Stop to smell the (resplendent, opulent) flowers this weekend.
1. Set your iPhone cameras to portrait mode, because the weekend-long Sakura Matsuri Festival at Brooklyn Botanic Garden is upon is. Take loads of family photos under the pink blossom–heavy branches—and enjoy the taiko drumming, samurai sword demonstrations, anime game shows, and tea ceremonies. (Buy your tickets now; the festival will sell out.)
2. Get glassy! Urban Glass in Fort Greene is opening up its 17,000-square-foot glass studios on Saturday for a behind-the-scenes look at how to blow glass, bend neon tubes, and flame work. (Oh, hey, that reminds us of the time we took a family glassblowing class at Brooklyn Glass!)
3. ’Tis the season for outdoor eatin’! Picnic like a pro at some of NYC’s most picturesque parks with a basketful of our preferred foods from nearby gems.
4. If your kids are into soccer, head to Brooklyn Bridge Park on Saturday to watch the five-on-five matches at the annual NYFest for charity. Kids don’t play in the actual tournament games (the teams are all from NYC media companies), but there will be a youth soccer showcase, 9 a.m.–1 p.m, plus sideline activities, food trucks, and live music.
5. End a Saturday visit to the New York Hall of Science with dinner from the food vendors at the Queens Night Market (think: an after-hours Smorgasburg) on the grounds of the museum.
6. Choose your own dino-venture: Run with the mighty T. rex at the American Museum of Natural History or journey on a dinosaur safari at the Bronx Zoo. (If you pick the latter, pass your time in the borough with our Bronx family day plan.)
7. Let the kids go crazy building with cardboard, recycled materials, old tires, and more at the Earth Day pop-up adventure playground (also described as a “junkyard for kids” by the hosts, Play:groundnyc) at Industry City on Sunday, 1–4 p.m.
8. Play stickball, cornhole, double Dutch, street hockey, lemon twist, and other classic street games at Saturday’s Throwback Street Party in Harlem’s Thomas Jefferson Park, 11 a.m–3 p.m.
9. Eat dim sum, shop for nunchucks, and play Sound Voltex. We’ve got your whole family day in Chinatown planned out.
10. Are your kids clowns? Make it official with a Family Clowning Workshop at the New Victory Theater on Saturday at noon. Sip “crazy shakes” at Black Tap afterward.
