Talks and Events Around Father’s Day in NYC

By Alison Durkee

Father’s Day is on the horizon, and whether you’re planning to spend the day with Dad or get a deeper perspective on fatherhood, NYC’s cultural scene has you covered. Celebrate Father’s Day, learn more about masculinity, or get a deeper insight into your family background with these upcoming talks and events.

Photo by K. Milford

New Yorkers wanting to celebrate Father’s Day on Sunday, June 16 have plenty of options. History lovers can head over to the Museum of the City of New York, which will be offering special private tours of their current exhibitions on Jackie Robinson and cycling in the city, or stay on the other side of Central Park at the New-York Historical Society. The history museum will be offering a special Father’s Day scavenger hunt throughout the museum, which is recommended for families with children ages 12 and up. If you’d rather stay outside and enjoy the June weather, head downtown for Big Onion’s Annual Father’s Day Multi-Ethnic Eating Tour, which will focus on the Lower East Side, or spend the weekend enjoying the NYC Parks Department’s schedule of Father’s Day events. The special activities includes an inter-generational Father’s Day basketball tournament (June 14), game night (June 14), and a family field and game day (June 15). For a different slant on New York history and culture, take Dad to the Egg Rolls, Egg Creams & Empanadas Festival, hosted by the Museum at Eldridge Street. Jewish, Chinese, and Puerto Rican tastes, traditions, sights, and sounds all come together in an afternoon-long street fair.

Other upcoming events will offer new perspectives on fatherhood. Author Nara B. Milanich will discuss her book Paternity: The Elusive Quest for the Father on June 13 at Book Culture. The book discusses the tension between social and biological notions of fatherhood, and how scientific certainty and DNA analysis have “revealed the fundamentally social, cultural, and political nature of paternity.” For a look at the experience of growing up with one specific—and iconic—father, join Lisa Brennan-Jobs June 10 as she discusses her new memoir Small Fry, which focuses on her childhood with father Steve Jobs.

New Yorkers can also attend events this summer that consider a more basic aspect of all fathers: their masculinity. A June 6 event at the Aesthetic Realism Foundation will consider how men can express themselves and be just to others, while Caveat’s Underground University series will continue June 18 with a session on de-toxing your masculinity. On June 19, the Rubin Museum of Art will offer an event on the joy, rigor, and power of wise masculinity, which will include a mindfulness practice.

Consider diving deeper into your family tree by checking out an upcoming genealogy event. The New York Public Library has a full slate, including a June 19 event on how to get started with genealogy in the first place. The New-York Historical Society will also offer an event June 12 with tips and techniques on how to use the historical society’s special collections to perform your own family research.

Photo: Jim Henderson CC by 4.0

Of course, sometimes the best family events are just opportunities to spend time together. Gather the family together and enjoy Night at the Museums, which will take place on the afternoon and evening of June 25. Institutions throughout Lower Manhattan (including Federal Hall, above) open their doors for tours, live music, and more. If winding your museumgoing down at 8pm still sounds too early for you, consider bringing the family to the American Museum of Natural History for their Night at the Museum, which offers the chance to sleep over in the museum’s famed halls. The recurring event includes upcoming dates on June 14 and 21.

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