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Spring Festivals and Fairs in NYC this April

Celebrate spring at the Queens County Farm Museum's Apple Blossom Children's Festival. Photo courtesy of the QCFM.
Celebrate spring at the Queens County Farm Museum's Apple Blossom Children's Festival. Photo courtesy of the QCFM.
4/7/23 - By Drew Kristofik

Spring festivals abound this month as New York City's festival season kicks off this April with two dozen fun and mostly FREE fairs, festivals, parades, and carnivals. Of course, it helps that April not only brings showers, it also brings Easter, Earth Day, Arbor Day—and all their accompanying spring festivals!

Annual Mommy Poppins favorites taking place this April include Car-Free Earth Day, the Queens County Farm Museum's Apple Blossom Children's Carnival, and Spring Family Day at Carnegie Hall.

Read on for our top picks for spring festivals this April and bookmark our Family Activity Calendar and Spring Fun Guide for all our seasonal must-dos.

Click through to our listings for all the details, including address, time, and recommended ages.

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Celebrate Earth Day 2023 in Union Square and at other locations across NYC! Photo courtesy of the event
Celebrate Earth Day 2023 in Union Square and at other locations across NYC! Photo courtesy of the event

Best Spring Festivals for Families in NYC in April 2023

Easter at The Seaport

South Street Seaport–FREE
Saturday, April 8
Play with us at The Seaport! Mommy Poppins teams up with Brooklyn Bridge Parents and The Seaport for free Easter fun. Enjoy an Easter egg hunt and additional free kid-friendly activities including paper spring flower making, bunny hat creation, tie dye paper Easter eggs, and Easter bunny selfies sponsored by BASIS Independent Schools. Ages 12 and under. READ MORE

Bed Stuy Annual Easter Parade

Bed Stuy, Brooklyn–FREE
Saturday, April 8
The Bed-Stuy Annual Easter Parade kicks off at Fulton Park (70 Chauncey St) and hops all the way to Restoration Plaza. Kids can expect raffles, face painting, live entertainment, bouncy houses and the best Easter baskets in the world.  READ MORE

Easter Festival

Rego Park, Queens–FREE
Saturday, April 8
Queens Recreation and City Council Member Robert Holden present a day packed with Easter activities. Families are invited to an Easter egg hunt, Easter and spring-themed arts and crafts, carnival games, and other fun activities and prizes for children. READ MORE

Easter with Farm Friends

Chelsea–FREE
Saturday, April 8-Sunday, April 9
The Standard, High Line is bringing the farm to the city with a furry farm friend meet and greet—including sheep, goats, rabbits, chickens, ducks, and donkeys. Kids can mingle with furry and feathered friends at The Standard Plaza, and enjoy a cotton candy artist, popcorn, and goodie bags with Schmackary’s cookies, too. READ MORE

Easter Parade and Easter Bonnet Festival

Midtown East–FREE
Sunday, April 9
Each year on Easter, the best of the bonnets are showcased along Fifth Avenue as New Yorkers celebrate the holiday by roaming the streets in their most festive spring gear.  READ MORE

Jackie Robinson Day

Soho
Friday, April 14-Saturday, April 15
Head over to the Jackie Robinson Museum’s inaugural celebration of Jackie Robinson Day, featuring special museum tours, hands-on activities, collection highlights, and more. Kick off the weekend on Friday afternoon with crafts for kids, trivia games, and photo-ops. READ MORE

Celebrate Spring in the Meatpacking District

Meatpacking District–FREE
Saturday, April 15
The iconic red umbrellas return to Gansevoort Plaza, accompanied by an all-day celebration of activities and performances that include a live performance by Graham 2, complimentary coffee and pastries from Terremotto, complimentary custom portraits, live music, and the neighborhood’s first Red Umbrella Runway Show. READ MORE

New York Tartan Day Parade

Midtown West–FREE
Saturday, April 15
Grand Marshal Gail Porter leads the way for the 25th anniversary NYC Tartan Day Parade, alongside 30 young musicians from Scotland’s Pulse of the Place representing World Fair Trade Tartan. The NYC Scottish cultural event of the year features thousands of clans, pipers, dancers, and Scottish pups marching up Sixth Avenue. READ MORE

Jackie Robinson Day in Jackie Robinson Park

Harlem–FREE
Saturday, April 15
Join NYC Parks and community partners for the annual celebration of Jackie Robinson’s legacy in baseball, America—and in Harlem! Bring your family and friends to enjoy recreational activities for all ages, food trucks, live music, and more. READ MORE

Earth Day 2023: Union Square

Union Square–FREE
Sunday, April 16
Union Square's annual Earth Day New York event is a fantastic way to connect to environmental campaigns, green lifestyle products, and interesting people doing great green work!   READ MORE

Car-Free Earth Day

Citywide–FREE
Saturday, April 22
Open Streets: Car-Free Earth Day is an annual car-free event hosted by NYC DOT. Programming is presented at signature locations citywide to promote activism and education surrounding climate change, sustainability, and other relevant topics. READ MORE

Celebrate Earth Day

Midtown West–FREE
Saturday, April 22
Rockefeller Center hosts a full slate of fun to celebrate Earth Day on Center Plaza, including live musical performances by The Rock & Roll Playhouse, face painting, a coloring station, a meet and greet with Roxy the Owl, and more. READ MORE

Harlem Grown's Earth Day Celebration

Harlem–FREE
Saturday, April 22
Celebrate the resilience of our planet, and learn how to live more sustainably. Stop by for food tastings, music, dance and movement, and more. READ MORE

Earthfest

Upper West Side
Saturday, April 22
The American Museum of Natural History hosts a full day of family-friendly activities, performances, and lectures showcasing local and international efforts devoted to preserving planet Earth. READ MORE

Climate Arts Festival

Flushing, Queens
Saturday, April 22
The Queens Botanical Garden celebrates Earth Day with fun, hands-on activities, art exhibits, music, interactive performances, tours, demonstrations, and more! While you're there, be sure to check out the Sustainable Vendor Fair and support local businesses. READ MORE

Earth Day Festival

Randall's Island–FREE
Saturday, April 22
RIPA’s Earth Day Festival ushers in the warmer months, celebrates the earth, and gives visitors the opportunity to appreciate the park’s spring beauty—especially the cherry blossoms. READ MORE

Weekends in Bloom: Earth Day

Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Saturday, April 22
Celebrate the Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s glorious spring blooms with pop-up music and dance performances, cultural programs, workshops for kids and families in the Discovery Garden, Garden tours, and more. READ MORE

Earth Day in Rockefeller Park

Battery Park–FREE
Saturday, April 22
Kids are invited to pick up STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics) at this special Earth Day-themed open-air fair featuring engaging activities and a live performance from Mad Science. READ MORE

Earth Day on Governors Island

Governors Island–FREE
Saturday, April 22
Back for its sec­ond year, this free day-long cel­e­bra­tion of all things eco­log­i­cal fea­tures envi­ron­men­tal edu­ca­tion activ­i­ties for all ages, a bird walk focused on ear­ly migra­to­ry birds, a hands-on work­shop to make your own seed balls, insect ecol­o­gy activ­i­ties, free bike lessons with Bike New York, an immer­sive per­for­mance by artist Seung Taek-Lee, and more.  READ MORE

Earth Day Berry Bash Celebration

Financial District–FREE
Saturday, April 22
Blueberries, chokeberries, cranberries, huckleberries—berries of all kinds are an important part of Indigenous food traditions. The National Museum of the American Indian hosts a springtime celebration that includes storytelling, films, and educational demonstrations about this delicious food with deep cultural roots. READ MORE

Apple Blossom Children's Carnival

Glen Oaks, Queens
Weekends from Saturday, April 22-Sunday, April 30
Celebrate spring at the Queens County Farm Museum. This children's carnival kicks off the farm's special event season. Tilt-A-Whirl in the orchard and enjoy carnival rides, hayrides, and midway games. READ MORE

Ramadan Eid Festival at the Brooklyn Children's Museum

Crown Heights, Brooklyn
Sunday, April 23
Brooklyn Children’s Museum invites families to learn the story of Eid al-Fitr, enjoy hands-on activities, and celebrate cultural traditions from across the Muslim world with Council Member Shahana Hanif and various cultural partners, artists, and performers. READ MORE

Spring Festival at Highbridge

Washington Heights–FREE
Saturday, April 29
Highbridge Recreation Center and Park celebrates spring with an obstacle course, jumbo games, arts and crafts, music, and many more activities! READ MORE

Arbor Day Weekend at Wave Hill

Riverdale, the Bronx
Saturday, April 29-Sunday April 30
Wave Hill celebrates Arbor Day all weekend with family walks, arts and crafts, and more outdoor activities. READ MORE

Spring Family Day

Midtown West–FREE
Sunday, April 30
Carnegie Hall celebrates families with FREE, interactive, and fun musical activities at its Spring Family Day. Enjoy a spring sing, watch mainstage performances, participate in a collective art project, and more. READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

Jackie Robinson Recreation Center
Multiple locations around NYC
Harlem Grown's 134th Street Farm
Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian in New York

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.
Recent Articles By Drew Kristofik:
Read more articles by Drew Kristofik.
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