Things for tweens & teens to do September ’26

Tweens and teens have a full calendar this September: the city’s outdoor pools stay open for one more week, a brass-band festival at Industry City and a free all-ages Americana festival under the Manhattan Bridge in Dumbo, Charli xcx and Phoebe Bridgers at Barclays Center, a herd of life-size buffalo puppets roaming Downtown Brooklyn, the Liberty’s last regular-season home games, the Brooklyn Brujeria Festival, the Brooklyn Book Festival, Sneaker Con back in Coney Island and the Atlantic Antic to close out the month. In between, the neighborhood libraries and Greenlight Bookstore run weekly tween and teen programs that cost nothing.

Outdoor pools stay open through September 13 | Williamsburg, Red Hook, Sunset Park & beyond

Daily through Sunday, September 13 | 11am–7pm, with a cleaning break 3–4pm | McCarren Park Pool, Red Hook Pool, Sunset Park Pool, Douglass and DeGraw Pool, Commodore Barry Pool, Kosciuszko Pool and more | Free | All ages

The Olympic- and intermediate-sized pools stay open through Sunday, September 13 — a bonus week of after-school swims at McCarren, Red Hook, Sunset Park, Douglass and DeGraw, Commodore Barry and Kosciuszko. Summer rules still apply: swimsuit, sturdy lock, plain white shirts on deck. Hours and the full list are on NYC Parks’ outdoor pools page.

Tween Book Group at Greenlight Bookstore | Fort Greene

Wednesday, September 9 | 6–7pm | Greenlight Bookstore, 686 Fulton Street | RSVP on Greenlight’s site | Ages 9–12

Greenlight’s monthly tween book group, led by staff member Megan, opens the fall with The Fairy-Tale Detectives, the first book in Michael Buckley’s Sisters Grimm series, about two sisters who discover that fairy-tale characters are real and dangerous. Pizza is served. The group is geared toward readers aged 9 to 12; RSVP on Greenlight’s site.

Brooklyn Americana Music Festival | Dumbo

Saturday, September 12 | 2–10pm | Dumbo Archway, 155 Water Street | Free | All ages — there’s a bar on site and the later sets skew grown-up

The festival’s free, all-ages day puts nine acts of Americana, country, folk, blues and bluegrass on the Archway stage under the Manhattan Bridge. Teen-friendly evening sets: Avery Friedman at 7pm, Rose Paradise at 8pm, Dida Pelled at 9pm; seating is first come, first served. Full lineup on the festival’s schedule page. Register on Eventbrite.

Brasswick: An Urban Brass Band Festival | Sunset Park

Saturday, September 12 | 1–9pm | The Bandshell at Industry City, Courtyard 1/2, 220 36th Street | $19.99 in advance, $25 at the door; kids under 12 free with a ticketed adult | All ages

Brasswick fills Industry City’s open-air courtyard with brass bands all afternoon and evening: L Train Brass Band hosts, joined by Funkrust Brass Band, PRIZILLA, Purple Gravy and The Funky Dawgz, and the night ends with a jam session open to any kid who brings a horn or a drum. Tickets on Industry City’s event page.

Charli xcx: Music, Fashion, Film Tour | Prospect Heights

Monday, September 14 and Tuesday, September 15 | 7:30pm, doors 60 minutes earlier | Barclays Center, 620 Atlantic Avenue | Ticketed | Best for older teens — school nights, and the show runs late

Two nights of Charli xcx with underscores opening. Both are school-night shows, so plan around the bell schedule. Tickets are through Barclays Center.

Tween and teen programs at the Brooklyn Public Library | Dumbo, Williamsburg & Sunset Park

Weekly through September | Adams Street Library, 9 Adams Street; Williamsburgh Library, 240 Division Avenue; Sunset Park Library, 5108 Fourth Avenue | Free | Grades 4–12

Adams Street Library in Dumbo runs a Tween and Teen Create Space on Thursdays, 4:30–5:30pm, plus a Tween Book Club (September 24) and Reference Help (September 23). Williamsburgh Library does Wire Wrapped Jewelry Making on Wednesdays, 4–5pm, ages 13 and up. Sunset Park Library has Anime Club on Thursdays and Teen Tech Time (Switch and PS5) on Fridays, both 4–5pm. And on Thursday, September 17, 16- and 17-year-olds can pre-register to vote at Central Library, 10am–5pm. No registration needed for any of these.

Movies With A View: How to Train Your Dragon | Brooklyn Bridge Park

Friday, September 18 | lawn opens 6pm, film at sunset | Pier 1 Harbor View Lawn | Free | All ages — the series’ first dedicated family film night

The season closer of the park’s outdoor movie series is the live-action How to Train Your Dragon (PG, 93 minutes), with the skyline behind the screen. It’s first come, first served with one-in-one-out once the lawn fills; blankets and small cushions are fine, lawn chairs and dogs are not. Bring a picnic and send the tweens to grab a spot early. Details on the park’s listing.

Return of the Buffalo: Tatanka Owe Akupi | Downtown Brooklyn

Friday, September 18, 5–7:30pm (Lower Manhattan, Bowling Green Park to Foley Square) and Saturday, September 19, 2–4:30pm (Downtown Brooklyn, Abolitionist Place to Brooklyn Bridge Park) | Free, non-ticketed | All ages

A herd of life-size buffalo puppets roams Downtown Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan over two days, stopping for live music, poetry and ceremonies. Created by Amir Nizar Zuabi — the artist behind Little Amal — with Lenape and Lakota elders, the piece marks the buffalo’s return from near-extinction. The Brooklyn day runs from Abolitionist Place at 2pm past Borough Hall and the Promenade to Brooklyn Bridge Park by 4:30pm — full stop-by-stop route on the St. Ann’s Warehouse page.

FAMChella on Fifth | Bay Ridge

Saturday, September 19 | 3–6pm | 5th Avenue, 68th to 81st Street | Free | All ages — a family block party with a dance party and live music

Thirteen car-free blocks of Fifth Avenue turned into a family festival: a dance party, live music, arts and crafts, a bouncy house and food from the avenue’s restaurants. Younger tweens will get the most out of it; teens can treat it as a free afternoon of live music with friends. Free RSVP on Eventbrite.

Community Bracelet-Making at Brooklyn Creative Reuse | Sunset Park

Saturday, September 19 | 11am–5:30pm | Brooklyn Creative Reuse at Industry City, 220 36th Street | Pay what you wish | All ages

A drop-in afternoon of bracelet-making from Brooklyn Creative Reuse’s bins of donated beads and art supplies, hosted with SoulSketch Collective, a youth-for-youth nonprofit that runs art workshops for teens. Whatever you pay goes to SoulSketch’s work. Easy to pair with a walk through Industry City’s food hall and courtyards; details on Industry City’s event page.

New York Liberty vs. Atlanta Dream | Prospect Heights

Monday, September 21 and Wednesday, September 23 | 8pm, doors 90 minutes earlier | Barclays Center, 620 Atlantic Avenue | Ticketed | All ages

The Liberty’s final regular-season home games before the WNBA playoffs open on September 27, both against Atlanta. Weeknight tip-offs at 8pm make these late for younger kids but easy for teens, and the arena is a short walk from the Atlantic Terminal subway lines. Tickets through Barclays Center.

Phoebe Bridgers: The Lost Tour | Prospect Heights

Thursday, September 24 – Saturday, September 26 | 7:30pm, doors 90 minutes earlier | Barclays Center, 620 Atlantic Avenue | Ticketed | Teens — a device-free show, phones get locked away

Three nights of Phoebe Bridgers with Alex G opening. Note the venue’s rule for this run: it is a device-free experience, so phones, smart watches and cameras are not permitted during the show — worth knowing before a teen goes without you. Saturday is the easiest night for school-age fans. Tickets through Barclays Center.

Brooklyn Brujeria Festival | Dumbo

Friday, September 25 | 5–10pm | Dumbo Archway, 155 Water Street | Free, rain or shine | Teens

The Brooklyn Brujeria Festival kicks off its ninth year in Dumbo with Noche de Tambores under the Archway: drumming from across the Afro-Latin diaspora, a 60-plus-vendor magic night market, tarot and oracle readers and art installations. The opening night is free and runs rain or shine; the rest of the festival weekend’s concerts and fiestas are ticketed — details at brooklynbrujeria.com.

Sneaker Con New York | Coney Island

Saturday, September 26 and Sunday, September 27 | 12–7pm both days | Maimonides Park, 1904 Surf Avenue | Tickets from about $33 including fees | All ages — the sneakerhead event of the year for tweens and teens

Sneaker Con is back at the Cyclones’ ballpark: hundreds of vendors buying, selling and trading sneakers and streetwear, a Trading Pit, a vintage hall and exclusive drops. Bring a budget and a plan — the crowds and the prices both run high. Tickets on Eventbrite; more on the Sneaker Con site.

Brooklyn Book Festival: Festival Day & Literary Marketplace | Downtown Brooklyn

Sunday, September 27 | 10am–6pm | Brooklyn Borough Hall, 209 Joralemon Street, and surrounding venues | Free | Best for teens — the Saturday Children’s Day is the one for younger kids

The flagship day of the country’s largest free literary festival: panels and readings across eight stages around Borough Hall, plus a literary marketplace of publishers and booksellers filling the plaza. The just-announced YA track runs 10am–6pm in the Brooklyn Law School student lounge — panels on banned books (Libba Bray, Darcie Little Badger), fantasy (Amélie Wen Zhao), romance (Ashley Woodfolk) and thrillers. Teens who read can lose a whole afternoon here; the full program is on the festival’s site.

The Atlantic Antic | Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill & Brooklyn Heights

Sunday, September 27 | 12–6pm, rain or shine | Atlantic Avenue from Fourth Avenue to Hicks Street | Free | All ages — teens can roam it on their own

Brooklyn’s oldest and largest street festival turns 51: a mile of Atlantic Avenue closed to cars, tastings from the avenue’s restaurants, live music on multiple stages, and a kids’ block with pony rides and bounce houses. Same day as the Book Festival three blocks away — a natural double bill. Details on the Atlantic Avenue LDC’s site.

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