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One of the most spectacular holiday displays in NYC, Shine Bright features over 2 million holiday lights illuminating the entire neighborhood. Photo courtesy of Hudson Yards
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39 Free and Fun Things To Do in NYC this November with Kids

Canstruction is free and open to the public at Brookfield Place through Monday, November 11. Photo by Heidi Lee
Canstruction is free and open to the public at Brookfield Place through Monday, November 11. Photo by Heidi Lee
10/31/24 - By Drew Kristofik

We've found 39 free things to do in NYC this November with kids, so there's no reason to fall into the spend-and-splurge trap of the holiday season. Our list of free things to do in November includes annual favorites, like the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and the Canstruction display at Brookfield Place.

The Veterans Day Parade marches up Fifth Avenue, and holiday trees start sparkling in Park Slope and elsewhere, too.

Read on for all our top free event picks in November, and don't forget to hop over to our just-released Best of November list, which includes our top picks all month long.

Each of our picks for free things to do this November is listed by the week it falls in, and roughly in calendar order. Everything listed is free, but some events may require tickets or other advance planning. Click through to the event listings for details.

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OUR LATEST VIDEOS

Bring your jack-o'-lantern or uncarved pumpkin to Hudson River Park for its annual pumpkin smash event. Photo courtesy of Hudson River Park
Bring your jack-o'-lantern or uncarved pumpkin to Hudson River Park for its annual pumpkin smash event. Photo courtesy of Hudson River Park

Free Things To Do in NYC from Friday, November 1-Sunday, November 10, 2024

Inwood Pumpkin Pageant in Isham Park

Inwood
Friday, November 1, 2024
The Inwood Pumpkin Pageant returns to Isham Park for another spooky display of Halloween artistry. Local residents bring their carved jack-o'-lanterns to the park the evening after Halloween for a grand community event. READ MORE

Day of the Dead at Corona Plaza

Corona, Queens
Friday, November 1, 2024
QEDC hosts its fourth annual Day of the Dead event. This cherished Mexican tradition allows families to honor their departed loved ones through colorful altars, offerings, and joyful festivities. Face painting, an altar, food, and music await. READ MORE

Hudson River Park's Pumpkin Smash

Midtown West
Saturday, November 2, 2024
Bring your jack-o'-lantern or uncarved pumpkin to Hudson River Park's Pier 84 to squash, smash, and smush it into compost to help keep the park beautiful, green, and growing. The fun-packed afternoon includes free face painting from Silly Cheeks and circus entertainment by Bindlestiff performers. READ MORE

Day of the Dead 2024 at the Museum of the Moving Image

Astoria, Queens
Saturday, November 2, 2024
Celebrate a vibrant Day of the Dead at the Museum of the Moving Image with a performance of Aztec Mexica dance, ofrendas honoring loved ones who have died, fun digital media activities for kids and families, and music from Indigenous dance troupe Yayauhki Tezcatlipoka. Face-painting sessions are offered inspired by historical characters from Día de Muertos. READ MORE

Spooky Listening Party with Adam Gidwitz at BPL's Central Library

Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Saturday, November 2, 2024
The Brooklyn Public Library's Central Library hosts a spooktacular Halloween listening party featuring the magical and creepy world of award-winning kids’ podcast Grimm, Grimmer, Grimmest.  READ MORE

Día de los Muertos at King Manor

Jamaica, Queens
Saturday, November 2, 2024
Artist Sebastian Ramirez-Halfpap leads a workshop to help kids create their own Altar de Muerto and learn more about the traditions used to celebrate this holiday. READ MORE

Día de los Muerto at the National Museum of the American Indian

Financial District
Saturday, November 2, 2024
The National Museum of the American Indian invites families to mark Dia de los Muertos with traditional dances by New York-based Aztec group Cetiliztli Nauhcampa around the community ofrenda (altar) and family-friendly activities that include crafting a paper marigold, making papel picado, and writing a note to a loved one who has passed. READ MORE

Owl Pellet Discovery in Pelham Bay Park

Pelham, the Bronx
Saturday, November 2, 2024
The Urban Park Rangers lead kids on a nature walk in search of owl pellets. Kids learn about all about owls and dissect their pellets to see what they eat. READ MORE

Sou Sou! Saturdays: Celebrating Fet Gede and Dia de los Muertos at CCCADI

East Harlem
Saturday, November 2, 2024
The Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute hosts a free, family-friendly celebration exploring the cultural connections between Haitian Gede and Mexican Día de Los Muertos. Participate in immersive workshops on ancestral remembrance, altar-making and dance, led by culture bearers Yolie Leon, Kriyol Collective, and Kiire Family Wellness.  READ MORE

Peter S. Beagle at Books of Wonder

Chelsea
Sunday, November 3, 2024
Meet the legendary author Peter S. Beagle and celebrate the release of his newest book, I'm Afraid You've Got Dragons!   READ MORE

Kids Vote: Chips vs. Cookies at the Coney Island Library

Coney Island, Brooklyn
Monday, November 4, 2024
Kids can vote, too! Vote for your favorite snack—is it chips or is it cookies? Election results are announced on Wednesday, November 6.  READ MORE

Election Day in Prospect Park

Prospect Park, Brooklyn
Tuesday, November 5, 2024
Join Prospect Park Alliance when school is closed for Election Day. Enjoy free nature education activities, animal encounters, bird walks, and more at the Prospect Park Audubon Center, and take a ride on the beloved Prospect Park Carousel. READ MORE

Pumpkin Smash at Lehman College

Bedford Park, the Bronx
Wednesday, November 6, 2024
Wondering what you should do with your jack-o’-lanterns after Halloween? Head to the Lehman quad and throw your pumpkins off the platform on the upper quad onto the target below, or hurl one across the quad in the giant slingshot! READ MORE

Diwali at the Brooklyn Children's Museum

Crown Heights, Brooklyn
Thursday, November 7, 2024
BCM invites families to learn about the story of Diwali through an engaging puppet storytime, mithai-making workshops, and a diya lamp-making project in the ColorLab art studio.   READ MORE

Family Fridays: Möbius Moves at MoMath on 5th

Gramercy
Friday, November 8, 2024
It’s easy to make a paper Möbius band: take an ordinary strip of paper, give it a twist, and tape the ends together. Move the strip around in space, trace your fingers around it, and observe something surprising: while an untwisted paper bracelet has two edges and two sides, surprisingly, the twisted version has only one edge and only one side. Make Möbius bands of various kinds—knotted ones, multi-twisted ones, and the famous optimal one. READ MORE

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Arrival 2024

Midtown West
Saturday, November 9, 2024
Welcome the 2024 Rockefeller Center Christmas tree from its home in Stockbridge, Massachusetts. The holiday spruce arrives at Rockefeller Center with plenty of time for decorating before the lighting ceremony on Wednesday, December 4.  READ MORE

18th Annual Brooklyn Children’s Book Fair at the Brooklyn Museum

Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Sunday, November 10, 2024
The annual Brooklyn Children's Book Fair brings together 40 Brooklyn authors and illustrators to share their latest books. Throughout the day, children and their companions can attend readings and presentations, learn about the creative process, get books signed, and have fun drawing and coloring. READ MORE

LES Pumpkin Smash

Lower East Side
Sunday, November 10, 2024
Don't let your pumpkin haunt a landfill! Join LES Ecology Center at La Plaza Cultural for Pumpkin Smash 2024. Bring your pumpkins, jack-o'-lanterns, and gourds for a smashing good time! READ MORE

Brooklyn Folk Festival's Banjo Toss Competition at the Gowanus Canal

Gowanus, Brooklyn
Sunday, November 10, 2024
Each year, as part of the Brooklyn Folk Festival, contestants gather on the banks of the fetid Gowanus Canal to see who can throw a banjo the farthest. The special “throwing banjo” is attached to a rope is tossed into the canal, a federally designated Super Fund site. The marked rope pays out, showing how far the banjo has been tossed. It is then hauled back in for the next throw.   READ MORE

32nd Annual Canstruction Competition at Brookfield Place

Battery Park City
Daily through Monday, November 11, 2024
This extraordinary annual design competition is the most unique food charity in the world, Canstruction challenges teams of architects, engineers, and contractors to build sculptures made entirely out of unopened cans of food.  READ MORE

Le Carrousel Extravaganza in Bryant Park

Midtown West
Weekends through Sunday, November 24, 2024
Bryant Park's charming carousel serves as the backdrop for a mix of kid-friendly entertainment. Discover scientific marvels, be awed by trickery in magic shows, and see puppet shows and story times, too.  READ MORE

Free Things To Do in NYC from Monday, November 11-Sunday, November 17, 2024

NYC Veterans Day Parade 2024

Midtown East
Monday, November 11, 2024
The largest celebration of service in the nation, the annual New York City Veterans Day Parade, steps off at 12:30pm from 26th Street and Fifth Avenue. It then proceeds north up Fifth Avenue to 45th Street.   READ MORE

Veterans Day Ceremony at the Intrepid Museum

Midtown West
Monday, November 11, 2024
The Intrepid Museum hosts a poignant Veterans Day Ceremony at 3:30pm on Pier 86, which is free and open to the public.  READ MORE

Veterans Day in Prospect Park

Prospect Park, Brooklyn
Monday, November 11, 2024
Prospect Park hosts a day of kid-friendly programming in honor of Veterans Day.  READ MORE

Free Entrance Days in the National Parks

Citywide
Monday, November 11, 2024
On select days throughout the year, all national parks are open to the public with no admission fee.  READ MORE

Holiday Train Show at Grand Central Terminal

Midtown East
Opens Thursday, November 14
The New York Transit Museum’s Grand Central Gallery plays host to a city within a city with the display of a miniature electric railroad running over, through, and beneath some of New York’s most magnificent landmarks. READ MORE

Skyscraper Pictionary at the Skyscraper Museum

Battery Park
Saturday, November 16, 2024
Learn about the artistic side of architecture and discuss sketches, renderings, and all the art architects make before their buildings can be built. Then, play a game of Skyscraper Pictionary with familiar towers in New York and abroad. READ MORE

Design Your Own Board Game at the American Folk Art Museum

Midtown West
Saturday, November 16, 2024
Explore the handmade game boards in the exhibition Playing with Design: Gameboards, Art and Culture and then create your own! Using new and upcycled materials, families can work together to make one-of-a-kind games to bring home. READ MORE

Cast your Ballot 19th-Century Style at King Manor

Jamaica, Queens
Saturday, November 16, 2024
Practice writing with oak gall ink and quills while learning about Rufus King's presidential campaign. Cast your votes and help decide which produce should be grown in the museum's gardens. READ MORE

Free Things To Do in NYC from Monday, November 18-Sunday, November 24, 2024

125th St. BID Harlem Holiday Lights

Harlem
Tuesday, November 19, 2024
The holiday season kicks off in Harlem with the 125th Street Business Improvement District's parade of Harlem Holiday Lights. The parade assembles at 125th Street and Broadway and travels throughout the neighborhood.  READ MORE

Fall Family Movie Night: Fantastic Mr. Fox at Midwood Library

Midwood, Brooklyn
Friday, November 22, 2024
Midwood's second floor meeting room turns into a mini movie theater for a screening of Wes Anderson's Fantastic Mr. Fox (PG).  READ MORE

Lenfest Kids: Big and Small

Upper West Side
Saturday, November 23, 2024
Thinking about small perspectives isn’t just a way of understanding cinema. It’s a way of understanding the world. Shrink down to a subatomic level in The Incredible Shrinking Man and grow to enormous size in Honey, I Blew Up the Kid, exploring techniques like rotoscoping in Gulliver’s Travels, stop-motion in James and the Giant Peach, and much, much more. READ MORE

Native American Heritage Month: Lenape of Staten Island in Von Briesen Park

Fort Wadsworth, Staten Island
Sunday, November 24, 2024
Explore the past and present experience of Native Americans and learn about the Lenape, connecting the cultural significance of various flora and fauna in the park to the heritage of native people.  READ MORE
There's no charge to say cheese with Santa at Macy's Santaland. Photo by Jody Mercier
There's no charge to say cheese with Santa at Macy's Santaland. Photo by Jody Mercier

Free Things To Do in NYC from Monday, November 25-Saturday, November 30, 2024

DTBK Gets Lit: Holiday Lighting Ceremony at Albee Square

Downtown Brooklyn
Tuesday, November 26, 2024
Celebrate the holiday season Brooklyn style. The Downtown Brooklyn Gets Lit: Holiday Lighting Party at Albee Square features live musical guests, Kinto Zonó Unplugged and DJ Mike, along with LED poi and hula twirlers and Bond Street Theatre stilters. Empanada Loca provides hot chocolate and you can snag BANG Cookies while supplies last. READ MORE

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Balloon Inflation

Upper West Side
Wednesday, November 27, 2024
The Macy's balloon inflation returns. Watching the giant balloons expand is a tradition for many NYC families—almost as important as the Thanksgiving Day Parade proper.  READ MORE

Gobble Gobble Give at the Apollo

Harlem
Thursday, November 28, 2024
Editor's note: Volunteer registration has closed for this event, however, you can still register to drop off a freshly prepared dish to share or donate goods. Enjoy a heartwarming day of giving back by bringing a dish of Thanksgiving-style food, gently used clothes you’ve been meaning to donate, or an old toy or book your kids have outgrown, and join the most meaningful potluck party you'll ever attend. The whole family can help with meal prep, toy, food and clothing sorting, and the Children’s Holiday Workshop, where kids create holiday crafts for families... READ MORE

98th Annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade

Upper West Side to Midtown West
Thursday, November 28, 2024
The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade marches down the streets of New York City for its 98th annual holiday celebration. READ MORE

Macy's Santaland

Midtown West
Opens Friday, November 29, 2024
Santa swoops back over to Macy's for visits with his littlest fans! Wander the rainbow road to his workshop, where you'll meet jolly old St. Nick. Share your wishlist before receiving a special gift and posing for a keepsake photo. READ MORE

Small Business Saturday Tree Lighting in Park Slope

Park Slope, Brooklyn
Saturday, November 30, 2024
JJ Byrne Park lights up with holiday cheer as Park Slope's Small Business group hosts its annual tree lighting event, complete with hot chocolate from Chela, churros from Simple Loaf Bakehouse, Christmas tunes from Music by Patrick, Bubbledad, and—of course—Santa! READ MORE

How the Chrysler Building Got Its Crown at the Skyscraper Museum

Battery Park
Saturday, November 30, 2024
Learn how the Chrysler Building’s fancy scalloped crown and needle spire helped it win the title of “World’s Tallest Building” in 1930 and create spire-like top hats to wear home! READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian
Pelham Bay Nature Center in Pelham Bay Park
Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute
Coney Island Branch of the Brooklyn Library
Upper Quad Area, Lehman College
National Museum of Mathematics Pop Up
La Plaza Cultural Community Garden
Gowanus Dredgers Canoe Club
Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum
National Parks - Multiple Locations
Midwood Branch of the Brooklyn Library