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Fun & Free Things to Do with LA Kids this Weekend: Fiesta La Ballona, Malipalooza, and Puppetry , Aug 24 - 25

8/22/13 - By Toby B

Here's what we do: we give. We give and give and then give some more. We're givers. Day in, day out, we give you our best. We find fun things for you to do. Free things. Cute things. Super things. Disney things. Dancey things. We find the most thank-you-mommy-for-bringing-me-here activities for you and yours because we're like that. We want you to be happy.

But every so often we want to go even further in our giving. We think about you guys and what you've got going on and we ask ourselves, "Selves?  How can we help these folk? How can we make their lives just that much brighter?" Now, for example. You're all wrapped in up Back-to-School-a-rama, and we'd like to help. By giving. Actual stuff. Stuff like, oh, I don't know, two Schwinn Kids' Bikes, $150 worth of personalized school supplies from My Chronical Books, a Disney Junior package that includes Disney bedding and a backpack, $100 off at Famous Footwear, and a year's supply of French Toast School Uniforms. That kind of stuff. Awesome stuff.

Want to know how to get your hands on this booty? And while you're at it, want the scoop on getting a discount for the upcoming show that's so out of this world that it's over the rainbow?  We'd be glad to give it to you. Just keep reading for the 411, and for some of our favorite picks for this weekend as well...

OUR LATEST VIDEOS

ALL WEEKEND

Fiesta La Ballona - Culver City
The fun is in Veteran's Park this weekend, for the annual Fiesta La Ballona, featuring outdoor concerts, carnival rides, a petting zoo, K-9 demonstrations, and pony rides all weekend long.

Lowes Build and Grow - Planes - Multiple Locations
Lowes’ free project is Planes themed again; this weekend kids can construct El Chupacabra.

Family Amphitheater Performances - West LA
The Skirball‘s family performances feature Mommy Poppins-favorite Randy Kaplan on Saturday and Yiddish Tango Club on Sunday.

Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival 2013 - Griffith Park
Saturday’s performance of As You Like It is preceded by a Salon Series discussion about adapting Shakespeare into Opera; prior to Sunday’s Macbeth, families can participate in a workshop with Players in the Park and catch a performance by Mojacar Flamenco.

SATURDAY AUGUST 24

Big!World!Fun! - Hollywood
Part international drill team, part multi-cultural rhythm section, Crosspulse Percussion Ensemble brings together synchronized movement, world drumming, lush vocals and innovative body music.

Salt Marsh Open House -  San Pedro
Educators from the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium help visitors learn about the Salinas de San Pedro wetlands habitat at Cabrillo Beach, by using binoculars and microscopes to observe live animals.

Splash & Surprises - Downtown
This week’s splash park surprise: a Mobile Mural Lab!

Zomo the Trickster Rabbit Puppet Show - Downtown
The Luce Puppet Company presents the West African tale of Zomo the Trickster Rabbit in a free show at the Central Library.

Saturday Morning Concerts at Books and Cookies - Santa Monica
Kids can Jam with Mista Cookie Jar at Books and Cookies.

Three Tales by Hans Christian Andersen - Topanga
Creative Playground brings its unique interactive form of storytelling to the Theatricum Botanicum, with a mash-up of three Hans Christian Andersen stories: The Swineherd, The Princess and the Pea and The Emperor's New Clothes. 

Summer Snow Day for Dogs - Long Beach
Sorry kids, this one’s for the dogs. Furry friends can run frolic in freshly made snow. (Cute overload!)

FIGat7th Kids Club – Downtown
This week’s free kid’s art workshop looks at Pacific Island Art- Tiki Sculpture. Kids make art inspired by the four major Hawaiian Gods that represent the forces of nature.

Malipalooza 2013 - Malibu
Families can go Back to the Future in Malibu this weekend. Malipalooza starts with live music, bounce houses and a Velcro wall, a 1950s costume contest, and games and interactive activities. Movie screening begins at dusk.

Kristin Chenoweth- Hollywood
The dynamic star of stage and screen performs songs from her Broadway, television and film successes at the Hollywood Bowl.

Redondo Beach Summer Music Festival -  Redondo Beach
Hey, Mon. Reggae band Dread Haze performs at the Redondo Pier.

Saturday Night Movie options:

Movies in the Park - Downtown
Sleepless in Seattle screens at Grand Park.

Oscars Outdoors - Hollywood
Cinema Paradiso lights up the screen on Saturday at the Academy of Motion Pictures Hollywood Campus.  (Also:  Grease is the word on Friday for the Grease Sing-a-long!)

Movies on the Green - Woodland Hills
Swing on over to Warner Center Park  for its final screening of the summer:  The Amazing Spider-Man.

Movies in the Park: Pacific Palisades Pacific Palisades
You don’t need a sweet tooth to love Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

SUNDAY AUGUST 25

Free Entrance Days in the National Parks - Multiple Locations
All National Parks are free on Sunday to celebrate National Park Service Birthday.

Summer Family Fun Series - Farmers Market
The final Family Fun day of the summer at the Farmers Market features a performance by Swazzle Puppets.

Auntie Angelica Root's Fairy Garden - Studio City
The faeries venture indoors for a musical show at the Whitefire Theatre.

Kids in the Courtyard: Kori and Alo: A Puppetry Performance - Westwood
Kids can discover the puppets on display at the Fowler Museum then enjoy a performance by puppeteer Luis Tentindo.

Zimmer Sunday Family Programs - Mid-Wilshire
Kids can join the drum circle at the Zimmer Children's Museum.

LevittLA Summer Concert Series - Children's Concerts in MacArthur Park - Downtown
The final kid’s concert of the season features children’s author, songwriter & performer José-Luis Orozco.

Manhattan Beach Summer Concerts in the Park  Manhattan Beach
I am… I said… going to see Neil Diamond tribute band Fantastic Diamond at Polliwog Park Amphitheater.

Jazz on the Lawn - Santa Monica
The final concert of the season features The Overstreets New Orleans Jazz Band.

Sunday Movie Nights - Beverly Hills
The people have spoken, and the final film of the season is... Back to the Future.

Concerts on the Green - Woodland Hills
Queen tribute band Queen Nation will rock you at the final concert of the season at Warner Center Park.

You made it this far, you want to know about the giveaway. Here you go: our Back to School Swagapalooza starts next week (8/28), so bookmark that page, like us on Facebook, and make sure to come back and enter, enter, enter!

In the meantime, you can follow the yellow brick road to a discounted family four-pack of tickets to the newest production of The Wizard of Oz. (We've got the details here).  Better hurry! The deal expires August 31.

As always, there are many more activities listed on our daily events calendar. Whatever you choose to do this weekend, we hope you have marvelous time!