Looking something fun to do in Brooklyn with your family as the summer winds down and the back-to-school season kicks off? Here are a few ways to fill your long weekend and celebrate Labor Day. You can also check Mommybites’ Events Board, which posts events all around NYC each week.
Labor Day Parade and Carnival
All weekend
The West Indian American Day Carnival has several different parades, fests and events happening throughout the weekend. The carnival celebrates Caribbean culture, arts, history and traditions. There’s a youth fest on Friday and a Junior Carnival parade on Saturday. For more information check out the festival’s website here.
Coney Island Friday Night Fireworks
Friday, August 21
Head to Coney Island to celebrate your long weekend by seeing the last fireworks display of the summer. For the best view, set up anywhere in the Amusement District down to the beach and boardwalk. While you’re there you can also check out the Coney Island Museum, which has $3 admission for kids under 12.
Visit a pool
All weekend
Soak up the end of the pool season by visiting one of Brooklyn’s many public pools. You can find a list of free pools in Brooklyn on the NYC Parks website here. If you’re going to a public pool, make sure everyone is wearing a swimsuit with a lining and bring a lock for your belongings. It’s also recommended to keep children in the shallow end of the pool rather than using floaties before they can swim.
Family Concert at Brooklyn Bowl
Sunday, Sept. 2
The Rock and Roll Playhouse is hosting the Old Skool Hip Hop For Kids Dance Party at the Brooklyn Bowl. Admission is just $12 and you can get a bowling lane for half the normal price (which is $25) with a Sunday night special, too. You can bowl and listen to the live show while you’re there, or choose not to bowl and just watch. Ticket information here.
Prospect Park Zoo
All weekend
Check out the Prospect Park Zoo for a fun end-of-summer family outing. It has 25 animals throughout its exhibits. There are also sea lion training sessions that you can watch three times a day, at 11:30 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. And if watching a sea lion and its trainer makes everyone want to interact with some animals themselves, there’s a small petting zoo with pigs, a sheep and an alpaca, where you can feed the animals a handful of grain.
Marilyn Icsman is a student at Ohio University and a current Mommybites intern. She previously interned at USA Today and also covers politics in her home state of Ohio.
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