Drew Kristofik

Drew Kristofik’s career took a twist from editing teen magazines to a seven-year stint at MacNeil/Lehrer, followed by a long run at Nickelodeon/Viacom as Director of Content for Nick Online and Editor-in-Chief of ParentsConnect.com. A founding member of the Webby Award-winning GoCityKids, she’s written for Family Fun, Vanity Fair, and New York. Her middle school novel, The Time Boat, is available on Amazon Kindle. Drew keeps the MommyPoppins New York Events calendar spot-on and can be reached at events@mommypoppins.com.

Latest posts by Drew

21 Best Spring Festivals and Fairs in NYC this April for Families

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Fri, 03/28/2025 - 10:44am

Celebrate the end of Ramadan with music, dance, food, and family-friendly activities at the Brooklyn Children's Museum. Photo by Winston Williams /courtesy of Brooklyn Children’s Museum!

Spring festivals abound this April as New York City's fair season kicks off with nearly two dozen fun and mostly FREE fairs, festivals, parades, and carnivals. Of course, it helps that April not only brings showers, it also brings plenty of fun holidays to celebrate alongside accompanying spring festivals! Annual Mommy Poppins favorites this April include the Big Umbrella Festival, Car-Free Earth Day, and our own Babytopia!

Read on for our top picks for NYC spring festivals this April and bookmark our Family Activity Calendar and Spring Fun Guide for all our seasonal must-do's.

Free Activities in April 2025: Best Things To Do in NYC

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Mon, 03/24/2025 - 2:21pm

The Big Umbrella Festival welcomes kids, teens, and adults for a dynamic series of programming at Lincoln Center beginning Friday, April 4. Photo courtesy of Lincoln Center

April in New York City showers us with tons of FREE things to do, including Lincoln Center's Big Umbrella Festival, a slew of Earth Day celebrations, and tons of Easter egg hunts!

Families can parade around NYC in Tartan or Easter bonnets, celebrate spring with music at Carnegie Hall, and snatch awesome freebies at our own Babytopia event! And don't miss all the free Kids' Week fun in all five boroughs during the action-packed spring break week.

22 Best Easter Egg Hunts in New York City

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Sun, 03/23/2025 - 10:09am

The Queens County Farm Museum hosts a massive Barnyard Egg Hunt complete with with Whiskers the Bunny photo-ops. Photo courtesy of the museum

An Easter egg hunt is the perfect way to celebrate the season. With Easter Sunday just a hop, skip, and a jump away on Sunday, April 20, 2025, we've got the scoop on treat-filled Easter egg hunts in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and the Bronx.

Most of these Easter egg hunts in NYC are outdoors in local playgrounds and parks, and a few even offer additional spring fun, like Easter Bunny photo-ops. Find more ways to celebrate the season, including Easter Bunny brunches in our Spring Fun Guide for NYC Families.

Best Easter Brunches in NYC with Fun Activities for Kids

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Tue, 03/18/2025 - 11:32am

Dress in your Sunday best for an Easter brunch and Easter Bunny pictures on a City Cruise. Photo courtesy of City Cruises

Easter brunch is a quintessential rite of spring, and we've found a handful of Easter brunches in NYC with the Easter Bunny, kid-friendly menus, and even a few egg hunts spread across the five boroughs. So, get into the springtime spirit by booking your reservations for one of these Easter brunches in NYC, where the fun includes a delicious meal and the chance to snap pictures with the Easter Bunny. Our picks for family-friendly Easter brunches in NYC range from inexpensive affairs to lavish spreads and even a few NYC Easter brunches that include boat rides around the city.

Reservations for these Easter brunches in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island always sell like hotcakes, so get them before they're gone. Find more seasonal fun in our NYC Kids' Guide to Easter Fun, including our top picks for Easter egg hunts in NYC .

STEM Summer Camps in NYC: Robots, Coding, and More Tech Fun

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Mon, 03/03/2025 - 11:52am

From coding and robotics to art and design, Snapology's diverse range of programs caters to every child’s interests. Photo courtesy of Snapology

NYC kids who are itching for the school year to end so they can devote more time to STEM are in luck. We've rounded up the best STEM summer camps in New York City. Most of these STEM summer camps in NYC offer hands-on building, coding, 3D printing, and robotics. We've also found a few that bring art and sports into the summer camp mix.

Read on for our picks for the best STEM summer camps in NYC. You can find more summer camps in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and the Bronx, including our picks for the top summer camps in NYC for tweens and teens, in our NYC Kids Guide to Summer Camp and NYC Camp Directory, where you can search for summer camps in NYC by type, age, and neighborhood.

St. Patrick's Day Parades and More Best Things To Do in NYC March 2025 with Kids

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Fri, 02/28/2025 - 12:05pm

Shake off the winter blues and douse your family in the colors of spring at the Holi Celebration at the South Street Seaport. Photo by Mike Szpot

Whether you're turning green for St. Patrick's Day or taking a deep dive into Women's History Month, March in NYC is paradise for kids. Here are our favorite kid-friendly events and activities in New York City this month.

The St. Patrick's Day Parade on Fifth Avenue puts the "march" into March, the NY International Children's Film Fest takes kids' movies up a notch, and super shows for kids this month include A Year with Frog and Toad and Song of the North! Plus Kids' Night on Broadway takes centerstage next week!

We're also inviting all of you to join us at our FREE CAMPTOPIA event Sunday, March 9, where we'll have tons of fun and summer camp resources.

Free Activities for Kids in March 2025: 46 Things To Do in NYC

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Tue, 02/25/2025 - 2:57pm

Celebrate all things Irish at St. Patrick's Day Parades all across NYC this month. Photo by Jody Mercier

When it comes to free activities this March, NYC kids are in for a treat. We've found 46 completely free things to do in NYC this month, including everything from St. Patrick's Day celebrations to Holi at The Seaport and our own CAMPTOPIA event full of summer camp fun. Plus, kids can learn how to walk like a wizard, paint with mud, and meet some horses and the officers who ride them.

Read on for our picks for the best free family activities in New York City this March, including picks in Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens, and Staten Island.

Best Summer Camps in NYC with Weekly Enrollment

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Mon, 02/24/2025 - 11:36am

Campers go everywhere from Prospect Park to local beaches and ball games with Park Slope Day Camp. Photo courtesy of the camp .

Families who need flexible summer camp plans are in luck: New York City is home to tons of summer day camps offering weekly enrollment. Whether travel plans mean you can't commit to a camp for the whole season or your kids have more than one passion to pursue, these local NYC summer camps with weekly enrollment make it easy to create an enriching summer camp experience no matter your kids' interests or your family's schedule.

Our picks for top summer camps in NYC with weekly enrollment include summer camps in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. We've rounded up 18 summer day camps in NYC below but you can always find more summer camps, including free and cheap summer camps, great sleepaway summer camps in the Northeast, and teen-friendly summer camps by bookmarking our New York City Summer Camp Guide and our Camp Directory, where you can search for summer camps by type, age, and borough.

Drew Kristofik

Latest posts by Drew

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