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Join Brooklyn Children's Museum in celebrating Caribbean history and culture with a day of dance, music, food, and more! Photo courtesy of BCM
Join Brooklyn Children's Museum in celebrating Caribbean history and culture with a day of dance, music, food, and more! Photo courtesy of BCM
7/31/23 - By Drew Kristofik

August ushers in the final round of summer festivals in NYC. This last gasp of summer celebrations includes some of our favorite summer festivals in NYC like Summer Streets, the Puppet Fringe Fest, Brooklyn's gorgeous Hindu Lamp Ceremony, the Sand Sculpting Contest on Coney Island, the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Fest, and, of course, Arthur Ashe Kids' Day at the US Open. We've found more than two dozen summer festivals in NYC this August and the best part: They're (almost) all FREE.

Read on for more details on these top summer festivals in NYC this August, and find more must-dos on our list of 100 FREE things to do in NYC this summer. Be sure to bookmark our Ultimate NYC Kids Summer Vacation Guide for more fun seasonal happenings.

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As always, if an event piques your interest, be sure to click through to our listing for all the details, including addresses and times. And keep in mind: In NYC, really cool things to do with kids often get booked quickly, so buy your tickets ASAP or, in the case of FREE events, arrive early.

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Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy hosts a Hindu Lamp Ceremony at Pebble Beach on Saturday, August 12. Photo by Etienne Frossard
Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy hosts a Hindu Lamp Ceremony at Pebble Beach on Saturday, August 12. Photo by Etienne Frossard

Top Fairs and Summer Festivals in NYC August 2023

J'Ouvert Opening Reception and Parade

Prospect Park–FREE
Tuesday, August 1
Lefferts House presents a family-friendly exhibit that explores the rich and colorful history of J'ouvert in Trinidad & Tobago and its important role in Brooklyn today. A steelpan music procession from the Central Library at Grand Army Plaza leads the way to the Lefferts Historic House for the opening reception. READ MORE

Sunset Film Festival

Upper East Side–FREE
Wednesday, August 2 and Wednesday, August 9
Carl Schurz's all-too-brief foray into outdoor evening films includes two family-friendly favorites this summer. READ MORE

Chain NYC Film Festival

Midtown West
Friday, August 4-Sunday, August 13
The Chain NYC Film Festival is a multi-disciplinary event that serves the NYC community by bringing quality independent film from around the world. READ MORE

Dance Party NYC

Randall's Island–FREE
Saturday, August 5
Party on the Urban Farm! Create nature instruments and dance to some favorite tunes. Play lawn games, hula hoop, and explore the Urban Farm with the backdrop of a fun playlist. READ MORE

Brooklyn Beach Sports Festival

Coney Island, Brooklyn–FREE
Saturday, August 5
Kick off your sandals and enjoy some time playing at the beach. NYC Parks hosts this calisthenics competition featuring athletes from all over the world. Adults and kids can participate in clinics and free play featuring a variety of sports. READ MORE

Summer Streets

East Harlem to the Financial District–FREE
Saturdays, August 5, 12, 19
Brooklyn and the Bronx–FREE
Saturday, August 26
New York's favorite car-free street festival returns this July and August, as Summer Streets expands to open miles of NYC streets for people to play, run, walk, and bike across multiple weeks and in all five boroughs. READ MORE

Celebrate the Caribbean

Crown Heights, Brooklyn
Saturday, August 5
Join the Brooklyn Children's Museum for a day-long festival that invites families to celebrate the histories and cultures of the Caribbean through dance, music, food, and fun! READ MORE

International Puppet Fringe Festival NYC

Lower East Side–FREE
Wednesday, August 9-Sunday, August 13
The International Puppet Fringe Festival boasts more than 30 performances from acclaimed puppet troupes hailing from across the globe, artist symposiums, puppet cabaret, kids and family days, and much more. The 2023 Puppet Fringe Festival theme is “Halloween in August,” featuring spooky and silly puppets that celebrate this beloved holiday. READ MORE

Hindu Lamp Ceremony

Dumbo, Brooklyn–FREE
Saturday, August 12
The 10th annual Aarti Hindu Lamp Ceremony returns to Brooklyn Bridge Park's Pebble Beach! Guests are invited to decorate palm leaf lamps and release them along the East River. Special guest artists are in attendance displaying their works. READ MORE

Bankra Caribbean Culture Festival 2023

Jamaica, Queens–FREE
Saturday, August 12
Celebrate the 61st anniversary of independence for Jamaica and Trinidad & Tobago at a colorful fest that celebrates the beauty of the folk culture represented by each island. READ MORE

31st Annual Coney Island Sand Sculpting Contest

Coney Island, Brooklyn–FREE
Saturday, August 12
Hundreds of sand sculptors descend on Coney Island annually to create amazing works of art using all-natural elements at the beach.  READ MORE

Sprinkler Day

Upper East Side–FREE
Saturday, August 12
Don’t let the soaring summer temperatures discourage you from enjoying the outdoors. Cool off by splashing around in Asphalt Green’s high-powered sprinklers and slip and slides. READ MORE

Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival

Flushing, Queens–FREE
Saturday, August 12-Sunday, August 13
This annual sporting and multicultural event is held to celebrate the fifth moon (or the fifth month) of the lunar calendar. In addition to providing audiences with traditional Chinese foods and performances, the festival hosts dragon boat teams from across North America. READ MORE

Bees, Butterflies, and Blooms Weekend

Riverdale, the Bronx
Saturday, August 12-Sunday, August 13
Celebrate National Pollinators Week and the tiny creatures who beautify our gardens and put food on our tables. Learn about (and purchase) pollinator-friendly plants, make native-bee houses, go on naturalist-led walks to see pollinators in action, and more. READ MORE

42nd Annual Battery Dance Festival

Battery Park–FREE
Saturday, August 12-Friday, August 18
The Battery Dance Festival presents an entire week of free evening performances, featuring top-tier dancers from the US and around the globe, including debuts and premieres. READ MORE

NYSoM Back-to-School Bonanza 2023

Bushwick, Brooklyn–FREE
Saturday, August 19
NYSoM distributes school supplies on a first-come, first-served basis at this back-to-school fest. Stop by and meet The Flash and Spider-Man, then pose for pictures and take part in various America-themed activities. READ MORE

FlyNYC 2023

Upper East Side–FREE
Saturday, August 19
Music and kites fill the air at this festival for all ages! Kite kits are provided free for children (while supplies last), or bring your own favorite kite from home. READ MORE

Kimera Festival

Upper West Side–FREE
Saturday, August 19
The International Brazilian Opera Company and the West 111th Block Association host the inaugural Kimera Festival, a series of street concerts combined with storytelling events. The Kimera festival is designed to highlight grassroots community music and storytelling. READ MORE

Hudson River Park's Blues Barbecue

Midtown West–FREE
Saturday, August 19
The 23rd annual Hudson River Park Blues Barbecue Festival returns to Hudson River Park's Pier 76 for a day filled with smoky goodness and great music. Local pit powerhouses like Blue Smoke, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, Jase’s BBQ, Kimchi Smoke, and Big Papa Smokem fire up their smokers while you take in live blues and roots performances. READ MORE

One Crown Heights Neighborhood Festival

Crown Heights, Brooklyn–FREE
Sunday, August 20
Celebrate diversity and unity in the community through live music, dance, Double Dutch, and performances. Engage in community conversations, play sports, make tie-dye art, and visit the Brooklyn Children’s Museum. READ MORE

Hip-Hop 50: Native Tongues

Harlem–FREE
Sunday, August 20
A celebration of 50 years of hip-hop features the Native Tongues, Monie Love, Chi Ali, and Dres from Black Sheep. NYC radio mainstay DJ Red Alert is on the 1s and 2s and Ralph McDaniels, the NYC institution and host of the long-running public television show “Video Music Box,” hosts. READ MORE

Charlie Parker Jazz Fest

Harlem–FREE
Friday, August 25-Saturday, August 26
The Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, New York City’s annual salute to the late saxophonist, returns for its 31st year with a three-day celebration of live jazz in the neighborhoods near where Parker worked and lived. READ MORE

NYSoM Back-to-School Wizard of Oz

East Harlem–FREE
Saturday, August 26
Head off to see the Wizard because he’s giving out school supplies during this event. NYSoM presents The Wizard of Back to School Oz, followed by a summer movie screening of The Wiz, starring Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.  READ MORE

Back to School Bookbag Block Party - SOLD OUT

South Bronx–FREE
Saturday, August 26
The NYC DHS Police host the ultimate back-to-school block party. Stop by for fun, games, music, and face painting. Parents can browse resource and vendor booths. Pick up a free bookbag filled with school supplies to help your little one start the year off right!  READ MORE

Arthur Ashe Kids' Day

Flushing, Queens–FREE
Saturday, August 26
The 25th edition of this great day of family fun offers interactive games, face painting, balloon artists, prizes, music, special guests, and more. Kids can step onto the US Open courts, just like the pros, with tennis activities for all ages and abilities.  READ MORE

Harlem Meer Performance Festival

Harlem–FREE
Weekends through Saturday, August 26
After three decades of bringing the best local music and dance talent to Central Park, the Harlem Meer Summer Festival is expanding to offer a variety of multicultural musical performances, exercise classes, and more to get heart rates up with a lineup of movement classes for a summer of fun and well-being. READ MORE

Battle of Brooklyn: The Meaning of Freedom

Sunset Park, Brooklyn–FREE
Sunday, August 27
Commemorate The Battle of Brooklyn, fought in 1776 on land that is now a part of Green-Wood Cemetery during this family-friendly afternoon event that includes a parade up to Battle Hill. READ MORE

14th Annual NYC Unicycle Festival

Various locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn & Queens
Thursday, August 31-Sunday, September 3
The Bindlestiff Family Cirkus rolls out its 14th annual NYC Unicycle Festival across New York City, bringing together recreational riders, world-class performers, mountain and off-road unicycle enthusiasts, and mono-wheel vehicle inventors.  READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

Brooklyn Bridge Park
Flushing Meadows Corona Park
Riverside Park, Pier 1
Hudson River Park - Pier 76
Target East Harlem Community Garden
Multiple locations around NYC

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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