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<\/p>\nThe US Open returns to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens from August 23 through September 13, 2026 \u2014 22 days of tennis, the longest edition in the tournament\u2019s history. For Brooklyn families the headline is simple: eight of those days have free grounds admission, and the biggest free family day of the year has moved to opening day.<\/p>\n
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Key dates<\/p>\n
Sunday, August 23 | Fan Week opens, and Arthur Ashe Kids\u2019 Day kicks off the tournament for the first time.<\/p>\n
Sunday, August 23 \u2013 Saturday, August 29 | Fan Week: seven days of free grounds admission, with the Qualifying Tournament on the courts.<\/p>\n
Tuesday, August 25 | Roger Federer returns to Arthur Ashe Stadium for a one-night exhibition (ticketed).<\/p>\n
Sunday, August 30 | The main draw begins.<\/p>\n
Thursday, September 10 | \u201cOpen for All Day\u201d \u2014 a second day of free grounds admission, the eighth of the tournament.<\/p>\n
Saturday, September 12 and Sunday, September 13 | The women\u2019s and men\u2019s singles finals.<\/p>\n
See the full tournament schedule here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Fan Week is free \u2014 and it is the family week<\/p>\n Fan Week runs Sunday, August 23 through Saturday, August 29, and grounds admission is free. Adults need to register for a US Open Fan Access Pass<\/a> \u2014 new this year, it is required for everyone 18 and over, it is free, and it lives in the US Open app so you can add it to your phone\u2019s wallet. Under-18s do not need one.<\/p>\n A pass is not a reservation: entry stops when the grounds hit capacity, and the free stadium events are first come, first served. Go early. The full Fan Week lineup, including the ticketed premium events, is on the US Open site<\/a>.<\/p>\n Arthur Ashe Kids\u2019 Day, Sunday, August 23<\/p>\n Sunday, August 23 | 9:30am\u20136pm | USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Flushing Meadows | Free, with a Fan Access Pass for adults | Built for kids of every age<\/p>\n Kids\u2019 Day has always been the friendliest day at the Open, and in 2026 it opens the tournament rather than closing out the week before it. The Savannah Bananas take over Arthur Ashe Stadium from 11am to 12:30pm for the stadium show, mixing Banana Ball with on-court games alongside US Open players, and stick around for a meet-and-greet from 1 to 3pm.<\/p>\n The Fountain Plaza Stage runs 10am to 6pm with a concert block from 1 to 3:30pm. From 1:30 to 5pm, eight field courts open up for Net Generation lessons, drills and challenges, and the rest of the grounds fill with face painting, balloon artists, airbrush tattoos, hair braiding and storytelling. Top players practise in the main stadiums from 9:30am to 6pm. Kids\u2019 meals are $10. Full details here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Kid-friendly events in Brooklyn<\/p>\n The US Open Ice Cream Truck | Williamsburg<\/p>\n Date & Time: Wednesday, August 19th | 1:00 PM \u2013 6:00 PM Tickets for the main draw<\/p>\n The main draw runs August 30 to September 13, and prices vary widely by day, session and stadium \u2014 night sessions cost more, and the marquee matches are in Arthur Ashe Stadium. Children two and older need their own ticket. Buy through the official US Open ticket site<\/a>; resale markups on other platforms are steep.<\/p>\n If the ticket prices make your eyes water, remember that Thursday, September 10 is Open for All Day<\/a> \u2014 free grounds admission during the main draw.<\/p>\n Do children need their own ticket? The tournament does not answer this clearly anywhere on its public pages, which catches families out every year. Long-standing practice at the Open is that everyone aged two and over needs a full-price ticket, and children under two get in without one but are not entitled to a seat \u2014 but that is not stated on an official 2026 page, so confirm it against the tournament\u2019s A-Z guide<\/a> or with the box office before you buy for a toddler.<\/p>\n Getting there from Brooklyn<\/p>\n It is Queens, but it is an easy trip. The 7 train runs straight to Mets\u2013Willets Point, at the gates. From most of Brooklyn the simplest routes are the G to Court Square and across to the 7, or any Manhattan-bound line to Times Square\u201342 St or Grand Central\u201342 St and the 7 from there. The LIRR also runs to Mets\u2013Willets Point on match days. The US Open\u2019s own travel guide<\/a> has the full rundown, including ferry and driving options.<\/p>\n Where to watch in Brooklyn<\/p>\n Most Brooklyn bars have not posted their tournament plans yet. One has, and it happens to be an easy one with kids in tow.<\/p>\n The Dram Shop<\/p>\n Sunday, August 30 \u2013 Sunday, September 13 | 339 9th Street, Park Slope | Free to watch, food and drink prices apply | Kids Eat Free on Saturday afternoons<\/p>\n The Dram Shop has the whole tournament on its published calendar, round by round, across eight TVs and a big-screen projector. Sound is saved for the matches that earn it: the women\u2019s singles final at 4pm on Saturday, September 12 gets it, and the men\u2019s final goes on at 2pm on Sunday, September 13 \u2014 opposite the NFL\u2019s opening Sunday, so arrive early if tennis is what you came for. Screens are allocated first come, first served. See the full calendar here<\/a>.<\/p>\n One thing to check before you go<\/p>\n The Premier League season opens Friday, August 21, two days before Fan Week and nine days before the main draw \u2014 and several of Brooklyn\u2019s usual sports bars have already committed their big screens to football on exactly the weekends you would want tennis. Black Forest Brooklyn<\/a>, the German beer hall with locations at 733 Fulton Street in Fort Greene and 181 Smith Street in Boerum Hill, has published featured matches with live commentary for August 21, 22, 23, 28, 29, 30 and 31 and September 4, 5 and 6, several of them on the big screen. Doors open at 10am on Saturdays and Sundays. It is a genuinely family-friendly room with brunch and a backyard, but the sound that weekend belongs to football. If you are heading anywhere other than a venue that has posted tournament plans, call first and ask two questions: will the tennis be on, and will it have sound.<\/p>\n Just over the bridge: the Seaport Racquet Club<\/p>\n No Brooklyn venue has announced a free outdoor screening this year, but there is one a subway stop away. For three weeks the South Street Seaport turns itself into a tennis village, and the best of it is free, outdoors and easy to reach from Brooklyn Heights or DUMBO.<\/p>\n Seaport Racquet Club<\/p>\n Monday, August 24 \u2013 Sunday, September 13 | across the Seaport, Lower Manhattan | free to walk in | all ages, though some of the venues inside it are not<\/p>\n A full-size tennis court goes up on Seaport Square with stadium seating around it, and the public can actually play on it \u2014 free court time runs alongside the daily programming. Bring a racquet. The Seaport\u2019s own page<\/a> says the full schedule lands later this month, so look again before you go: player appearances are promised, including Naomi Osaka at an on-court wellness event and a Coco Gauff documentary screening, but none of them has a published date yet.<\/p>\n Watch parties at Sadie\u2019s Garden Bar<\/p>\n Saturday, August 29 and Sunday, August 30 | 10:30am\u20136:30pm | 19 Fulton Street | free to watch | daytime and outdoors, the easiest window with kids<\/p>\n Sadie\u2019s puts every match on an 18-foot outdoor LED screen for the length of the tournament. Those two days are the World of Hyatt takeover, and per Time Out<\/a> they run in daylight and finish by dinner, with a DJ on the Sunday \u2014 which makes them the family-plausible slot in a place that is otherwise a garden bar.<\/p>\n Seaport Cinema: King Richard<\/p>\n Tuesday, September 1 | at sundown | Heineken Riverdeck, Pier 17, 89 South Street | free with RSVP | PG-13, and a late start for little ones<\/p>\n The Seaport\u2019s summer film series gives its September slot to the Williams sisters\u2019 origin story, outdoors on the pier. RSVP here<\/a> \u2014 it is free, but it does not hold you a seat, and seating is first come, first served. Come early for the waterfront view.<\/p>\n Getting there is the easy part: the A or C from High Street is one stop to Fulton Street, or you can walk over the Brooklyn Bridge and turn right.<\/p>\n Kids\u2019 tennis lessons in Brooklyn<\/p>\n Watching the Open tends to produce a child who wants a racket. Registration for the autumn season is open, all details in our Tennis guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n Playing on your own courts<\/p>\n If your child would rather just hit, a New York City Parks tennis permit costs $10 for the full season for anyone under 18, against $100 for an adult, and covers every public court in the city through the Sunday before Thanksgiving. Single-play tickets are $15. The Brooklyn permit office is at Litchfield Villa, 95 Prospect Park West, open weekdays 9am\u20134pm. Permit details here<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/rs10581_pp_tennis_center_337-lpr-1024x855-1-e1741884444682.jpg\")
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\nLocation: McCarren Park
\nDetails: The first-ever US Open ice cream truck is visiting public park tennis courts across all five boroughs from August 17th to 21st. During its Brooklyn stop at McCarren Park, it will be serving free chocolate and vanilla soft-serve, ice pops, and other surprises.<\/p>\n