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.

Latest posts by Drew

Halloween Weekend in NYC: Trick-or-Treat and More Things To Do with Kids

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Wed, 10/26/2022 - 9:47am

All the superheroes and stars come out for BAMboo!, the over-the-top Halloween party at BAM. Photo by Elena Olivia

Looking for the best things to do in New York City this Halloween weekend? Here are some family-friendly events and activities to add to your list for Halloween weekend.

We're in full spook mode at last, up to our eyeballs in Halloween activities! The Halloween weekend kicks off on Thursday with the Harlem Meer Pumpkin Flotilla, Asphalt Screams follows Friday, and then creepy doings proliferate on Saturday and Sunday with Mommy Poppins' own Halloween Party at the Hugh (we're so excited!), trick-or-treating in the Meatpacking District, and celebration-worthy concerts courtesy of the Laurie Berkner Band and the Brooklyn Chamber Orchestra.

Monday's Halloween agenda includes the Jackson Heights Halloween Parade, BAMBoo!, Dumboween, and the big Village Halloween Parade. Be sure to bookmark our list of NYC's best trick-or-treat neighborhoods, too.

Other top things to do in NYC this weekend include an Open House Family Day at the new David Geffen Hall, taking a turn on Bryant Park's skating rink, which re-opens Friday, and catching a new show about the wonders of imagination, The Phantastic Zoo.

Find more Halloween activities in our Halloween Fun Guide, which is scarily stocked with even more fun things to do this Halloween weekend, including not-so-scary picks for preschoolers, a full rundown of Halloween parades, and the best Halloween events and trick-or-treat spots.

Indigenous Peoples Day Weekend in NYC: Best Things To Do with Kids

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Wed, 10/05/2022 - 11:32am

Celebrate Italian American heritage at the Columbus Day Parade in Midtown on Monday, October 10. Photo courtesy of the Italian American Society

It's the long weekend Indigenous Peoples Day weekend and we've found tons of things to do in NYC with kids. Here are our top picks for family-friendly events and activities to add to your list for this long holiday weekend.

Indigenous Peoples Day, Monday, October 10, marks the holiday formerly known as Columbus Day for NYC's school kids. Bindlestiff Family Cirkus is celebrating all weekend on Wickquasgeck Trail (Broadway), or families can visit the Brooklyn Children's Museum for holiday-themed music and storytelling, or head to Randall's Island to celebrate the original native New Yorkers on Sunday and Monday. Columbus Day celebrations linger as well, including the nearly century-old parade up Fifth Avenue.

No matter which holiday you're celebrating, this weekend is—as usual—packed with great activities and fun things to do for kids and families. Those dinos at the Bronx Zoo are starring in their own evening fright fest, Dinosaurs in the Darkness: The Hatching. There's a Broadway Fright Night musical celebration perfect for theater kids. The Little Red Lighthouse Festival is beaming uptown. You can even come face to face with a falcon at Wave Hill. And, at the top of our list: FAO Schwarz's 160 Years of Toys blowout at Rock Center!

Read on for our top picks for the coming weekend, and check out our list of 25 fun things to do on Indigenous Peoples Day in NYC. Our just-released New York City Halloween Fun Guide is ready to help you plan out the rest of this month, and, as always, our Family Activity Calendar is spookily stuffed with delicious activity options and updated daily.

And don't miss your chance to win! Mommy Poppins is sponsoring a pretty amazing giveaway: The grand-prize winner will get a 2 night all-inclusive trip for 2 adults and 2 children (including airfare from the continental US, food, & beverages) to Velas Vallarta family resort in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Enter to win our Family Fun Resort Getaway.

Best of October: Awesome Things To Do in NYC with Kids

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Fri, 09/30/2022 - 3:47pm

The annual Winter Lantern Festival is back for a fourth year, transforming SIUH Community Park into an immersive world of light. Photo courtesy of the festival

Halloween is the name of the game in October, which means New York City is alive with pumpkin patches, haunted houses, fall festivals, and of course trick-or-treating—so many opportunities to wear Halloween costumes!

While October usually feels like a waiting game for Halloween, this year there are tons of amazing happenings. We're super psyched for PaleyWKND, Children's Day at the Brooklyn Book Fest, Atlantic Antic, the Medieval Festival, the Submerge Marine Science Fest, and The Met's World Culture Fest.

Kids get the day off on Monday, October 10—officially recognized as Italian Heritage Day/Indigenous Peoples Day on the school-year calendar—and we've found 25 fun things to do, including a rooftop party at the Brooklyn Children Museum and the annual Columbus Day Parade.

Of course, Halloween lurks at month's end, and never fear, we have you covered when it comes to FREE Halloween fun, including a Mommy Poppins Halloween party. Find all our top picks for the holiday in our New York City Halloween Guide.

We'll keep your weekends focused on fun with our Family Activity Calendar, and our Fall Fun Guide is ready for the change of seasons, too.

Top Halloween Events in NYC for Families in 2022

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Sun, 09/25/2022 - 7:27am

Tiny trick-or-treaters are invited to show off their Halloween costumes as they walk the trick-or-treat trail at the Queens Botanical Garden. Photo courtesy of the garden

Halloween is one of the best nights to be a kid in NYC, and in 2022 our list of the best Halloween events in New York City includes more than 30 Halloween activities. We've rounded up our favorite Halloween events in NYC for families, including perennial kid-pleasers, like Boo at the Zoo and the big Village Halloween Parade, below. Our top picks for Halloween activities in NYC include harvest festivals, hayrides, and pumpkin patches, spooky nighttime corn maze walks, and a live concert by kid-rocker Laurie Berkner. We love Halloween events so much, we're even throwing a FREE Halloween Party at The Hugh.

Read on for our curated list of the best Halloween events in New York City, and start planning your spooky fun. We promise to add Halloween events as we confirm them—including details on the yet-to-be-announced, perennially popular, BAMboo!—so, be sure to bookmark this post, our Family Activity Calendar, and our New York City Halloween Guide for all the seasonal fun, including our top picks for FREE Halloween activities in NYC.

Best Free Halloween Events in New York City for Kids in 2022

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Fri, 09/23/2022 - 11:08am

The Harlem Meer's free Halloween event lineup includes costumes, plenty of candy, and a charming pumpkin flotilla. Photo courtesy of Central Park Conservancy

What's the one way to make costume-and-candy-filled Halloween events even sweeter? Make them FREE. In New York City, there are loads of no-cost Halloween celebrations in 2022, whether you're looking for preschooler Halloween events or you've got a teen who can't wait to be spooked. There are no tricks here: We've decided to give parents the best treat of all with this roundup of FREE Halloween events in New York City for kids, including a fun Mommy Poppins Party at The Hugh. Our list also includes big annual family favorites like Bay Ridge's Ragamuffin Parade, the charming Pumpkin Flotilla on the Harlem Meer, the Pumpkin Pageant in Inwood, and much more.

So, bring your costumes but leave your wallets at home for these FREE Halloween events in New York City, and find everything from NYC's best trick-or-treating spots to fun, easy Halloween treats for kids in our New York City Halloween Guide.

Labor Day Weekend in NYC: Festivals, Fairs, and More Things To Do with Kids

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Wed, 08/31/2022 - 1:39pm

The NYC Unicycle Festival returns for a 13th running with single-wheeled fun popping up all over town. Photo courtesy of the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus

Looking for the best things to do in New York City this Labor Day weekend? Here are some family-friendly events and activities to add to your list for the holiday weekend.

Summer takes a final victory lap this weekend, and the Labor Day holiday means you have a three-day weekend to tick off some more boxes on our end-of-summer bucket list. It's your last chance to see the Friday night fireworks on Coney Island (for 2023, anyway) and take advantage of free community rowing in the Bronx. Unicycles are one-wheeling all around town, kids can learn about monarch migration in Concrete Plant Park, kids can mix up some magic at CAMP's Encanto experience, and it's your last chance to take a deep dive into the world of Sharks at AMNH. You could also score some very cool artwork on Governors Island.

And what would the last weekend of summer be without the Richmond County Fair punctuating the changing season with just the right blend of nostalgia and cotton candy?

Read on for all of the best things to do in NYC this Labor Day weekend. You'll find additional suggestions in our Family Activity Calendar and this list of the best things to do in September. So long, summer!

Best of September: Top Things To Do in NYC with Kids

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Sun, 08/28/2022 - 8:42am

Morningside Lights returns in full force for the first time since 2019, with hands-on lantern making and a community-wide procession. Photo courtesy of the event

Labor Day kicks off September's activities, launching New York City's season of apple picking, fall festivals, pumpkin patches, and corn mazes.

The kids are heading back to school, but there's still plenty of time for fun. The Richmond County Fair, the West Side County Fair, and the Queens County Fair all return with rides, games, and plenty of live music, unicycles are wheeling all over town, and trains are parading through Brooklyn.

All that, and the Met Museum is opening the doors to its new 81st Street Studio, there's a big Rosh Hashanah celebration happening in the Flatirown district, and the Poseidon Parade pairs perfectly with the Submerge Science Fest.

Looking to get away? We've found 30 fall day trips from NYC. We promise to keep your weekends focused on fun with our Family Activity Calendar, and our Fall Fun Guide is ready for the change of seasons, too.

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Summer Memberships for Families: Pools, Beach Clubs, Museums, and Zoo Memberships Worth Buying

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Tue, 07/05/2022 - 5:27pm

Nab a summer membership to Breezy Point Surf Club and go for a dip in the pool or a wild water slide ride. Photo courtesy of the club

Summer memberships come in handy as the costs to entertain kids over the next couple months really start to add up. If your kids develop a deep devotion to the Bronx Zoo, like ours did, a single visit can cost almost as much as your electric bill. And, for us, that's where purchasing a zoo membership came into focus.

A family membership can also help make other favorite summertime destinations more affordable: botanic gardens, museums, and—naturally—pools and beach clubs. While the city's outdoor pools don't require summer memberships, they do get crowded, so we've rounded up some other options for family-friendly memberships, including pool memberships, zoo memberships, and more spots for summer fun indoors and out. No matter your family's interest, take note: While the initial investment of a family summer membership can be pricey, do the math and consider how frequently you'll visit. You're likely to find that these family membership deals are worth the splurge. Looking for a family membership for the cool weather months? Check out these family memberships worth buying for winter.