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52 Free Things To Do in NYC this September with Kids

Italian pride—and tasty eats—are on the menu at the annual Feast of San Gennaro, which takes over Little Italy in September. Photo by Jody Mercier
Italian pride—and tasty eats—are on the menu at the annual Feast of San Gennaro, which takes over Little Italy in September. Photo by Jody Mercier
9/3/24 - By Drew Kristofik

Back-to-school season can be expensive, but we've found more than 50 free things to do in NYC with kids this September. Our picks for free things to do include the last few bites of summer fun at Little Italy's Feast of San Gennaro, the big Brooklyn Book Festival, and Mommy Poppins-sponsored back-to-school bashes at the South Street Seaport, in Downtown Brooklyn, and a fun-filled day of kids programming at the Atlantic Antic, too.

Read on for the best free things to do in New York City this September with kids, including events in Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. Find more top events on our always-packed Family Activity Calendar.

As always, if an event piques your interest, click through to our listing for all the details, including addresses and times. And keep in mind: Really cool things to do with kids often book quickly, so register or buy your tickets ASAP.

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OUR LATEST VIDEOS

Free Things To Do in NYC All September Long

Stargazing on The High Line

Chelsea
Tuesdays September 3, 10, 17, and 24, 2024
Gaze at the stars, planets, and moon through the high-powered telescopes of the Amateur Astronomers Association, and chat with the experts about the sights you see. READ MORE

Gather 'Round Dance Battles on Manhattan West Plaza

Midtown West
Wednesdays September 4, 11, 18 and 25, 2024
Gather Round, a free outdoor dance and music series inspired by the competitions of the summer Olympics in Paris, celebrates street and club dance battles. See breakers compete in an event hosted by legends Kwikstep and Rokafella, watch the Ballroom community walk the runway and vogue, cheer on competing Waack dancers, and witness NYC’s top beatboxers go head-to-head with The Beatbox House. READ MORE

Bond with Brooklyn Movie Series in Pacific Park

Prospect Heights, Brooklyn
Thursdays September 5, 12, 19 and 26, 2024
Pacific Park hosts free evening movies in September, hand-picked to close out summer in style. Bring a blanket and a picnic and arrive early—seating is first come, first served. Movies start at sunset.   READ MORE

Picnic Performances in Bryant Park

Midtown West Thursdays and Fridays through Friday, September 13, 2024
Picnic Performances are the perfect way to spend a summer evening, with 25 live and in-person music, dance, and theatrical shows. Bring a blanket and a picnic (of course). READ MORE

98th Annual Feast of San Gennaro in Little Italy

Little Italy
Thursday, September 12-Sunday, September 22, 2024
The Feast of San Gennaro honors Italian Americans in professional baseball this year with its blocks-long street festival dubbed the "Feast of all Feasts!" Enjoy food, entertainment, and vendors along Mulberry Street from Houston to Canal. Food Network star Anne Burrell serves as grand marshal. READ MORE

Movie Nights at Hudson Yards

Midtown West
Fridays September 13, 20, and 27, 2024
Grab your crew and head to the Big Screen in the Public Square & Gardens, where you can kick back in a lounger (or spread out on a blanket you bring from home) and take in a movie outside while the sun sets. READ MORE

The Six Foot Platform

Dumbo, Brooklyn
Saturdays, September 7-October 12, 2024
New York City’s most iconic block becomes home to full-day immersive performances by six Brooklyn-based artists – including Hisayasu Takashio, Fanny Allié, What Will The Neighbors Say?, Akshay Bharadhwaj & Sunanda Vasudevan, and Sarah E. Brook, with an additional artist to be announced.    READ MORE

The Socialization of a Social Worker, or The Fight for Social Justice

Locations in Brooklyn and Manhattan
Weekends through Sunday, September 15, 2024
Theater for the New City opens its 2024 tour with a rip-roaring original musical that tells the story of a humanitarian case worker learning to overcome despair and find strength for today's challenges through people power.    READ MORE

Free Things To Do in NYC from Monday, September 2-Sunday, September 8, 2024

Films on the Green

Multiple Locations
Wednesday, September 4 and Friday, September 6, 2024
Enjoy a French film on a summer night. Films on the Green is a free outdoor French film festival in New York City parks. READ MORE

Paramount+ Movie Nights in Fort Greene Park

Fort Greene, Brooklyn
Thursday, September 5, 2024
Paramount+ Movie Nights in Brooklyn offers nostalgic classics and feel-good fan favorites for all ages. Showtimes are at sunset; bring a blanket and a picnic. READ MORE

BPC Back to School Movie Night: Sing in Rockefeller Park

Battery Park City
Friday, September 6, 2024
Celebrate the return to school at Battery Park City's family community event featuring DJ Suzan Z Anthony. Dance, groove, and sing along to your favorite tunes, followed by a screening of Sing (PG) complete with popcorn and surprises.   READ MORE

Seaport Kids x Back to School Bash

South Street Seaport
Saturday, September 7, 2024
Rescheduled from Saturday, September 7, the Seaport Kids x Back to School Bash promises an exciting day packed with free kids’ activities. Enjoy a dazzling magic show, and get creative with balloon animals and fun kid crafts. Say goodbye to back-to-school blues while discovering engaging classes and activities from local schools in collaboration with Mommy Poppins and Brooklyn Bridge Parents. READ MORE

Shigeru Ban Builds a Better World at the Skyscraper Museum

Battery Park City
Saturday, September 7, 2024
Discover how architect Shigeru Ban uses paper and cardboard to create innovative structures with a reading of the book, Shigeru Ban Builds a Better World, by Isadoro Saturno and Stefano Di Cristofaro. Students learn about different materials used in construction and get the chance to design their own buildings made from paper tubes. READ MORE

BRIC Family Day: Back To School

Downtown Brooklyn
Saturday, September 7, 2024
BRIC House invites families to participate in an afternoon of creativity and excitement for the upcoming school year with a whole bunch of activities. READ MORE

Live & Local Art Pop-Up on Randall's Island

Randall's Island
Saturday, September 7, 2024
Randall's Island presents an immersive art experience in which local artists create art live before your eyes and showcase previously-created pieces. Choose your own journey by watching a live art demonstration, admiring finished pieces, creating your own piece, or all of the above.    READ MORE

Bindlestiff Family Cirkus: Summer Follies

Stapleton Heights, Staten Island
Saturday, September 7, 2024
The Bindlestiff Family Cirkus is taking its show on the road, popping up all over town to present an array of mobile circus acts on portable parade float stages. Its Summer Follies series aims to bring arts to underserved areas and resurrects the magic of yore when the circus coming to town was the main event. READ MORE

Ferragosto 2024

Belmont, the Bronx
Sunday, September 8, 2024
The Belmont section of the Bronx hosts the annual Ferragosto festival in the original Little Italy: Arthur Avenue and East 187th Street. READ MORE

Annual Bus Festival in Brooklyn Bridge Park

Dumbo, Brooklyn
Sunday, September 8, 2024
The New York Transit Museum invites visitors aboard some of its beloved vintage vehicles at this annual fest. Explore buses from the vintage fleet representing more than 80 years of New York City surface transit history.  READ MORE

Fall Harvest Festival at the Joan & Alan Bernikow JCC

Manor Heights, Staten Island
Sunday, September 8, 2024
The Joan & Alan Bernikow JCC hosts a fun fall family fest with inflatables, carnival games, crafts, and more. READ MORE

Open Studios: Fogo Azul in Brooklyn Bridge Park

Dumbo, Brooklyn
Sunday, September 8, 2024
The New York City-based, all-women, trans, and non-binary Brazilian Samba Reggae drum line performs a summer concert series at Brooklyn Bridge Park's Pier 6. READ MORE

Free Things To Do in NYC from Monday, September 9-Sunday, September 15, 2024

Flatiron Jewish New Year Street Fair

Flatiron District
Tuesday, September 10, 2024
The Jewish New Year's Street Festival is a pre-holiday celebration for young families in Lower Manhattan. Come by for a Kosher ice cream truck, music by Noah Solomon Band, inflatables, a beekeeper, and a bubble show to celebrate the new year. READ MORE

Folk Dance Club Kaleidoscope at Belvedere Plaza

Battery Park City
Thursday, September 12, 2024
Folk Dance Club Kaleidoscope performs traditional folk dances from around the world and teaches the audience some of its more popular moves. READ MORE

Cinema LIC at Hunters Point

Long Island City, Queens
Friday, September 13, 2024
Catch a summer film outdoors at Hunters Point South Park and settle under the stars with a gorgeous view. READ MORE

Mid-Autumn Family Moon Festival at MOCA

Chinatown
Saturday, September 14, 2024
Celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节) with mooncakes, magic, and the Jade Rabbit on the moon! Stop by for an afternoon of storytelling, drop-in arts and crafts, mooncake making, and more. READ MORE

Gladiators NYC in Central Park

Upper East Side
Saturday, September 14, 2024
Knights in full armor battle on the grass in Central Park behind The Met. Bring a blanket and a picnic.  READ MORE

End of Summer Block Party in Bay Ridge

Bay Ridge, Brooklyn
Saturday, September 14, 2024
Brooklyn Bridge Parents partners with the 5th Avenue BID in Bay Ridge to host a big end-of-summer block party spanning 13 blocks of car-free 5th Avenue from 68th to 81st Street, complete with bouncy houses, arts and crafts, a bubble show, water play, and much more. READ MORE

City Island Fall Arts & Crafts Fair

City Island, the Bronx
Saturday, September 14-Sunday, September 15, 2024
Featuring fine art, jewelry, photography, wood crafts, candles, soaps, body care, crochet, face painting and more, the City Island Art Fair hosts 50+ vendors and local businesses displaying their work on the sidewalk from Bay Street to Schofield Street in the center of City Island.  READ MORE

Morningside Lights: In Retrospect at Columbia University

Upper West Side
Saturday, September 14-Saturday, September 21, 2024
Morningside Lights returns for its 13th year, illuminating the night in a procession of awe-inspiring handmade lanterns floating through Morningside Park to Columbia's campus. This year's theme, In Retrospect, celebrates how a century of New York art has shaped our image of where and how we live. READ MORE

Back-to-School Party on Car-Free Montague Street

Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn
Sunday, September 15, 2024
Mommy Poppins and Brooklyn Bridge Parents host a back-to-school party during Open Streets on Montague Street between Clinton and Hicks Streets in Brooklyn Heights. Enjoy a bubble show, music with Hopalong Andrew, a dance party, and dozens more activities. READ MORE

Museum of Chinese in America Presents: Portraits of the Moon in Washington Square Park

Greenwich Village
Sunday, September 15, 2024
Portraits of the Moon is a dance project that intricately explores and celebrates the rich symbolism of the moon in Chinese culture, offering a heartfelt tribute to Chinese heritage and immigrant experiences. READ MORE

Walt Whitman's Song Of Myself in Brooklyn Bridge Park

Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn
Sunday, September 15, 2024
Contribute your own barbaric yawp to the 21st-annual marathon of Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself. Organized by the Walt Whitman Initiative and led by Karen Karbiener, this beloved New York institution is back in person—surrounded by spectacular views. READ MORE

Free Things To Do in NYC from Monday, September 16-Sunday, September 22, 2024

Making Moves Dance Festival 2024 at Jamaica Performing Arts Center

Jamaica, Queens
Friday, September 20-Sunday, September 22, 2024
For 15 years, Making Moves Dance Festival, presented by JCAL, has served as a platform to promote new, emerging, and underrepresented dance companies. This year presents an exciting lineup of talented dancers and choreographers. READ MORE

The Architecture of Trees with the Skyscraper Museum

Battery Park City
Saturday, September 21, 2024
Embark on a guided walk in Battery Park City, where kids observe and draw the trees to understand how they are like skyscrapers and learn how trunks and branches support their leaves or needles and how roots create strong foundations. READ MORE

SOLD OUT. Socrates x Noguchi Field Guide: Mycelium in Socrates Sculpture Park

Long Island City, Queens
Saturday, September 21, 2024
Noguchi Educator Sol Aramendi leads a workshop to learn about mold, fungus, and mycelium and how they support life and growth in the natural environment. Participants explore connections in Isamu Noguchi’s work and create drawings and prints with mushrooms. READ MORE

Poseidon Parade

Far Rockaway, Queens
Saturday, September 21, 2024
Family-friendly and art-centered, this annual march celebrates self-expression, community, and the beauty of the Rockaway shore. READ MORE

Family Day: Baila! Canta! Celebra! at Carnegie Hall

Midtown West
Saturday, September 21, 2024
Carnegie Hall’s annual Family Day salutes Nuestros sonidos (Our Sounds), a season-long celebration of Latin culture in the US. With activities offered in both English and Spanish, it’s  an afternoon of live music, dance, and celebration. Stop by for a quick visit or stay for the whole afternoon! READ MORE

NYSoM Superhero Festival 2024 in Evergreen Park

Ridgewood, Queens
Saturday, September 21, 2024
NYSoM Fall Blockbuster presents its sixth annual Superhero Festival. The festival features a superhero carnival inside Evergreen Park, character-themed games for prizes, classic arcade games, and meet-and-greets with superheros. READ MORE

Flatbush Frolic

Flatbush, Brooklyn
Sunday, September 22, 2024
One of NYC's largest street fairs, featuring thousands of visitors and hundreds of vendors, the Flatbush Frolic dizzies up Cortelyou Road with food, games, pony rides, carnival rides, music, and more.  READ MORE

BAM Presents: A Celebration of African Diasporic Dance in Brooklyn Bridge Park

Dumbo, Brooklyn
Sunday, September 22, 2024
Families can celebrate DanceAfrica early at this fun-filled, outdoor workshop led by BAM teaching artist Yasmar Cruz. Discover how African and diasporic dance forms celebrate community, providing a unique window into the history and traditions of its people. READ MORE

Brooklyn Book Festival

Downtown Brooklyn
Sunday, September 22-Monday, September 30, 2024
Dive into some great books at the 2024 Brooklyn Book Festival. Kid-friendly programming abounds during Children's Day on Saturday, September 28. READ MORE

Free Things To Do in NYC from Monday, September 23-Sunday, September 29, 2024

Seaport Cinema at Pier 17

Sout Street Seaport
Monday, September 23 2024
Seaport Cinema screens family-friendly films on the rooftop, featuring themed food, cocktails (for adults), and surprises throughout the season. READ MORE

Downtown Brooklyn Arts Festival

Downtown Brooklyn
Friday, September 27-Saturday, September 28, 2024
The Downtown Brooklyn Arts Festival is an annual celebration of the neighborhood's cultural community and the artists, writers, and performers who inspire the borough’s creative spirit. READ MORE

Divi Roxx Kids World Wide Playdate at Lincoln Center

Upper West Side
Saturday, September 28, 2024
Let loose and connect, with hip-hop and pop singalongs that encourage the audience to engage with one another as Divinity and her band play her new album in full! READ MORE

Little Red Lighthouse Festival

Hudson Heights
Saturday, September 28, 2024
Celebrate Manhattan’s only remaining lighthouse with Urban Park Ranger presentations, readings of The Little Red Lighthouse and The Great Gray Bridge children’s book, live music, and activities for all ages. READ MORE

Storytime with the NYPL at Hudson Yards

Midtown West
Saturday, September 28, 2024
The New York Public Library hosts free monthly immersive storytimes in the Backyard featuring read-aloud books, songs, and rhymes perfect for children ages 0-12. Children can also participate in a community art activity after storytime. READ MORE

Open House and Block Party at BAX

Park Slope, Brooklyn
Saturday, September 28, 2024
BAX kicks off its 2024-25 season by inviting families to sample fall studio classes, meet BAX staff and families, and participate in family fun outside the building. READ MORE

Green Thumb Annual Harvest Fair in El Jardin del Paraiso

Lower East Side
Saturday, September 28, 2024
Green Thumb's annual celebration honors thousands of community gardeners and greening professionals across New York City for their work during the season and gives them the opportunity to show off their harvests. READ MORE

Kimera Festival Halloween on W. 111th Street

Upper West Side
Saturday, September 28, 2024
The International Brazilian Opera Company and the West 111th Block Association host a series of street concerts combined with storytelling events. October's celebration includes a costume parade and tons of Halloween-themed fun.  READ MORE

Free Entrance Days in the National Parks

Citywide
Saturday, September 28, 2024
On select days throughout the year, all national parks are open to the public with no admission fee. Veterans Day marks the last freebie for 2024.  READ MORE

49th Annual Atlantic Antic: Playtopia, Powered by Prospect Schools

Downtown Brooklyn
Sunday, September 29, 2024
The largest street fest in New York City, the Atlantic Antic spans 10 blocks of Brooklyn’s Atlantic Avenue with food and craft vendors, family fun, and amazing performances. This year, Playtopia with Mommy Poppins and Brooklyn Bridge Parents, sponsored by Prospect Schools, is located between Hicks and Henry Streets in Cobble Hill near Brooklyn Bridge Park.  READ MORE

RIPA's Harvest Festival

Randall's Island
Sunday, September 29, 2024
The Randall’s Island Park Alliance hosts a free, family-friendly celebration of fall. Enjoy live musical performances, face painting, arts and crafts, and more. READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

Manhattan West Plaza
Various locations in all five boroughs
Multiple locations in Manhattan and Brooklyn
Seaport Square, South Street Seaport
Various locations
Emily Warren Roebling Plaza
Brooklyn Bridge Park
Miller Theater at Columbia University
Little Red Lighthouse (in Fort Washington Park)
National Parks - Multiple Locations