Nickelodeon Hosts Biggest Celebration of Play Ever With A Full Week of Fitness-Themed Public Events Throughout New York City Leading Up To 10th Annual Worldwide Day of Play

NEW YORK, Sept. 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Nickelodeon will turn New York into a "City of Play" the week of Sept. 16 with a series of free, fitness-themed public events leading up to the network's 10^th annual Worldwide Day of Play (WWDoP) on Saturday, Sept. 21. From Monday, Sept. 16, to Friday, Sept. 20, Nickelodeon and key partners will host health and wellness-geared activities at a number of New York City's iconic locations, including Battery Park, Union Square Park and Times Square. Additionally, due to an overwhelming demand for tickets, Nickelodeon will release an additional allotment for its free, ticketed 10^th annual Worldwide Day of Play event on the Nethermead in Brooklyn's Prospect Park on Sept. 21 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (ET).

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To celebrate the week, the Empire State Building will beam bright "Nickelodeon Orange" tonight (Monday, September 16). TV host, actor, producer and all-around entertainer Nick Cannon was on hand to flip the ceremonial switch.

For information on the new allotment of tickets Nickelodeon will be releasing, kids and families can visit www.nick.com/play. Tickets are required and will be available on a first come, first served basis beginning Monday, Sept. 16 at 6 p.m.

Nickelodeon's WWDoP is the network's annual pro-social initiative that encourages active and healthy lifestyles. This year's event, held for the first-time ever in Brooklyn's Prospect Park,  will be an entire day of activities and games for kids and their families, including football and tennis drills, dance, stepping and double dutch, as well as arts and entertainment. The day will also feature a special concert performance from Big Time Rush and breakout star Ariana Grande. For information on ticketing for Saturday's WWDoP, kids and families can visit www.nick.com/play. Tickets are required and are available on a first come, first served basis.

As it has since 2004, Nickelodeon will suspend programming on WWDoP across all of its TV channels -- Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Nicktoons and TeenNick -- and websites from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. (ET/PT) urging kids to "get up, go outside and play". Millions of kids and families across the U.S. and worldwide are expected to participate in thousands of events in dozens of countries. 

The "City of Play" events during the week of Sept. 16 will each begin at 3 p.m. at some of New York's most popular landmarks. These featured events are open to the public and include:

• Monday, Sept. 16:
  Passersby, tourists and commuters will all be invited to take a photo with SpongeBob Square Pants and Patrick from 3pm-7pm in Battery Park and at the Staten Island Ferry terminal. Later that evening, the Empire State Building will be lit orange, for the first time ever, to kick-off the week of "City of Play" activities.

• Tuesday, Sept. 17:
  Nickelodeon and NFL PLAY 60 are teaming up to get New York up and active on the deck of the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum and Pier 86 from 3-5pm. Nickelodeon stars, SpongeBob and Patrick and professional football stars will join hundreds of kids aboard the historic carrier for an afternoon of football drills, laughs and action.

• Wednesday, Sept. 18:
  Neighborhood kids, families, commuters and shoppers can all jump, skip, stretch and dance at Union Square Park where event partners Art of Stepping and National Double Dutch League will bring special activities to get kids up and moving.

• Thursday, Sept. 19:
  SpongeBob, Patrick and Dora the Explorer will be at Brooklyn Bridge Park to cheer on kids as they participate in a mini-triathlon. Competing activities include kayaking at Brooklyn Bridge Park Boathouse, skateboarding, and volleyball at the Pier 6 Volleyball Courts.

• Friday, Sept. 20:
  New York Road Runners Club will host a Nickelodeon-themed '5-Borough Relay Race' with the help of SpongeBob, Patrick, Dora The Explorer and The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Kids and adults can also pose for a free commemorative photo with their favorite Nick character.

Throughout the "City of Play" week, Nickelodeon's non-profit and educational partners are hosting more than 80 grassroots activities and events at schools, recreation centers and parks in all five boroughs. The YMCA of Greater New York, Big Brothers/Big Sisters of New York City, the New York City Housing Authority, Afterschool Alliance, the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Girl Scouts of America and the Police Athletic League are among those mobilizing in the city. Through these events, kids and families will be introduced to activities that encourage them to stay engaged in an active and healthy lifestyle year-round. A complete list of local public events can be found at www.nick.com/play.

Worldwide Day of Play is part of Nickelodeon's health and wellness efforts and continues the network's legacy of promoting positive health and wellness messages to its viewers. The network's efforts include grants programs that help fund fitness and nutrition programs in local communities across the U.S., public service announcements, a dedicated website that provide kids with more information on ways they can get healthy, games and more. Through Nick's health and wellness efforts over the past 10 years, millions of kids have pledged to get healthy. 

Kids and families can visit www.nick.com/play for information on ticketing for Saturday's WWDoP event. The site also includes specifics on location information, activity schedules, additional partner events and resources to help families plan their own day of play. A mobile version of the WWDoP site is available through m.worldwidedayofplay.com and parents can visit www.facebook.com/NickBigHelp or follow @NickTheBigHelp and @NickelodeonTV on Twitter for real-time updates on WWDoP activities.

Members of the media seeking more information about Nickelodeon's 10th annual Worldwide Day of Play can visit www.nickpress-worldwidedayofplay.com.

Nickelodeon, now in its 34^th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books and feature films. Nickelodeon's U.S. television network is seen in more than 100 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for 18 consecutive years. For more information or artwork, visit http://www.nickpress.com.  Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIA.B). 

SOURCE Nickelodeon