This week’s overview of free family-friendly events takes us through Memorial Day weekend as we officially kick off the summer season! Highlights this week include a movie under the stars in Cadman Plaza Park, outdoor music and storytimes for kids, a dance class for families in Brooklyn Bridge Park as part of BAM’s DanceAfrica festival, DUMBO Family Games on Washington Street, Montague Open Street’s Memorial Day celebration, and so much more!
It’s My Park Day | Prospect Park
Monday, May 20 | 10am-12pm | For teens and adults | Register here
Looking to get involved in a park clean-up effort? Join Prospect Park Alliance for It’s My Park Day to care for the park after busy weekends. All necessary tools will be provided for your volunteer experience.
Free Admission Days @ Pier 2 Roller Rink | Brooklyn Bridge Park
Sunday, May 26 | 10am-12pm
Pier 2 Roller Rink offers free admission hours on Mondays, Fridays, and Sundays. Roller skate with amazing views of the Brooklyn Bridge and lower Manhattan!
Stomp, Clap & Sing with Rolie Polie Guacamole @ Central Library | Prospect Heights
Tuesday, May 21 | 10:30-11:30am
Brooklyn’s kindie titans Rolie Polie Guacamole, have been perfecting their show over the last decade scooping up several Parents’ Choice awards along the way. Their shows incorporate fun, fresh and smart lyrics in a style appealing to kids and adults alike. They encourage the audience to get up and moving with a high energy show that will rock your guac off!
Cadman Park Storytime with Brooklyn Heights Library | Brooklyn Heights
Wednesday, May 22 | 10:30-11am
Join Brooklyn Heights Library for their first outdoor storytime in Cadman Plaza Park. Participants will be singing songs and reading stories on the grass right next to the Juneteenth Grove. For all ages and their grownups. No registration required!
Free Trial Class with Mister John’s Music for Babies & Toddlers | Park Slope & Brooklyn Bridge Park
Thursday, May 23 | 11am | Pier 6 next to Slide Valley in Brooklyn Bridge Park
Join Book Are Magic for Tiny Storytime for ages 6-36 months, every Tuesday in Cobble Hill and Thursday in Brooklyn Heights!
Grab & Go STEAM Kit: Yarn Stick Mobile at TALEA | Williamsburg
Tuesday, May 21 | 11:30am-3:30pm | For ages 5+
Visit Brooklyn Public Library’s pop up at Talea and pick up a Grab & Go STEAM kit to make a mobile using sticks and yarn! We will provide the right length of yarn and you will add creativity and patience. This is a great afternoon project for children 5+ with practicing motor skills and engeneering knowledge.
Ping Pong with The Push at Brooklyn Commons Park in Downtown Brooklyn
DJ Mike Doelo and The Push are back for another series of popular ping-pong match ups. Registration necessary, and participants will be required to sign a waiver for each event in the series.
Wednesday, May 22 | 10am-1pm
Pregnant women and children 3 and under are invited to join for this community baby shower in the Pfizer Building on Flushing Avenue in Bed Stuy. This event is part of the NYPD Community Baby Shower Citywide collection.
Reading Room @ Abolitionist Place | Downtown Brooklyn
Wednesday, May 22 | 2-5pm
There is a pop-up reading room at Abolitionist Place every Wednesday afternoon this season! The reading room offers a curated collection of books and a place to read together and enjoy Downtown Brooklyn’s wonderful new park. Designed for New Yorkers of all ages and always free!
Zumba with McQueen Fitness @ Brooklyn Commons Park | Downtown Brooklyn
Natarsha McQueen’s beloved Zumba series returns! Devoted fans and new recruits come together every Wednesday to dance their way to fun and fitness. Each class guarantees synchronized moves to some of the most infectious music! Registration required.
Storytime with Michele Wong McSween at Brooklyn Children’s Museum | Crown Heights
This May, BCM is celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month! Join on Thursday afternoons during Amazon Free Hours for programs hosted by special guests celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander culture! This week, author Michele Wong McSween will give a special reading of Gordon & Li Li: Learn Animals in Mandarin. This program offers a mini-Mandarin lesson, book reading, and an interactive art project. Books and plushies will be available for purchase.
Thursday, May 23 | 5:00-6:30pm | Ages 12-17
Tweens and teens are invited to join for Karaoke Disco Night! Enjoy the evening with some singing, dancing, and gaming! Snacks included!
Thursday, May 23 | 4-9pm
The first ever Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce Asian Heritage Month Celebration and Night Market will include artisan crafts, games, cultural performances, live music, and over 60 food and drink vendors. This timely landmark celebration of Asian culture will welcome 2,000-3,000 guests to Industry City in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and will present a fantastic opportunity for brand visibility within the community, neighborhood, and beyond.
Movies Under the Stars: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in Cadman Plaza Park | Brooklyn Heights
Thursday, May 23 | 8:00-10:45pm
Lalo-Palooza in the Park with Suzi Shelton at JJ Byrne Playground | Park Slope
Lalo-palooza in the Park returns every Thursday from May 23rd through June 27th! Each week, Lalo-Palooza will feature Brooklyn’s award-winning children’s performer Suzi Shelton, and a diverse cast of guest musicians playing guitar, fiddle, upright bass, and more. On May 25th, Chris Johnson will join to play upright bass. Families can expect music and fun, kid-friendly activities, like giant bubbles by Park Slope Parents and a coloring station with weekly giveaways from best-selling baby and toddler gear brand Lalo. Bring the whole fam, and get ready to dance and sing in the sunshine with Suzi & friends this spring & summer at JJ Byrne Playground!
Urban Park Rangers: Chalk Forest | Fort Greene Park
Friday, May 24 | 3-4pm
Join Urban Park Rangers to draw a chalk forest. Learn about the native plants and animals that call Brooklyn home and get to touch and feel some pelts and biofacts.
Vanderbilt Avenue Open Streets | Prospect Heights
Friday, May 24, 5-10pm | Saturday, May 25, 12-10pm | Sunday, May 26 | 12-5pm
Vanderbilt Avenue’s Open Streets program features activities and performances for the community. This weekend, kick off the summer season with some live music outdoors:
- Fredrix Live N Direct @ White Tiger | Saturday, May 25 | 3-5pm
- Liz Hogg @ Fermented Grapes | Sunday, May 26 | 2-4pm
Public Beaches Reopen for Swimming | Coney Island, Brighton Beach, Manhattan Beach
Saturday, May 25 | 10am-6pm
Beaches are open from Memorial Day weekend through September 8, 2024. Swimming is prohibited when lifeguards are not on duty and in closed sections marked with signs and/or red flags.
DanceAfrica Community Class | Brooklyn Bridge Park
Saturday, May 25 | 11am
Families deepen their engagement with DanceAfrica in this fun-filled, outdoor workshop on Pier 6’s Liberty Lawn, led by BAM teaching artist and performance art education scholar, Dánice Jones, learning rhythms and movement from Cameroon. Registration is required to attend this event. A limited number of spaces are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Registration will be available starting May 1.
DanceAfrica Bazaar | Fort Greene
Saturday, May 25 through Monday, May 27 | 12-10pm on Saturday, 12-8pm on Sunday & Monday
DanceAfrica’s beloved bazaar returns, featuring more than 150 vendors from around the world, offering African, Caribbean, and African-American food, crafts, and fashion. Celebrate the rich and diverse cultural heritage of Africa and its diaspora—and see the streets surrounding BAM transformed into a global marketplace. The bazaar will take place on Ashland Pl (between Hanson Pl & Fulton St) and Lafayette Ave (between Flatbush Ave & Fort Greene Pl).
Young Naturalists Session | Fort Greene Park
Saturday, May 25 | 12-1pm | For ages 5-13
Young Naturalists is a youth-led program for kids ages 5-13 to share and grow their knowledge about the world around them using Fort Greene Park as their open lab. Held biweekly from 12-1 p.m., with sessions ranging from bird identification and recycling minigames, to sharing all sorts of knowledge with one another, kids can expect to participate in hands-on activities and experiments and learn from their fellow Young Naturalists. Sessions are free to attend! Simply meet the Youth Leader of the day, at the Visitors Center and enjoy a youth-led session.
Zing! Movement Class for Kids @ Hoyt Open Streets | Boerum Hill
Saturday, May 25 | 1-4pm
Join us from 1 PM to 4 PM next Saturday for Zing! Zing! is an all-ages movement class that helps empower kinds’ minds through playful movement. Located at Hoyt Street between State Street and Atlantic Avenue. Come by for a kids fit obstacle course & mini classes throughout the day – free of charge!
Brooklyn Pop-Up Market @ Brooklyn Museum | Prospect Heights
Sunday, May 26 | 10:30am–5:30pm
Stop by our market to shop one-of-a-kind, handmade items from local artisans. This weekly event features more than 20 vendors offering artwork, jewelry, fashion, home and apothecary goods, and more. This event is free and takes place outdoors (rain location: Martha A. and Robert S. Rubin Pavilion, 1st Floor).
DUMBO Family Games on Car-Free Washington Street | DUMBO
Sunday, May 26 | 11am-1pm
Join every Sunday on car-free Washington Street for free kids activities and a community hang! Curated by the DUMBO BID x Brooklyn Bridge Parents and supported by Leaf Medical & Leaf Dental in DUMBO.
Montague Open Streets | Brooklyn Heights
Sunday, May 26 | 10am-7pm | Montague Street from Clinton Street to Hicks Street
There’s so much in store at Montague Open Streets on Memorial Day weekend! Highlights include:
- Brooklyn Poets Books & Swag Pop Up | 12-5pm | Books and Swag Pop-up. Keep an eye on Brooklyn Poets to find out about special writing activities for kids during Open Streets too.
- Kitten Season with Brooklyn Cat Cafe | 12-4pm | We’re in the season when more kittens are born and end up on the street or in shelters. Learn more about kitten season and how you can help cats and their kittens.
- Super Soccer Stars | 12-5pm | Learn the fundamentals of the game in a fun, non-competitive way. For kids 2 1/2 – 7 years old.
- Montague Sip Spot | 12-5pm | Get food and drinks to go and bring them to the adults only Montague Sip Spot.
- Morrisania Band Project | 1-3pm | Dance to the beats of the award-winning R&B soul collective — the Morrisania Band Project. Once they hit the street you won’t be able to stand or sit still.
Lag Bomer Street Fair | Brooklyn Heights
Sunday, May 26 | 2 – 4 pm
Join Chabad of Brooklyn Heights & Congregation B’nai Avraham for a fun and festive Lag Bomer Street Fair this Sunday, May 26th from 2-4PM. This FREE event for all ages will include – LIVE MUSIC, FIRE PIT, BOUNCY CASTLE, EXOTIC PETS SHOW, DELICIOUS BBQ, COTTON CANDY, POPCORN AND MORE!
Brooklyn Memorial Day Parade | Bay Ridge
Monday, May 27 | 11am
A Brooklyn tradition since 1867, the Brooklyn Memorial Day Parade is considered to be the oldest continuously run Memorial Day parade in a large city in the nation. Veterans, civic groups, schools, and marching bands parade along 3rd Avenue toward the Verrazzano Bridge ending with a service honoring Veterans.
DanceAfrica Chuck Davis Fellows Community Class Workshop | Downtown Brooklyn
Join this year’s Chuck Davis Emerging Choreography Fellow, Jahanna Blunt, as she leads an intergenerational class for dancers of all levels. Jahanna spent time in Guinea during her fellowship and will delve into the choreography and history of Koredjuga, a rhythm that has origins on the border of both Mali and Guinea. Its unique time signature lends to its original function, as an accompaniment to jesters who would travel from village to village entertaining their audiences with playful movement.
Bedford Stuyvesant’s 13th Veterans Memorial Day Parade and Stand Down | Bed Stuy
Monday, May 27 | 11:30am-1pm
The 13th annual Veterans Memorial Day Parade and Stand Down is presented by Black Veterans for Social Justice. The opening ceremony begins at 11:30am, and processional begins at 12pm.
Memorial Day School Holiday at Audubon Center | Prospect Park
Join Prospect Park Alliance on Memorial Day for family-friendly nature education programs at Prospect Park Audubon Center:
- Discovery Pack, 12 – 3 pm: Explore nature on your own with Discovery Packs, backpacks filled with nature activities and exploration tools that are perfect for families and kids who want to interact with the park in a whole new way!
- Animal Encounter, 1 – 2 pm: Join Alliance Naturalists in learning more about the animals in the Audubon Center’s collection. This program starts promptly at 2 pm.
- Family Bird Walk, 2 – 3 pm: Prospect Park is a stopping point for hundreds of bird species each year! Join us as we search for these amazing creatures and other nature around the park. Binoculars and bird guides are provided. This program leaves the Audubon Center promptly at 3 pm.
Stay after the nature programming for carousel rides, offered from 12-5pm! ($3 per ride, $13 for a book of 5 tickets.)
Green-Wood’s much-loved Memorial Day concert returns for its 24th year! Bring a blanket, picnic, and all your friends to join us for this beloved kick-off to summer. We welcome back the talented high-school musicians of the ISO Symphonic Band at Third Street, led by music director Paul Corn and hosted by guest conductor Brian P. Worsdale. Each year we feature works that commemorate those who served in the armed forces throughout our nation’s history, while also highlighting music by some of Green-Wood’s permanent residents, including James Weldon Johnson, Fred Ebb, and Leonard Bernstein.
