Mid-winter break week is here! Brooklyn families can check out special Black History Month and Lunar New Year events as well as other fun opportunities across Brooklyn. This week’s highlights include creating Chinese Zodiac Signs at the the Sunset Park Library, Urban Park Rangers Kids Weeks activities at many parks in Brooklyn, story times at Books are Magic in Boerum Hill and Brooklyn Heights, an African Dancing and Folklores Workshop at the Red Hook Library, a teens Valentines karaoke party at the Prospect Heights Library, and Brooklyn Bridge Parents’ Lunar New Year Celebration at City Point.

Our new Events Calendar is here featuring convenient filters by category, location, ages, dates and more to make your Brooklyn social life as fun and meaningful as possible.

Have you checked out CONNECT – where families find what matters? Whether you are looking for a preschool, face painter, speech therapist, writing tutor, camp, meal delivery service, child therapist or piano teacher, CONNECT is the one-stop solution for parents, easy to navigate and curated!

MONDAY
Kids Week: Tree Tunes | Brooklyn Bridge Park 

Monday, February 16th | 12:00pm-1:00pm 

Join the Urban Park Rangers for an exploration of the soundtrack of the natural world. Find or create your own instrument from natural and/or upcycled materials and join us in adding on to NYC’s soundtrack! Bringing your own materials is encouraged. Be sure to check out all of the other fun Kids Week activities that are happening across the borough and city during mid-winter recess.

TUESDAY
Free Kids Ice Skating | Coney Island

Tuesday, February 17th | 8:00am-10:00am

Kids skate for free on Tuesday, February 17th and Wednesday, February 18th at the Abe Stark Skating Rink in Coney Island. Bring your own skates or rent them for free. Only children are allowed on the ice.

Free Music Show with Hopalong Andrew at Whole Foods | Gowanus

Tuesdays | 10:00am

Hopalong Andrew’s weekly shows at Whole Foods are FREE! Make sure to double check in his Instagram the morning of to make sure class has not been cancelled for any reason.

Lunar New Year in Prospect Park | Prospect Park

Tuesday, February 17th | 12:00pm-4:00pm | FREE

Join the Prospect Park Alliance for family-friendly nature activities and a Winter Wilderness Walk exploring how plants and animals thrive in winter.

Kids Create: Chinese Zodiac Charms | Sunset Park

Tuesday, February 17th | 2:00pm-3:00pm

Celebrate the Lunar New Year at the Sunset Park Library by making your own wooden charm of your chinese zodiac animal!

Teen Space at BAM | Fort Greene

February 3, 10, 17, 24 & March 3 | 2:30-5:30pm | Ages 13-18 | RSVP here

Join BAM for a free after-school program—featuring arts experiences curated by teens, for teens—every Tuesday afternoon for five weeks. Grab a slice of pizza, win a raffle, or show off that new piece you’ve been working on!All first-time students must complete an RSVP form prior to joining us. 

Advanced Arts and Crafts | Bay Ridge

Tuesday, February 17th | 3:00pm-4:00pm | Ages 7-12

Come join us for our advanced arts and crafts for kids and tweens, ages 7-12, at the Fort Hamilton Library.

Middle School Makerspace: Candy Core Geology! | Brooklyn Heights

Tuesday, February 17th | 4:00pm-5:30pm

Visit the Brooklyn Heights Library to act like a geologist in this fun activity as you drill “core samples” from candy bars using a straw. Can you identify the type of candy bar just from a sample? Snacks will be provided.

New Mom Meet Up at Fontainhas | DUMBO

Tuesdays | 4:30pm-6:00pm

Bring your baby to Fontainhas for some cozy chai and hangs with other new moms. Hosted every week by the new mom pop-up POST.

WEDNESDAY
Free Kids Ice Skating | Coney Island

Tuesday, February 17th | 8:00am-10:00am

Kids skate for free on Tuesday, February 17th and Wednesday, February 18th at the Abe Stark Skating Rink in Coney Island. Bring your own skates or rent them for free. Only children are allowed on the ice.

Kids Create: Lunar New Year | Park Slope

Wednesday, February 18th | 3:30pm-4:15pm | Ages 6 and up, or 4 and up with help from an adult

Celebrate Lunar New Year with us! Come into the Park Slope Library and create a take-home craft with us!

Lunar New Year Celebration at Atlantic Terminal Mall | Downtown Brooklyn

Wednesday, February 18 | 3:00pm-5:00pm | FREE

Celebrate the Lunar New Year at Atlantic Terminal Mall with traditional Chinese dance, a festive lion dance, and a hands-on calligraphy brush painting workshop led by the New York Chinese Cultural Center.

Free Admission at New York Aquarium | Coney Island

Wednesdays | 3:00pm-6:00pm | Reserve tickets here; free tickets are made available at 3pm the Monday before

Take advantage of free admission hours at the New York Aquarium form 3-6pm on Wednesdays. Note that advance timed tickets are required (max of 4 per group); the Wednesday Afternoon Ticket Store will open on Monday at 3:00 pm for that Wednesday’s reservations.

Afternoon Storytime with Phoebe Wahl at Books Are Magic | Boerum Hill

Wednesday, February 18th | 4:00pm-5:00pm

Stop by Books Are Magic’s Smith Street location for a special afternoon storytime with beloved, award-winning author-illustrator Phoebe Wahl. The event will include a reading and book signing. RSVP is requested but not required.

THURSDAY
Lunar New Year Celebration at Industry City | Sunset Park

Thursday, February 19 | 1:00pm-3:00pm | FREE

The Wan Chi Ming Dragon and Lion Dance Team will welcome the Year of the Horse with high-energy performances, rhythmic drumming and colorful processions. Starting at the Box Tower in Courtyard 3/4, the dancers will make their way through Innovation Alley, blessing businesses and visitors.

Community Access Thursdays at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum | Crown Heights

Thursdays | 2:00pm-5:00pm | Reserving tickets in advance is recommended

Explore some of the museum’s most-loved exhibits, including toddler-favorite Totally Tots, the miniature shops of World Brooklyn, our NEST kids’ climber, and more. Then check out ColorLab, the family art studio located on the 2nd floor of the Museum, where artists of all ages can explore, make, and celebrate art. Plus, say hello to BCM’s live animals at Animal Encounters, which repeats twice, first from 3:00-3:20pm and again from 3:45-4:05 pm. It’s recommended that you reserve your tickets in advance online. Walk-ins always welcome.

Open Hours at Environmental Education Center | Brooklyn Bridge Park

Thursdays | 3:00pm-5:00pm

Visit the Environmental Education Center for Open Hours. Open Hours offer the opportunity for self-led investigation with guidance by expert educators to reveal the hidden stories found within and around Brooklyn Bridge Park. Explore our critter and fish tanks, a 10′ model of the Park, and enjoy custom arts, crafts, and reading materials which rotate on a monthly basis.


Art Lessons with Alicia Degener | Coney Island

Thursday, February 19th | 3:30pm-4:30pm

Children can get creative with art lessons at the Coney Island Library.

Story Time at Fontainhas | DUMBO

Thursdays | 4:30pm-5:30pm

Come to Fontainhas every Thursday at 4:30pm for a free story time and singing! Open to all. Bring your little ones for a fun story, enjoy a glass of chai or wine, and meet other parents!

FRIDAY
Kids Week: Hibernation Staycation | Fort Greene

Friday, February 20th | 11:00am-12:00pm

Animals are going to sleep for the winter— gather around the fire and hear their stories. Where do they go? How do they stay warm? Bring your curiosity and find out with the Urban Park Rangers. Be sure to check out all of the other fun Kids Week activities that are happening across the borough and city during mid-winter recess.

African Dancing & Folktales Workshop | Red Hook

Friday, February 20th | 11:00am-11:45am

Visit the Red Hook Library for a very special story time. Participants become the storytellers in a series of African folktales as our facilitator guides them through an African Dance workshop, accompanied by live percussion music. This event is for toddlers and their caregivers.

Red Hook Pinball Museum | Red Hook

Fridays | 1:00pm-10:00pm

The Red Hook Pinball Museum is open for free play (with donations accepted) every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, from 1-10pm! It’s NYC’s only vintage pinball museum, with games from 1871-1971, and you can play on the first pinball machine ever made!

Library Lab: Constellations | Brooklyn Heights

Friday, February 20th | 3:30pm-4:30pm | Ages 5-12

Stop by the Brooklyn Heights Library to learn all about constellations and do some out-of-this-world crafting!

Teen Valentines Karaoke at Brooklyn Heights Library | Brooklyn Heights

Friday, February 20th | 4:00pm-5:00pm | Teens

Enjoy a fun paint-and-sip activity, sing along to your favorite songs, and relax with friends. Snacks will be provided!

Open Hours at the Environmental Education Center | Brooklyn Bridge Park

Fridays | 3:00-5:00pm

Visit the Environmental Education Center for Open Hours. Open Hours offer the opportunity for self-led investigation with guidance by expert educators to reveal the hidden stories found within and around Brooklyn Bridge Park. Explore our critter and fish tanks, a 10′ model of the Park, and enjoy custom arts, crafts, and reading materials which rotate on a monthly basis.

SATURDAY
Lunar New Year Celebration at City Point | Downtown Brooklyn

Saturday, February 21st | Family fun 1:00pm-3:00pm | Lion dances 1:00pm-4:30pm | RSVP here

Join Brooklyn Bridge Parents and City Point for the annual Lunar New Year celebration, featuring traditional Lion Dance performances by Chow Lay Fut and their dynamic dancers, Lunar Year inspired kids’ crafts, family-friendly fun, and more. This free family-friendly celebration is fun for all ages. Guests are encouraged to wear red to invite good fortune in the year ahead. There will be crafts in the Main Floor gallery space at City Point (across from Joybird).

parkrun | Brooklyn Bridge Park

Saturdays | 9:00am | Sign up here

parkrun is a free, worldwide, weekly event where people of all ages and abilities walk, jog, run, or volunteer in a 5k event on Saturday mornings–in Brooklyn, you can join every week in Brooklyn Bridge Park! Families register onlineand receive a barcode which will record their time. All ages are welcome, and there is a coffee and catch-up after each run!

Free Children’s Events at Dekalb Market Hall | Downtown Brooklyn

Saturdays and Sundays | 11:00am-2:00pm

Every weekend, Dekalb Market Hall (downstairs at City Point) offers balloon animals, face painting, and more! Located in front of Osteria and Showroom Bakehouse.

Storytime with Eliot Schrefer: Lulu and the Others | Brooklyn Heights

Saturday, February 21st | 11:00am-11:30am

Head to Books Are Magic’s Montague Street location to hear a story about family and belonging by wildlife expert and author Eliot Schrefer. RSVP is requested but not required.

 

SUNDAY
Free Children’s Events at Dekalb Market Hall | Downtown Brooklyn

Saturdays and Sundays | 11:00am-2:00pm

Every weekend, Dekalb Market Hall (downstairs at City Point) offers balloon animals, face painting, and more! Located in front of Osteria and Showroom Bakehouse.

Free Kids Concert with Suzi Shelton at Time Out Market | DUMBO

Sunday, February 22nd | 10:00am-11:00am | RSVP here

Macaroni KID Brooklyn NW and Time Out Market NY present a free concert for local kids! Stop by to warm up and boogie with local kindie favorite Suzi Shelton on the 5th floor.

Storytime with Stephen Barr: If This Were the World | Brooklyn Heights

Sunday, February 22nd | 11:00am-12:00pm

Head to Books Are Magic’s Montague Street location to hear Stephen Barr’s new book. RSVP is requested but not required.

Black History Month: Brooklyn and the Abolitionist Movement | Brooklyn Bridge Park

Sunday, February 22nd | 1:00pm-2:30pm

Join the Urban Park Rangers on a walk discussing Brooklyn’s significant history to the abolitionist movement in the United States.

Sunday Storytime: The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats | Industry City | Sunset Park 

Sunday, February 22nd  | 1:00pm-1:30pm 

Stop by for a winter story time featuring the reading of The Snowy Day by Jack Ezra Keats at POWERHOUSE @ IC.

Red Hook Pinball Museum | Red Hook

Sundays | 1:00pm-10:00pm

The Red Hook Pinball Museum is open for free play (with donations accepted) every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, from 1-10pm! It’s NYC’s only vintage pinball museum, with games from 1871-1971, and you can play on the first pinball machine ever made!

Do you want all local parenting news in your inbox? Sign-up for our weekly newsletter now!

Updated: February 15, 2026. Main Image: Lunar New Year Celebration at City Point