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Free in February: 19 Things To Do in NYC with Kids

Chinatown's streets come to life with the annual Lunar New Year Parade on Sunday, February 11.
Chinatown's streets come to life with the annual Lunar New Year Parade on Sunday, February 11.
2/3/23 - By Drew Kristofik

It's February, and we're celebrating with this list of free things to do in NYC with kids. Our picks for the best free things to do with kids include the big Lunar New Year parade in Chinatown, fun ways to celebrate Valentine's Day, and plenty of picks for the upcoming weeklong Midwinter Break.

Looking for more fun things to do all month long? Be sure to bookmark our Family Activity Calendar and Guide to Winter Activities for more seasonal picks.

Be sure to click through to each listing for all the details, including location, time, and recommended ages.

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City Point and Brooklyn Bridge Parents bring the party inside for families with free activities and a summer camp fair. Photo courtesy of the event
City Point and Brooklyn Bridge Parents bring the party inside for families with free activities and a summer camp fair. Photo courtesy of the event

Free Things To Do in NYC February 1-5, 2023

Brooklyn Indoor Block Party

Battery Park
Saturday, February 4
Brooklyn Bridge Parents hosts an indoor block party at City Point with a bouncy house, Lego building, arts and crafts, ceramics, chess, soccer, and basketball games, plus a summer camp fair. READ MORE

Hands on History: Victorian Valentines

Jamaica, Queens
Saturday, February 4
Kick off the season of love with Victorian valentine-making using reproductions of historic patterns and ephemera. Mean valentines, known as Vinegar Valentines, were also popular during this period, so broken hearts are welcome. READ MORE

Lunar New Year in Bryant Park

Midtown West
Sunday, February 5
Welcome the Year of the Rabbit and celebrate the Lunar New Year at Bryant Park! Families can craft their own drums and paper firecrackers, join a ribbon dancing class, and watch a lion dance and other traditional musical performances by the New York Chinese Cultural Center. READ MORE

Introduction to Birdwatching

Prospect Park
Saturdays February 4, 11, 18, and 25
Join a member of the Brooklyn Bird Club on an introductory walk to learn the basics of birding and search for the dozens of species that visit Prospect Park through all seasons. BYO binoculars, if you have a pair. READ MORE

Free Things To Do in NYC February 6-12, 2023

Ice Theatre of NY: 2023 New Works and Young Artists Series

Hamilton Heights
Thursdays February 9, 16, and 23
Ice Theatre of New York (ITNY) brings free ice dance performances and ice skating lessons to New York City public school students at Riverbank State Park's skating rink. READ MORE

Global Architecture II: Pyramids (SOLD OUT)

Battery Park City
Saturday, February 11
Built more than 4,000 years ago, the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt was 481 feet tall – close to the height of a 50-story skyscraper! Constructed of more than 2.3 million stone blocks, the Great Pyramid was a colossus. After learning about different types of pyramids and ziggurats, kids collaborate to build their own. READ MORE

Roxy's Rock 'n' Read

Midtown West
Saturday, February 11
Enjoy a full slate of family-friendly programming during Roxy's Rock 'n' Read on Rockefeller Center's famed center plaza. A wide range of activities are offered. READ MORE

Sailors' Valentines For Mini Mates

South Street Seaport
Saturday, February 11-Sunday, February 12
Learn about the unique history of sailors’ valentines—tokens of love and friendship—and create your own special trinket for Valentine's Day using beads, buttons, and shells. READ MORE

25th Annual New York City Lunar New Year Parade & Festival

Chinatown
Sunday, February 12
In years past, a half-million spectators have lined the streets of Chinatown for this colorful pan-Asian procession, which includes Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Vietnamese, Taiwanese, Malaysian, and even Hispanic floats and cultural performances.  READ MORE
Mark your calendars for the free Winter Ice Sculpture Show on Governors Island. Photo courtesy of Okamoto Studio
Mark your calendars for the free Winter Ice Sculpture Show on Governors Island. Photo courtesy of Okamoto Studio

Free Things To Do in NYC February 13-19, 2023

Ice Theatre of NY: 2023 New Works and Young Artists Series

Central Park
Tuesday, February 14
Ice Theatre of New York (ITNY) brings free ice dance performances and ice skating lessons to New York City public school students at Wollman rink. READ MORE

Children's Book Festival

Williamsbridge, the Bronx
Wednesday, February 15
Special guest readers from the community get kids excited about reading. Participants travel to destinations around the room to hear stories about different cultures. Time to play and create arts and crafts is built-in. READ MORE

Second Annual Winter Ice Sculpture Show

Governors Island
Saturday, February 18
Ten artist proposals coalesce on Governors Island in the form of frozen ice sculptures in a competition for a grand prize of $2,000. The audience gets to watch the sculptures emerge from the ice, sip warm drinks, listen to music, and vote for the winner. READ MORE

Make a Home Worm Bin for Compost

Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn
Saturday, February 18
Join Cues and Artchack for a free community event where participants learn to make their very own worm bin from recycled materials. Cues provides free worms for all participants to take home.  READ MORE
Kids Week returns to Bryant Park's Winter Village with free skating lessons, kids’ shows, and movies. Photo by Angelito Jusay
Kids Week returns to Bryant Park's Winter Village with free skating lessons, kids’ shows, and movies. Photo by Angelito Jusay

Free Things To Do in NYC February 20-28, 2023

Midwinter Recess in Prospect Park

Prospect Park, Brooklyn
Monday, February 20-Friday, February 24
The Prospect Park Alliance offers family-friendly programming every day during midwinter recess. READ MORE

Kids Week at Bryant Park

Bryant Park
Tuesday, February 21-Friday, February 24
Kids Week returns to Bryant Park's Winter Village with free skating lessons, junior skaters performing on the ice, and skating around to music from iconic kids’ shows and movies. The week kicks off with a Mardi Gras Celebration featuring a magician, a brass band parade, and a Mardi Gras mask craft. READ MORE

Midwinter Extravaganza Winter Olympics

Williamsbridge, the Bronx
Monday, February 20
NYC Parks hosts a Winter Olympic-themed celebration filled with fun activities. After creating torches and learning a dance for an opening ceremony, the week unfurls with curling, bob sledding, ice skating, and hockey and ends with the screening of a classic hockey-themed movie (complete with popcorn). READ MORE

Midwinter Mosaics Family Program

South Street Seaport
Tuesday, February 21
Many Downtown buildings have mosaic masterpieces that reflect the opulence of the time they were built. Learn about the design and the history of one of New York’s most famous mosaic interiors, One Wall Street’s Red Room. Then, kids create their own mosaic masterpieces of colored paper. READ MORE

Andrea Beaty’s Iggy Peck, Architect [SOLD OUT]

South Street Seaport
Saturday, February 15
Gather 'round for a reading of Andrea Beaty’s classic, Iggy Peck, Architect, and learn about the process of design and using creative building materials to make stand-out buildings. Then, turn floor plans into inventive towers. READ MORE

Losar Family Day: Celebrate the Year of the Water Hare

Chelsea
Sunday, February 26
Lunar New Year is a time for families! Learn about traditional Losar celebrations and this year’s zodiac animal, the kind and sensitive Water Hare. READ MORE

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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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