# Things to do with kids in Essex County, NJ

> 20 upcoming family events and 0 places and ongoing programs in Essex County, NJ, in the New York–Newark–Jersey City area. Listings whose address ZIP code is in this county (Census Bureau ZIP-to-county file). Dates and times are Eastern Time. Today is Sat, Oct 24.

Source: Grassy Knees is a directory of real family events, places and programs for kids across major U.S. metro areas, where every listing is researched from the organizer’s own page and shows the date we last checked it. https://grassyknees.com covers 42 metro areas as of Oct 24, 2026, with more added regularly. About: https://grassyknees.com/about
Freshness: listings are re-checked on a daily research run (latest check 2026-10-24), and new events are added as organizers post them. Sell-outs, weather cancellations and time changes show up on the live page first: https://grassyknees.com/new-york/counties/essex-county-nj

## Events ahead

- [Newark Museum Community Day: Autumn Fling](https://grassyknees.com/new-york/activities/newark-museum-community-day-autumn-fling--listing-94b8ecd115f3f2a29b3f3c6a) — Sat, Oct 24 · 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM · The Newark Museum of Art · Free · checked Oct 11. Join harvest games, craft activities and a gallery pumpkin hunt. A visiting petting zoo is scheduled outside the museum during part of the afternoon.
- [Newark Museum October Family Drop-In](https://grassyknees.com/new-york/activities/newark-museum-october-family-drop-in--listing-08f36f847204e0f049a0d069) — Sun, Oct 25 (+1 more date) · 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM · The Newark Museum of Art · With admission · checked Oct 11. Make seasonal art inspired by harvest traditions, with different projects on Saturdays and Sundays. Saturday science activities also explore plants and pollinators.
- [Sunday Studio: Upcycled Paper Weaving with Emily Kenselaar](https://grassyknees.com/new-york/activities/sunday-studio-upcycled-paper-weaving-with-emily-kenselaar--listing-80651e92634c4f5e0cbce615) — Sun, Oct 25 · 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM · Montclair Art Museum · With admission · checked Oct 14. Weekly Sunday Studio family art-making at the Montclair Art Museum, inspired by current exhibitions. Families make a woven project from upcycled paper with teaching artist Emily…
- [Halloween Harvest Night at NJPAC](https://grassyknees.com/new-york/activities/halloween-harvest-night-at-njpac--listing-4e766b4ff6bb341801a0f507) — Fri, Oct 30 · 6:00 PM · New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) — Chambers Plaza, Newark · All ages · checked Oct 14. Halloween evening on NJPAC's Chambers Plaza with a silent disco with two DJs, dance performances, glow-in-the-dark pumpkin decorating and warm drinks, plus a costume contest for…
- [Halloween HullaBOO! — Montclair Public Library](https://grassyknees.com/new-york/activities/halloween-hullaboo-montclair-public-library--listing-e4d32425677a0aa2678beec4) — Sat, Oct 31 · 10:30 AM – 4:00 PM · Montclair Public Library — Main Library · Free · checked Oct 14. A full day of Halloween fun in the Montclair Public Library children's areas: make-and-take crafts from 10:30 am, a decorated Dark, Dark Room with spooky storytelling every 30…
- [Turtle Back Zoo Howl-O-Ween](https://grassyknees.com/new-york/activities/turtle-back-zoo-howl-o-ween--listing-ec1508b66964ccfca27bf75c) — Sat, Oct 31 · 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM · Essex County Turtle Back Zoo, West Orange · From $5 · checked Oct 11. Visit candy stations around the zoo and join a costume outing. An optional storytime package adds a short story, game and craft at a reserved session.
- [Sunday Studio: Paper Structures, An Engineering Challenge with Anna Muñiz](https://grassyknees.com/new-york/activities/sunday-studio-paper-structures-an-engineering-challenge-with-anna-muni--listing-177394b876066ea3a330eb81) — Sun, Nov 1 · 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM · Montclair Art Museum · With admission · checked Oct 14. Weekly Sunday Studio family art-making at the Montclair Art Museum, inspired by current exhibitions. Families take on a paper-structures engineering challenge with teaching…
- [Family First Saturdays — The Newark Museum of Art](https://grassyknees.com/new-york/activities/family-first-saturdays-the-newark-museum-of-art--listing-c5476eb47d6d2b53a648a2f8) — Sat, Nov 7 (+1 more date) · 12:00 PM – 4:00 PM · The Newark Museum of Art — South Wing · With admission · checked Oct 14. A monthly family fun day on the first Saturday: family games, hands-on art activities designed for the whole family and a featured Character of the Day for photos. November adds…
- [Turtle Back Zoo Tots (Ages 2–3 with a Caregiver) — November Session](https://grassyknees.com/new-york/activities/turtle-back-zoo-tots-ages-2-3-with-a-caregiver-november-session--listing-a7f9a8dd3ed8a6d3aceb9fdb) — Sun, Nov 8 · 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM · Berson Learning Center, Essex County Turtle Back Zoo, West Orange · Ages 2–3 · From $30 · checked Oct 24. Turtle Back Zoo's early-childhood class for toddlers is a one-hour hands-on session where a 2- or 3-year-old and one grown-up explore the natural world together in the zoo's…
- [WBGO Kids Jazz Concert with Catherine Russell](https://grassyknees.com/new-york/activities/wbgo-kids-jazz-concert-with-catherine-russell--listing-72b05654331721ee687c5920) — Sat, Nov 14 · 1:00 PM · The Newark Museum of Art · checked Oct 14. Part of the WBGO Children's Concert Series (with the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation) and NJPAC's TD James Moody Jazz Festival: vocalist Catherine Russell, daughter of…
- [Mary Poppins at Paper Mill Playhouse](https://grassyknees.com/new-york/activities/mary-poppins-at-paper-mill-playhouse--listing-7c145171fa9d9b313a6cff83) — Nov 18 – Jan 3 · Paper Mill Playhouse, Millburn · Paid · checked Oct 14. Disney and Cameron Mackintosh's Mary Poppins musical: the mysterious nanny arrives at the Banks household bringing adventure and imagination to two mischievous children, with…
- [Holiday Lights 2026 — Essex County Turtle Back Zoo](https://grassyknees.com/new-york/activities/holiday-lights-2026-essex-county-turtle-back-zoo--listing-1fab50f903ab34707fffde62) — Nov 20 – Dec 31 · 5:00 PM – 9:00 PM · Essex County Turtle Back Zoo, West Orange · All ages · Free · checked Oct 14. A winter evening stroll through the zoo under sparkling lights of more than 50 winter and animal characters. Free admission, no reservations; guests are encouraged to bring…
- [Two Towns Turkey Trot 5K & Kids Fun Run](https://grassyknees.com/new-york/activities/two-towns-turkey-trot-5k-and-kids-fun-run--listing-6c6f39a078a28cb5f9d4b820) — Sat, Nov 21 · 10:00 AM · South Mountain Reservation, Lollipop Loop on Crest Drive (near the Wildflower Sculpture Park and dog run), South Orange · From $10 · checked Oct 21. The Two Towns Turkey Trot, organized by the Seth Boyden Elementary PTA, brings Maplewood and South Orange families together in South Mountain Reservation the Saturday before…
- [Brick City Run Club Turkey Trot](https://grassyknees.com/new-york/activities/brick-city-run-club-turkey-trot--listing-55fb7e81f6745885f4802708) — Thu, Nov 26 · 9:00 AM · Brick City Run Club meeting point, Newark · All ages · Free · checked Oct 21. Newark's Brick City Run Club hosts a free Thanksgiving morning mile on Raymond Boulevard, organized with the City of Newark and the Newark City Parks Foundation. Every option is…
- [December Family Drop-In: Cultural Heritage — The Newark Museum of Art](https://grassyknees.com/new-york/activities/december-family-drop-in-cultural-heritage-the-newark-museum-of-art--listing-445592afe68155ce6560ddb7) — Sat, Dec 5 (+4 more dates) · 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM · The Newark Museum of Art · With admission · checked Oct 16. The Newark Museum of Art's December family drop-in studio takes cultural heritage as its theme, inviting families to share the stories, traditions and customs passed down through…
- [Community Day: Winter Wonderland — The Newark Museum of Art](https://grassyknees.com/new-york/activities/community-day-winter-wonderland-the-newark-museum-of-art--listing-47a65a8de817dbb1f0099e1a) — Sat, Dec 12 · 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM · The Newark Museum of Art · All ages · Free · checked Oct 16. The Newark Museum of Art's free Winter Wonderland Community Day returns on Saturday, December 12, from noon to 5 pm, spread across the Main Building, the North and South Wings…
- [The Nutcracker — State Ballet Theatre of Ukraine at NJPAC](https://grassyknees.com/new-york/activities/the-nutcracker-state-ballet-theatre-of-ukraine-at-njpac--listing-5ee27f53acff8695a76bc467) — Sun, Dec 13 · 3:00 PM · New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) — Prudential Hall, Newark · Paid · checked Oct 14. Holiday family ballet: The Nutcracker performed by The State Ballet Theatre of Ukraine with hand-painted sets, 200+ costumes and Tchaikovsky's score. NJPAC lists it under Dance…
- [Cirque Dreams Holidaze at NJPAC](https://grassyknees.com/new-york/activities/cirque-dreams-holidaze-at-njpac--listing-f8462bd1b0a4cc71ef79d5fc) — Sat, Dec 26 · 4:00 PM · New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) — Prudential Hall, Newark · Paid · checked Oct 14. Day-after-Christmas circus spectacular wrapped in a Broadway-style holiday show, reimagined for 2026: aerial acts, jugglers, acrobatics, singers, dancers and Christmas…
- [Noon Year's Eve Party — Nutley Free Public Library](https://grassyknees.com/new-york/activities/noon-year-s-eve-party-nutley-free-public-library--listing-6884e0410e87930734af79b5) — Thu, Dec 31 · 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM · Nutley Free Public Library · All ages · Free · checked Oct 14. A Noon Year's Eve party in the Nutley Free Public Library Children's Room with music, dancing and a craft, ending with a ball drop at 12:00 PM. For all ages; no registration…
- [Cinderella — State Ballet Theatre of Ukraine at NJPAC, Newark](https://grassyknees.com/new-york/activities/cinderella-state-ballet-theatre-of-ukraine-at-njpac-newark--listing-64d336e843e0789b23529183) — Sun, Jan 17 · 3:00 PM · New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) — Prudential Hall, Newark · All ages · Paid · checked Oct 24. On the Sunday of Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, the State Ballet Theatre of Ukraine performs a full-scale Cinderella in NJPAC's Prudential Hall in Newark. Set to Sergei…

## Recently ended

- [Sunday Studio: Lari Tassels with Anna Muñiz](https://grassyknees.com/new-york/activities/sunday-studio-lari-tassels-with-anna-muniz--listing-a194325db494aa5b692b1045) — ended Sun, Oct 18
- [Family Fun Day: Dodge Poetry Festival at NJPAC](https://grassyknees.com/new-york/activities/family-fun-day-dodge-poetry-festival-at-njpac--listing-f7d48f0f87b2392191fabdf8) — ended Sat, Oct 17
- [Teen Open Studio at Montclair Art Museum](https://grassyknees.com/new-york/activities/teen-open-studio-at-montclair-art-museum--listing-c0bcb6adb6738a82c13fcdd6) — ended Sat, Oct 17
- [Studio Samplers: Mini Makers Workshop Drop-In](https://grassyknees.com/new-york/activities/studio-samplers-mini-makers-workshop-drop-in--listing-ffeebf431cc8a6d2103da8dc) — ended Thu, Oct 15

## Nearby

- Towns in Essex County, NJ: [Newark, NJ](https://grassyknees.com/new-york/towns/newark-nj) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/new-york/towns/newark-nj.md), [Montclair, NJ](https://grassyknees.com/new-york/towns/montclair-nj) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/new-york/towns/montclair-nj.md), [West Orange, NJ](https://grassyknees.com/new-york/towns/west-orange-nj) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/new-york/towns/west-orange-nj.md)
- [Things to do with kids in New York](https://grassyknees.com/new-york) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/new-york.md)
- [This weekend in New York](https://grassyknees.com/new-york/this-weekend) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/new-york/this-weekend.md)

Town pages are listed once a town has 3 current listings, county pages at 10.