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Free in November: 35+ Things To Do in NYC with Kids

Celebrate the holiday season Brooklyn style at DTBK Gets Lit: Holiday Lighting Party!. Photo courtesy Downtown Brooklyn
Celebrate the holiday season Brooklyn style at DTBK Gets Lit: Holiday Lighting Party!. Photo courtesy Downtown Brooklyn
11/3/22 - By Rosalind Muggeridge

As the holiday season hits New York City, it's easy to fall into a spend-and-splurge vortex, but there's no need: We've found 35 free things to do in NYC this November with kids. Our list of free things to do in November includes annual favorites, like the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade and Macy's Santaland. You'll also find non-holiday fun for the whole family, like a weekly Happy Dance Club at The Hugh, a seal exploration in the Bronx, and more picks sprinkled throughout the boroughs.

Read on for more of our top free event picks in November, and don't forget to hop over to our just-released Best of November List, which includes our top picks all month long. You can always find more freebies in our Guide to Free Things To Do in NYC with Kids, from free play spaces and gratis admission hours at museums to our list of 100 free things to do in NYC with kids.

Each of our picks for free things to do this November is listed by the week it falls in, and roughly in calendar order. Everything listed is free, but some events may require tickets or other advance planning. Click through to the event listings for details.

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OUR LATEST VIDEOS

Bring your jack-o-lantern or uncarved pumpkin to Hudson River Park for its annual pumpkin smash event. Photo courtesy of Hudson River Park
Bring your jack-o-lantern or uncarved pumpkin to Hudson River Park for its annual pumpkin smash event. Photo courtesy of Hudson River Park

Free Things To Do in NYC from Tuesday, November 1-Sunday, November 6

31st Annual Canstruction Competition 2023

Battery Park City
Friday, November 4-Tuesday, November 15
An extraordinary annual design competition, and the most unique food charity in the world, Canstruction challenges teams of architects, engineers, and contractors to build sculptures made entirely out of unopened cans of food.  READ MORE

Calpulli Community Celebrates Dia de los Muertos

Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Saturday, November 5
Talented young dancers from the Calpulli Community perform to festive songs in honor of Dia de los Muertos (day of the dead), a native Mexican tradition that celebrates the unending bonds between the living and the dead. READ MORE

Hudson River Park's Pumpkin Smash

Midtown West
Saturday, November 5
Bring your jack-o'-lantern or uncarved pumpkin to Hudson River Park's Pier 84 to squash, smash, and smush it into compost to help keep the park beautiful, green, and growing. READ MORE

Pumpkin Smash

Sunnyside, Queens
Saturday, November 5
Smash your gourds, and the NYC Compost Project will turn them into compost for city parks and green spaces. Stop by for refreshments, activities, and more. READ MORE

Fall Family Day: String Fling

Midtown West
Saturday, November 5
Joyful noise and clamor reveal the versatility of percussion instruments through live performances and music-making activities. Build your own instruments, sing and dance with professional musicians, and celebrate fall as a family throughout the Resnick Education Wing. READ MORE

Sou Sou! Saturdays: Harvesting Unity

East Harlem
Saturday, November 5
The Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute's Sou Sou! Saturdays program honors the season by paying homage to African and Indigenous traditions. This workshop plants seeds of wisdom by sharing oral history through storytelling that focuses on Afro-Caribbean heritage.  READ MORE

Seaport Kids: Pumpkin Decorating

South Street Seaport
Saturday, November 5-Sunday, November 6
Kids are invited to get creative with pumpkin decorations for Thanksgiving in this interactive workshop led by Private Picassos. READ MORE

Salamander Exploration

Riverdale, the Bronx
Sunday, November 6
Urban Park Rangers lead families on a survey of the forest floor to find and learn more about salamanders in NYC parks. READ MORE
NYC is home to the largest celebration of veterans in the nation at its Veterans Day Parade. Photo courtesy of the event
NYC is home to the largest celebration of veterans in the nation at its Veterans Day Parade. Photo courtesy of the event

Free Things To Do in NYC from Monday, November 7-Sunday, November 13

Election Day Art and Play

Battery Park City
Tuesday, November 8
Kids are invited to take part in an art project and activities themed around voting and responsible citizenship. READ MORE

Election Day in Prospect Park

Prospect Park, Brooklyn
Tuesday, November 8
Join Prospect Park Alliance when school is closed for Election Day. Enjoy free nature education activities, animal encounters, bird walks, and more at the Prospect Park Audubon Center, and take a ride on the beloved Prospect Park Carousel. READ MORE

Open House at Wetherby-Pembridge School

Upper East Side
Tuesday, November 8
The Wetherby-Pembridge School hosts an open house for preschool parents that includes the opportunity to meet with Mr. Bibby, the Head of School, tour the building, and speak with current parents. READ MORE

Veterans Day in Prospect Park

Prospect Park, Brooklyn
Friday, November 11
If you missed the fun on Election Day, head to Prospect Park for another day of kid-friendly programming when the kids are out of school for Veterans Day.  READ MORE

NYC Veterans Day Parade 2022

Midtown East
Friday, November 11
The largest celebration of service in the nation, the annual New York City Veterans Day Parade, returns in person and steps off at noon from 25th Street and Fifth Avenue. It then proceeds north up Fifth Avenue to 45th Street.   READ MORE

Free Entrance Days in the National Parks

Citywide
Friday, November 11
On select days throughout the year, all national parks are open to the public with no admission fee. READ MORE

Crew and Cargo

South Street Seaport
Friday, November 11
Kids are welcome on board the 1885 tall ship Wavertree to participate in hands-on activities that explore the fascinating world of trans-Atlantic sailors from the time of European explorers through today. Haul on ropes to raise the sail, and walk the capstan ‘round, while learning how sailors slept, ate, worked, and played. READ MORE

Happy Dance Club

Upper East Side
Saturday, November 19
Happy Dance Club is a themed, interactive, educational dance party that introduces toddlers and kids to their first DJ and dance floor experience. A DJ leads kids through a guided dance floor adventure where they learn, through movement, about musical artists as well as different genres of music. READ MORE

Fort Tryon Kids: Awesome Arachnids

Inwood
Saturday, November 12
The Fort Tryon Park Trust and experts from the Alley Pond Environmental Center team up for a FREE nature program in which kids learn about arthropods. What is the difference between an insect and an arachnid? What are spinnerets and who uses them? READ MORE

ConEd Family Day: Make Your Own Beaded Suncatcher

Washington Heights
Saturday, November 12
Visit the Morris Jumel Mansion and take a look at its stained-glass windows, then join in its family program, and make your own colorful window ornament to catch the rays of the sun. READ MORE

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Arrival 2023

Midtown West
Saturday, November 12
Welcome the 2023 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree. The holiday spruce arrives at Rockefeller Center with plenty of time for decorating before the lighting ceremony on Wednesday, December 6.  READ MORE

Birding: Owls

Riverdale, the Bronx
Saturday, November 12
Urban Park Rangers guide families to the best bird-viewing spots in New York City. Learn more about the various species of owls found in NYC parks. Please bring your own binoculars. READ MORE

16th Annual Brooklyn Children’s Book Fair

Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Sunday, November 13
The annual Brooklyn Children's Book Fair brings together 40 Brooklyn authors and illustrators to share their latest books. Throughout the day, children and their companions can attend readings and presentations, learn about the creative process, get books signed, and have fun drawing and coloring. READ MORE

Discovery Hike: Fall Flowers and Seed ID

Crotona Park East, the Bronx
Sunday, November 13
Urban Park Rangers teach families about native wildflowers and seed bombs. Make and release your very own seed bomb into the park while on a short hike. READ MORE

Free Things To Do in NYC from Monday, November 14-Sunday, November 20

Technology, Screen Time, and Kids' Mental Health

Upper East Side
Monday, November 14
Dr. Dave Anderson, a clinical psychologist and VP of School and Community Programs at the Child Mind Institute, shares insights into screen time and how it impacts the mental health of children and adolescents. READ MORE

Ideal School: Lower School Open House

Upper West Side
Monday, November 14
Learn more about New York’s only K-12+ independent inclusion school, including its Next Steps Transition Program for students ages 18-21. READ MORE

DTBK Gets Lit: Holiday Lighting Ceremony at Albee Square

Downtown Brooklyn
Thursday, November 17
Celebrate the holiday season Brooklyn style. The Downtown Brooklyn Gets Lit: Holiday Lighting Party at Albee Square features a live DJ, special guest performances and, of course, the countdown to the holiday lights. READ MORE

Farmhouse Family Day: Putting the Farm to Sleep

East Flatbush, Brooklyn
Saturday, November 19
The autumn season brings a slower pace to activities on the Wyckoff Farm and families are invited to help put the farm “to sleep” for the winter. Stop by for leaf raking, seed art, and seed saving activities beginning at 1pm. Bring seeds from your own garden to share with others READ MORE

Family Day: Theaster Gates

Lower East Side
Saturday, November 19
Visit the New Museum for its Family Day to experience the radical thinkers, archival collections, and personal histories of Theaster Gates: Young Lords and Their Traces. READ MORE

Madison Square Park Leaf Fest

Chelsea
Saturday, November 19
The Madison Square Park "Leaf Fest" gives kids and families an opportunity to do a little community service, raking and bagging leaves in the park to keep it clean for all visitors to enjoy. READ MORE

Families and Folk Art: Morris Hirshfield Rediscovered

Upper West Side
Saturday, November 19
Participants explore, draw, and create together with American Folk Art Museum educators, who provide materials and are available to guide the conversation and answer questions. READ MORE

Lenfest Kids: Big (PG)

Upper West Side
Saturday, November 19
Columbia University School of Arts' monthly series of films for the whole family offers a screening of the 1988 Tom Hanks smash, Big. READ MORE

Happy Dance Club

Upper East Side
Saturday, November 19
Happy Dance Club is a themed, interactive, educational dance party that introduces toddlers and kids to their first DJ and dance floor experience. A DJ leads kids through a guided dance floor adventure where they learn, through movement, about musical artists as well as different genres of music. READ MORE

Seal Exploration

Pelham Bay, the Bronx
Sunday, November 20
New York City is home to an amazing abundance of wildlife, and winter is the best time of year to see seals visiting New York City. Learn about all the seal species that can be seen from Orchard Beach. READ MORE
There's no charge to say cheese with Santa at Macy's Santaland. Photo by Diana Kim
There's no charge to say cheese with Santa at Macy's Santaland. Photo by Diana Kim

Free Things To Do in NYC from Monday, November 21-Wednesday, November 30

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloon Inflation

Upper West Side
Wednesday, November 23
The Macy's Balloon Inflation returns! Watching the giant balloons expand is a tradition for many NYC families—almost as important as the Thanksgiving Day Parade proper.  READ MORE

96th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Midtown West
Thursday, November 24
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is set to once again march down the streets of New York City for its 96th annual holiday celebration. READ MORE

Macy's Santaland

Midtown West
Friday, November 25-Sunday, November 27
Santa swoops back over to Macy's for visits with his littlest fans! Wander the rainbow road to his workshop, where you'll meet jolly old St. Nick sitting behind his busy desk. Share your wishlist before receiving a special gift and posing for a keepsake photo. READ MORE

Small Business Saturday Tree Lighting in Park Slope

Park Slope
Saturday, November 26
JJ Byrne Park lights up with holiday cheer as Park Slope's Small Business group hosts its annual tree lighting event, complete with Bubbledad, touch-a-truck, carol singing with the Park Slope Conservancy, wrapped treats, and—of course—Santa! READ MORE

Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting 2023

Midtown West
Wednesday, November 30
The 91st Rockefeller Center Christmas tree illuminates for a national close-up. Families across the US can view the Christmas tree lighting from home, live on the national broadcast “Christmas in Rockefeller Center” on NBC. READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

Brooklyn Central Library, Dweck Center
Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute
National Parks - Multiple Locations
Orchard Beach Nature Center in Pelham Bay Park