Prospect Park Alliance invites you to spend your Winter Recess, December 26 – January 1 at the Lefferts Historic House! Transport yourself back to the 18th-century farming village of Flatbush as you try on Lefferts family garb, take a festive photo to bring home and make your own “Gilded Frame”.
Visit the Democracy Lab at the Spacebuster, an inflatable pavilion or “bubbletecture,” as it sets up shop at the Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Arch this June. Enjoy 50 free programs over seven days focused on civic engagement, social justice, freedom and critical thinking—including daily readings of The New York Times moderated by artists and community members, chair-making workshops, artist-led walks, literary cabarets and debates, and presentations on graffiti and green architecture.
Presented by Brooklyn Public Library in partnership with Prospect Park Alliance, raumlaborberlin, Storefront for Art & Architecture, and visitBerlin.
On April 7 + 8, Prospect Park Alliance kicks off the start of spring with a full weekend of special events and activities! Enjoy an family friendly fair, a scavenger hunt, a campfire conversation, Smorgasburg Prospect Park and more!
RSVP to let us know you are coming!
Please note: select events require advance registration + most events are rain or shine. Check back for event status updates.
Sponsored in part by NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital; Media Partner: Brownstoner.
Saturday, April 7
Opening Weekend Family Yoga
Saturday, April 7, 8:30-9:30 am
Free, advanced registration required.
Join the Alliance and Bend + Bloom Yoga for this free family yoga class. Located in the historic Picnic House, young yogis and their families can take in stunning views of the Prospect Park Long Meadow while Bend + Bloom’s experienced instructors lead a fun and interactive class all ages will enjoy. Participants should bring their own mats. Please note: capacity is limited and paper tickets will be required for each participant. Please RSVP for yourself, your child and any other family members who wish to attend. Open to children under 12 accompanied by at least one adult.
CANCELED: Opening Weekend Baseball Parade + 1860s Exhibition Baseball Game
PLEASE NOTE: Due to field conditions the Parade + Game have been canceled. Please check our website for updates on a rescheduled game later this season.
Join Prospect Park Alliance and the Prospect Park Baseball Association for this beloved community event. Over 1,000 youth league players will parade down 7th Avenue in Park Slope, led by local marching bands and civic leaders, to the Long Meadow Ball Fields, where ceremonial first pitches will be thrown to start the season. Starting at 11 am, enjoy an 1860s exhibition game with the Brooklyn Atlantics, bedecked in historic uniforms and gear.
Prospect Park Alliance Opening Weekend Fair
11 am–3 pm, Free
Bartel-Pritchard Entrance I Map It
Join the Alliance and community partners for music, activities and food the whole family will enjoy, including tennis, roller hockey and juggling clinics, face painting and craft activities, a “touch a truck” experience with the NYPD, kids zumba, the bookmobile and much more!
Prospect Park Grillout at Greenmarket
11 am–1 pm, Free
Grand Army Plaza I Map It
Join Prospect Park Alliance and GrowNYC as we celebrate spring with a grill out of meats and veggies sourced from Greenmarket farmers.
Prospect Park Running History Tour
11 am–12 pm
Free, advance registration required.
Join New York Road Runners and Prospect Park Alliance to experience the Park’s history at a comfortable pace (10 min/mile) that will allow for plenty of photo ops and questions along the way. Register today!
Prospect Park Scavenger Hunt
12–3 pm
Free, advance registration required. Please register once per team, with 4 people max per team.
Join Prospect Park Alliance and Urban Archive for an historical scavenger hunt of Prospect Park in celebration of Opening Weekend! Participants of all ages can join as a team or individuals, and explore this 151-year-old Park, locating historic landmarks and racking up points. Participants will need at least 1 team member with an iPhone (iOS 10.0+) and the Urban Archive App. Wear comfortable walking shoes. Prizes will be awarded to the top three teams!
Introduction to Bird Watching
12–1 pm
Prospect Park Audubon Center, Free
Join Prospect Park Alliance for a birdwatching walk in Prospect Park. Learn about Prospect Park’s magnificent array of birds and how to identify them!
Campfire Conversations: Opening Weekend Open Mic
7–8 pm, $3 Suggested Donation
Lefferts Historic House I Map It
Prospect Park Alliance and the Brooklyn Public Library present Campfire Conversations, a series of readings and talks set around an outdoor campfire, complete with music and refreshments. Bring your poetry or music to share for our first Open Mic night, in partnership with Urban Word NYC. Sign up for a 3-minute slot, available on a first come, first served basis. MC to be announced.
Sunday, April 8
Early Morning Bird Walk
8 am–9 am, Free
Audubon Center | Map It
Join Prospect Park Alliance to welcome the earliest migrants of the year, and to say goodbye to some of our winter residents. This birdwatching tour is led by the Brooklyn Bird Club and leaves promptly at 8 am.
Opening Weekend Fun Run
9 am–10 am
Free, advance registration required.
Join Prospect Park Alliance and the Prospect Park Track Club for a celebratory run through Brooklyn’s Backyard! The route will spell out “Park” in honor of Prospect Park’s Opening Weekend.
Prospect Park History Walking Tour
Sunday, April 8, 10:30 am–12:30 pm
$20 for adults, $18 for seniors, $10 for children
Advance registration required.
Join Prospect Park Alliance and Turnstile Tours for a special guided walking tour of Prospect Park, which will examine the Park’s many layers of natural and human history, from the flora and geology to the architectural eras visible in the built environment.
Smorgasburg Prospect Park
11 am–6 pm
Breeze Hill I Map It
Ring in spring with a visit to Smorgasburg Prospect Park, the celebrated open-air food market. On Sundays from April through October, over 100 local and regional food purveyors will gather on Breeze Hill to offer a range of cuisines.
All Weekend
Spring Planting
Saturday + Sunday, 1–4 pm, $3 Suggested Donation
Lefferts Historic House I 
It’s time for spring planting. Join Prospect Park Alliance to celebrate the start of spring at Lefferts Historic House! Help plant our annual flax crop, then make a small newspaper pot, fill it with soil and plant some seeds to take home.
Nature Exploration
Saturday + Sunday, 10 am–1 pm, Free
Prospect Park Audubon Center I Map It
Celebrate the season opening of the Prospect Park Audubon Center! Join the Prospect Park Alliance for Animal Encounters (11 am–12 pm), where you can learn more about the animals in the Center’s collection; and Nature’s Helpers (12–1 pm), where you can help the Alliance clean up the lakeshore. Families are also invited to check out a free Discovery Pack, ready-to-go kits filled with nature activities for families.
Ice Skating Fun
Saturday, 12–9 pm + Sunday, 12–5 pm
$10 Admission; $7 Skate Rentals
LeFrak Center at Lakeside I Map It
Last chance to hit the ice! Come out to the LeFrak Center at Lakeside for this final weekend of ice skating before the rink closes for the season.
Carousel Rides I Map It
Saturday + Sunday, 12–5 pm
$2.50 per ride; $11.50 for book of 5 rides; Free with Alliance Family Supporter membership.
What better way to enjoy the start of spring then with a spin on the Park’s historic 1912 Carousel, featuring hand-painted horses, a lion, a giraffe, a deer and two dragon-pulled chariots.
Prospect Park Zoo I Map It
Saturday + Sunday, 11 am–4 pm
Children under 12 free; Adults, $8; Seniors (65+), $6
Prospect Park Zoo is home to nearly 400 animals of more than 100 species. Kids will be amazed by close-up views of some of the wild’s most unusual animals. For Opening Weekend, all children 12 and under can visit for free!
Join the Prospect Park Alliance for nature education programs at the Prospect Park Audubon Center, the first urban Audubon Center in the nation. This event is part of Prospect Park Alliance’s Opening Weekend celebrations. Learn more + register for Opening Weekend in Prospect Park.
April 2–6, Join Prospect Park Alliance for family-friendly activities at the Prospect Park Audubon Center, Lefferts Historic House, Carousel and Tennis Center.
Nature Exploration, 12–4 pm
Prospect Park Audubon Center, Free
Join the Prospect Park Alliance for nature education programs at the Prospect Park Audubon Center, the first urban Audubon Center in the nation. Activities include:
Spring Cleaning, 2–4 pm
Lefferts Historic House, $3 Suggested Donation
Join Prospect Park Alliance at the Lefferts Historic House to help prepare for spring! Wash clothes, spread wood chips, rake leaves and enjoy more spring cleaning fun. Participants will be rewarded with fresh apple cider. Volunteer to assist Alliance staff during Spring Break programs.
Carousel Rides, 12–5 pm
Children’s Corner, $2.50 per ride, $11.50 for a book of 5 tickets, free with Alliance Family Supporter membership.
Celebrate the start of spring with a first ride of the year on the Park’s beloved 1912 carousel. Join the Alliance at the Family level and your family (up to 4 people) will receive unlimited rides on the Carousel for a full year!
Spring Break Tennis Program, 1–4 pm
Prospect Park Tennis Center, $80 per day. Players must register in advance.
Spend spring break at the Prospect Park Tennis Center! Prospect Park Alliance offers intensive group instruction for adults and children of all levels of experience. Our accomplished staff of tennis professionals gives players personal attention while they acquire game fundamentals and increase their skill level. Learn More and Sign Up.
Join Prospect Park Alliance during Presidents Week for family-friendly programs at Lefferts Historic House and the Prospect Park Audubon Center.
Spend the winter recess at the Prospect Park Tennis Center! Prospect Park Alliance offers intensive group instruction for adults and children of all levels of experience. Our accomplished staff of tennis professionals gives players personal attention while they acquire game fundamentals and increase their skill level.
Spend spring break at the Prospect Park Tennis Center! Prospect Park Alliance offers intensive group instruction for adults and children of all levels of experience. Our accomplished staff of tennis professionals gives players personal attention while they acquire game fundamentals and increase their skill level.
Prospect Park Alliance and NYC Parks presents a public sculpture exhibition by artist Fitzhugh Karol through the NYC Parks Art in the Parks program. Two sculptures of colorful intersecting steel shapes reference familiar silhouettes of stairs and hillsides. Their abstract and playful shapes invite interaction and are a reminder of man’s imprint on the landscape. The two sculptures, titled “Searches” and “Reaches,” will be on display through Fall 2018.
About the Artist:
Fitzhugh Baylies Karol is a Brooklyn-based sculptor and designer interested in the integration of sculpture within landscape and architecture. Fitzhugh’s large outdoor sculptures and public works were be exhibited in three New York City parks in 2017. He has previously exhibited at the Bartow-Pell Museum, Socrates Sculpture Park, The LongHouse Reserve, Rochester Contemporary Arts Center, and The Aidron Duckworth Museum.
Join Prospect Park Alliance for educational programming to ring in the new year.
Historic Crafts, 1–3 pm
Lefferts Historic House, 3$ suggested donation
Join Prospect Park Alliance at the Lefferts Historic House during the holiday season, to play with l historic toys and games as they would in the 1800s.