5 Things to Do With Your Dad at the Rubin Block Party

What do you have planned for Father’s Day this year? Bring your dad or someone important in your life to the Rubin Museum’s annual Block Party! This year’s theme is “We Make The Future.” From 1:00 to 4:00 PM on Sunday, June 17, you and your family are invited to 17th Street for free art-making activities, onstage performances, and free Museum admission all day long.

Need more convincing? Here are five unique activities you can look forward to:

1. Build a future city

What does a city in the future look like? How is it different from our city today? Join a collaborative, large-scale project that requires teamwork from thousands of Block Party visitors. Discover the opinions and capabilities of your fellow creators while making a unique contribution.

2. Observe the creation (and destruction) of a sand mandala by Palyul monks

Watch Palyul monks create a sand mandala, an intricate artwork crafted with precision and used as a meditative practice. Once the mandala is complete, it is quickly erased, signifying the transitory nature of material life.

3. Walk into the Healing Garden

What is the future of nature in the city? Go inside to go outside with a mobile park by artist Kim Holleman. The Healing Garden is housed inside a mobile travel trailer. The interior is fully planted and treated as a “real” park. The plants in the Trailer Park Project are New York natives including mosses, succulents, grasses, miniature trees, shrubs, and wildflowers.

4. Meet organizations that are preserving Himalayan cultural and empowering others

Learn about our Himalayan cultural partners and their work with Himalayan peoples here in New York and abroad. This year’s groups include Adhikaar, Grassroots Movement in Nepal (GMIN), India Home, and Yinda Yin Coaching.

5. Grab some good eats

Even if you’re joining the Block Party after a Father’s Day brunch, all this walking and art making is bound to leave you a little hungry. Fortunately, there is an assortment of dishes and snacks for you to pick up. The Museum’s Café Serai Outpost will be serving Himalayan-inspired street food—or you can stop by one of the food trucks in attendance, including Van Leeuwen Ice Cream, Brooklyn Popcorn, and Wafels & Dinges.

Join us for our annual Block Party on Sunday, June 17.

Rubin Block Party is made possible through the generosity of New York Life Insurance Company. Additional support has been provided by Agnes Gund, Con Edison, and India Tourism, New York.