Fall Festivals for Kids in New York City in 2026
Metropolitan Opera Summer HD Fest at Lincoln Center
Upper West Side – FREE
Wednesday, September 2-Monday, September 7, 2026
The Met’s 17th Summer HD Festival features 10 thrilling performances from the Met’s Live in HD series. Approximately 2,500 seats are set up in front of the opera house each night, and additional standing room is available in designated areas around Lincoln Center Plaza. Website
NYC Unicycle Festival
Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens – FREE
Thursday, September 3-Sunday, September 6, 2026
The Bindlestiff Family Cirkus rolls out its annual NYC Unicycle Festival across New York City, bringing together recreational riders, world-class performers, mountain and off-road unicycle enthusiasts, and mono-wheel vehicle inventors. Website
Back to School Wellness Dance Festival in East Harlem
East Harlem – FREE
Saturday, September 5, 2026
KR3TS Dance Company hosts a family-friendly festival with a great lineup of free activities, services, and performances designed to energize and support the community. Website
Richmond County Fair
Richmond, Staten Island
Saturday, September 5-Monday, September 7, 2026
An old-fashioned county fair in New York City, the 43-year-old Staten Island tradition features family fun and entertainment for all ages, including circus performers, crafts and rides for the kids, live music, a butterfly vivarium, pony rides, plenty of eats, and contests. Website
West Side County Fair
Upper West Side
Sunday, September 6, 2026
Summer on the Hudson's biggest event of the season—the West Side County Fair—brings with it a full afternoon of county fair magic in Manhattan. Enjoy a full day of county fair magic with live bands, sideshow performers, carnival amusements, local vendors, and cotton candy. Website
Taste of Times Square
Midtown West
Wednesday, September 9, 2026
This year’s Taste of Times Square features more than 30 participating restaurants, ranging from Mexican to Caribbean, Argentinian, Italian, Indian, American, and beyond. Website
Best of BAMkids Film Festival for Preschoolers
Downtown Brooklyn
Saturday, September 12, 2026
Enjoy a delightful selection of the top films from this year’s BAMkids Film Festival, curated for audiences ages 3-5 years old. Website
Morningside Lights at Columbia University
Upper West Side – FREE
Prep: Saturday, September 12-Friday, September 18, 2026
Parade: Saturday, September 19, 2026
Morningside Lights returns for its 15th year, illuminating the night in a procession of awe-inspiring handmade lanterns floating through Morningside Park to Columbia's campus. Website
Astoria Alive Street Fair
Astoria, Queens
Sunday, September 13, 2026
The annual Astoria Alive Street Fair runs along 31st Street between Ditmars Boulevard and 21st Avenue, with fun food, great shopping, and exciting kiddie rides. Website
Uptown Kid Lit in Inwood Hill Park
Inwood – FREE
Sunday, September 13, 2026
Uptown Kid Lit—Word Up’s book festival for kids—showcases the fun and possibilities of books, reading, writing, and art, for kids of all ages and backgrounds, and their adults. Free books and school supplies are provided for all who register in advance! Website
Ferragosto 2026 in the Bronx
Belmont, the Bronx
Sunday, September 13, 2026
The Belmont section of the Bronx hosts the annual Ferragosto festival in the original Little Italy: Arthur Avenue and East 187th Street. Website
Illumination NYC: Light Art Festival at Wagner Park
Battery Park City
Thursday, September 17-Saturday, September 19, 2026
Illumination NYC shines with immersive installations, projection mapping, performances, food, drinks, and community celebration—all free and open to the public. Website
Annual Feast of San Gennaro in Little Italy
Little Italy
Thursday, September 17-Sunday, September 27, 2026
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. Website
National Dance Day Festival in Fort Tryon Park
Washington Heights – FREE
Saturday, September 19, 2026
Celebrate National Dance Day with an immersive, multi-disciplinary arts experience in Fort Tryon Park! Walk the Broadway path and encounter Uptown Dance Collective’s (UDC) Alterations and Repairs: Nature and Us, with dance, music, and spoken word all woven into the landscape of the parkland. Website
Annual Bus Festival in Brooklyn Bridge Park
Dumbo, Brooklyn – FREE
Saturday, September 19, 2026
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. Website
Return of the Buffalo: Tatanka Owe Akupi
Downtown Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan – FREE
Saturday, September 19-Sunday, September 20, 2026
Fifty life-sized buffalo puppets storm the streets of downtown Brooklyn and lower Manhattan in a performance collaboration between St. Ann's Warehouse and The Walk Productions. Website
Brooklyn Book Festival
Prospect Heights – FREE
Sunday, September 20-Sunday, September 27, 2026
Dive into some great books at the 2026 Brooklyn Book Festival. Kid-friendly programming abounds during Children's Day on Saturday, September 26. Website
Park Fair in Forest Park
Forest Park, Queens
Saturday, September 26, 2026
The Richmond Hill Block Association hosts its 51st annual Park Fair in Forest Park. Enjoy a day full of rides, food, and more. Website
Poseidon Parade
Rockaway Beach, Queens – FREE
Saturday, September 26, 2026
Family-friendly and art-centered, this annual march celebrates self-expression, community, and the beauty of the Rockaway shore. Website
Mid-Autumn Family Moon Festival at MOCA
Chinatown
Saturday, September 26, 2026
Celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节) with mooncakes, lanterns, crafts, shadow puppets, and more. Website
Kid Fest @ Atlantic Antic
Boerum Hill, Brooklyn – FREE
Sunday, September 27, 2026
NYC's largest street fest, the Atlantic Antic, fills Brooklyn’s Atlantic Avenue with food and craft vendors, family fun, and amazing performances. Expect an block-long interactive kids zone full of fun activities. Website
Flatbush Frolic
Flatbush, Brooklyn
Sunday, September 27, 2026
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. Website
Little Red Lighthouse Festival
Washington Heights – FREE
Saturday, October 3, 2026
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. Website
Queens Agricultural Fair at the Queens County Farm Museum
Floral Park, Queens
Saturday, October 3-Sunday, October 4, 2026
Get a little bit country at the Queens Agricultural Fair! Enjoy pie-eating and corn-husking contests, hayrides, carnival rides, and midway games. Visit the main stage and family entertainment tents featuring live music and theatrical performances, check out local craft and food vendors, and more. Website
The Blessing of the Earth at St. John the Divine
Morningside Heights – FREE
Sunday, October 4, 2026
To celebrate the 800th anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi’s passing, the cathedral is reimagining the popular tradition and presents the breathtaking Gaia installation. While the formal procession of animals will no longer be part of the ceremony, all pets and their human companions are welcome inside the cathedral, and the afternoon fair and pet blessings are held rain or shine, outside on the cathedral grounds. Website
Harvest Festival on Randall's Island
Randall's Island – FREE
Sunday, October 4, 2026
Celebrate the end of the growing season with a family-friendly day of outdoor fun. Explore the pumpkin patch, watch seasonal cooking demonstrations, enjoy live performances, get creative with face painting, and discover nature through hands-on activities with local partners. Website
Celebración Latina: Family Day Block Party at Ballet Hispanico
Upper West Side – FREE
Sunday, October 4, 2026
Ballet Hispánico's Celebración Latina: Family Day Block Party transforms the block into a joyful, music-filled playground of dance, sabor, and community. Enjoy two outdoor stages, free performances and dance classes, surprise giveaways, special offers, food trucks, live music, family-friendly art activities, and appearances from cultural partners. Website
New York Comic Con
Midtown West
Thursday, October 8-Sunday, October 11, 2026
Cosplay, anime, story-telling, and more are on the agenda for NYC's annual comic convention. Kids' day—geared toward ages 6-12—is Sunday, October 11. Website
Festa D'Italia & Motori D’Italia at Casa Belvedere
Silver Lake, Staten Island
Saturday, October 10-Sunday, October 11, 2026
Celebrate Italian culture at Staten Island's Casa Belvedere with live entertainment, homemade Italian delicacies, games, rides, crafts, all-you-can-eat contests, and a display of exotic cars and motorcycles. Website
Open House New York
Citywide – FREE
Friday, October 16-Sunday, October 18, 2026
Open House New York is an annual festival that unlocks 300 destinations across the five boroughs for behind-the-scenes tours and special activities. Look at new buildings transforming the skyline, step inside infrastructure facilities keeping the city running, explore parks offering respite, discover state-of-the-art performance spaces, visit manufacturing workshops, browse private collections, and much more. Website
Old Home Day at Historic Richmond Town
Richmond, Staten Island
Saturday, October 17, 2026
Head to Historic Richmond Town for the annual Old Home Day. Visitors can witness historic trade demonstrations like blacksmithing, tinsmithing, carpentry, cabinet-making, and more. Enjoy music, food, crafts, and sweet treats. Website
Brooklyn Bridge Park's Harvest Festival
Brooklyn Heights, Brooklyn – FREE
Saturday, October 17, 2026
Celebrate the fall season at the 15th annual harvest festival in Brooklyn Bridge Park. This family-friendly celebration offers live music, arts and crafts, storytelling, lawn games, face-painting, educational activities and more. Website
College Point Street Fair
College Point, Queens – FREE
Sunday, October 18, 2026
College Point boasts the only NYC street fair that offers free rides, including a bouncy house. Enjoy games, fair food, and more. Website
Carl Schurz Park's Annual Harvest Festival
Upper East Side – FREE
Sunday, October 18, 2026
Carl Schurz Park's annual harvest fest packs a punch with plenty of festive fall activities for the whole family. Visit the pumpkin patch on the Mayor's Lawn at East End Avenue and East 88th Street to pick your own pumpkin and decorate it. Website
La Mama Block Party
Lower East Side– FREE
Sunday, October 18, 2026
Celebrate La MaMa’s 65th birthday with a full day of performances, workshops, dancing, local food, family fun activities, and more on Ellen Stewart Way (East 4th Street). Website
Diwali at Times Square
Midtown West – FREE
Saturday, October 24, 2026
Billed as "the largest Indian Festival outside India," Diwali at Times Square features cultural performances, folk dances, concerts, Indian food, Indian clothing and jewels, Henna/Mehandi artists, balloon figures, and face painting plus free gifts and raffle drawings. Website
Court Street Spectacular Street Fest
Sunday, October 25, 2026
11:00 am - 6:00 pm ET
Court Street, Between Atlantic Ave and Joralemon Street, Brooklyn
Brooklyn's last big street festival of the year features shopping, food, and lots of kid-friendly amusement rides.
Open House at Lincoln Center
Upper West Side – FREE
Sunday, October 25, 2026
Lincoln Center’s Open House, an annual campus-wide extravaganza, is filled with creativity, community, and exhilarating performances for families and audiences of all ages—all for free. Website
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