices and to help reduce childhood obesity. This delectable fest will feature exhibits, cooking classes, demonstrations, entertainment, and lots of yummy food. Chefs scheduled to attend include Thiago Silva, Danny Boome, Seamus Mullen, and Arman Arnal. The fest’s Main Stage will host performances by The Deedle Deedle Dees, the Dirty Sock Funtime Band, the TADA! Youth Theater, Ramblin’ Dan, and others. General admission is free; there may be a fee for cooking classes and other activities.

New York Family  Camp Fairs
Saturday, 3/5–Battery Park City: Asphalt Green at Battery Park City – 212 North End Avenue
Sunday, 3/6–Park Slope: Berkeley Carroll School – 181 Lincoln Place
12-3pm
Discover dozens of day camps and sleepaway camps at the New York Family Camp Fairs coming up on March 5 & 6. The fairs are informative, free, and fun for the whole family. The Camp Fairs (the largest in NYC) offer families the unprecedented opportunity to speak with a big host of camp directors and get essential questions answered: What kinds of camps are right for my child? Should my child go to day camp in the city or out of the city? Is my child ready for sleepaway camp? Should we look at general camps or specialty camps? The camp fairs are sponsored with the American Camp Association-NY/NJ. Click the link above for more information and to register.