The CKids Shabbaton kicked off Friday morning as over a thousand children from more than twenty-five countries headed out for a day of trips across the New York area.

Boys and girls split into groups for the afternoon, with destinations including iFLY Indoor Skydiving, Gaming City USA, Area 53 adventure park, and Clawcade, giving hundreds of Jewish children a chance to bond with peers from around the world while having a blast.

As the groups returned to Crown Heights, families gathered at Beis Rivkah for a pre-Shabbos concert with Benny Friedman, filling the room with energy and music as the weekend shifted into Shabbos mode. Girls then lit Shabbos candles together before Kabbalas Shabbos.

The CKids Shabbaton, hosted by CKids International at Merkos 302, the largest network of Jewish children, continues with a full Shabbos program for children and parents, and culminates on Sunday with the JewQ International Championship.