September is the month when the city quietly switches gears: school routines come back, playgrounds feel a little less sticky, and the best events start drifting toward fall festivals, museum workshops, and easy after-school library hangs. Since we're already a few days into the month, this roundup starts with what's still ahead from September 10 on.
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Happening All Month
A few things repeat through September — worth keeping on your mental list for low-effort mornings and after-school saves:
Thursdays (Sep 10, 17, 24) — Garden Explorers + Sensory Station — Bryant Park, 10:00 AM and 11:30 AM
All ages / ages 0–5. FREE. Planting, weeding, pot-a-seed activities, then rotating sensory play near Le Carrousel.
Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays — Le Carrousel kids' mornings — Bryant Park, usually 10:00 AM
All ages. FREE. Magic shows, musical circle time, percussion play, and acoustic music pop up through September 23.
Weekdays & Saturdays — NYPL storytimes, crafts, and open play — 53rd Street, St. Agnes, Columbus, Riverside, and Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library
Mostly ages 0–12. FREE. Highlights include toddler storytimes, Columbus Library open play, 53rd Street crafternoons, St. Agnes puzzles and Perler beads, and Riverside Library movie Mondays.
Weekends through Sep 20 — Little Red's Hood — Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre, Central Park
Ages 3–8. Ticketed. A marionette show about a smartphone-obsessed Red Riding Hood and a misunderstood wolf.
Saturdays (Sep 12, 19, 26) — Weekend Storytime — Strand Bookstore UWS, 12:00 PM and 3:00 PM
All ages. FREE. A simple bookstore stop for weekend wandering.
Week 2
September 12 — Open Process Art — Columbus Library, 12:00–3:00 PM
Ages 3–12. FREE. Kids choose their own materials and make whatever they want.
September 12 — Theater Games — St. Agnes Library, 4:00–5:00 PM
Ages 4–12. FREE. A late-afternoon drama-game option after a playground morning.
September 12 — Powerhouse Books Children's Reading Circles — The Shops at Columbus Circle, 2:30 PM
All ages. FREE. A weekly story circle on the 3rd floor.
September 13 — Sunday Story Time: Two New Years — The New York Historical, 11:30 AM–12:30 PM
All ages. Museum admission. Storytime and craft for Rosh Hashanah and Lunar New Year themes.
Week 3
September 14 & 21 — Kids' Magic Show — Bryant Park, 10:00–11:00 AM
All ages. FREE. An easy Midtown morning by the carousel.
September 15 — Percussion Playground — Bryant Park, 11:00 AM–12:30 PM
All ages. FREE. Kids borrow drums and play with teaching artists.
September 18 & 25 — Family Storytime: Ukulele Storytime! — Columbus Library, 11:00–11:45 AM
Ages 0–5. FREE. Songs, rhymes, and read-alouds with a ukulele.
September 19 — Open House 2026 Fall Fete — L'Alliance New York, 9:30 AM–5:00 PM
All ages. FREE. An all-day French cultural open house with trial classes, family workshops, storytime, chess, book swapping, and a film screening.
September 19 — Fall Family Day — Hudson Yards, 11:00 AM–3:00 PM
All ages. FREE. Outdoor family programming, music, and activities in the Public Square and Gardens.
September 19 — Family Gallery Talks: Spaces and Places — MoMA, 10:15 AM and 12:00 PM
Ages 4–10. Museum admission; kids under 16 are free. Look closely at artworks, then make your own.
September 19 — Storytime with Canine Companions — Barnes & Noble Upper West Side, 11:00 AM
All ages. FREE. Picture-book storytime with trained assistance dogs joining in.
September 20 — Pinocchio and Gepetto's Big Apple Adventure — Central Park, outside the Swedish Cottage Marionette Theatre, 2:00–3:00 PM
All ages. FREE. CityParks PuppetMobile brings its NYC-flavored Pinocchio story outdoors.
Week 4 & 5
September 22 & 29 — Petits potes: Storytime in French for Toddlers — L'Alliance New York, 10:30–11:15 AM
Ages 1–4. $10; members free. Songs, games, a small craft, and French storytelling for toddlers.
September 22 — Perler Bead Art — St. Agnes Library, 3:30–4:30 PM
Ages 6–12. FREE. An easy after-school craft.
September 23 & 30 — Family Story Time — MoMA, 10:30–11:00 AM
Ages 2–12. Museum admission; kids under 16 are free. A story that gets little ones talking and moving in the galleries.
September 25 — Fun Friday: Sesame Street! — My Gym West 79th Street, 4:15–5:15 PM
Ages 0–6. $55. Back-to-school themed gym games and activities; pizza and juice included.
September 26 — Bilingual Broadway EN VIVO — Lincoln Center, David Rubenstein Atrium, 11:00 AM
All ages. FREE. Young singers perform Broadway favorites in Spanish.
September 26 — WeBop Family Concert: ¡Vamos a gozar! — Jazz at Lincoln Center, 10:30 AM and 12:30 PM
Ages 0–8. $40. Live jazz designed for clapping, dancing, and scatting along.
September 26 — Family Afternoon: Tarot! Renaissance Symbols, Modern Visions — Morgan Library, 1:00–4:00 PM
Ages 5–10. Museum admission; kids under 12 are free. Tarot-card art-making plus a live performance.
September 26 — NYCB In Motion Workshop — NYCB Rehearsal Studios, Rose Building, 12:30–1:15 PM
Ages 8–12. $16. Older kids learn choreography from the matinee ballet and chat with City Ballet dancers.
September 26 — Family Book Reading — MoMA, 10:30 AM and 11:00 AM
Ages 2–12. Museum admission; kids under 16 are free. Curtis R. Scott reads his new picture book aloud.
September 27 — Autism-Friendly Access Workshop — New York City Ballet, 10:00 AM
Ages 4–12. $8 per child; caregivers free. Ballet warm-up and choreography with NYCB dancers and live piano.
September 29 — Birthday Cards for Pooh! — St. Agnes Library, 3:30–4:30 PM
Ages 0–12. FREE. Make a card for Winnie-the-Pooh, whose original stuffed animals live upstairs at NYPL's main branch.
My Top 3 Picks
If you can only squeeze in a few:
- L'Alliance Fall Fete (September 19) — the strongest free all-day pick: storytime, classes, workshops, books, chess, and a film in one stop.
- Pinocchio and Gepetto's Big Apple Adventure (September 20) — a free outdoor puppet show in Central Park feels like exactly the right end-of-September treat.
- Bilingual Broadway EN VIVO at Lincoln Center (September 26) — free, musical, and easy to pair with Columbus Circle or a playground stop.
By Neighborhood
Plan the Rest of Your Month
Every event above is on the full September calendar — plus more daily storytimes, craft afternoons, open play, and pop-ups I couldn't fit here. I update the calendar weekly with family events across the Upper West Side and Midtown so you always have a few good options in your back pocket.
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