Events: Top Kid-Friendly Holiday Celebrations This Week

Groove with Oran Etkin this Sunday, at The Jewish Museum. Photo via thejewishmuseum.org — Groove with Oran Etkin this Sunday at The Jewish Museum. Photo via thejewishmuseum.org

The holidays are a week away, and there are still plenty of great ways to get in on the festive spirit. Our favorites this week include two Hanukkah festivals, Christmas caroling, a winter celebration, and a great kid’s concert. Check them out!

Monday, December 19

The 8th Annual Latke Festival

The Brooklyn Museum

6pm – 9pm

Celebrate the festival of lights with everyone’s favorite Hanukkah food: latkes! Come down to the Brooklyn Museum for latke tastings and find the coolest ways to make a potato pancake in NYC. Net proceeds go to The Sylvia Center, dedicated to helping decrease obesity and increase health by changing how we cook. General admission tickets are $70.

Wednesday, December 21

Make Music Winter

Throughout New York City

Earliest event begins at 11:30am, latest event ends at 7:30pm

Get in to the winter spirit with this all-day party, where you can help make the music! Featuring 13 different events throughout the day, you can dance in a percussion parade with the Brooklyn-born Antibalas, stroll through Central Park and enjoy classical music, or participate in the music itself with bells given out by artist Tom Peyton. Free

Saturday, December 24

Christmas Caroling Under the Arch

Washington Square Park

5pm – 7pm

Celebrate Christmas Eve with some traditional carols in the famous Washington Square Park. The Rob Susman Brass Quartet will accompany all of the singers in this joyful welcoming of Christmas. Songbooks will be handed out, but don’t worry–it will feature all of your favorite classics! Free

Hanukkah Family Day

Museum of the City of New York

11am – 2pm

Welcome the Festival of Lights with a tour through the museum’s collection of Jewish and Hanukkah-related artifacts. Learn about the holiday and eat a traditional Hanukkah snack while you create a menorah before the holiday begins. Families and children are more than welcome! Free with museum admission

Sunday, December 25

Oran Etkin Family Concert

The Jewish Museum

11:30am – 12:30pm

Oran Etkin combines traditional Jewish music such as klezmer with jazz and African rhythms to create a fun and memorable style all his own. Welcome Hanukkah with a song, and don’t be afraid to get up and dance! Tickets are $13 for Jewish Museum members, $16 for general public.

Adventuring Portal

<a name="m_-1473885667065203258__Hlk72147528"></a>Adventuring Portal runs Dungeons and Dragons (D&amp;D) games for kids.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;We have created a safe online space for tweens and teens to learn and play D&amp;D. Our D&amp;D Summer Camp session are a one-week experience.&nbsp;&nbsp;Monday &ndash; Friday.&nbsp;&nbsp;Each day will be 3 hours of gaming (with 2 breaks build in).&nbsp;&nbsp;15 total gaming hours for $180.&nbsp;&nbsp;If you have played with us before, you are entitled to 10% off.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Need your kids, nieces or nephews, grand kids or neighbor&rsquo;s kids to be occupied for a bit so you can get work done &amp; take care of your to-do list? Maybe your tween or teen is still a bit isolated and craves connection with their peers? Whether your teen/tween has played D&amp;D before or is brand-new to the experience, this safe space brings players together to have fun and solve problems as a team in ways few other online opportunities do. All our games focus on experiential learning.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Our players leave knowing all the basic game play as well as experiencing: teamwork, bravery, compassion, generosity, negotiation, improvisation, gamer etiquette, strategy, critical thinking, problem solving, cartography and probability - all through online D&amp;D adventuring! We are an inclusive organization and welcome gamers who are LGBTQIA+ and those on any spectrum.&nbsp; All girls&rsquo; groups available.&nbsp; I am a parent, a certified elementary school and middle school math teacher and last summer in the midst of the mess started&nbsp;Adventuring Portal, an&nbsp;online Dungeons &amp; Dragons&nbsp;business&nbsp;for kids. There are so many benefits to playing D&amp;D and I hope you will consider us as a great way for your child to safely socialize, grow as people and have a great time.

Once Upon A Mattress

Bring your kids. Bring your parents. Bring your favorite pajamas! Once Upon a Mattress is back on Broadway, and it&rsquo;s &ldquo;pure let&rsquo;s-be-kids entertainment&rdquo; (New Yorker) fit for ages 7 to 107! Two-time Tony&reg; winner Sutton Foster stars as Princess Winnifred the Woebegone, alongside royalty of stage and screen Michael Urie and Queen of Comedy Ana Gasteyer. Adapted for a new generation by Amy Sherman-Palladino (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), this uproarious retelling of The Princess and the Pea introduces the unapologetically eccentric Winnifred to an uptight kingdom, where she charms, delights, and dances her way to the top&hellip; of a stack of mattresses. So give the babysitter the night off and your kids a night on the town &ndash; you'll all live happily ever laughter! Get tickets at&nbsp;<a href="https://onceuponamattressnyc.com/">https://onceuponamattressnyc.com/</a>

Brooklyn Robot Foundry - Virtual Classes

Brooklyn Robot Foundry offers super fun online robot-building classes for children 2-13 years old!&nbsp;&nbsp;Each week, students are introduced to new engineering concepts and components while building that day&rsquo;s robot in their own &ldquo;workshop&rdquo;.&nbsp;&nbsp;All classes maintain a very low student-to-teacher ratio, allowing for plenty of individualized instruction and socializing. The supplies are shipped in advance and classes are led by amazing instructors, taking all the pressure off parents.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Foundry&rsquo;s main focus however, is that kids have fun, get creative, and enjoy being part of this STEAM-loving community!&nbsp;