As we enter the last stretch of summer, this week we chose the best of the best for you and your family–including an Olympic-themed fest, a three-day homage to pachyderms, a celebration of indie children’s theater, and two stunning Asian fests that will blow you away. Enjoy!
Through Thursday, August 11
Citi Celebrates Team USA: Rio on the Hudson
Pier 26 in Hudson River Park
12pm
Cheer on Team USA this week during Citi’s Rio Olympics celebration at Pier 26 in Hudson River Park. Festivities include face painting, children’s games, music, and arts and crafts, virtual golf swing bays and sprint races. And if those choices aren’t enough, there will also be samba dance performances, photo ops, and visits from former Olympians including Mia Hamm and Jackie Joyner-Kersee. See event website for daily schedules. This event is free.
Friday, August 12-Sunday, August 14
World Elephant Day Weekend
The Bronx Zoo
11am-4pm
Join the Bronx Zoo this weekend for World Elephant Day! To honor the elephants lost each year for their ivory, help the zoo create 35,000 origami elephants for a Guinness World Record. Zoo visitors can also listen to original music created by DJ Ecotone using wild elephant calls and participate in one of three yoga sessions at Astor Court. Free with zoo admission.
Beginning Saturday, August 13
FringeJR Festival
14th Street Y
Various times
Celebrate the New York International Fringe Festival’s 20th anniversary in a kid-friendly way at FringeJR! All FringeJR productions are recommended for families and groups with children ages 5-12. This year’s lineup includes a show that explores Amelia Earhart’s legacy through music, puppetry, and circus arts; a production that transports audiences to a pirate’s magical world, and much more! Be sure to stop by Fort FringeJR, where kids can enjoy free arts and crafts and hang with their favorite characters from the shows! Tickets are $13. Runs through Saturday, August 27.
Saturday, August 13
Dragon Boat Family Festival
Museum of Chinese in America
12pm-4pm
Check out the Museum of Chinese in America this Saturday for a Dragon Boat Family Festival! All ages can enjoy calligraphy workshops, storytelling, arts and crafts, a bug gallery hunt, and zongi (pyramid-shaped rice balls) wrapping and tasting. Tickets are $10; free for children under the age of 2.
Sunday, August 14
Japanese Culture Festival
Children’s Museum of the Arts
12pm-4pm
Head to the Children’s Museum of the Arts on Sunday for its Japanese Culture festival. The Japanese Folk Dance Institute will perform a traditional folk dance and teach fest-goers how to make their own flower hats for the Flower Hat Dance parade. There will also be origami making, Japanese garden designing, and much more! Free with museum admission.
