Drew Kristofik

Drew Kristofik’s career took a twist from editing teen magazines to a seven-year stint at MacNeil/Lehrer, followed by a long run at Nickelodeon/Viacom as Director of Content for Nick Online and Editor-in-Chief of ParentsConnect.com. A founding member of the Webby Award-winning GoCityKids, she’s written for Family Fun, Vanity Fair, and New York. Her middle school novel, The Time Boat, is available on Amazon Kindle. Drew keeps the MommyPoppins New York Events calendar spot-on and can be reached at events@mommypoppins.com.

Latest posts by Drew

Weekend Fun: Sprinkler Day, Moon Landing, Open Gardens, Sharks

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Wed, 07/17/2019 - 4:00pm

Sprinkler Day is back at Asphalt Green. Photo courtesy of Asphalt Green

It's mid-July, which means the time is ripe to race through some sprinklers. This weekend marks the return of one of NYC's water fun highlights: the (FREE!) salute to shower power, Sprinkler Day at Asphalt Green (there's another one in August, if this weekend doesn't work for you). Midsummer also produces a bounty of, well, produce—so what better time to hold the annual Open Gardens Day? Saturday's your chance to explore a few of the city's gorgeous green community gardens.

PLUS: It's the 50th anniversary of America's trip to the moon, so the American Museum of Natural History is hosting a day packed with performances, hands-on activities, and presentations dedicated to the wonders of space. Kids can also make moon models and more with Science Teacher Sarah—for free! Or head out to Staten Island to make exploding moon rocks and eat moon pies!

Is that all, you ask? Well, no, of course not. There's a whole parade of family-friendly events trooping through town: The Paley Center is unveiling its Shark Week exhibit, the Rubin Museum hosts its annual Block Party, Dumbo hosts the annual Come Out and Play Family Day, and the (air-conditioned) American Gargoyles story time and workshop at the Skyscraper Museum invites kids to take another look at familiar buildings (author Neil Cohen visits Long Island City on Sunday, too).

Our ever-expanding summer fun calendar has lots more in store, including free outdoor movies in every borough. Keep an eye on our July GoList. And if the heat is getting to you, don't miss our list of 50 fun things to do to cool off in NYC.

Weekend Fun: City of Water, Back to the Beach, Bastille Day

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Wed, 07/10/2019 - 4:00pm

Dive into science with your family this summer for catch and release fishing, microscopic investigations, River-inspired crafts and more. Photo courtesy of Hudson River Park

Some weekends it feels like all the summer fun is happening at once—not that we're complaining!

Saturday brings City of Water Day to the Seaport, the It's Your Tern Festival to Governors Island, the Boardwalk Children's Festival to the Rockaways, Woodstock nostalgia to the Children's Museum of Manhattan, and Colonial ice cream flavors to Washington Heights.

On Sunday, cheer the Disability Pride Parade from Madison Square Park to Union Square, or allez-y vites to celebrate Bastille Day in Midtown East. Plus, you can dance to early American music at SummerStage's Family Day in Central Park.

Staten Island's Midland Beach hosts Back to the Beach all weekend, with live music, rides, and fab food—and it's a snap to get there from Manhattan. This weekend you can also rev your engines at the NYC E-Prix in Brooklyn, gorge on Italian treats at the Annual Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, or practice 18th century military drills at the New York Historical Society's Continental Army Weekend celebration.

And that's just the tip of the calendar iceberg: Check out free outdoor movies, the best pools for toddlers and kids, a whopping list of 35 great summer day trips, and our boredom-busting rundown of 100 free things to do with kids this summer.

Fun Things to Do on July 4th in NYC If Your Family Doesn’t Like Fireworks

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Mon, 07/01/2019 - 4:00pm

The annual hot dog eating contest at Coney Island is a fun way to spend the 4th of July with kids. Photo courtesy of the event

Fireworks just aren't for everyone. For little kids especially, the loud noises and flashing lights in the sky can be overwhelming and a little scary. If that's the case in your family, the Fourth of July might be a bit of a challenge in New York City.

But no worries: You don't have to line up midday to stand in a crush of strangers and then wait for nightfall to watch the sky explode in order to enjoy this holiday in NYC. We've got a cool dozen ideas to help you navigate the birth of our nation, gunpowder-free!

Of course, you can also always turn to our July GoList, our compendium of 100 Free Things to do with NYC Kids This Summer, and our bulging calendar for more ideas. Happy 4th!

Weekend Fun: Pride Parade, Jedi Training, Mud Day

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Wed, 06/26/2019 - 4:00pm

Let off some STEAM with STEM Kids NYC at Governors Island. Photo courtesy of STEM NYC

Pride Month concludes with a bunch of kid-friendly events this weekend, including the Kidding Around Pride Picnic, Youth Pride for teens in Central Park, and the big parade on Sunday. Little ones can learn about kindness and inclusion at Books of Wonder's Pride Weekend Picture Book Bonanza in Chelsea, and historical re-enactors bring the Stonewall Uprising to life at the New York Historical Society's DiMenna Children's History Museum.

Meanwhile, Star Wars fans can do some Jedi training at the Chelsea Rec Center, St John the Divine breaks out a Carnival for kids to celebrate the start of summer, it's International Mud Day on Staten Island (and, apparently, all over the world!), and ye olde timey Traditions Fest promises a weekend full of activities from the 18th century to modern times.

As of this week, NYC pools are officially open for cool, splashy fun, not to mention NYC beaches and all our favorite splash pads and water parks. Naturally, there are plenty of free, family-friendly movies in the parks and other fun options packing the MommyPoppins calendar.

Looking ahead to next week's July 4th celebrations? We have a comprehensive guide to seeing the Macy's Fireworks and other fireworks shows around NYC.

Weekend Fun: Summer Solstice, Mermaid Parade, Drums Along the Hudson

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Wed, 06/19/2019 - 4:00pm

Join NYBG Summer Solstice Weekend, the first big harvest of the growing season, to celebrate the long summer days ahead. Photo courtesy of NYBG

This weekend Coney Island hosts a little something called the Mermaid Parade, Drums Along the Hudson pounds a steady beat in Inwood, Randall's Island hosts a splashy Waterfront Festival, and you can stomp on the porches on Governors Island.

Summer solstice, celebrating the longest day of the year, spills over into Saturday revelries with family fun at the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx and free workshops at Cooper Hewitt. Two terrific Shakespeare productions—in addition to the big Delacourt Theatre offering—are up and running this weekend: Hamlet, at Castle Clinton, and Romeo and Juliet on the Smith Street Stage in Carroll Gardens. Plus, superheroes can commune with like-minded do-gooders at the NYSoM SuperHero SciFi Fest.

Our encyclopedic Free Outdoor Movie guide keeps growing. This weekend, Mary Poppins Returns to Greenwich Village, Ralph Breaks the Internet in Brooklyn on Saturday in Harry Maze Park and Sunday in Kolbert Park as well as in Queens' Astoria Park, and families can brush up on Captain America's origin story on Staten Island.

Heat getting to you? Check out our parent-tested list of great water parks for toddlers or best water playgrounds and sprinklers. And, as always, scroll through our calendar to find all the best things happening near you and around NYC.

Weekend Fun: Pride Celebrations, Bus Festival, Riverfest, Family Fairs

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Wed, 06/05/2019 - 4:00pm

Celebrate the Hudson RIver and have a blast at the Riverdale RiverFest. Photo courtesy of the event

Looking for a party? June's second weekend is packed with kid-friendly celebrations. The Riverdale RiverFest features boat rides, mini-golf, a bounce house, and more in the Bronx. The Children's Museum of Manhattan hosts a weekend-long celebration of Puerto Rican culture. Brooklyn toasts Coney Island's immigrant past with performances and music on the boardwalk for History Day. In Queens, the Green Day Festival salutes Mother Earth with kid-friendly activities and demos. On Sunday, the NY Transit Museum brings vintage buses to Dumbo.

June is Pride Month, and the second weekend in June kicks off Pride celebrations around town. On Saturday, Brooklyn's 23rd Annual Pride Celebration lights up Park Slope with a street fair and parade, and the Brooklyn Children's Museum gets in on the fun too. On Sunday, the Children's Museum of the Arts hosts its own Pride Cultural Festival, complete with a mini-Vogue Ball and a drag queen storytime.

Randall's Island offers tours of FDNY's Training Academy on Saturday, where fire engine fans can learn all about how fire fighters train to keep the city safe. Stick around for a free outdoor screening of Mary Poppins Returns as the sun goes down. Other movies al fresco this weekend also include Avengers: Infinity War in Manhattan and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse on Staten Island. Check out our growing lists of FREE concerts and outdoor movies around town.

For more ideas, see our Summer Fun Guide, and keep an eye on our endlessly expanding calendar! Plan ahead for Father's Day with our handy guide to the top things to do in the city with your favorite dad.

Weekend Fun: World Science, Figment Fest, Dinosaur Day

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Wed, 05/29/2019 - 4:00pm

Dinosaurs return to the Bronx Zoo. Photo courtesy of WCS

The first weekend of June bursts with fun for New York City kids. The 12th annual World Science Festival packs Washington Square Park with FREE hands-on activities, and for more STEM and science-focused fun, there's the Carnival and Science Spectacular on Staten Island and International Dinosaur Day/Weekend at the Bronx Zoo.

This weekend's summer festivals include a biggie: the Figment Festival, debuting on Roosevelt Island after several years on Governors. The 2019 Uptown Games sports festival for families also revs up on Saturday. Nature-loving families can join the citywide NYC Fish Count, stargaze in Brooklyn Bridge Park or Riverside Park, Go Green at McCarren Park, hit Union Square's It's My Park Day, or try Greenbelt Adventure Day in Willowbrook Park on Staten Island. Plus, Hunts Point's Rocking the Boat opens its FREE boating program with a party on Saturday.

Need to recuperate from outdoor time? How about trading books at the Brooklyn Book Bodega, or exploring kid lit at the Irish Arts Center's Rí Rá Children’s Festival of Literature? The Pop Ups are playing a free concert for kids at the Lincoln Center Atrium. Kitten and cat fans can make new feline friends at Jason Galaxy's Cat Camp. Or hit the Made in NY Media Center's 15th Annual Kids Film Fest in Brooklyn.

Did someone say film? FREE outdoor movies this weekend include Mommy Poppins Returns in Carl Schurz Park, Ralph Breaks the Internet in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, and Anastasia at Manhattan Beach Park. Or get a little exercise chasing The Importance of Being Earnest around Central Park!

Festivals and fairs, indoor fun, kid-friendly theater, and outdoor family concerts—all that and more have our calendar bulging! Also, see our guide to accessing any beach in New York City and check out our list of nearby farms for strawberry picking. We're banking on at least one dry day.

For even more ideas, don't miss our shiny Summer Fun Guide! There's no excuse to sit inside...except air conditioning. Pace yourself.

Memorial Day Weekend Fun for NYC Kids: Fleet Week, DanceAfrica, Festivals, Parades

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Wed, 05/22/2019 - 4:00pm

A New York City Fire Department vessel honors the Statue of Liberty with a water salute for Fleet Week. Photo courtesy of Fleet Week New York

Memorial Day weekend, the unofficial start of summer, is here at last! New York City's big seasonal attractions open on Saturday, like local beaches, Prospect Park's Splash Pad, and the Victorian Gardens in Central Park. If it reaches 80 degrees, the city's playground sprinklers might be on, too.

On tap this weekend only: Fleet Week, Marine Day in Prospect Park, DanceAfrica, and a passel of parades, including the always entertaining Loisaida on Sunday, and Memorial Day marches on Monday in Brooklyn and Queens. Mamapalooza rocks Riverside Park's Pier 1 on Sunday, and Much Ado about Nothing sets the stage for this summer's Shakespeare in the Park productions.

This holiday weekend is also the perfect time to visit the FREE Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens or The Yard, an adventure playground open for the season on Governors Island. By the way, Governors Island also hosts weekend programs where kids can make slime and superhero art. If you're hopping ferries anyway, why not check out the new Statue of Liberty museum?

Our NYC Parks and Playgrounds Guide is always a safe bet for staycations, as is our Indoor Play Spaces Guide for the possible rain headed our way. Unless... thinking about a last-minute getaway? We've pulled together great family day trips in the Hudson Valley, as well as our favorite nearby beaches and those down the Jersey Shore. You might also try a day at a nearby amusement park or water park for early summer fun!

Read on for our top picks for Memorial Day weekend events for kids in NYC. Even more family fun can be found via our Event Calendar, Spring Fun Guide, and our fresh-out-of-the-oven Summer Fun To-Do List.

However you spend the three-day holiday weekend, we hope you have a blast!

Drew Kristofik

Latest posts by Drew

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