Summer\u2019s winding down, but NYC isn\u2019t slowing down \u2014 there\u2019s a solid stretch of free (and mostly free) family-friendly pop-ups happening around the city over the next couple of weekends.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m past the point of waiting in line around the city for things I\u2019m only mildly interested in, but I\u2019ll still do it when one of my kids becomes super enthused about something. The longest wait wasn\u2019t even for a pop-up; it was five hours in line for Record Store Day at Rough Trade, back when it was still in Williamsburg. We came away with some pretty awesome finds, though, and still reminisce about it.<\/p>\n
Luckily, most pop-ups don\u2019t take nearly that long. Here are a few worth dragging the kids out for before we officially say goodbye to summer.<\/p>\n
The NYC Pop-Ups Worth Dragging the Kids To Aug. 21\u201323, all day | Free | 131 Greene St., SoHo<\/p>\n For the parents who grew up feeding virtual pets, this one\u2019s for you (and now your kids, too). Neopets is throwing its first-ever pop-up, and it\u2019s packed: a Crayola mural wall, a Switch gaming station, tarot readings, claw machines, a trading post for swapping merch, and an artist meet-and-greet.<\/p>\n The first 500 people through the door each day get an exclusive in-game avatar. Show up in Neopets gear or cosplay, though, and you\u2019ll get one too \u2014 that offer has no daily cap and runs all weekend.<\/p>\n Aug. 21\u201323, 11 am\u20136 pm | 21 Greene St., SoHo<\/p>\n Still knocking out back-to-school shopping? Zappos is making it a little more fun with a multi-day pop-up featuring new styles and personalization stations. There\u2019s a Zappy mascot making appearances, free snacks from Cadootz, and giveaways throughout. Each day brings something different, like free embroidery on Primary gear Friday, L.L.Bean embroidery Saturday, and build-your-own shoe or backpack charms Sunday. And if you spend over $75, you\u2019ll walk out with a free Hydrojug water bottle.<\/p>\n Aug. 28\u201330 | Moxy East Village, 112 E. 11th St.<\/p>\n Aptly timed for NYU\u2019s move-in weekend, Dearfoams is setting up shop in the East Village with cozy dorm essentials. It\u2019s open to any family looking to shop, not just NYU students. There\u2019s a slipper-personalization station with a local artist, plus a spin-to-win game for Fireside swag and free slippers. Free tote bags come with purchase while supplies last. It\u2019s geared toward college families settling in and also worth remembering if (gasp!), you\u2019re thinking ahead to holiday gifts, already.<\/p>\n Through Sept. 3, 9 am\u20139 pm | Free | Broadway between 35th & 36th St.<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t technically a pop-up, but it is temporary and really worth taking a day to experience it before it\u2019s gone. Eight giant illuminated seesaws light up and play music when kids (or adults) hop on. It\u2019s been running since July and sticks around through Labor Day weekend, so there\u2019s still time to swing by. It\u2019s completely free.<\/p>\n Psst\u2026 Check Out 10 Fun Things to Do in NYC Before Summer Ends (That Your Kids Will Remember)<\/a><\/p>\n
\nNeopets in Neo York<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Pop-Ups](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/GettyImages-875613998.jpg\")
Getty Images
\nZappos Back-to-School Pop-Up<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Pop-Ups](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/unnamed1.jpg\")
Getty Images
\nDearfoams Pop-Up for NYU Move-In Weekend<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Free](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Seesaws_34th-Street__2026-07-22_Nick-Karp_006.jpg\")
People using Impulse, an interactive seesaw exhibit, at Herald Square in Midtown Manhattan in NYC.
\nBonus: Impulse at Herald Square<\/a><\/p>\n
![\"Sign](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1768501999_706_newsletter-signup-1.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NYC has several free, family-friendly pop-ups happening before summer officially ends Some of these events are especially good…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":324895,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[71437,9,24,55,54,56,85489,122367,44444,61843],"class_list":["post-324894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york-city","tag-family-activities-nyc","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-new-york-city-headlines","tag-new-york-city-news","tag-ny","tag-nyc-family-events","tag-nyc-pop-ups","tag-things-to-do-in-nyc","tag-things-to-do-with-kids-nyc"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=324894"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/324894\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/324895"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=324894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=324894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=324894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}