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 sets up at SquareHead Brewing in Holbrook every Saturday evening with local vendors and a marketplace vibe. Free to walk through, and you can grab a beer while you browse.
- 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
Patchogue's weekly reggaeton night gets a Colombian Independence twist this Thursday. Show up before 11PM with an Eventbrite RSVP and skip the cover charge—after that, you're paying. The party's at 219 E Main, right in the thick of Patchogue's walkable bar strip.
- When
- Where
- 219 E Main St, Patchogue
- Price
- See ticket page
Editor's Pick Urban Ecology: Adult Program, $4 per person upon arrival
This program digs into how raccoons, hawks, and other local wildlife have adapted to suburban life—and what changes to our yards and neighborhoods could help both sides coexist better. Runs 90 minutes at the park's main office building in Kings Park. $4 per person 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 scientists break down their genetics research over beers at this monthly series. Past topics have covered CRISPR, cancer immunotherapy, and brain mapping—actual researchers explaining what they're working on in terms you can understand. Six Harbors has street parking and a small lot around back.
- When
- Where
- Six Harbors Brewing Company, Huntington
- Price
- See ticket page
Lecture: William Floyd Declaration of Independence Special Lecture
A 250th anniversary lecture on William Floyd, Long Island's signer of the Declaration of Independence, takes place at Connetquot River State Park Preserve in Oakdale. Free admission, starts at 12:30pm. Parking requires an Empire Pass or day-use fee at the park entrance on Sunrise Highway.
- 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
New York Solar Faire brings tarot readers, energy healers, and vendors selling crystals, oddities, and metaphysical goods to The Fit Factory's parking lot in Bohemia. Food trucks will be onsite, and admission is free. The new moon timing adds extra appeal for anyone into lunar cycles and intention-setting.
- When
- Where
- The Fit Factory, Bohemia
NYSF Full Moon Market
The monthly metaphysical market returns to The Fit Factory in Bohemia with tarot readings, energy workers, and vendors selling crystals, oddities, and spiritual supplies. Food trucks will be parked outside, and the full moon timing brings out practitioners working with lunar energy. Free to browse and wander.
- 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 this creative writing workshop focused on identity and personal growth through guided prompts. Held on the second floor at 19 Scudder Ave in Northport—street parking is your best bet in this walkable downtown area. Bring your notebook and be ready to dig into some reflective writing.
- When
- Where
- 19 Scudder Ave floor 2, Northport
- Price
- See ticket page
Korea Festa 2026, Labor Day Edition
This three-day Korean culture festival runs Labor Day weekend in Huntington with food, performances, and vendors. It's free, and organizers are calling it their last event of 2026. Mahanaim is on Nassau Road near the Huntington town line—parking lot on-site.
- When
- Where
- Mahanaim, Huntington
Clubhouse Tours: Family Program, $4 per person upon arrival
Tour the 1860s Main House at Connetquot, once the clubhouse for the South Side Sportsmen's Club where Teddy Roosevelt and other wealthy New Yorkers fished and hunted. Guides walk you through the preserved rooms and tell stories about the property's sporting club days. Despite the title, admission is free.
- When
- Where
- Connetquot River State Park Preserve, Oakdale
Clubhouse Tours: Family Program, $4 per person upon arrival
Tour the 1860s Main House at Connetquot, once the clubhouse for the South Side Sportsmen's Club where Teddy Roosevelt and other wealthy New Yorkers fished and hunted. Guides walk you through the preserved rooms and tell stories about the property's sporting club days. Despite the title, admission is free.
- When
- Where
- Connetquot River State Park Preserve, Oakdale
Cocktails & Chromosomes
Cold Spring Harbor Lab scientists break down their genetics research over beers at this monthly series. Past topics have covered CRISPR, cancer immunotherapy, and brain mapping—actual researchers explaining what they're working on in terms you can understand. Six Harbors has street parking and a small lot around back.
- When
- Where
- Six Harbors Brewing Company, Huntington
- Price
- See ticket page