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

18 Best Things To Do in NYC January 2025 with Kids

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Fri, 12/27/2024 - 8:58am

Museo del Barrio's The Three Kings Day Parade takes over the streets of East Harlem Photo by Mommy Poppins

From New Year's Day to MLK weekend, January can be a great time for indoor and outdoor activities. Don't miss our favorite kid-friendly events and activities in New York City this month.

Our January forecast of fun lights up the winter gloom. Start the new year by watching Coney Island Polar Bear Club members plunge into the freezing Atlantic, catch up with the Three Kings as they hand out gifts on the Lower East Side, and honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at BAM's always-moving tribute. You can close down the first month of 2025 with FIAF's brilliant annual Animation First Film Fest and the Lunar New Year Firecracker Festival in Chinatown.

We’re adding more events to our Family Activity Calendar every day, so don’t forget to check it frequently.

New Year's Eve Weekend 2024 in NYC: Drone Show, Noon Year's Eve, and More Things To Do

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Fri, 12/27/2024 - 8:43am

The big ball drop in Times Square is an unforgettable New Year's Eve sight, if you can handle the crowds! Photo by Michael Hull

Looking for the best things to do in New York City this New Year's Eve weekend? Here are some family-friendly events and activities to add to your list for this New Year's holiday weekend.

It's time to ring in 2025, and you don't have to stay up until midnight on Tuesday to get in on the fun. Count down to the New Year with Grammy-nominated music artist Fyütch at the NYPL, celebrate Kwanzaa at the Brooklyn Children's Museum, take a first day hike to start the year on the right foot, or watch the Coney Island Polar Bear Club members take their annual frigid dip in the Atlantic.

New Year's Eve Fireworks, Ball Drops, and Celebrations for Kids in NYC

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Sun, 12/22/2024 - 7:42pm

The ball drops at noon at CMOM! Photo courtesy of the museum

Discover family-friendly events, fireworks, early countdowns, and fun ways to celebrate New Year’s Eve 2025–2026 in New York City with kids of all ages.

New Year's Eve is just around the corner, and there are lots of ways to ring in 2026 in New York City with kids, even if staying up late is NOT on your family's agenda. We've rounded up the city's best family-friendly New Year's Eve celebrations, including Times Square's legendary ball drop. Our family-friendly picks include a drone show over Prospect Park and a special Big Apple Circus performance. However you welcome the new year, we hope it's a blast.

You can find even more seasonal fun in our Holiday Guide for NYC Families, and be sure to check out our post on 38 fun things to do over Christmas vacation.

Christmas Weekend 2025 in NYC Top Things To Do: Caroling, Kwanza and More

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Fri, 12/20/2024 - 9:55am

Skate beneath the historic Brooklyn Bridge while taking in the iconic views of the Manhattan skyline at Roebling Rink. Photo courtesy of venue

Looking for the best things to do in New York City this Christmas weekend? Here are some family-friendly events and activities to add to your list for this weekend.

You may still have gifts to wrap (or—gulp—shop for) and stockings to hang, but there's festive fun to be had all weekend and beyond. Our annual Christmas favorites include singing carols under the Washington Square Arch, catching a holiday show, and checking out the Dyker Lights.

Plus, families can celebrate Kwanzaa at the Brooklyn Children's Museum, giggle along to the holiday marionette mashup that is A Christmas Carol, Oy! Hanukkah, Merry Kwanza at Theater for the New City, and catch the Nefesh Mountain family concert at the Jewish Museum.

No matter how you celebrate, Happy Holidays from the Mommy Poppins team!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show Soars in NYC

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Tue, 12/10/2024 - 9:59am

Eric Carle's colorful animals come to life on stage,

It’s never easy to successfully adapt a popular book for stage or film (the expectations!), nor to keep a theater full of toddlers and preschoolers engaged and seated for an hour. Yet, the latest stage adaptation of Eric Carle’s beloved The Very Hungry Caterpillar, playing in NYC this winter, does all that and more.

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Show, now at the Duke through Sunday, January 5, 2025, retells four iconic Carle tales with 75 handcrafted large-scale puppets, three actors who double as puppeteers and narrators and subtle but lyrical music that readies the audience for the animal magic about to appear on stage. It’s earnest, colorful, artsy and will hold your kid in awe for 60+ solid minutes.

Best Christmas Tree Lightings in NYC with Fun Activities for Kids, Plus Menorah Lightings, Too

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Tue, 11/26/2024 - 12:32pm

Celebrate the start of the holiday season at Calypso, Carols, and Cocoa: The Dumbo Holiday Lighting. Photo by Hassan Mokaddam

Good news for the crowd-averse: You don't have to brave the commotion of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting to witness a fabulous Christmas tree lighting in New York City. We've rounded up a collection of local NYC Christmas tree lightings that are much less crowded and every bit as lovely, from Brooklyn and Queens to the Bronx and everywhere in between, including the biggest living tree, a tree made of traffic cones, and a ceremony with fireworks!

This year, Hanukkah begins on Wednesday, December 25, and upcoming menorah lightings include the two biggies, in Brooklyn and Manhattan.

We've got more fun things to do this holiday season in our NYC Kids' Guide to the Christmas and the Holidays, including our list of 12 must-do holiday activities and our favorite holiday lights displays across the five boroughs.

Christmas Tree Farms Near DC

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Tue, 11/19/2024 - 11:13am

Find the perfect tree for your family at Snickers Gap Tree Farm. Photo courtesy of the farm

Want to fill your home with the smell of fresh pine, balsam, fir, or spruce this holiday season? Head to one of several festive Christmas tree farms near DC, where you can cut your own Christmas tree for a truly authentic holiday experience and photo opportunity.

If you're not up to the challenge of chopping down a tree, no worries—many of the Christmas tree farms on our list also offer fresh-cut trees ready to be wrapped up and wrangled into your living room. So, you'll get the experience of visiting a Christmas tree farm without all the extra work.

Most of these Christmas tree farms in Maryland and Northern Virginia open the day after Thanksgiving and close when they run out of trees, so be sure to call or check the website before you go. And if you're looking for more holiday fun, see our Christmas Activities and Holiday Guide for DC Kids, which includes our ultimate list of must-do Christmas events and holiday activities in DC. Here's to making holiday memories with your family!

Big Top Comes to the Big Apple: Big Apple Circus and More High-Flying Shows in NYC

Submitted by Drew Kristofik on Mon, 11/11/2024 - 10:38am

The Big Apple Circus has pitched its big top in Damrosch Park for a fun-filled show that's an ode to its hometown. Photo by Jody Mercier

It's easy to run away to the circus in NYC—we have so many big tops passing through town each year that you can snag a seat in the stands in any season. A trip to the circus is an exercise in joy and a great introduction to live performances for little kids. High-flying acrobats and glittering costumes are great attention grabbers!

The beloved Big Apple Circus holds its annual holiday season run, dazzling audiences at Lincoln Center with acrobats, trained poodles, magic, and more. Circus newcomer Flip Circus makes multiple stops for audiences in Forest Park and McCarren Park, while the Grand Shanghai Circus brings a taste of China to St. George on Staten Island. Come spring, Cirque du Soleil's Luzia lights up Randall's Island, and the New Victory Theater has a pair of circus troupes on its docket this season, too.

Read on for all the touring circus acts you can catch in NYC, and book your tickets for your favorite big top now to ensure you don't miss out on the action.

Drew Kristofik

Latest posts by Drew

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