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

Toast Oktoberfest in NYC at these Family-Friendly Celebrations

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Tue, 09/17/2024 - 3:16pm

Stone Street goes all out with its decorations in honor of Oktoberfest. Photo courtesy of the event

Line up your lederhosen, it's time to celebrate Oktoberfest in NYC. We've found Oktoberfest celebrations in all five boroughs. Choose from playing giant games and eating oversized pretzels at Watermark, or riding The Standard's Ferris wheel, and then work off all those carbs during Hike-toberfest in Van Cortlandt Park!

For even more seasonal celebrations, check out our list of the best beer gardens for kids and families in NYC.

San Gennaro Fest and More Great Food Festivals in NYC for Families

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Thu, 09/12/2024 - 12:20pm

The Queens International Night Market is a large, family-friendly, open-air night market in Queens, featuring vendors selling merchandise, art, and food! Photo by Sharon Medina for the Queens Night Market

New York City is one of the world's great foodie destinations and boasts some great food festivals. No matter the season, there's always something good cooking up in the melting pot that is NYC.

We're rounding up some of our favorite annual food festivals in NYC, including autumn's Feast of San Gennaro in Little Italy, the summertime Egg Rolls, Egg Creams, and Empanadas on the Lower East Side, and Smorgasburg in Brooklyn, which covers three long seasons of eats!

So, pack an appetite and read on for our top picks for food festivals in NYC.

37 Top Mommy-and-Me Classes in NYC for Kids

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Thu, 08/08/2024 - 11:09am

WeBop's mommy-and-me classes get parents and kids grooving. Photo by Ayano Hisa

Mommy-and-me classes rule, and not just because little ones learn something new. In New York City, taking a mommy-and-me swimming lesson or parent-and-me music class with your infant or toddler is a great way to meet other parents, and a social baby is a happy baby.

The hardest part of signing up for daddy-and-me or mommy-and-me classes in New York City might be choosing from the hundreds of options, so we've rounded up nearly 40 mommy-and-me classes in NYC that our community of expert parents recommends most.

You can find more mommy-and-me classes for kids in our directory of classes and listings. Check our New York City Classes for Kids Guide for more kids' activities and classes for kids of all ages and interests.

Colorful Pride Celebrations in NYC for Families

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Thu, 06/06/2024 - 1:39pm

Celebrate Pride at events across NYC! Photo by Walter Wlodarczyk/NYC Tourism + Conventions

Pride marches into New York City each June, bringing with it tons of family-friendly Pride events, including parades, picnics, concerts, and more.

Whether you identify as LGBTQ+ or as an ally, the annual June celebration of Pride in NYC is a glorious mishmash of divine fun. From Paws for Pride to the Pride Family Picnic at St. John the Divine, Rainbows on the Hudson, and PrideFest at Astor Plaza, NYC sparkles with inclusion and community.

Best Places to View the Solar Eclipse 2024 in NYC

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Thu, 03/28/2024 - 10:00am

Protect little eyes when viewing the eclipse. Photo by Mark Margolis via The American Astronomical Society

The solar eclipse 2024 takes place on Monday, April 8, and will be partially viewable from vantage points around NYC, weather permitting. We have the scoop on the best places to learn about the solar eclipse, the best vantage points to view the solar eclipse 2024, and details on where to score some cool solar eclipse 2024 eyewear. Several of these eclipse viewing parties in NYC are completely FREE!

Read on for our local picks and keep in mind, it's not too late to plan a road trip or an overnight to the path of totality in Upstate New York, either!

Top Summer Camps for Preschoolers in DC, Maryland, & Northern Virginia

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Sun, 03/24/2024 - 12:32pm

The DC area has no shortage of fun summer camps for the preschool set. Photo courtesy of Campers at Adventures on The Hill

With so many great options for summer camps near Washington, DC, finding a camp that's right for your kid always takes a bit of research. And finding good summer camps for preschoolers can be especially nerve-racking: You want your child's initial summer day camp experience to be fun, safe, and memorable, but not overstimulating or overwhelming.

We're here to help with a starter list of fun summer camps for preschoolers in DC, Maryland, and Northern Virginia. These summer camps include theater camps, sports camps, and other great day camps for preschoolers that offer a variety of indoor and outdoor activities.

For more summer camps near DC, check out our Washington, DC Summer Camp Guide and our Camp Directory, where you can search for summer camps by type, age, and area.

73 Best Annual Family Festivals in NYC for Kids—and Most are Free

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Thu, 02/08/2024 - 6:07pm

The Atlantic Antic is Brooklyn's biggest annual street fair. Photo courtesy of the event.

In NYC, there's always something to celebrate. These New York City festivals are so fun they're worth attending every year, so grab your calendar and start making plans. Our picks for the top family-friendly festivals in NYC include everything from the interactive, art-filled Figment to the adorable Sheep Shearing Festival at the Queens County Farm Museum, and Manhattan's Museum Mile Festival, City of Water Day, and The Big Umbrella Festival. And, what's more NYC than the annual Egg Rolls, Egg Creams, and Empanadas Fest?

Whether you're into math, sand castles, pride, or poetry, there's a New York City festival just right for your family, so read on for our massive list of the very best family-friendly festivals in NYC, organized by season, just for you.

Not-So-Scary Halloween Events in NYC for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Fri, 10/06/2023 - 6:49pm

Start your trick-or-treating off right at BAM's free Halloween party, BAMboo! Photo courtesy of BAM

Halloween can be magical, with over-the-top decorations and plenty of family-friendly Halloween events in NYC, but little revelers are often overwhelmed by its trappings. With that in mind, we've tracked down a bunch of Halloween activities that are perfect for preschoolers and deliver just the right amount of "treats" for the pint-sized crowd, including our very own FREE Mommy Poppins Halloween bash.

Enjoy these gentle Halloween events for the under 5 set while you can—your kids will be celebrating at the Village Halloween Parade before you know it. You can find more festive happenings for all age groups in our New York City Kids Halloween Guide, and our Family Activity Calendar, which is continually updated with new, fun events as we learn about them.

Drew Kristofik

Latest posts by Drew

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