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

89 Free Activities for Kids in NYC June 2025: Best Things To Do

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Tue, 05/27/2025 - 12:00pm

The annual PrideFest street fair features live music, artists, craft vendors, food trucks, performers, and more. Photo by Walter Wlodarczyk/NYC Tourism + Conventions

June marks the kick-off to the summer season and tons of fab, free things to do in NYC. From the Lower East Side's Egg Rolls, Egg Creams, and Empanadas Festival to the Mermaid Parade on Coney Island and train-inspired fun with Mommy Poppins at Grand Central, plus lots of Juneteenth and Pride events, we've found more than 80 family-friendly free things to do in NYC this June with kids.

37 Summer Festivals and Fairs in June 2025 for Families

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Fri, 05/23/2025 - 8:26am

The Mermaid Parade on Coney Island is a joyful summer rite of passage. Photo by Raven Snook

Summer festival season kicks into high gear in June when the debut of warmer weather prompts a head-spinning number of fantastic fairs, parades, carnivals, and other fetes. Annual over-the-top celebrations include the Museum Mile Festival, Egg Rolls, Egg Creams, and Empanadas, Make Music NYC, and Coney Island's iconic Mermaid Parade.

June's also all about Pride fun and Juneteenth celebrations. Read on for our top picks so you don't miss a minute.

Memorial Day Weekend 2025 in NYC: Fleet Week and More To Do in NYC with Kids

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Fri, 05/23/2025 - 8:23am

The New York Botanical Garden's floral show Van Gogh's Flowers is inspired by the genius of the iconic artist Vincent van Gogh. Photo by Jody Mercier

Looking for the best things to do in New York City this Memorial Day weekend? Here are some family-friendly events and activities to add to your list for this long holiday weekend.

Memorial Day weekend heralds the return of Fleet Week, and NYC is looking positively ship-shape. Life at the Limits returns to the American Museum of Natural History, and 14 miles of NYC beaches are ready to welcome sandcastle builders, waders, and body surfers as the weekend marks the unofficial start of summer. Come Monday, Memorial Day parades march through Brooklyn and Queens.

Looking to get out of town for the long weekend? Don't miss our stellar list of 36 summer day trips!

Speaking of travel, our next free, travel-themed event is going to be one of our most fun and unique ones ever. We are literally rolling out the red carpet, so bring your smiles for live entertainment, henna for kids, an incredible, larger-than-life Japanese calligraphy performance, and lots more fun! To top it all off, some lucky kids can compete in one of three live MasterChef Junior Mystery Box Challenges, while all registered families are entered for a chance to win a free family vacation to Dreams Resorts & Spas. Don't miss it! Register now for next Saturday's Family Travel Fest!

Free 2025 NYC Summer Concerts and Outdoor Music Festivals for Families

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Fri, 05/16/2025 - 12:37pm

Start the summer with free musical entertainment at Live at the Archway in Dumbo. Photo by Noemie Trusty.

Free concerts and music festivals are a summer staple in NYC, and there are always loads of great performances to enjoy. We've rounded up all the best free concerts in New York City this June, July, and August, so this list is guaranteed to keep the kids grooving all summer long.

There are summer concerts in the parks, playgrounds, piers, and plazas from Manhattan to Brooklyn, the Bronx, Staten Island, and Queens, so scroll, click, and set reminders so you don't miss your favorites.

Beloved annual summer concert series, like Sounds at Sunset in Brooklyn Bridge Park, Bryant Park's Picnic Performances, SummerStage, and BRIC: Celebrate Brooklyn are all on the schedule, and we have a little something for the whole gamut of musical tastes, from jazz to rock, opera, folk, hip-hop, and classical.

Mother's Day Weekend 2025 in NYC: NYBG Garden Party and More Things To Do with Kids

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Fri, 05/09/2025 - 7:12am

Ecological City stages a spectacular six-hour procession of visual art, giant puppets, and wild costumes. Photo courtesy of the Losaida Center

Looking for the best things to do in New York City this weekend? Here are some family-friendly events and activities to add to your list for Mother's Day weekend 2025.

Take it easy this weekend with Mother's Day prep options that include a floral design workshop at the Queens Botanical Garden, Mother's Day card-making in the LaGuardia Garden, and the weekend-long Mother's Day Garden Party at the New York Botanical Garden, which just reopened its stunning children's garden.

If that's not enough, we've got 27 more ways to celebrate mom, plus the lowdown on the best spots for Mother's Day brunch in NYC, but book those reservations now!

Best Family Festivals and Street Fairs in NYC this May

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Sun, 05/04/2025 - 7:37am

Enjoy the May Fair to welcome spring's arrival at the New Amsterdam School. Photo courtesy of the school

NYC street fairs and festivals are blooming all over this May, from glorious school fairs like Calhoun's carnival-fun-filled fest to the little-kid-friendly event at Columbia Greenhouse Nursery School.

Plus, Hippo Playground hosts a Spring Fair complete with pony rides, Randall's Island's Touch-a-Truck Fest returns, there's a Mother's Day Garden Party at the NYBG, and the annual salute to service that is Fleet Week punctuates Memorial Day weekend. Plus, don't miss Mommy Poppins' Spring Fling on Car-Free Montague Street our our very first Family Travel Fest!

61 Free Activities for Kids in NYC May 2025

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Thu, 05/01/2025 - 10:39am

Jane's Carousel celebrates its 14th year in Brooklyn with free rides and face painting on Saturday, May 3, 2025. Photo by Sara M.

From Mother's Day to Memorial Day—and everything in between—we've got the lowdown on the best free things to do in NYC this May.

Summer's unofficial start might not happen until month's end, but we're shutting down spring with plenty of free fun, including the BAMKids Spring Fest and the 27th annual Blessing of the Bikes at the beginning of the month, mid-May brings the Submerge Marine Science Fest and Mommy Poppins' Spring Fling on Car-Free Montague Street. At month's end, Fleet Week takes center stage, and we're even hosting our first Family Travel Fest.

Read on for more than 60 free things to do this May in New York City, including fun events in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island. Find more top May activities on our list of the best things to do this May.

Best Things To Do in NYC May 2025 with Kids

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Sun, 04/27/2025 - 6:29am

Brooklyn Bridge Park celebrates spring with a Kite Fest on Saturday, May 17. Photo by John Eng

May brings with it plenty of things to celebrate, including Cinco de Mayo, Mother's Day, Memorial Day, and more. Here are our top things to do in NYC this May with kids!

May is so jam-packed, it would be easy to miss some stellar happenings, but we're rounding up all our top picks for NYC families below. March with giant puppets at the Ecological City Puppet Parade, celebrate the season at Hippo Playground's Spring Fair, and keep the fun rolling with the New York Transit Museum's Party on Wheels.

Don't miss Mommy Poppins' own Spring Fling on Car-Free Montague Street or our first NY Family Travel Fest at the month's end!

Drew Kristofik

Latest posts by Drew

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