Below are brief descriptions of the spaces where you can create your event, but you really need to see them in person! To arrange a site visit, or for additional information about planning your private event at the Museum, please contact our Director of Visitor Services at (718) 735-4400 x182 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

 

Entire Museum (capacity–1,000)

Having a large event? Rent one of New York City’s most dramatic and innovative spaces and let your guests explore every nook and cranny of the Museum. Your group will appreciate having private access to all our unforgettable exhibits, and the space will allow you the creativity and ease to develop an experience that is sure to be remembered!

Totally Tots Exhibit (capacity–60 standing)

One of the most sought-after exhibits in the Museum, the new Totally Tots exhibit is a place to let your imagination run wild. This colorful space, which typically caters to the 5-and-under crowd, is an excellent place to host a whimsical cocktail party. Discover the wonders of our water works pond, make some noise with built-in music makers, visit our sandbox, or produce your very own puppet show. Go on—let your inner child out in this magical exhibit!

World Brooklyn Exhibit (capacity–225 standing)

Looking to shake up the standard office routine? Host your very own scavenger hunt in the new World Brooklyn exhibit as a fun, educational team-building program! At the heart of World Brooklyn is a bustling neighborhood with a block of kid-sized shops. Your guests can travel the globe just by taking a stroll down the pint-sized street and stopping in at the Chinese stationery store, Mexican bakery, international grocery, West African import boutique, Caribbean travel agency, or Italian pizzeria and Vespa repair shop. Partygoers can mingle while they learn to write in Chinese, go shopping for Shabbat or Kwanzaa meals, or try on a Caribbean carnival costume.

Neighborhood Nature Exhibit (capacity–225 standing)

An excellent space for a cocktail or buffet-style party, discover who lives in the heart of the city when you stroll through New York City’s urban woodlands, ponds and streams, beaches, and community gardens in the new Neighborhood Nature exhibit. Your guests will be joined at the pond aquarium by fish and turtles swimming among aquatic plants, or they can play “environmental DJ” by mixing urban noises with the calls of nature at a kid-friendly mixing board.  For an additional fee, invite animals from our living collection—including snakes, lizards, dragons, or turtles to make a special appearance at your event!

Collections Central Exhibit, Special Exhibit Gallery, and Chase Gallery
(three exhibit spaces; capacity–150 standing)

From delicate dolls to an elephant skeleton, Brooklyn Children’s Museum is home to a permanent collection of nearly 30,000 objects. While it is rare for a children’s museum to have a permanent collection, the use of artifacts in the new Collections Central exhibit is central to the Museum’s educational mission and programming. Your guests can explore the many cultural and scientific treasures housed in this exhibit—including a giant, grimacing Brazilian riverboat figurehead and an elephant-headed Indian deity—or design their own exhibit! The adjacent Special Exhibit Gallery and Chase Gallery host a changing schedule of fascinating shows throughout the year; please ask what will be showing at the time of your event.

Forest City Ratner Kids Cafe (capacity–150 standing; 100 seated)

Approximately 1,800 square feet, this space offers a blank canvas for your next performance, wedding, business meeting, or reception. Designed with beautiful bamboo flooring and vaulted ceilings, the Cafe—ideal for small- to medium-sized gatherings—is located next to a warming kitchen.

Rooftop Plaza (capacity–700 standing; 200 seated)

This expansive, open-air space offers a birds-eye view of Brower Park’s lush treetops and is embraced by the Museum’s new, undulating, Rafael Viñoly-designed wings. Stadium-style bleachers are surrounded by a flat performance area and a picnic space. It's great for performances, weddings, and warm-weather community events. (Please note that tenting will limit the number of guests; please contact the Manager of Special Events and Space Rental for additional details.)

Commons Theater (capacity–150 standing)

The Commons Theater serves as the Museum's main performance and meeting space. Large, carpeted steps provide a comfortable place for people to spread out. The descending seating area faces an open performance space and can be set up with chairs or tables. It can be used for all types of gatherings including meetings, workshops, performances, family reunions, and public forums. The Commons also enjoys easy access to kitchen facilities.

Greenhouse and Garden (capacity–75 standing)

A sunken courtyard modeled after a Japanese terraced garden sits below the grassy ground level behind the Museum. It's open to the sky, yet tucked away from the hustle and bustle of city streets. It's perfect for outdoor bridal and baby showers, small cocktail parties, or warm-weather community events.

Everett Children’s Library (capacity–60 standing; 35 seated)

This unique, L-shaped space makes an excellent spot for corporate and community meetings or smaller social gatherings, such as a bridal or baby shower, an anniversary party, or a birthday celebration.

Science Inquiry Center (capacity–25 standing; 18-20 seated)

Spice up your meetings by hosting your next gathering in this special space. Ideal for roundtable discussions or conference-room seating, you will be surrounded by live animals and models used for discovery and education . . . including Fantasia, the Museum's famous, 20-foot-long, albino Burmese python, who lives in this room.

Technology Learning Classroom (capacity–20 seated)

This traditional classroom space offers overhead projection, dry erase boards, and an in-room sink—an ideal setup for crafts and projects. Use this space to conduct smaller meetings or seminars . . . or pair it up with the Museum’s larger spaces and use it as a break-out room.

Executive Conference Room (capacity–20 seated)

Looking for a more traditional meeting space? Our Executive Conference Room is available to host gatherings of 15-20 people and comes equipped with overhead projection and a dry-erase board for presentations. Once you’ve conducted the more “serious” side of business, let your hair down and explore the other spaces and Museum exhibits!

 

If you’d like to see any or all of these spaces, or for additional information about planning your private event at Brooklyn Children’s Museum, please contact our Director of Visitor Services at (718) 735-4400 x182 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .