Labor Day weekend runs Friday, Sept. 4 through Monday, Sept. 7. This year, New York City public school students will get even more time off: they’ll head back to class on Sept. 10, an unusually late start.
Looking for ways to fill those extra days? This guide rounds up family-friendly activities across all five boroughs.
Manhattan
Snoopy in Style NYC Exhibition
From the Snoopy creator, Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center is bringing the iconic comic character to New York. The exhibition runs until the last week of September. Learn more about the event, click here.
Time: September 2 – September 26, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. daily (hours may vary for special events)
Location: 25 Little West 12th Street, Manhattan
Ticket info: Free
Metropolitan Opera Summer HD Festival
The festival offers roughly 2,500 general-admission seats, first come first served, no reservations, and the plaza clears about two hours before each screening for security and reopens an hour before showtime.
Bellini’s I Puritani
Time: Friday, September 4, 2026, 7:30 p.m.
Location: Josie Robertson Plaza (in Lincoln Center), Manhattan
Approximate running time: 3 hours
Ticket info: Free
Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin
Time: Saturday, September 5, 2026, 8 p.m.
Location: Josie Robertson Plaza (in Lincoln Center), Manhattan
Approximate running time: 2 hours, 40 minutes
Ticket info: Free
Gabriela Lena Frank’s El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego
Time: Sunday, September 6, 2026, 8 p.m.
Location: Josie Robertson Plaza (in Lincoln Center), Manhattan
Approximate running time: 2 hours
Ticket info: Free
Puccini’s La Bohème
Time: Monday, September 7, 2026, 8 p.m.
Location: Josie Robertson Plaza (in Lincoln Center), Manhattan
Approximate running time: 2 hours, 5 minutes
Ticket info: Free
Movie Under the Stars
Time: Friday, September 4, 2026 7:15 p.m. – 8:45 p.m.
Location: Bocce Courts (in Ja.m.es J Walker Park), Manhattan
Ticket info: Free
Time: Saturday, September 5, 2026 7:15 p.m. – 8:45 p.m.
Location: Field (in Frederick Douglass Playground), Manhattan
Ticket info: Free
Time: Wednesday, September 9, 2026 7:15 p.m. – 8:45 p.m.
Location: Play Area (in James Weldon Johnson Playground), Manhattan
Ticket info: Free
Bronx
Movie Under the Stars
Time: Friday, September 4, 2026 8 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.
Location: Play Area (in Colucci Playground), Bronx
Ticket info: Free
Time: Saturday, September 5, 2026 8:00 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.
Location: Playground (in Mill Pond Park), Bronx
Ticket info: Free
Time: Tuesday, September 8, 2026 8 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.
Location: Eastchester Playground, Bronx
Ticket info: Free
Wave Hill Open House
The garden is open to the public all day during Labor Day. Learn more about Wave Hill here.
Time: Monday, September 7, 2026 10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Location: 4900 Independence Ave, Bronx
Ticket info: $10 for Adults; $6 for Students and Seniors (65+); $4 for Children (6+); Free for Wave Hill Members & Corporate Members and on Thursdays.
Brooklyn
West Indian Day Parade
One of the city’s largest annual gatherings, the West Indian Day Parade returns to Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway on Sept. 7. The parade caps a week of Carnival programming celebrating Caribbean culture, with costumed bands, steel pan and soca music. Expect the smoky smell of jerk chicken along the route.
Time: Monday, September 7, 2026
Location: Eastern Parkway (between Schenectady Ave and Grand Army Plaza), Brooklyn
The Carnival week programme includes:
Blocko Mania
Time: Thursday, September 3, 2026 7 p.m. – 1 a.m.
Location: Brooklyn Museum 200 Eastern Parkway Brooklyn, NY 11238
Ticket info: Registration required
Soca Fest Music Festival
Time: Friday, September 4, 2026 8 p.m. – 3 a.m.
Location: Brooklyn Museum 200 Eastern Parkway Brooklyn, NY 11238
Ticket info: Registration required
Youth Fest and Junior Carnival
Time: Saturday, September 5, 2026 9 a.m. –3 p.m.
Location: Brooklyn Museum 200 Eastern Parkway Brooklyn, NY 11238
Ticket info: Registration required
Panorama Competition
Time: Saturday, September 5, 2026 7 p.m. – 1 a.m.
Location: Brooklyn Museum 200 Eastern Parkway Brooklyn, NY 11238
Ticket info: Registration required
Labor of Love Community Day
In celebration of Labor Day, Domino Park is partnering with Trinity Human Services to collect gently used fall and winter clothing and non-perishable food. Food should be unexpired and in unopened, undamaged packaging. Clothing should be clean and wearable.
If you’d like to donate but can’t make it to the event, email events@dominopark.com to arrange a separate drop-off time.
Time: Sunday, September 6, 2026 2 p.m. – 6 p.m.
Location: Domino Square 12 South 3rd Street Brooklyn, NY 11249
Ticket info: Free, but encourage to reserve a spot
Queens
Movie Under the Stars
Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026)
Time: Friday, September 4, 2026 7:45 p.m. – 10 p.m.
Location: Multipurpose Hardtop Play Area (in Colden Playground), Queens
Ticket info: Free
Time: Saturday, September 5, 2026 7:45 p.m. – 9:45 p.m.
Location: Brookville Boulevard and Caney Road (in Brookville Park), Queens
Ticket info: Free
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie (2026)
Time: Sunday, September 6, 2026 7:45 p.m. – 9:15 p.m.
Location: Beach 59th Street Playground (in Rockaway Beach and Boardwalk), Queens
Ticket info: Free
Last Bash at the Beach 5K & 10K
The summer is coming to an end as the last beach day of this year would be on September 13.
Enjoy the last hurrah on the Rockaway Beach boardwalk: a certified 5K or 10K course along the water, with a T-shirt and refreshments at the finish.
Time: Sunday, September 6, 2026 9 a.m.
Location: 7215 Beach Front Rd Far Rockaway, Queens
Ticket info: Registration and fees required
Staten Island
46th Annual Richmond County Fair
Historic Richmond Town has hosted the Richmond County Fair since 1980. Each Labor Day weekend, more than 15,000 visitors gather for carnival rides, games, street food, live music and eating contests. Proceeds go toward the care and preservation of 38 historic structures on the Staten Island site.
Time: Saturday – Monday, September 5 – 7, 2026 12 p.m. – 8 p.m.
Location: Meeting point 441 Clarke Avenue, Staten Island
Ticket info: Registration required, you can also purchase tickets in person at the fair
Parking: Parking is available at the Staten Island Mall Commuter Lot located at Marsh Ave & Ring Rd, with free shuttle service to and from the fair. The last shuttle departs Historic Richmond Town at 8:15 p.m. each night.
