Thomas Jefferson Park

The Daily Plant : Friday, April 29, 2016

This Weekend In Parks

Malcolm Pinckney

Saturday, April 30, 2016

9th Annual Street Games

Thomas Jefferson Park, Manhattan

11:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.

Street Games re-introduces classic, low-tech games played in the city in the 60s and 70s to a new generation of kids. The event is FREE and open to all ages and abilities, rain or shine.

Street Games is also more than just games! Local radio stations will be spinning music all day and there will be live music and entertainment, including several performances by the Dance Theater of Harlem. Join us for performances by street game professionals, like a yo-yo master and hip-hop break-dancers.

Queens Greenhouse Open House

Queens Greenhouse & Nursery in Forest Park, Queens

9:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.

More than 150,000 plants are grown in the Queens Greenhouse each year, and April 30 is the only day this year where you can see where these plants, seed, and flowers come from. Tour the Queens Greenhouse and learn about the diverse array of plants used in City parks.

Gardeners will provide visitors with information on the different species, how to care for them, and where to go to see them throughout the borough. They will also talk about the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) strategies the greenhouse employs to minimize and treat pest problems. No reservations are needed; however, our staff may limit the number of visitors allowed in each house at one time.

Sakura Matsuri 2016 - Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Cherry Blossom Festival

Brooklyn Botanic Garden @ 1000 Washington Avenue, Brooklyn

10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.

This event repeats every day between 4/30/2016 and 5/1/2016.

This year marks the 35th anniversary of Sakura Matsuri, Brooklyn Botanic Garden’s annual cherry blossom festival.

Known as New York City’s rite of spring, the weekend offers over 60 events and performances that celebrate traditional and contemporary Japanese culture, including taiko drumming, tea ceremonies, fashion shows, martial arts demonstrations, dance parties, and more. For a full schedule of activities and to purchase tickets, please visit Brooklyn Botanic Garden's Sakura Matsuri event page.

Sunday, May 1, 2016

Summer on the Hudson: IAC NYC 15th Annual Irish Dance Festival

Pier I in Riverside Park South @ West 70th Street, Manhattan

1:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.

The Irish Arts Center kicks off the Summer on the Hudson 2016 season with their 15th annual day-long Irish Dance Festival featuring hundreds of Irish dancers, Irish music, cultural workshops, and opportunities for the whole family to join in the high-stepping fun.

Drop-in Art Workshop: Tree Portraits with Sgraffito

Wave Hill House @ West 249th Street and Independence Avenue, Bronx

11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m.

Sgraffito is the Italian art of scratching through a ceramic or plaster surface to reveal a contrasting color beneath. In honor of Arbor Week, join local graffito artist Marie Leo to capture the sinuous lines of trunks, branches and twigs while etching a scratch board of your own. All skill levels are welcome! Ages 10 and older welcome with an adult.

Birding: Ospreys

Fort Totten Visitor's Center, Queens

10:00 a.m.–11:30 a.m.

Our Urban Park Rangers will guide you to the best wildlife viewing spots in the urban jungle. To enhance your experience, we encourage you to bring binoculars and field guides, or ask a Ranger to borrow a pair.

Brooklyn Recreation Arts Partners: Pop-Up Gallery - 'Visual Pollution: MTA Ad Defacement'

McCarren Play Center @ 776 Lorimer Street, Brooklyn

10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.

This event repeats every day between 4/30/2016 and 5/1/2016.

Join NYC Parks for Brooklyn Recreation Arts Partners Pop-Up Gallery and meet Brooklyn artist Iris Ward Loughran! The exhibit features Loughran's oil painting series, Visual Pollution: MTA Ad Defacement. The series was inspired by altered or vandalized New York City subway ads. Iris Ward Loughran is a Brooklyn-based artist, urbanist, and organizer. Her work has been presented at Greenpoint Gallery (Brooklyn, NY), Art Party, (New York, NY), Mandeville Annex Gallery (La Jolla, CA), ADDO (San Diego, CA), and Art-Fist Collective (San Diego, CA), among others.

Know Before You Go

Thomas Jefferson Recreation Center