June is when the city throws open the doors — school winds down, the river fills with music, and the calendar overflows with Pride celebrations, Father's Day fun, and the official summer kickoff. Here's my curated list of the best family events this month on the Upper West Side and in Midtown, from storytimes and art workshops to puppet shows, dance performances, and summer parties. Free picks, splurges, and a few quiet gems.
Want the week's best events in your inbox every Tuesday? Join the newsletter →
Week 1 & 2
June 4, 11 — Summer on the Hudson: Kinetic Creativity Dance Workshop — Locomotive Lawn
Ages 7–10. FREE.
June 5 — Drag Story Hour: Celebrating Community — Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library
All ages. FREE.
June 6 — Storytime at the Morgan: Pride — The Morgan Library & Museum
Ages 3–7. FREE.
June 7 — Family Studio: Home as a Vessel — Museum of Arts and Design
Ages 5–12. $20.
June 8 — Crafternoon: Rosa Bonheur's Animal Art — 53rd Street Library
Ages 3–8. FREE.
June 13 — Big Umbrella Day — Lincoln Center
All ages. FREE.
June 13 & 14 — Family Gallery Talks: Express Yourself — MoMA
Ages 4–10. FREE.
Week 3 & 4
June 17 — Puppet Show: Goldilocks and the Three Bears — Bryant Park
All ages. FREE.
June 17 & 24 — Dance and Theater Storytime — Lincoln Center
All ages. FREE.
June 20 — Midsummer Family Celebration — Scandinavia House
Ages 1–10. $30.
June 21 — Puppetsburg NYC: Free Father's Day Class! — Monica + Andy UWS
Ages 0–5. FREE.
June 26 — Summer Kickoff: The Amazing World of Animals! — St. Agnes Library
Ages 4–12. FREE.
June 27 — Pierce Freelon — Lincoln Center
All ages. FREE.
June 27 — ABTKids — The Metropolitan Opera
Ages 4–12. $27.50+.
June 29 — Blast Off! Astronaut Training with Mélissa Smith — Columbus Library
Ages 6–12. FREE.
My Top 3 Picks
If you can only squeeze in a handful:
- Big Umbrella Day at Lincoln Center (June 13) — a free, joyful day-long campus celebration that's open to everyone but thoughtfully designed for neurodivergent kids and their families, with performances, art-making, and quiet spaces.
- Dance and Theater Storytime at Lincoln Center (June 17 & 24) — a free, super-entertaining indoor storytime that brings books to life through movement and performance — we've loved it for a couple of years now, just get there early because it fills up.
- Summer Kickoff: The Amazing World of Animals! at St. Agnes Library (June 26) — a free up-close live animal presentation to officially launch summer on the Upper West Side.
By Neighborhood
Plan the Rest of Your Month
Every event above is on the full June calendar — plus dozens more I couldn't fit in this roundup. I update it weekly with new pop-ups, story times, and free activities across the Upper West Side and Midtown so you always have something to do with the kids.
Know of an event I missed? Come share it in our WhatsApp group.