Memorial Day Weekend: Fun & Family

Central Park Maine Monument — Central Park’s Maine Monument

As we approach the start of the summer season—and masses of New Yorkers exit the city for the long weekend—stick around and check out these fun family staycation activities for the holiday weekend.

Saturday, May 24th

Governors Island Family Festival

Join the Governors Island Alliance for music, theater, dance, arts and crafts, face painting, harbor maritime education, and more. Fun for all ages! Free. 1-4pm. Nolan Park, Colonels Row and Liggett Terrace.

Memorial Day Fair at Sunnyside Gardens Park

If you’re looking for family fun Memorial Day weekend, check out the fair at Sunnyside Gardens Park. The all–ages event offers fun and festive activities to celebrate the beginning of summer. Carnival games, bouncy castle, rock wall, obstacle course, and more. Dance to a Dixieland band—while the kids enjoy the clown magic show, face painting, kiddie nail salon, and temporary tattoo parlor! 12-5pm. 48-21 39th Avenue, Sunnyside, Queens.

Sunday, May 25th

World’s Fair Train Show

All aboard! Watch working “G scale” model trains as they chug through an outdoor display that includes a miniature of the World’s Fair Unisphere. Presented by the Long IslandGarden Railway Society. The whole family can ride the motorized train ride through the gardens. Free with garden admission. Runs through May 26. 10am-5pm. Queens Botanical Garden, 43-50 Main Street, Queens

Memorial Day Dance Off at the West Harlem Piers

As part of the summer-long Sweet Spot Festival, a free family-friendly arts and cultural event series, the Memorial Day Dance Off is a movin’ and groovin’ way to kick off the summer. To celebrate the diverse community and history of Harlem, the festival and dance off features musical entertainment, festive food, artisan marketplace, and kids art workshop. 2-9pm. Free. St. Clair Place and West 135th Street.

Monday, May 26th

Central Park Memorial Day Walk Tour

Central Park is home to many historic monuments. Stroll through the city’s most famous park and view how generations have used the park to remember and memorialize our veterans. Free. 12-2pm. Tour starts at Columbus Circle, 59th Street at Central Park West, in front of Maine Monument.

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>

Speakitaly NYC

SPEAKITALY NYC offers stimulating and entertaining lessons for children 0 to 16 years through a wide combination of activities based on the communicative approach anchored in the Common European Framework of Reference: active learning (group work, role plays, etc.) and practice exercises aimed to improve listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. Kids will start speaking and using Italian in a very natural way.&nbsp; Small classes capped at 6 students to make sure each one gets the needed attention and facilitate learners' progress.&nbsp; Our method is driven by a didactic method that is the result of constant updates, professional certifications and more than 10 years of experience in working with non-native speakers from different native languages and levels of knowledge. Our aim is to develop a range of Italian language skills while improving accuracy that will enable the students and participants to interact without stress or feeling rushed. We want to help those in the community really embrace not only the true culture in Italy but the Italian culture within New York City&hellip; Who doesn&rsquo;t love what Italy represents in the kitchen, in history &amp; in the arts? Speakitaly wants to support multilingual families who want to learn a new language or pass along their ancestor&rsquo;s heritage and culture. Raffaella, the founder said: "We see language awareness and intercultural sensitivity as the milestones for an inclusive society. Italian, like all other languages, is an enrichment and a growth in every way. Vi aspettiamo!"

HudsonWay Immersion School

A pioneer in language immersion since 2005. After school language classes provide a fun and effective way for preschool and elementary children to learn Mandarin or Spanish language skills through project based learning and fun, engaging themes.