Get together with your friends for an escape from the cold. 

     Find all the supplies you need to create winter-themed art such as mini snowpeople, snow globes, animal face masks, and more.

     Take your friends and get creative.

     Free. Monday afternoon from noon to 2 at the recreation center in J. Hood Wright Park in Lower WaHi on Fort Washington Avenue at 175th Street.

     Get your teens involved in a program promoting health & wellness, education, employment readiness, and creativity.

     Once you’ve signed them up, your kids can attend Uptown Hub programs at the Y. For those 14–24 years old who live, work, or go to school in Washington Heights or Inwood.

     Not sure if it’s for your family? Visit during program hours to learn more, or to contact Karina with questions at kmunoz@ywashhts.org or (212) 569-6200, x239.

     Free. Monday through Thursday nights through June from 6 to 9 at the YM & YWHA in Fort George at 54 Nagle Avenue.

     Give your pre-schooler a chance to learn and play with neighborhood friends.

     Toddlers from 18 months to 3 years old and their parents or caregivers can enjoy interactive stories, action songs, fingerplays and spending time with other Uptown toddlers.

     Free. Wednesday mornings at 10:30 at the Fort Washington branch of the public library in Fort George on 179th Street at St. Nicholas Avenue.

     Join the Urban Park Rangers to learn about the unique characteristics of reptiles and amphibians.

     With the kids are out of school, get them out of the house by heading to the park to join the Urban Park Rangers' free Kids Week programs.

     This event features slimy animals that crawl, slither, or hop. All are welcome, but programs are geared for ages 12 and younger.

     Free. Thursday afternoon at 1 in Payson Park House in Inwood Hill Park at Dyckman Street in Payson Avenue.

     Willoughs is quirky, and possibly one of the most sidetracked angsty youth who has a lot to say but then perhaps nothing at all. In his first year of college, Willoughs is part of a band and decides he wants to try something new which ultimately leads him to meet Alice. She’s a free-spirited yet strong-willed coed with a clouded past that makes Willoughs start to open his eyes of there being more to life than the one he grew up in.

     Their story is told in The Point, a coming-of-age young adult fiction novel by Angel I. Hawkins, who will read from the book. Born in California and living in several states in between before settling down in New York City, her love for writing and reading never faltered.

     Thursday night at 7:30 at Word Up Community Bookshop in Lower WaHi on Amsterdam Avenue at 165th Street.

     Pre-school kids and their parents or caregivers can enjoy interactive stories, action songs, fingerplays and spend time with other growing kids in the neighborhood at the branch library.

     This month, the children’s musican Ian Hayes leads the group with seasonal favorites.

     For children 3 to 5 years old.

     Free. Story time Friday morning at 10:30 at the Fort Washington branch of the public library in Fort George on 179th Street at St. Nicholas Avenue.

     Be inspired by artists and original works of art when you experience The Met Cloisters collection through creative drawing in the galleries.

     Open to visitors of all ages. Artist-led demonstrations repeat every 30 minutes. Ask at the admission desk for location and take your own supplies.

     Free with museum admission. Saturday from noon to 2 at the Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park.

      Having a hard time writing about how you really feel, and who you truly are?

     Join Exploring Identity, a writing workshop, and explore identity through personal essay, fiction and poetry.

     The event is open to all queer identifying folx ages 13 to 30. Reserve your spot here.

     Free. Saturday afternoon from 3 to 5 at Word Up Community Bookshop in Lower WaHi on Amsterdam Avenue at 165th Street.

     Does your child love books? Enjoy creative writing? Have an unlimited imagination?

     Uptown Stories offers workshops led by professional writers and master teachers. Students ages 8 to 16 learn the craft of writing, engage their imaginations and join an exciting, supportive community.

     Workshops meet for ten weeks and conclude with a celebratory reading open to family and friends. A list is here.

     Pay-what-you-can tuition. On various days and times at Our Saviour’s Atonement Lutheran Church in Hudson Heights on Bennett Avenue at 189th Street.

     Row New York’s Row Program is a nine-month-long adventure that teaches students in 7th through 12th grades to be dynamic rowers, entrepreneurs, and community members.

     The idea is to use the skills that rowing instills—discipline and teamwork—to build strength and confidence. The curriculum pairs rowing with an entrepreneurship program which will culminate in participants’ developing an actionable business plan, which they will present in a Shark Tank-style competition.

     Row New York will deliver a rigorous and engaging learning experience, both from a fitness as well as an academic perspective. It meets three times per week for a total of nine hours: two days of rowing and workshops/speakers (an hour and a half each), and one full day of entrepreneurship training (3 hours).

     The program resumed in September and meets three days a week through June. More information is available from Denise Aquino at daquino@rownewyork.org.

     Take your kids to a community book shop to hear their favorite stories read out loud by experienced, trained readers. Just like their teachers in the classroom, but with new faces and new friends.

     Free. Saturday mornings at 11 at the Word Up Community Book Shop/Librería Comunitaria, in Lower WaHi on Amsterdam Avenue at 165th Street.

     Literacy Inc. holds its regular bilingual story time, with a crafts activity relating to the book. Co-sponsored by the New York Public Library.

     Free. Typically on a Wednesday afternoon at 3 at the Dyckman Farmhouse Museum in Inwood on Broadway at 204th Street.

     The Pied Piper Children’s Theatre hosts an open mic show for buddng performers. 

     Arrive at 6:30 to sign up for a performance spot. Keith Burton will be on piano as accompanist. 

     $5. Friday night, February 2, from 7 to 9 at Buunni in Inwood on Broadway.

     Columbia hosts Princeton in chilly lacrosse match on leap day.

     Saturday, February 29, at noon in Satow Stadium in the Baker Athletic Complex in Inwood on 214th Street.

     Music is the theme of the Washington Heights Salsa, Blues and Shamrocks 5K.
     The route is Fort Washington Avenue from Lower WaHi to the Cloisters and back, so prepare for a busy street. In 2015 more than 6,000 runners finished the 3.2-mile race. It’s one that qualifies for entry in the New York City Marathon, in November.
      Fee varies by age and classification. Sunday morning, March 1, at 9 starting at J. Hood Wright Park in Lower WaHi.

     Find out how to write (and read!) cursive script.

     Practice the basics and learn a bit about the history of cursive in this fun class for people from 7 to 107. The leaders will examine the written forms and connectors for the alphabet, then you can practice creating your own beautiful signature.

     The workshop will be presented in both English and Spanish. 

     ¡Aprende cómo escribir (y leer) la letra cursiva! Ejercita lo básico y aprende un poco sobre la historia de la escritura en esta clase muy divertida para personas de 7 a 107 años. Examinaremos las formas y conectores para las letras del alfabeto, y practicaremos creando una bella firma propia. El taller se presentará en inglés y español.

     Sunday afternoon, March 1, from 1 to 3 at Word Up Community Bookshop in Lower WaHi on Amsterdam Avenue at 165th Street.

     Warm up your green thumb with the Urban Park Rangers by shaking off the winter blues and getting a head start on your garden.

     The Rangers will give you a hand with seeds so that when spring really gets going you’ll be ready to plant. Supplies will be provided.

     Free. Sunday afternoon, March 1, at 1 in Payson Park House in Inwood Hill Park at Dyckman Street and Payson Avenue.

     The Washington Heights Music Fest in collaboration with Washington Heights Artists’ Movement hosts a monthly open mic for artists, poets, singers, writers and performers. Refreshments will be provided.

     All ages are welcome, so the acts should be appropriate for everyone. Hosted by Lethy Liriano.

     $10. Friday night, March 6, from 5:30 to 8:30 at the Word Up Community Book Shop in Lower WaHi on Amsterdam Avenue at 165th Street. On the first Friday of the month.

     The WaHi Jazz Festival runs four days, and sets aside a special performance just for kids.

     Louise Rogers leads the fun with music and entertaiment.

     $5. Saturday morning, March 7, at 11 at Le Cheile in Husdon Heights on Fort Washington Avenue at Cabrini Boulevard.

     Family tours bring the medieval world to life for kids and adults alike.

     Free with museum admission; kids 12 and under pay no admission. Saturday afternoon, March 7, at 1 at The Met Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park. Also on April 4.

     Make plans to watch the student entries in the fifth annual Inwood Film Festival, whose entrants are filmmakers who reside in and around Upper Manhattan.

     The films take place in Uptown and the Bronx, so you’re going to see your home in any of the screenings.

     Friday through Sunday, March 13 through 15, with locations and times to be announced later.

     Do some digging, then get in some riding with your BMX buds.

      Meet up for a day of work and play in the woods and learn what it takes to build, maintain, and ride the most progressive urban bike park in America, with the help of the New York City Mountain Bike Association.

     There will be light trail maintenance tasks for all ages in the morning. Every volunteer receives a free 20-minute clinic and, in the afternoon, a guided ride throughout the trails from 12:30 to 3. Even better, bikes and helmets are provided, so you don’t need your own.  

     Uptown is the home of the city's first mountain biking course, a 3 miles of trails of varying difficulty and a free-ride trail that includes drops, steeps, and berms. The park also features a dirt jump park and pump track, making it a good place to develop different skills at all levels.

     Free. Sunday, March 15, from 10 to 3 in Fort George at the BMX trailhead in Highbridge Park, on Fort George Avenue, just northwest of the Buxzek Ballfield. Monthly on the second Sunday.

     Join your neighbors for the monthly day of fitness, health and fun in the park for the whole family to enjoy.

     Presented by the Park in collaboration with Columbia/New York-Presbyterian Hospital.

     Free. Saturday morning, March 21, at 11 in the Highbridge Recreation Center in Lower WaHi on Amsterdam Avenue near 173rd Street. Monthly on the third Saturday.

     Even though it’s the first day of spring, the boys of summer are coming back.

     Columbia’s baseball team hosts it home opener — finally. The Lions have been on the road for three weeks, from California and Nebrasks to the Carolinas.

     In addition to making their hometown debut this season, they host a double-header against Harvard, marking the first intra-league game of 2020.

     Saturday, March 21, at 11:30 and 2:30 at the Baker Athletic Complex in Inwood on 214th Street.

     The final game of the series comes on Sunday, March 22, at noon.

     Join your neighbors for a friendly basketball competition  to showcase your dribbling, passing, and shooting.

     This competition is for ages 17 and under. A Parks Recreation Center Membership is required, which is free for anyone aged 17 and under.

     Free. Saturday, March 21, at noon at the Highbridge Recreation Center in Lower WaHi on Amsterdam Avenue at 163rd Street.

     Will the princess notice the pea?

     Find out in Pied Piper’s production of Once Upon a Matress, staged by Uptown kids. 

      $20; students and seniors, $10. Friday night, March 27, at 7, Saturday, March 28, at 3 and 7, and Sunday afternoon, March 29, at 3 at the YM & YWHA in Fort George at 54 Nagle Avenue. Also on April 3–5.

     Kids who want a taste of dancing on stage are invited to audition for The 12 Deancing Princesses. The summer performance by Pie Piper is adapted for stage and directed by Colleen Hawks-Pierce.

     Chilren ages 6 to 13 should have a dance prepared. You need to attend only one audition night.
     Monday nights, March 30 and April 6, from 5:30 to 8 at the YM & YWHA of Washington Heights & Inwood in Fort George at 54 Nagle Avenue.

     The Bulldogs challenge the Lions when they make the trip from New Haven to Upper Manhattan.

     The three-game Ivy League homestand takes place over the weekend, starting with a double-header.

     Saturday, April 4, at 11:30 and 2:30, and Sunday afternoon, April 5, at 2 at the Baker Athletic Complex in Inwood on 214th Street.

     Family tours bring the medieval world alive for childs and adults alike.

     Free with museum admission; kids 12 and younger pay no admission. Saturday afternoon, April 4, at 1 at The Met Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park. Also on April 18, and Creating Colleges on May 2 and 16.

      The Lions host the Crimson in an Ivy League lacrosse matchup.

      Sunday morning, April 5, at 11 in Satow Stadium in the Baker Athletic Comples in Inwood on 214th Street.

     Columbia’s lacrosse team closes out the regular season with an intra-league match hosting Brown. It’s senior day and it’s alumnae day too.

     Saturday, April 25, at noon in Satow Stadium at the Baker Athletic Complex in Inwood on 214th Street.

     The boys of summer close their regular season this spring weekend.

     Penn arrives in town to play Columbia in a three-game stand, starting with a double-header.

     Friday afternoon, May 1, at 2, and Saturday, May 2, at 11:30 and 2:30 at the Baker Athletic Complex in Inwood on 214th Street.

     Life’s not always a whirl of fun for The Twelve Dancing Princesses.

     Staged by Uptown kids, the play is presented by the Pied Piper Children’s Theatre and is adapted for the stage and directed by
Colleen Hawks-Pierce.

           $20; students and seniors, $10. Saturday, May 9, at 3 and 7, and Sunday afternoon, May 10, at 3 at the YM & YWHA in Fort George at 54 Nagle Avenue. Also on May 16 and 17.
 

     The annual Drums Along the Hudson began in 2002 as a traditional Pow Wow to celebrate Native American heritage and culture, and also to commemorate the Lenape people who first inhabited Inwood Hill Park, or Shorakapok (“edge of the water”).

     The event features dancers and drummers from around the world, combining Native American heritage, culture and art with the diversity of New York City. Activities include a Tree of Peace planting, international cuisine, Native American storytelling, a Pow Wow and crafts.
     The event has attracted a growing audience, numbering from 400 in the first year to over 8,000 in recent years.
     Free. A Sunday in June in Inwood Hill Park at Indian Road and 218th Street.

     Get off the island and on the water!

     Row New York offers a great way for kids with less than a year of rowing experience to sharpen their skills and build their fitness.

     This camp is beginner-friendly. Rowers will receive individual attention in a low-pressure environment that will aim to turn weaknesses into strengths.

     Rowers ages 12–18 will learn in wide, stable barges before graduating into racing shells, and they will build strength and stamina by cross-training, doing rowing drills, and rowing in steady-state and race-pace.

     $800 for one week, $1,500 for both weeks. Monday through Friday mornings, June 15 through 26, from 9 to noon at the Peter Jay Sharp Boathouse on the Harlem River in Swindler’s Cove.

     Experienced rowers can build on their abilities and compete in their first competition.

     Row New York’s extended summer camp is geared for those with over a year of rowing experience to get faster and stronger. Skills in this camp range from new varsity (over one year of experience) to advanced varsity (seven years’ experience).

     This camp is limited to grades 9–12.

     Racing is on the schedule for those who want to compete. Lineups are up to each coach’s discretion and based on rowers’ attendance, competency, and competitiveness. Races, with an extra fee, are The Philly Youth Regatta (Philadelphia) and Overpeck Summer Sprints (in Leonia).

     $3,600. Monday through Friday mornings, June 29 through August 14, from 6:30 to 8:30 at the Peter Jay Sharp Boathouse on the Harlem River in Swinder’s Cove.

     Why spend the summer on land when you’re surrounded by water?

     These Row New York’s camps are perfect for complete beginners and novices, with their focus on the fundamentals of the sport and build a foundation for rowing in the future.

     Rowers ages 12–18 will learn everything including the stroke, parts of the boat, rowing terms, safety procedures, and proper equipment handling and they will learn in wide, stable barges before graduating to racing shells. Rowers will build strength and stamina by cross-training, doing rowing drills, and rowing in steady-state and race-pace.

     $2,000. Monday through Friday mornings, July 6 through 24, from 9 to noon at the Peter Jay Sharp Boathouse on the Harlem River in Swindler’s Cove. Also from July 27 through August 14.

     City Sail is a week-long sailing summer camp for kids to escape the heat and noise of the city and enjoy the Hudson River while sailing on it. The camp is operated by Hudson River Community Sailing.

     Students learn new skills, make friends, build sailing skills, and have fun on the water. Students work in small groups no larger than five per boat.

     For kids in 5th through 10th grades (9–16 years old).  No boating or swimming experience is required.

     Participants may sign up for one or more of the four weekly sessions.

     $506 per week through February 15; then $595 per week (additional weeks, $550). Mondays through Fridays, July 20 through August 14, at the Dyckman Street Marina in Inwood.

     Columbia Athletics hosts Little Lions Camp, a kid-centered, fun-based day camp that keeps kids physically and creatively active.

     Programming features an ever changing combination of classic PE games, backyard favorites, sports, arts and crafts, and special surprises to keep kids happy, active, and engaged.

     A highly trained, eclectic staff includes physical education teachers, athletes, camp veterans, creative types and child care specialists who ensures that games are always changing and that counselors can tailor programming to fit children’s needs and likes. Registration required.

     Two sessions: Mondays through Fridays, August 3 through 7 and 10 through 14 at the Baker Athletic Complex on 218th Street in Inwood.

The Medieval Festival is the most famous event in the Heights, drawing tens of thousands of visitors to the neighborhood.

     Lords, ladies, knights and commoners bring to life the customs and spirit of the middle ages, transforming a slice of Upper Manhattan into a medieval market town decorated with bright banners and processional flags. Visitors are greeted by period music, dance, magic, and minstrels, as well as jugglers and jesters. The day concludes with a joust among four knights on horseback.

     Free. A Sunday in late September from 11:30 to 6 in Fort Tryon Park.