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Best Family Festivals and Street Fairs in NYC this May

Watch your kite soar above the Manhattan skyline at the Waterfront Kite Festival in Brooklyn Bridge Park. Photo by Etienne Frossard
Watch your kite soar above the Manhattan skyline at the Waterfront Kite Festival in Brooklyn Bridge Park. Photo by Etienne Frossard
5/2/23 - By Drew Kristofik

NYC street fairs and festivals are blooming all over NYC this May, and we're psyched to see so many old favorites returning, including those glorious school fairs at Calhoun, Columbia Greenhouse Nursery School, and PS 267.

BAMKids' Springfest brings plenty of performances, Hippo Playground's Spring Fair returns, and kids can touch some trucks, prep for Mother's Day, salute the military during Fleet Week, and mark the start of summer with a Memorial Day Fest.

You can find even more seasonal activities in our Spring Fun Guide, and don't forget to check our ever-expanding Family Activity Calendar, where you can look ahead to see all the summer has in store.

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OUR LATEST VIDEOS

Learn how to make masks for the Pohela Boishakh Celebration at the Queens Botanic Garden. Photo of the Queens Botanical Garden
Learn how to make masks for the Pohela Boishakh Celebration at the Queens Botanic Garden. Photo of the Queens Botanical Garden

Best Fairs and Festivals in NYC May 2023

BAMKids SpringFest 2023

Downtown Brooklyn–FREE
Saturday, May 6
Families are invited to a joyous day of performances, interactive activities, and showcases of local talent! BAMkids SpringFest celebrates the spirit of the season with an eclectic program of music, dance, comedy, and circus arts, brought to you by artists from Japan, West Africa, the Philippines, and Hawaii. READ MORE

Celebrate Pohela Boishakh: The Bengali New Year

Flushing, Queens
Saturday, May 6
Celebrate Bengali New Year at the Queens Botanic Garden and experience the customary performing and visual arts of Pohela Boishakh. Join a new year parade to usher prosperity for all. READ MORE

59th Annual Calhoun Spring Carnival

Upper West Side
Saturday, May 6
Carnival rides and games, prizes, and craft activities are eagerly awaited by the Calhoun community and neighborhood families during this annual street fest. In addition, enjoy the traditional first barbecue of the season, with hot dogs, hamburgers, salads, freshly made sandwiches, and more. READ MORE

Columbia Greenhouse Nursery School Spring Fair 2023

Upper West Side
Saturday, May 6
Columbia Greenhouse Nursery School's annual spring fair transforms the whole block into a kids' wonderland of games, rides, animals, and family-fun. READ MORE

Lilac Weekend

Bronx Park, Bronx
Saturday, May 6-Sunday, May 7
The Burn Family Lilac Collection showcases this favorite American garden shrub in all of its glorious forms, colors, and scents. Stop by to smell the different specimens, catch a performance by the Bronx Arts Ensemble, and join a community mural project to paint by numbers. READ MORE

Hippo Playground Spring Fair

Upper West Side
Sunday, May 7
An Upper West Side institution, the Hippo Playground Spring Fair celebrates the season with pony rides, bouncy castles, a petting zoo, games, prizes, crafts, food, cupcake decorating, face painting, entertainment, and more. READ MORE

Children's Day Festival: Kodomo No Hi

Midtown East
Sunday, May 7
Hang the koinobori (carp streamers) and don your kabuto (samurai helmet): The Japan Society's Children's Day is back. Celebrate Japan’s national holiday with life-sized samurai armor displays and take to the stage in a popular sword-fighting workshop led by Kyo Kasumi from TATE Hatoryu NY. READ MORE

PS 267 Spring Fling

Upper East Side
Sunday, May 7
East Side Elementary School PS 267 hosts its annual block party with a day of fun for the whole family: bouncy inflatables, games, crafts, and snacks. Proceeds benefit the PS 267 PTA and the programs it supports. READ MORE

Lift Off: A Waterfront Kite Festival

Brooklyn Bridge Park–FREE
Saturday, May 13
The Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy kicks off its 2023 spring and summer programming season with this beloved kite-flying fest. This family-friendly event returns to BBP's Pier 5, offering all ages the opportunity to watch their kites soar above the Manhattan skyline while enjoying special activities exploring the science of flight. READ MORE

Sheep Shearing Festival

Glen Oaks, Queens
Saturday, May 13
Visit the Queens County Farm Museum on the Nassau-Queens border to see the sheep get their annual haircuts. Move to the foot-stomping rhythms of live music, and enjoy farmer-led tours and a plant sale all day.  READ MORE

Farmhouse Family Day: Clay Leaf Printing

Flatbush, Brooklyn–FREE
Saturday, May 13
Set nature’s patterns into clay! Scavenge around the farm and find the perfect flowers and leaves to make your very own clay leaf print. Paints, beads, and strings are provided.    READ MORE

Urban Wildlife Festival

Washington Heights–FREE
Saturday, May 13
Get up close and personal with NYC’s wild residents. Learn about squirrels, turtles, raccoons, opossums, and coyotes, and discover the best places in New York City and New York state to watch wildlife. READ MORE

Forest Hills Youth Athletic Association Spring Fling

Forest Hills, Queens
Saturday, May 13
Forest Hills Youth Athletic Association hosts this Spring Fling, featuring bounce houses, face painting, lawn games, food vendors, live music, boutiques, plant sale, raffles, and much more. READ MORE

Japan Day Parade and Street Fair

Central Park–FREE
Saturday, May 13
Building off the success of last year's celebration, Japan Day returns as a parade and street fair in 2023. See the parade march down Central Park West before enjoying the festive street fair along 72nd Street.  READ MORE

Mother's Day Weekend Garden Party

Bronx Park, the Bronx
Saturday May 13-Sunday, May 14
Mother's Day at the New York Botanical Garden is abloom with activities, music, crafts, and face painting—not to mention walking tours packed with colors and gorgeous spring scents. READ MORE

Native New York Children’s Festival

Battery Park–FREE
Saturday, May 13-Sunday, May 14
Native New York is the theme of this year's National Museum of the American Indian Children's Fest. Hands-on activities include corn husk dollmaking, traditional Tuscarora beadwork, listening to Haudenosaunee stories, and learning about lacrosse.  READ MORE

Willowtown Spring Fair

Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn
Saturday, May 20
The Willowtown Association hosts its annual spring fair with face painters, a bouncy house, a bake sale, a magic show, games, and more.  READ MORE

LIC Springs into Summer

Long Island City, Queens–FREE
Saturday, May 20
The Long Island City Partnership celebrates Long Island City with live music, dance, and performances, plus interactive lessons, art, fitness classes, outdoor dining, pop-up activities, games, and more. READ MORE

Big Truck Day

Randall's Island–FREE
Saturday, May 20
Strap on your seatbelt and get a close-up view of the big trucks that keep New York City clean and safe. Learn how firefighters, garbage truck drivers, and other big truck operators use these vehicles to drive our city forward. READ MORE

Dance Parade + DanceFest

East Village–FREE
Saturday, May 20
Dance Parade returns to the streets, celebrating its 17th annual procession and festival with 10,000 dancers and more than 100 unique styles of dance. READ MORE

BK Block Party

Downtown Brooklyn–FREE
Saturday, May 20
Brooklyn Bridge Parents brings the party to Downtown Brooklyn at City Point (indoors) and Albee Square (outdoors) with free, fun activities for families. Stop by for an epic ball pit, Lego building, arts and crafts, live music, soccer games, family Zumba class, and more. READ MORE

Ninth Avenue International Food Festival

Hell's Kitchen
Saturday, May 20-Sunday, May 21
Enjoy cuisines from different countries, including Poland, Italy, Spain, Greece, Japan, Thailand, and more. From open to close, visitors can browse the offerings along 15 city blocks of gourmet food and beverages. READ MORE

The Fabulous Fifth Avenue Street Fair

Fifth Avenue, Brooklyn
Sunday, May 21
Head to Park Slope's Fifth Avenue to peruse this street fair, featuring food and sale items, rides, bouncy castles, music performances, and more.  READ MORE

First Fruits Festival

Chelsea
Sunday, May 21
Emanu-El Downtown hosts an al fresco Shavuot arts celebration. Engage all the senses while creating floral crowns with designer Joshua Werber, perform dairy experiments with the Gefilteria, jam together in a drum circle, choreograph a modern dance parade, play games, indulge in ice cream, and more.  READ MORE

Greek Jewish Festival

Lower East Side–FREE
Sunday, May 21
This Greek Jewish Festival celebrates the unique Romaniote and Sephardic heritage of the Jews of Greece. Enjoy a feast for the senses, including authentic kosher Greek foods and homemade Greek pastries. READ MORE

Fleet Week NYC 2023

Hell's Kitchen–FREE
Wednesday, May 24-Tuesday, May 30
The US Navy, US Marine Corps, and US Coast Guard's celebration of sea services invites families to tour ships, watch the Parade of Ships, and enjoy exhibits, military band concerts, and aviation events throughout the week.   READ MORE

Lower East Side Festival of the Arts Street Fair

Lower East Side–FREE
Friday, May 26-Sunday, May 28
NYC's Lower East Side Festival of the Arts is a cabaret-style festival featuring more than 100 performing groups from the Lower East Side. The theme for 2023 is The Heat Is On. READ MORE

Memorial Day Fair

Sunnyside, Queens
Saturday, May 27
Sunnyside Gardens Park hosts its annual Memorial Day Fair featuring world-class entertainment, including lively Americana Music, a magician, and performers suitable for all ages. READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

Forest Hills youth athletic association
Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian in New York
Various locations

About the Author

Drew Kristofik

Drew Kristofik's early career editing teen magazines somehow morphed into a seven-year stint at MacNeil/Lehrer, followed by a very long sojourn at Nickelodeon/Viacom as Director of Content for Nick online and then Editor-in-Chief of ParentsConnect.com local. She was a founding member of the WebbyAward winning GoCityKids, has written for Family Fun Magazine, Vanity Fair, and New York, and her novel for middle schoolers, The Time Boat, is available on Amazon Kindle. She strives to keep the MommyPoppins New York Events calendar packed and accurate, and can be reached at events@mommypoppins.com.
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