Family events on Long Island
23 hand-picked family-friendly events — museums, library programs, festivals, and the family weekends Long Island does best.
Editor's Pick Northport Fall Festival
Northport Village's signature street festival shuts Main Street down for a full Saturday of food trucks, live music on the harborfront stage, kids' rides, and 100+ local vendors. Park on Bay Avenue by 10:30 AM — the main lot fills by 11. The food vendor lineup at the village green is the highlight; line up by noon for the first wave before the lunch rush.
- When
- Where
- Northport Village, Northport
Editor's Pick Oyster Bay Oyster Festival — 200K Visitors, One Weekend
Long Island's biggest single annual event — 200,000+ visitors descend on Theodore Roosevelt Park in Oyster Bay over a mid-October weekend for $1 oysters, 100+ food vendors, 250+ craft stalls, multi-stage live music, a tall ship in the harbor, and the working-fishing-village atmosphere that the Hamptons don't have. Free admission. Forty-plus years of history. The LI fall event of the year.
- When
- Where
- Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Park, Oyster Bay
Editor's Pick SecretSeshLI
SecretSeshLI runs a weekly Saturday market at SquareHead Brewing in Holbrook starting at 5 PM. It's billed as elevated, so expect curated vendors rather than the usual craft fair setup. Free to browse, and SquareHead's beer selection makes it worth the trip to High Street either way.
- When
- Where
- SquareHead Brewing Company, Holbrook
Editor's Pick Sayville Summer Family Fair
Sayville Village's annual summer family fair on Main Street. Carnival rides for kids 3-12, food trucks, live family music, free face-painting + crafts, fire-truck climb-on, beer garden in a separate adults-only zone. Free admission, ride wristbands $20. The South Shore family Saturday at its peak.
- When
- Where
- Downtown Sayville Main Street, Sayville
Greenport Maritime Festival — North Fork Harbor Weekend
Greenport's annual Maritime Festival turns the working harbor village into a regional weekend destination — tall ships in the harbor, oyster shucking competitions, traditional whaleboat races, food + craft vendors along Front Street, live music throughout. Free admission. The locals' East End fall favorite.
- When
- Where
- Greenport Village Harbor, Greenport
Editor's Pick Islanders vs. Rangers — Battle of New York
The Islanders host the Rangers at UBS Arena in Belmont — the regular-season opener of the most-watched rivalry in NYC-area pro sports. UBS Arena is the modernized 17,000-seat home of the Islanders since 2021. Plan extra time for parking + the Belmont Park access road traffic on game nights.
- When
- Where
- UBS Arena, Belmont Park
- Price
- See ticket page
Editor's Pick Perreo Thursday Presents: Colombian Independence Celebration
Long Island's biggest Thursday reggaeton party goes full Colombian Independence mode at this Patchogue spot. RSVP through Eventbrite and you're in free before 11PM—after that, cover kicks in. Doors open at 10PM, so time it right if you want to skip the line.
- When
- Where
- 219 E Main St, Patchogue
- Price
- See ticket page
Editor's Pick Urban Ecology: Adult Program, $4 per person upon arrival
This workshop digs into how raccoons, deer, and other local wildlife have adapted to suburban life—and what small changes in your yard or neighborhood could help them thrive. You'll look at real examples from around Kings Park and beyond. $4 at the door.
- When
- Where
- Nissequogue River State Park Main Office (Charles & Helen Reichert Administration Building), Kings Park
Long Beach Boardwalk Concert Series — Thursday Free Show
Free outdoor concert series on the Long Beach boardwalk, Thursdays in August. Bring a beach chair or blanket — the stage is mid-boardwalk near Riverside Blvd. LIRR direct from Penn, 50 min door to boardwalk.
- When
- Where
- Long Beach Boardwalk, Long Beach
Sands Point Preserve — Fall Mansion Tours + Trail Walks
Sands Point Preserve is the Port Washington-adjacent peninsula with three Gilded Age mansions, 5 miles of trails, and Long Island Sound shoreline. Fall mansion tours run Friday-Sunday September through November. The Hempstead House mansion is famously the supposed inspiration for Gatsby's mansion.
- When
- Where
- Sands Point Preserve, Sands Point
- Price
- See ticket page
Harbes Family Farm — Pumpkin Picking + Winery Weekend
Harbes Family Farm in Mattituck combines a working farm + pumpkin patch + corn maze + on-site winery — making it the locals' pick for an East End fall day-trip with both kid-friendly farm activities and adult winery tastings. Open daily mid-September through Halloween.
- When
- Where
- Harbes Family Farm, Mattituck
- Price
- See ticket page
Cocktails & Chromosomes
Cold Spring Harbor Lab brings their scientists to Six Harbors Brewing for drinks and actual genome talk. It's part lecture series, part bar night — think accessible science explained by people who do the research, with craft beer on tap. New York Avenue in Huntington has street parking and a bunch of dinner spots nearby.
- When
- Where
- Six Harbors Brewing Company, Huntington
- Price
- See ticket page
Lecture: William Floyd Declaration of Independence Special Lecture
A 250th anniversary lecture about William Floyd, Long Island's sole signer of the Declaration of Independence. Takes place at Connetquot River State Park Preserve in Oakdale at 12:30pm. Free admission, though details on the speaker and runtime weren't provided.
- When
- Where
- Connetquot River State Park Preserve, Oakdale
Caumsett State Park — Fall Hike + Private Beach Day
Caumsett is the Lloyd Harbor peninsula state park reached by a 1.5-mile walk through mature forest to a private (no parking, no crowds) beach on Long Island Sound. Free, family-friendly, dog-leash-allowed. Fall foliage peak is mid-October. The 'private beach' aspect is real — most visitors don't make the walk.
- When
- Where
- Caumsett State Park, Lloyd Harbor
NYSF New Moon Market
The New York Solar Faire brings tarot readers, energy healers, and vendors selling crystals, metaphysical supplies, and oddities to Bohemia for a free night market. Food trucks will be on site, and the timing syncs with the new moon if you're into that. The Fit Factory is off Johnson Avenue near the Sunrise Highway corridor.
- When
- Where
- The Fit Factory, Bohemia
NYSF Full Moon Market
This full moon edition of the New York Solar Faire's monthly market packs The Fit Factory with tarot readers, energy workers, and vendors selling everything from crystals to curiosities. Food trucks handle dinner, and admission is free. Same Bohemia spot off Johnson Avenue as the new moon version.
- When
- Where
- The Fit Factory, Bohemia
Long Beach Marathon + Half — Boardwalk Sunday
Long Beach's annual fall marathon + half-marathon along the 2.2-mile boardwalk + neighborhood streets. The boardwalk loop is genuinely one of the prettiest urban race courses in metro NYC. Spectator-friendly — most of the course is visible from the boardwalk.
- When
- Where
- Long Beach Boardwalk, Long Beach
- Price
- See ticket page
Long Island Fall Festival — Pumpkin Picking + Cider Weekend
Long Island's farm trail comes alive in October with pumpkin picking, hayrides, cider donuts, and corn mazes across two dozen working farms in Nassau and Suffolk. The Wednesday + Thursday before peak weekends are dramatically less crowded. Bring cash for many farm stands; not all take cards.
- When
- Where
- Long Island Farm Trail (multiple locations), Long Island
- Price
- See ticket page
Writers' Circle: Exploring the Self
Melissa Dennihy leads a creative writing workshop at Studio Kash in Northport, using guided prompts to dig into questions of identity and personal growth. The session meets on the second floor at 19 Scudder Ave—parking's available on side streets if the lot's full. Bring a notebook and expect to put some honest thoughts on paper.
- When
- Where
- 19 Scudder Ave floor 2, Northport
- Price
- See ticket page
Korea Festa 2026, Labor Day Edition
Three-day Korean culture fest returns to Huntington over Labor Day weekend, kicking off Saturday at 12:30PM. Free entry gets you food vendors, performances, and demos at the Nassau Road location. Final time they're doing this in 2026, so if you missed the earlier editions, here's your shot.
- When
- Where
- Mahanaim, Huntington
Clubhouse Tours: Family Program, $4 per person upon arrival
Tour the preserved Main House of the South Side Sportsman's Club, a private fishing and hunting retreat that dates back to the 1800s. The guided walk covers original furnishings and the property's role in conservation history. Parking is off Sunrise Highway, and the tour takes about 45 minutes.
- When
- Where
- Connetquot River State Park Preserve, Oakdale
Clubhouse Tours: Family Program, $4 per person upon arrival
Tour the preserved Main House of the South Side Sportsman's Club, a private fishing and hunting retreat that dates back to the 1800s. The guided walk covers original furnishings and the property's role in conservation history. Parking is off Sunrise Highway, and the tour takes about 45 minutes.
- When
- Where
- Connetquot River State Park Preserve, Oakdale
Cocktails & Chromosomes
Cold Spring Harbor Lab scientists head to Six Harbors Brewing to break down their research over beers. These talks make genetics and lab work actually digestible, and the brewery setting keeps it casual. Parking on New York Avenue fills up early, so give yourself extra time or walk from downtown Huntington.
- When
- Where
- Six Harbors Brewing Company, Huntington
- Price
- See ticket page