Weekend Fun for Boston Kids: Snowfest, Eagle Fest, Jitterbugs, Jumping Monkeys and More, Feb 8-9

2/6/14 - By Audrey Trieschman

From the Merrimack River Eagle Festival that takes place at several locations around Newburyport to the Snow Festival in Franklin Park, there’s plenty of opportunity to get out and enjoy our winter wonderland. If it’s all too much and you’d rather think about getting away, the Boston Globe Travel Show may be the ticket. Karen K and the Jitterbugs perform a free concert in Watertown; other performance options include Gustafer Yellowgold’s Show and Vanessa Trien and the Jumping Monkeys. And with Valentine’s Day just around the corner, we’ve rounded up some kid-friendly ideas for sweet treats, craft activities, and story time events taking place this weekend. Read on for the details, and be sure to consult our calendar for more things to do.

Finally, the Olympics kick off this weekend - how about throwing a party to celebrate?

Enjoy!

OUR LATEST VIDEOS

Gustafer Yellowgold's Show - Coolidge Corner Theatre, Brookline
Sat 2/8
$10 adult / $8 child        

Groovy Gustafer Yellowgold is a small, yellow, cone-headed fellow, who came to Earth from the Sun and has a knack for finding himself neck-deep in absurd situations as he explores his new life in the Minnesota woods. Equal parts pop rock concert and animated storybook, Gustafer Yellowgold concerts are a multimedia experience that entrances children and adults alike.


Tanglewood Marionettes Puppet Show - National Heritage Museum, Lexington
Sat 2/8
Admission $9-$10        

LexFUN's annual puppet features the Tanglewood Marionettes and their show The Fairy Circus. Featuring over twenty beautifully hand-crafted marionettes, The Fairy Circus is a showcase for turn-of-the-century-style trick puppetry. Includes a lively puppetry demonstration prior to the show, and a Q&A session with the puppeteers following the performance.


Snow Festival - Franklin Park, Boston
Sat 2/8
FREE

Families can sled, build a snowperson, try out snowshoes, track animal prints or bring your own cross country skis for a park tour. Warm up inside the golf clubhouse with hot chocolate and play board games. It's a snow day for all ages. Cross your fingers for lots of white, fluffy stuff!


"Monkey Makes Mischief in Heaven" by Galapagos Puppets - Arlington Center for the Arts
Sat 2/8
Admission $7, 3 tickets for $20        

The Chinese Monkey King delights in his new job in the Heavenly Peach Garden, snatching delicious, forbidden peaches. But when he finds out that he's been left out of the Peach Blossom banquet honoring the Year of the Horse, Monkey flies off to make mischief in the Heavens. Puppeteer Margaret Moody presents this lively episode of the Chinese epic “Journey to the West” with traditional Taiwanese hand puppets and choreography, which she studied with the I Wan Jan Traditional Hand Puppet Troupe in Taiwan. Children are invited to stay after the show to decorate and dance with a New Year lion to welcome the Year of the Horse.


Boston Globe Travel Show - Seaport World Trade Center, Boston
Fri 2/7 - Sun 2/9
Tickets: Adults $10; Children 18 & under FREE        

The annual travel show has over 200 exhibitors, special vacation deals, cultural performances and entertainment, live animals from SeaWorld and Zoo New England, and a children's area with moon bounce and kids' crafts.


Family Design Day: The Great Boston Egg Drop - BSA Space, Boston
Sat 2/8
Admission $8 pp        

Will your egg survive the drop? In the February edition of Family Design Day at BSA Space, families will be challenged to design and build a structure that will protect an egg when dropped from a height of 12 feet. A classic exercise from Architecture and Engineering education, the Egg Drop requires nothing but a willingness to try, fail, and try again.


MFA Lunar New Year Open House - Museum of Fine Arts Boston
Sat 2/8
FREE

Visit the MFA to celebrate the Year of the Horse with free admission for all! Browse the galleries to learn about Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese traditions, and ring in the Lunar New Year with activities scheduled throughout the day.

  • Watch a festive parade and performance with Gund Kwok—the only Asian women’s Lion Dance troupe in New England.
  • Enjoy interactive demonstrations of Gong-Fu (Chinese martial arts) and Saebae (Korean bowing ceremony).
  • Participate in fun family art-making activities, and take a guided tour of the Art of Asia galleries.

Karen K and the Jitterbugs - Watertown Middle School
Sat 2/8
FREE

Parents Choice Award-Winning Karen K & the Jitterbugs plays music the whole family loves. Known for their catchy, pop-infused, genre-swirling tunes, Karen K & her Jitterbugs keeps hands clapping and bodies moving. The show is set in Karen K’s Bug Out, the imaginary fort in her back yard where she seeks adventures and makes music with her friends the Jitterbugs: Bumble (Seth Connelly, guitar), Stink Bug (Chris Small, drums), Hop (Dan Fox, bass and trombone) and side-kick and best friend, Lightning Bug (Aaron Jones, everything else).

For an extra treat, check out the Jitterbugs' hit video, (I Woke Up in a) Fire Truck.


Merrimack River Eagle Festival - Newburyport
Sat 2/8
FREE

A full day of activities hosted throughout Newburyport celebrates the return of the bald eagles. Event highlights include:

  • At the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters: Family fun plus special feature: owls from Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm (11am-3pm)
  • At the Joppa Flats Education Center: Family fun plus special feature: hawks from Mass Audubon’s Drumlin Farm from (11am-3pm)
  • Visit eagle hot spots: Eagle Festival guides show you Bald Eagles from sites along the Merrimack River. Maps available at all festival headquarter sites. (9am-4pm)
  • Go on an eagle tour: Tours start every half hour and take 1.5 hours to complete. Departure point: The Newburyport Chamber of Commerce. Advance registration required (978-462-9998). Adults and children age 6 and over. (9am-2pm)

Vanessa Trien & Jumping Monkeys - The Center for the Arts Natick (TCAN)
Sun 2/9
Tickets $12 adults, $10 kids        

"Nessa Groupies" sing and dance in the aisles as Vanessa Trien and her lively band, the Jumping Monkeys, perform songs from Carnival Day, Hot Air Balloon, and Bubble Ride. Fun for parents, too.

Special “Monkey” price: Tickets are $8 each when you mention the coupon code “MONKEY29” when purchasing tickets.


Henry and Mudge: Theatreworks USA - Leventhal-Sidman Jewish Community Center, Newton
Sun 2/9
Admission $10-$13        

Follow the exploits of Henry and Mudge in an exuberant musical based on Cynthia Rylant’s best-selling books.


Chinese New Year Celebration - Chinatown, Boston
Sun 2/9
FREE

Chinatown celebrates the New Year with the famous Lion Dance Parade (10am, starting from the stage in Phillips Square (at Harrison Avenue and Essex Street)). The celebration continues with a whole day of festivities, including a Chinese New Year Cultural Village inside the East West Bank at 74 Harrison Ave, with Chinese arts and crafts for all ages., great food and other special activities.


Pinocchio and King Midas - Tsai Performance Center, Boston
Sun 2/9
Adults $30; Children $10        

Boston Musica Viva’s Annual Family Concert includes Michael Gandolfi’s Pinocchio, Nathaniel Hawthorne’s version of the classic King Midas story, Hoffer’s Ma Goose, a playful re-imagining of Mother Goose nursery rhymes, and Samuel Headrick’s children’s ballet The New Kid.


Annual Winter Beach Party - The Arlington Boys and Girls Club
Sun 2/9
$15 per family (members), $25 per family (non-members)        

Parents of young children can entertain their little ones at the Arlington Family Connection’s Annual Winter Beach Party. Activities include: The Traveling Tidepool from The New England Aquarium, pizza, ice cream, crafts, games, a DJ, balloon animals, and more.