August is coming to a close, but there are still so many family-friendly summer activities happening all over Brooklyn through Labor Day weekend! This week’s roundup includes free tennis with a view at The Seaport, a multicultural dance and music event at Brooklyn Children’s Museum, Japan Fest at Industry City’s Japan Village, the NYC Unicycle Festival’s stretching from the Brooklyn Bridge to Coney Island, and the Junior Carnival Parade in Prospect Heights.
Jack and Friends Summer Concert Series: Moozika! at Park Slope Library’s Garden | Park Slope
Monday, August 26 (rescheduled from July 9) | 11-11:45am | Ages 2-7 | Registration will open 24 hours in advance
We are ending our Jack and Friends Summer concert series with Moozika! Moozika! is singer-songwriter Jesse Goldman’s award-winning bilingual family music band and educational program based in Brooklyn. Named one of the top three “Absolute Best” kids’ music classes in NYC by New York Magazine, Moozika!’s playful Spanish-English tunes are powered by an ethos of big love and gentleness. For this show, Jesse will be performing solo tunes of his upcoming Moozika! album ‘We Are One.’ This program will have registration that will open 24 hours before the program begins. In the case of inclement weather, the program will be moved to our auditorium and only those registered will be admitted entry.
Tennis with a View @ Pier 17 | The Seaport
August 26-30
Unique location. Skyline views. Rooftop tennis returns to Pier 17 on August 26-30th. Outside of scheduled events and promotions (see full schedule here), the tennis court will be open to the public for free play and practice on a first come, first served basis. Rackets and tennis balls will be provided. Sessions will be limited to 30 minutes. Free play for the public (all ages) will be available on the following days and times:
- Monday, August 26 | 12-9pm
- Tuesday, August 27 | 12-4pm
- Wednesday, August 28 | 12-3pm
- Thursday, August 29 | 9am-2pm
- Friday, August 30 | 9am-2pm
Free Admission Days @ Pier 2 Roller Rink | Brooklyn Bridge Park
Sunday, September 1 | 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! Skate rental is $8 per person.
Kids Gaming: Board Games & Video Games at Adams Street Library | DUMBO
Monday, August 26 | 4-5pm | Ages 5-10
Stomp, Clap, and Sing with Moozika at Cental Library Plaza | Park Slope
Tuesday, August 27 | 10:30-11:30am | Ages 0-6
Moozika! singer-songwriter Jesse Goldman’s award-winning bilingual family music band and educational program based in Brooklyn. Named one of the top three “Absolute Best” kids’ music classes in NYC by New York magazine, Moozika!’s playful Spanish – English tunes are powered by an ethos of big love and gentleness. For this show, Jesse will be joined by the full Moozika! Band to perform tunes off their album We Are One.
Tiny Storytime @ Books Are Magic | Cobble Hill & Brooklyn Heights
Tuesday, August 27 | 11am | 225 Smith Street in Cobble Hill
Thursday, August 29 | 11am | 122 Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights
Join Book Are Magic for Tiny Storytime for ages 6-36 months, every Tuesday in Cobble Hill and Thursday in Brooklyn Heights!
Slime Time with Atomic Ali at Walt Whitman Library | Fort Greene
Tuesday, August 27 | 3:15-4:30pm | Ages 4-12
Ping-Pong with The Push in Brooklyn Commons Park | Downtown Brooklyn
Tuesday, August 27 | 4:30-6:30pm | Register here
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.
FAB Fitness: Ping Pong Pop-Up at Fowler Square | Fort Greene
Are you Olympics- or US Open-inspired? Try out your moves — and learn some — at a FREE ping pong pop-up with Ping Pod at Fowler Square Plaza (Fulton + Lafayette).
RECESS @ Industry City | Sunset Park
Every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday | 5-9pm | Through Labor Day
Come join us for an evening of chill vibes and chilled cocktails at Courtyard 1/2. Enjoy music from local DJs for free every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 5-9pm all summer long.
Cadman Park Storytime at Brooklyn Heights Library | Brooklyn Heights
Wednesday, August 28 | 10:30-11am | Ages 0-5
Join us for Outdoor Storytime at Cadman Park! We 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.
BASIS Independent Open House | Downtown Brooklyn
Wednesday, August 28 | 12:30-3:30pm | Register here
BASIS can’t wait to share more about their nationally recognized PreK–Grades 12 BASIS Curriculum, purpose-built campuses, the student experience, and vibrant community! Be ready to have your top questions answered.
Albee Square Montessori Public School Open House | Downtown Brooklyn
Wednesday, August 28 | 3-5pm | Register here
Kindergarten and Pre-K seats are still available! At Albee Square Montessori Public School, each child is seen as unique and as an individual who will thrive and learn in beautiful Montessori multi-age classrooms rich with materials and experiences designed to support a wide range of learning styles and developmental levels. Through immersion in the natural world around them, children will explore and learn through guided observation, inquiry driven, hands-on experiences, exploration, and discovery. Join an open house session to learn more! In addition to the in-person open house on August 28th, there is also a virtual session on August 26th at 4:00pm.
Free Admission at New York Aquarium | Coney Island
Every Wednesday | 3-6pm | Reserve tickets here; free tickets are made available at 3pm the Monday before
Take advantage of free admission hours at the New York Aquarium in Coney Island, from 3:00 to 6:00 p.m. on Wednesdays. There’s so much to do while you’re in Coney Island; check out our guide to planning a day trip to Coney Island before summer is over! Note that advance timed tickets are required; the Wednesday Afternoon Ticket Store will open on Monday at 3:00 pm for that Wednesday’s reservations. Do not come to the aquarium without a reserved ticket! There’s a maximum of 4 tickets per order.
Downtown Brooklyn Salsa @ Willoughby Plaza | Downtown Brooklyn
Wednesday, August 28 | 5-8pm
Salsa is back in Downtown Brooklyn! Join our friends from Salsa Salsa Dance Studio at the Willoughby Plaza dance floor, where instructor Sael Nuñez will teach you the basics. Then practice your moves to tunes spun by a rotating cast of the best salsa DJs in NYC. On August 28, dance to DJ Louie T.
“Assembly,” presented by Good Move in Domino Park | Williamsburg
Wednesday, August 28 | 5:30-6:30pm
Outdoor Movies | Various Locations
The outdoor movie season is still going strong, with the following screenings in our neighborhoods this week:
- Wednesday, August 28 | Sandlot (1993) at Valentino Pier Park in Red Hook | PG
- Wednesday, August 28 | Bob Marley: One Love (2024) at Lincoln Terrace Park in Crown Heights | PG-13
- Thursday, August 29 | Bob Marley: One Love (2024) in Fort Greene Park | Special appearance by Sheldon Shepherd before the film! | PG-13
- Thursday, August 29 | Public Choice: School of Rock (2003) in Brooklyn Bridge Park | PG-13 | The public was invited to vote for their favorite movie, from three iconic titles: Spy Kids, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, or School of Rock. Voting is now closed; the winning selection is School of Rock!
- Sunday, September 1 | Cool Runnings (1993) at Habana Outpost in Fort Greene | PG
Stroller Walk at Prospect Park Audubon Center | Prospect Park
Thursday, August 29 | 10am-12pm | RSVP here
Calling all parents and caregivers with children! Join a Prospect Park Alliance Naturalist at the Prospect Park Audubon Center for a leisurely stroll along Prospect Park’s waterways. Embrace the sound of streams and songs of birds. Enjoy fragrant flowers and explore the towering trees of Brooklyn’s Backyard. Please note that this walk leaves promptly at 10 am from the Prospect Park Audubon Center.
Saturday, August 31 | 10am-1pm
Join Prospect Park Alliance for nature education programs at the Prospect Park Audubon Center, the first urban Audubon Center in the nation. Programming includes:
- Nature Around Us: Enjoy different seasonal discovery stations and nature themed activities that will introduce you to the plants, insects and animals that call the park home. The Lake and Lullwater are home to many plants and animals. Help us to test the water quality and investigate pond samples that are filled with living organisms.
- Animal Encounter: Join Alliance Naturalists in learning more about the animals in the Audubon Center’s collection.
- Family Bird Walk: 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.
Visit Brooklyn Children’s Museum’s STEM Makerspace: Nature’s Engineers| Crown Heights
Every Thursday | 2:30-4:30pm
Brooklyn Children’s Museum has a new natural science-inspired makerspace, and you can visit it for FREE during Amazon Free Hours on Thursday afternoons! Nature’s Engineers is designed for children to learn from nature and engage in hands-on STEM activities, fostering creativity and critical thinking. This month’s project is making a fossil! Join in August and September to analyze fossils from BCM’s collection. Visitors will practice describing, measuring, and comparing attributes of objects to understand what Earth was like thousands of years ago. Then, visitors will create their own fossil cast inspired by BCM’s collection of fossils!
Multicultural Music and Dance at Brooklyn Children’s Museum | Crown Heights
Join us for a Cultural Arts Celebration hosted by We Are All Brooklyn Fellowship Against Hate. Close out the summer and celebrate the borough’s cultural diversity with dance and drum performances by Fit 4 Dance and Jewish-inspired music classes by Tkiya. This event will engage families in dance, play, and sing-alongs with the artists as they learn about traditions from our diverse Brooklyn communities. This program is free and included with Museum entry during Thursday Amazon Free Hours. Capacity is limited. First come, first served.
Storytime in the Park | Fort Greene Park
Thursday, August 29 | 4-4:45pm
Sing, read, and play with librarians from Brooklyn Public Library! Have fun hearing great picture books read aloud and playing with other children during this program featuring guest musical artists from Urban Stages. For children of all ages and their caregivers. Storytime in the Park will be located at the bottom of the monument stairs in Fort Greene Park’s northwest corner. In case of extreme heat or inclement weather, the program will be held at Walt Whitman Library.
Nature Walk | Governors Island
Thursday, August 29 | 5pm
Take the ferry over to our green oasis for a special guided tour to discover and connect with the wildlife that calls this place home. Led by the Governors Island Nature program along with CCNY Insect Ecology Professor Amy Berkov, these monthly program along with CCNY Insect Ecology Professor Amy Berkov, these monthly tours will take participants on a journey through Governors Island’s diverse natural areas. You’ll get to learn about these resilient, built landscapes directly from the people who know them best, and get the chance to participate in different community science projects.
Community Day and FREE Book Giveaway from Brooklyn Book Bodega | Brooklyn Navy Yard
Friday, August 30 | 11am-2pm | Ages 10+ ONLY | Register here
We have an excess amount of well-loved and overstocked books for all ages! Please sign up to come to our Brooklyn Navy Yard Book Hub to take as many books as you can carry. Unfortunately, we are UNABLE to accommodate anyone under 10 in this space. If you want to bring your children under 10, please join us at a different event. Pre-registration to get books is required for this event.
NYC Unicycle Festival: Long Distance Ride from Brooklyn Bridge to Coney Island
August 29 – September 1 | See full schedule here | Brooklyn ride on Friday, August 30, 2-6pm
Produced by Bindlestiff Family Variety Arts, Inc., the New York City Unicycle Festival brings together recreational riders, world-class performers, mountain and off-road unicycle enthusiasts, mono—wheel vehicle inventors, and thousands of people who have not ridden in umpteen years, along with circus enthusiasts, extreme sports viewers, and anyone seeking an unusual sight–even for NYC! Join in the tradition on Friday, August 30 as we pedal through Brooklyn! Starting on the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge, we will travel over the iconic landmark and unicycle through Downtown Brooklyn to Prospect Park where we’ll stop and rest our wheels. Then we’ll cross the highway and glide down Ocean Parkway to Coney Island where we hope to be treated to a ride on the Wonder Wheel.
YOGA YOGA for Teens at Brooklyn Heights Library | Brooklyn Heights
Friday, August 30 | 4-5pm | Ages 13-19
Join us every FINAL FRIDAY of the month for our back by popular demand YOGA class. No need for yoga clothes or mats. We’re flexible . . . and you will be, too, by the time you leave!
Vanderbilt Open Streets | Prospect Heights
Friday, August 30, 5-10pm | Saturday, August 31, 12-10pm | Sunday, September 1, 12-5pm
Vanderbilt Avenue’s Open Streets program features activities and performances for the community. Stay up to date on their Instagram to see what live music performances and other programming is coming this weekend! Highlights this weekend include:
- Saturday, August 31, 12-6pm | Blood Drive | New York Blood center is doing Pints for Pints, where you’ll receive a voucher for a free beverage at your local participating venues when you donate blood. Plus, Mets ticket vouchers! The bus will be parked outside Wine Exchange.
Live Salsa Music @ Sahadi’s | Industry City | Sunset Park
Every Friday | 6:30-9:30pm
Come join us at Sahadi’s for an unforgettable evening of summer Salsa music. Cuarteto Guataca plays high energy acoustic Son Cubano and Salsa with an old school sound, making people dance in clubs, parks and streets of NYC since 2012. See all upcoming salsa nights here.
Weekly Friday Night Fireworks | Coney Island
Every Friday | Fireworks begin at 9:45pm
Head to the Coney Island boardwalk to catch weekly fireworks kicking off on the Summer Solstice! Arrive early for a trip to neighboring Luna Park, New York Aquarium, or a Brooklyn Cyclones game at Maimonides Park. Check out our summer guide to visiting Coney Island here!
Brooklyn Junior Carnival Parade | Prospect Heights
Saturday, August 31 | 9am-3pm
This annual event features the Junior Carnival Parade, live performances, Junior King & Queen, and Individual characters of the band. Public entrance is located on Eastern Parkway. The Junior Carnival Parade assembles at Kingston Avenue and St John’s Place, then continues on St. John’s Place, making a left on Franklin Avenue. Make a right on President Street and continue into Brooklyn Museum.
HealthJox Health & Sports Program | Bed Stuy
HealthJox health & sports program will start with 30-minutes of “self-discovery” with our mental health coach. The next 30-minutes will be dedicated to stretching and workout with our trainer. The next hour, the kids will start with basketball clinics and AirOdart Clinics with our coaches, each separated by age group: 12/13; 14/15; 16/17. During the final hour, we will have our Youth apply the skills that they’ve just learned during the official basketball games simultaneously. We will have fruit, water and healthy snacks for the kids as well as uniforms. This health & sports program will be help every Saturday until Saturday, September 28th.
Story Time with Yevgenia Nayberg at Greenlight Bookstore | Fort Greene
Award-winning illustrator, painter, and set and costume designer Yevgenia Nayberg presents A Party for Florine, where a young girl forms a special connection to the modernist painter Florine Stettheimer, and imagines herself joining in on Florine’s exciting life. A Party for Florine is an unapologetically whimsical fan letter to an artist whose influence is clear in Yevgenia’s captivating illustrations. Dreamers, creators, and budding modernists will be drawn into the young protagonist’s party just as strongly as she is drawn into Stettheimer’s paintings. Join us for this special story time with Yevgenia!
Storytime at The Center for Fiction Bookstore | Fort Greene
Every Saturday | 12pm
Join us every Saturday at noon for Story Time at The Center for Fiction Bookstore, where each week we read from some of our favorite books for young people! Led by our booksellers, this is a free community event open to people of all ages.
Summer Fest at Japan Village | Industry City
Saturday, August 31 | 2-6pm
Japan Village’s Annual Summer Fest is Back and Better Than Ever! Join us for an unforgettable celebration to mark the end of summer! Whether you’re a longtime fan or a first-time visitor, this year’s Summer Fest at Japan Village promises to be the most exciting one yet. There will be:
- Games & Contests: Test your skills and luck with a variety of fun games. You could even win an incredible trip to Japan!
- Exclusive Free SWAG: Don’t miss out on free giveaways, including Japan Village merchandise and other cool surprises.
- Delicious Food Samples: Savor the flavors of Japan with free food samples from our favorite vendors.
- Live Performances: Enjoy live entertainment throughout the day, featuring music, dance, and more!
Birdwatching: First Sunday Outings | Prospect Park
Sunday, September 1 | 8-10am
Join the Brooklyn Bird Club and Prospect Park Alliance on the first Sunday of each month in search of dozens of species that visit the park through all seasons. Learn about the different habitats in Prospect Park and why they are important for all types of birds. Please bring your own binoculars.
End of Summer Kids’ Day at Brooklyn Poets | Brooklyn Heights
Sunday, September 1 | 10:30am-12:30pm | Register here
Join us at 144 Montague for an exciting, free day centering children’s poetry and craft! We will be holding a guided mini lesson on blackout poetry, where attendees will learn how to transform an existing story, essay, or other text into a poem by using markers to remove certain words or sentences. In addition to the mini lesson, kids’ day will be full of fun poetic activities, such as found poetry, where attendees will create poems from a selection of mystery words, and acrostic poetry, where they’ll craft poems with lines starting with each letter of their name.
Battle of Long Island History Hike: Part 3 | Fort Greene Park
Sunday, September 1 | 11am-12:30pm
Join the Urban Park Rangers for the final chapter of the Battle of Long Island series. Hike from the Patriot front lines at Fort Putnam (today’s Fort Greene) to the ferry landing at Brooklyn Bridge Park where General Washington joined the last of his men retreating across the Hudson.
DUMBO Family Games on Car-Free Washington Street | DUMBO
Sunday, September 1 | 11am-1pm | Washington Street from Front Street to Water Street
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.
Family Day at Barcade | Williamsburg
Sunday, July 7 | 12-5pm | Ages 10+
Join us for Family Day in Brooklyn! From 12-5pm on the first Sunday of each month, bring the family out for some classic arcade games and pinball! As this location doesn’t have a kitchen, feel free to bring a lunch! We also have snacks available for purchase. All children must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian.
Labor Day School Holiday | Prospect Park
Monday, September 2 | 12-5pm
Join Prospect Park Alliance for the Labor Day School holiday in Prospect Park:
- Leaf Litter, 12–3 pm: Ever wondered what’s hiding beneath the leaves on the forest floor? Well, there are seeds, leaves, insects, and much more! Join us for our hands-on leaf litter activity to learn all about it.
- Animal Encounter, 2–3 pm: Join Alliance Naturalists in learning more about the animals in the Audubon Center’s collection. This program starts promptly at 2 pm
- Tree ID Walk, 3-4 pm: Join us as we delve into the wonder of nature! Are you curious about why and when trees shed their leaves? Gain hands-on experience in citizen science as we explore the Prospect Park environment and witness how changing temperatures affect the trees. We will provide you with a guide to help you record your observations. This program leaves the Audubon Center promptly at 3 pm.
- Carousel Rides, 12–5 pm | $3 per ride; $13 for a book of 5 tickets
Updated: August 27, 2024. Main Image: Tennis with a View at The Seaport.
