Little Princess pop-up experience comes to Rockville Centre
Valentina Evers, 4, of Flushing, Queens, meets Moana and Elsa at The Little Princess Pop Up in Rockville Centre. Credit: Gary Licker
Whitney Wallace, 35, found herself apologizing to two grown-up princesses at the Little Princess Pop Up, a 90-minute fairy tale entertainment and dining experience in Rockville Centre.
"My daughter, she kept hugging the princesses," Wallace says of Valentina, 4, of Flushing. "I said, 'I'm sorry girls, she's a hugger.'" No worries, The Ice Princess and The Ocean Princess responded. "They gave her as many hugs as she wanted," Wallace says.
Families are encouraged to put on their favorite prince or princess costumes for the Little Princess Pop Up, a new event running weekends and other designated dates through Feb. 23. Two to three princesses, inspired by Disney movies, appear at each seating, says Michael Marra, president of Unique Social Events. They meet-and-greet fans, take photos and mingle with them.
"Each princess will perform a song from the movie they are portrayed in," Marra says. And each ticket holder receives a crown they can take home.
Mila DeFeo, 3, of Oakdale, attended wearing an Elsa costume from "Frozen." "My daughter absolutely loved it," says Shauna DeFeo, 34, a teacher. "She loved the singing. She had so much fun. I did too. The atmosphere was great; they had great food and drinks for the adults."
Wallace, a social worker, says she liked how interactive the experience was. "They sang with the girls, danced with the girls, played a couple of games." The event kept Valentina's attention for the 90 minutes, she says.
Abigail Botonis, 31, of Astoria, plays The Ice Princess and also owns A Novel Princess Party, which provides the princesses for the event. "We come out and you get the critical intake moment," she says, describing the gasps of the children when they see the characters emerge. She says doing multiple performances a day is "A long time to be in heels, but it's pretty worth it."
Seatings are $30 per person on Saturdays and Sundays at noon, 2, 4 and 6 p.m. On Valentine's Day, seatings will be available at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. and guests will also receive a pink rose and complimentary sparkling pink drink. During Presidents Week, seatings will be at noon and 2 p.m. on Feb. 18, 19 and 20. An a-la-carte menu will be available; daytime items might include, for instance, Belgian waffles and later menus chicken fingers, burgers and more. Approximately 60 people can be accommodated at each seating, Marra says.
WHEN | WHERE Little Princess Pop Up, weekends and other designated dates through Feb. 23, The Ainsworth event space, 210 Merrick Rd., Rockville Centre
COST $30 per person (food and drinks are a la carte)
MORE INFO littleprincesspopup.com
The Princess Make Over Experience
This event takes place in a Sands Point Preserve castle, and children should come all dressed up for the occasion. They will be greeted by a princess from A Dream is a Wish Parties and then called one-by-one for their costumed Fairy Godmother to apply age-appropriate makeup including eye shadow, face gems, blush and lip gloss. Their hair will be arranged in a heatless style. The Fairy Godmother will give the child a pixie dust glitter wish with her magic wand. Then, they'll be escorted to the Throne Room where a second princess will coronate them with a tiara placed on the head that they can keep. Includes a goodie bag with lip gloss, nail polish, hair brush and wand. Each session is limited to eight children and sessions run from 11 a.m. to noon, 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. or noon to 1 p.m. "Any adults are free, so they can bring parents and grandparents," says Michaela Vivona, owner of A Dream is Wish Parties. Because the tickets include the parking fee, participants have access to the preserve grounds as well, she says.
WHEN | WHERE March 2, The Sands Point Preserve, 127 Middle Neck Rd., Sands Point
COST $133.50 per child, includes the $15 Sands Point parking fee
MORE INFO 516-571-7901, sandspointpreserveconservancy.org
Princess Tea Party
Dress as a royal for this tea party. First, watch a princess stage performance. "It's all ballet, it's all dance," Ballet Long Island artistic director Debra Punzi says. There's no dialogue or lyrics, she says. Performers typically include Cinderella and Prince Charming, Snow White, and Belle and The Beast. Other characters change monthly, Punzi says. After the performance, take your own photos with the performers. Then, have tea, lemonade, cupcakes and cookies in the Princess Tea Room. The experience lasts about 90 minutes, Punzi says.
WHEN | WHERE 1 p.m. March 15, April 5 and May 3 at Ballet Long Island, 1863 Pond Rd., Ronkonkoma
COST $25 per person, advance registration recommended
MORE INFO 631-737-1964, balletlongisland.com
Beth Whitehouse writes about families, parenting and great things to do with the kids on Long Island. She’s been a Newsday editor and shared a 1997 Newsday staff Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the crash of TWA Flight 800.
