You don't have to be Jewish to enjoy Purim. Often called the Jewish Halloween, Purim is a super-fun holiday when kids can do some of their favorite things, like dress up, play games and eat treats.

Inspired by the great biblical tale of Queen Esther, who saved the Jews from annihilation by standing up to her husband's evil adviser Haman, Purim is celebrated by reading the Megillah (Esther's story), noshing on hamantaschen (triangular fruit-filled pastries meant to represent Haman's ears—gruesome but tasty) and rejoicing in a carnival-style atmosphere.

This year, Purim officially begins on the evening of Saturday, March 15 and ends at sundown the next day, but Jewish cultural institutions are marking the holiday both this weekend and next. So get your Halloween costumes out of the back of your closet and get ready to make some noise: Here are the top 10 Purim celebrations for New York City families.

March arrives this weekend and there are lots of cool things to look forward to throughout the month, including the (alleged) coming of spring. But since it feels like winter right now, we're continuing to update posts in our Inside Activity Guide, like our comprehensive roundups of drop-in indoor play spaces in Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn.

Skipping ahead to summer, camp seems to be all anyone is talking about (I made the mistake of trying to involve my eight-year-old in the camp choosing process this year—it's taking forever!). If you're still figuring it out, too, our Camp Guide is here to make your life easier. We just relaunched our new and greatly improved camp directory, where you can browse programs by type (arts, sports, sleepaway, etc.), location and age range. It really helps you sort through all of the amazing options out there. Find a camp that piques your interest? Be sure to check our lists of camp open houses in NYC, Westchester, New Jersey and on Long Island—meeting the directors and seeing the programs in action is quite informative.

And a few other posts from across our sites that may be of interest to NYC folk: Our LA site has a lovely review of the Oscar-nominated animated family film Ernest & Celestine, which happens to be one of the offerings at this year's New York International Children's Film Festival that starts next weekend. Long Island has a roundup of awesome museum sleepover that are a lot less pricey than their NYC counterparts. And New Jersey has a post on dine-in movie theaters—the Dunellen Cinema Cafe, which is about an hour by car from midtown Manhattan, looks particularly spectacular.

Here's what else we covered on the NYC site this week:

February break ends with a bang (and no blizzard!) with a weekend jam-packed with cool family fun. Catch international family flicks at the annual BAMkids Film Festival, check out new illuminated public art in Madison Square Park or rock out to Grammy winners The Okee Dokee Brothers at Symphony Space.

Are your kids more into hands-on activities? Families can make their own 3D tunnel books at the Center for Architecture, solder circuits at the Sony Wonder Technology Lab, and enjoy interactive cooking and nature fun at the New York Botanical Garden. If you're looking for a day trip, maple sugaring season has arrived and there are lots of nearby spots where you can taste the sweet stuff right from the tree.

Those are just a few of the great things going on this weekend. All of our best bets are below. You can find lots of other options in our Event Calendar and our Winter Fun Guide. Before heading out on your adventures, be sure to download our FREE Mommy Poppins Kids on the Go app so you can find the best family destinations wherever you happen to be in NYC.