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: Our Lady Fest, One World Family, Mummenschanz Returns

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Wed, 07/04/2018 - 1:19pm

The Giglio Feast is here! Head to Williamsburg for zeppole, rides, and the giglio parade. Photo courtesy of the festival

July is here at last, and outdoor fun abounds. This weekend, options include a boat-making workshop at Wave Hill, a vintage car festival on Governors Island, and the annual Our Lady of Mount Carmel festival kickoff in Williamsburg, with carnival rides, unhealthy-but-delicious food, Saturday's musical Questua procession, and, on Sunday, a parade led by the massive giglio, soaring 65 feet high and covered with flowers.

Looking for something cool and indoors? Mummenschanz is back with a brand new show, or head to Governors Island for a FREE production of The Golden Dove. Young magicians in training will enjoy "meeting" Harry Houdini at the New York Historical Society. And don't miss the Family Fun Day at One World for face painting, balloon animals, and more fun with a view. Plus there's still time to take advantage of the Red, White and Deep Blue Sea 2-for-1 ticket deal, if you want to throw a WOW into the weekend.

Don't forget to check our list of water playgrounds and sprinklers if you're looking for another way to cool down (or just have a kid who loves a good splash). Or take the family out of New York City altogether to pick berries or go camping.

For more fun, consult our complete July GoList, our packed Summer Fun Guide, and our fun-filled Event Calendar.

100+ Free Outdoor Family Movies in July for NYC Kids

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Wed, 06/27/2018 - 9:40am

RiverFlicks for Kids in Hudson River Park is the perfect setting for a picnic and a movie. Photo courtesy of NYC Parks

New York City overflows with no-cost outdoor movie screenings each summer, with at least one FREE flick nearly every single evening in a park or garden this July. While a few series aim specifically for children, including RiverFlicks for Kids, most series sandwich their family films in between grown-up ones.

But it takes a LOT of time to sort through all the different calendars to weed out the movies for kids, so we've done the work for you. Behold: More than 100 FREE outdoor movies this July, all rated G, PG, or PG-13, and all organized by date.

So pack your picnic, grab a blanket, and head out to one of our picks for the best family-friendly alfresco flicks this month. Need more options? Check out our 100 Free Things To Do with Kids This Summer in NYC to save both your wallet and your sanity this school break. And keep an eye on our calendar, too!

Weekend Fun: Block Parties, Brooklyn Pride, RiverFest, Concerts

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Wed, 06/06/2018 - 2:49pm

Celebrate the Block Party Exhibit finale at the Brooklyn Children's Museum. Photo courtesy of the museum

Looking for a party? June's second weekend is packed with kid-friendly celebrations across all five boroughs. On Sunday, the Brooklyn Children's Museum celebrates the finale of its Block Party exhibit with an outdoor party, including face-painting and a DJ, while the Riverdale RiverFest offers boat rides, mini golf, a bounce house, and more in the Bronx. And in Manhattan, the Big Apple Barbecue Block Party churns out finger-licking delectables all weekend.

June is Pride Month, and the second weekend in June kicks off Pride celebrations around town (although Pride Week in New York City "officially" runs from June 16-24). On Saturday, the Brooklyn's Pride Celebration lights up Park Slope with a street fair and parade. 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.

Of course, June brings tons of FREE concerts and outdoor movies around town. The FREE Celebrate Brooklyn Family Concert in Prospect Park promises plenty of family grooving with Los Lobos as the headliner. Saturday's movies under the stars include Wonder Woman in Manhattan, Field of Dreams on Staten Island, and Mulan 2 in Brooklyn.

Randall's Island hosts its annual Treasure Hunt on Saturday, where kids can learn and practice orienteering skills and catch a musical puppet performance. Intrepid families might even make a day of it and stick around for a free outdoor screening of Ferris Bueller's Day Off as the sun goes down.

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.

Free Outdoor Movies for NYC Kids This Summer: Hundreds of Them!

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Fri, 06/01/2018 - 3:50pm

Pull up a blanket for Movies With a View at Brooklyn Bridge Park. Photo by Julienne Schaer

New York City will screen hundreds of FREE outdoor movies this summer, many of them just for kids and families. The popular Movies Under the Stars series, which debuted with screenings in parks and at playgrounds in all five boroughs in 2016, returns—along with many of our favorite annual series.

A few outdoor movie series, such as RiverFlicks for Kids in the West Village, are aimed specifically at children. But even grown-up series, such as those in Bryant Park and Brooklyn Bridge Park, include a few family-friendly screenings. Movies usually begin when evening falls, between 8 and 8:30pm, but plan to arrive early...the well-known series fill up fast, and many parks offer pre-movie entertainment.

Even if your local park is screening a flick you've watched a dozen or so times at home, it's a totally different experience viewing it in the open air alongside several hundred other fans. It's a thrilling, communal event, and a summer rite of passage for New Yorkers of all ages.

So grab your calendars and start plotting your FREE summer of entertainment now. And be sure to check out the other amazing seasonal activities in our Summer Fun Guide.

Weekend Fun: World Science, Hudson River Festival, Free Movies

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Wed, 05/30/2018 - 1:50pm

Play outdoors at the Go Green Brooklyn Festival in McCarren Park. Photo courtesy of the event

The first weekend of June bursts with summer-vibe, STEM-filled fun for New York City kids. The always mind-boggling 11th annual World Science Festival packs Washington Square Park with FREE hands-on activities. Families are also invited to join the citywide NYC Fish Count, an evening of stargazing, release live ladybugs, join the Carnival and Science Spectacular, or Go Green at McCarren Park.

This weekend's summer launches include a biggie: the Hudson River Park's 20th-anniversary blowout, which runs from 9am to just a little past bedtime on Saturday, ending with a free outdoor movie. Also revving up for the season: storytelling at the Hans Christian Andersen Statue in Central Park, a Google mini-golf pop-up, Union Square's It's My Park Day, and the 16th annual Drums Across the Hudson Fest. Inwood Art Club's Culture Hub kicks off on Sunday, and ice cream enthusiasts won't want to miss Bryant Park's annual ScooperBowl, doling out delicious brain freeze options all weekend.

FREE outdoor movies abound, and we have a massive list up already, so you can also plan ahead. The options include The Lion King and The Lorax on Staten Island, Deep and The Greatest Showman in Manhattan, and Zootopia in Brooklyn. Looking for something a little more, um, active? Give young cyclists a leg up at one of the FREE Learn to Ride workshops.

Festivals and fairs, indoor fun, kid-friendly theater, and outdoor art installations—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, dive into our new June GoList, and don't miss our shiny Summer Fun Guide! There's no excuse to sit inside...except air conditioning. Pace yourself.

Memorial Day Weekend in NYC: Parades, Festivals, Beaches, Cirkus

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Wed, 05/23/2018 - 1:46pm

The Splash Pad at Prospect Park opens this weekend. Photo courtesy of the Prospect Park Alliance

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 destination playground sprinklers might be on, too. Need more water play options? Dynamic H2O, with its 16-foot interactive water table, opens for the summer at the Children's Museum of Manhattan this weekend.

While beaches are open all summer from this weekend on, events like Fleet Week, Memorial Day in Prospect Park, DanceAfrica, and a passel of parades (the always entertaining Loisaida on Sunday, and Memorial Day marches on Monday in Brooklyn and Queens) are on tap this weekend only. There's also a floating glass museum with live demos parked in Brooklyn Bridge Park through the long weekend, and a rooftop Imagination Playground at the Brooklyn Children's Museum.

This holiday weekend is also the perfect time to visit the FREE Socrates Sculpture Park in Queens, the floating food forest known as Swale in Brooklyn, or The Yard, an adventure playground open for the season on Governors Island. By the way, Governors Island is debuting an ice rink this weekend! Yes, really—the synthetic ice rink will be here all season and even offer FREE weekday morning skate sessions.

Our NYC Parks and Playgrounds Guide is always a safe bet for staycations, too, 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 on Long Island, Westchester, and the Hudson Valley, as well as our favorite nearby beaches like Fire Island's Ocean Beach 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. Oodles of family fun can also be found in our Event Calendar, Spring Fun Guide, and our fresh-out-of-the-oven Summer Fun Guide.

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

Weekend Fun: Dance Parade, Movies, Fairs, and Superheroes

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Wed, 05/16/2018 - 3:00pm

Join CMA's Kids Fair for FREE outdoor artistry. Photo courtesy of the museum

Dance is everywhere this weekend in New York City, from the spectacular 12th Annual Dance Parade, which ends with a flourish in Tompkins Square Park, to the debut of Tetris at Lincoln Center. There's also a family dance matinee at NY Live Arts and the Parsons Family Matinee at the Joyce.

Fairs and festivals are everywhere, too! The 9th Avenue International Food Festival sprawls through the west side all weekend—though vegetarians might want to detour to 18th Street for the Vegetarian Food Fest. Family-friendly fests in Queens promise bouncy castle and face painting fun at three locations (St. Albans Park and Turtle Playground on Saturday, Rufus King Park on Sunday). Superhero wannabes can don their capes to join the NYSoM's SuperHero Showdown in Brooklyn. Plus, the weekend-long ImagiNATIONS! Children's Festival debuts a brand-new activity center at the National Museum of the American Indian.

On Sunday, don't miss Brooklyn's Fabulous Fifth Street Fair, the 35th Annual Hippo Playground Spring Fair, and the Children's Museum of the Arts' annual FREE Kids' Fair or its CMA Family Day spring benefit. There's also a Party on Wheels benefit happening at the NY Transit Museum.

Looking for evening entertainment under the stars? Shakespeare dips his initial toe into summer park programming with an abbreviated version of A Midsummer Night's Dream in Bryant Park. Bring blankets and other critical movie watching paraphernalia to FREE evening screenings of Coco on the UWS or Sing in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. On Sunday, catch a screening of the new Jumanji in Brooklyn's Coffey Park or Indiana Jones at Habana Outpost.

Planning ahead? Today would be the perfect time to sign up for a 4th of July cruise to maximize fireworks fun (before they all sell out!).

Let's hope the rain stays away, so we can enjoy all these great outdoor events.

Weekend Fun: Cinco de Mayo, Governors Island, Swale, and Festivals

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Wed, 05/02/2018 - 1:00pm

Swale, the floating food forest, arrives in Sunset Park this weekend. Photo courtesy of Swale

So much to celebrate and things to do, now that spring finally seems to be sticking the landing in NYC.

If it's May 5, it's Cinco, and you can celebrate at Flushing Town Hall's Cambalache dance workshop and concert. The Brooklyn Children's Museum hosts a celebration that includes Papel Picado (paper cutting), stories, and Talvera Tile design—and you can catch a screening of Coco in Maria Hernandez Park. On Staten Island, Cinco de Mayo signals the opening of the Willowbrook Park carousel, and a screening of Coco at Clove Lakes Park.

May 5 is also FREE Comic Book day, so be sure to check with your local comic haunt for goodies—or get one at the Children's Museum of Mahanttan this weekend (while supplies last) where kids can also make comics of their own.

It's opening weekend—at last—on Governors Island, which means The Yard is ready for kids to jump back in and start constructing (or deconstructing), and the Adventures on Governors Island mini adventure park is back online with its zip line, maze, and climbing walls. Bonus: The ferries are FREE for opening week!

Highbridge Park and The Cloisters are both hosting Urban Wildlife Fests on Saturday, where kids can meet real critters. A bumper crop of school fairs are happening this weekend, including Calhoun (West 81st), PS 84 (on West 92nd), and Columbia Greenhouse (West 116th). There's also a kite fest in Brooklyn Bridge Park, and the annual Hippo Playground Fair romps onto the calendar with pony rides and bouncy castles.

Sunday's Spring Family Scavenger Hunt at Green-Wood Cemetery introduces the “Agents of Discovery” app, which the historic site developed in partnership with the US Forest Service. And Swale, NYC's forage-able floating garden, sails back into Brooklyn for the summer.

Be sure to check the newly released May GoList, our comprehensive guide to May Fairs and Festivals around NYC, and maybe get a leg up on Mother's Day (next weekend!) by perusing our updated Mother's Day Brunch picks or top 25 activities. This weekend is especially packed with possibilities, so don't forget to review our calendar for more ideas.

Drew Kristofik

Latest posts by Drew

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