Celebrate Fall with a Festival this Weekend!

With various festivals happening around the New York area, autumn celebrations have kicked into high gear.

• Leaves Are Falling: Fall Sing-Along: While not a festival, this family-friendly program will light up any small child’s face. Stop by the Children’s Center at 42^nd Street on Saturday, October 8^th, 2016 for a chance to join Mr. Patrick, his guitar and his puppet friends in an interactive family concert to celebrate the autumn season. Children ages newborn to seven-years-old will enjoy this opportunity to sing, clap, and dance with falling leaves and a scarecrow that loves to sneeze.
• Annual Pumpkin Festival: The Greenbelt Conservancy in Staten Island holds its’ annual pumpkin festival on Saturday, October 8^th, 2016. Children can pose for a photo in the pumpkin patch or take a ride on the carousel. The festival offers additional entertainment such as face-painting, nature-inspired craft booths, and younger children can enjoy a puppet show put on by Central Park’s Swedish Marionette Theatre.
• Children’s Harvest Festival: On Sunday, October 9^th, 2016, stop by the Jefferson Market Garden in Greenwich Village for a chance to decorate their own kid-sized pumpkins and participate in a variety of arts and crafts activities. Additional entertainment will be provided.
• The Annual Narrows Botanical Harvest Festival: The Fall Harvest Festival in Bay Ridge is celebrating its’ 21^st anniversary on Sunday, October 9^th, 2016. There will be a multitude of local crafters and artisans, the Sean Casey Animal Rescue Mobile Adoption Unit will be on-site, and a canine costume contest for the neighborhood pets.
• Pumpkintown USA: Located in East Hampton, CT, Pumpkintown USA is open through Halloween. Over 70 pumpkinhead people and animals enjoy life in their old-fashioned village. Children can take a mile-long hay ride through the forest, get their faces painted, or stop by the Halloween Harvest Shop to purchase local handcrafted candles and pumpkin butter spreads. Due to its’ growth and popularity as a non-scary Fall destination, Pumpkintown USA has been named one of the top 5 Best Pumpkin Festivals in New England by Yankee Magazine.
• Scarecrow Weekend: It’s scarecrow weekend at the New York Botanical Gardens. The first, “Scarecrows: From Heartland to Horror” is held from now until the end of October. Sculptor and artist Ray Villafane created an original exhibit that explores the history and evolution of the scarecrow, including covering its’ role as a cultural icon in films and comic books. For parents with younger children, stop by the Ruth Rea Howell Family Garden for a chance to make their own scarecrow.