Fun & Free Things to Do with LA Kids this Weekend: Natsumatsuri, Teen Vogue, and Children's Festival of the Arts, Aug 9 - 10

8/7/14 - By Toby B

This weekend you have two options: Take the red pill and it’s hasta la vista summer, hello school. Pop the blue one and your summer never ends. Red pill and this weekend is your last hurrah (better watch that bedtime; you need to be bright and early on Monday and/or Tuesday). Blue pill and you can sleep in all you want (unless you want to catch some killer waves).

Some choices are made for you, but others are yours alone to make. How will you decide between the closing weekend of the Ventura County Fair and the closing weekend of the Orange County Fair?  Between the free My Little Pony Shakespeare in Culver City, and the free Grimm-inspired comedy in Culver City? Between the Natsumatsuri Festival at the Japanese American National Museum, Shark Week at the Natural History Museum, Shine and the Moonbeams at the Getty, Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band at the LevittLA Concert series, the celebrity-filled Annual Children’s Festival of the Arts, Gladys Knight and Kool & the Gang at the Hollywood Bowl, or a meet-and-greet with PBS Kids' Arthur … which free screening will you attend? Ferris Bueller’s Day Off? A Star Trek double feature? Field of Dreams? The Wizard of Oz or Despicable Me?

Whatever choice you make, we hope you do so with curiosity and joy. Because whether you spend it in the classroom or out in the endless bounty of the So Cal outdoors, this season is still the Summer of Play.

Keep reading for the many, many choices available to you this weekend ....

OUR LATEST VIDEOS

ALL WEEKEND
A Midsummer Night's Dream: Friendship is Magic - Culver City
Shakespeare is magic, especially when A Midsummer Night’s Dream is My Little Pony-themed.

Garden Concerts for Kids - West LA
Shine and the Moonbeams create a soulful musical extravaganza that encourages kids to celebrate life and get up and dance!

Family Amphitheater Performances - West LA
Skirball Cultural Center entertains families with Mariachi Tesoro de San Fernando on Saturday, and Sugar Free Allstars on Sunday.

Free Weekend Screenings from the Paley Center Archive - Beverly Hills
Classic TV screens on the big screen at the Paley Center. This weekend, get a taste of Nineties Nick favorites: The Adventures of Pete & Pete, Salute Your Shorts, Clarissa Explains It All, and The Secret World of Alex Mack.
 
August Summer Scene @ The Place - Santa Monica
Santa Monica Place holds a Summer Block Party with live music, sports and fitness activities, face painting, and a beachy craft station for kids. (Moms: how does a Summer Beauty Lounge hosted by Bloomingdale's sound?)

The Quibbling Siblings - Culver City
Culver City Public Theatre performs a free funny show for kids of all ages in Carlson Park.

Princess and Pirates Sing-a-Long Concert - Culver City
Grab your tiara and prepare to sing along! We love this princessy, piratey production from Lythgoe Family Productions.
 
Pippi Longstocking & You're a Good Man Charlie Brown - Santa Monica
The kid-centric productions at the Promenade Playhouse this weekend feature some of the characters you loved as a kid.

Ventura County Fair - Ventura
Last weekend to catch the “county fair with ocean air!” Entertainment includes the PRCA Rodeo.
 
Orange County Fair Costa Mesa
Race to the Orange County Fair as fast as your pigs can get there: this is the last weekend of the OC Fair as well.

SATURDAY AUGUST 9

Target Free Family Saturday: Natsumatsuri Family Festival - Downtown
Another fun free day at the Japanese American National Museum. Families can celebrate summer with origami crafts, taiko drums, karaoke, and a visit from Hello Kitty.

Big!World!Fun! - Hollywood
Khmer Arts Academy performs Khmer classical dance, known for elaborate costumes and stylized gestures. Kids can learn about southern California’s indigenous plants and animals at the preshow program presented by LA Parks and Recreation.

Audition for Upcoming Events at The Printing Museum - Carson
The Printing Museum holds a casting call for its upcoming productions, with parts for kids as young as 10.
 
Teen Vogue Back-to-School Saturday 2014 - Mid-Wilshire
Teen Vogue helps kids get in the back-to-school groove at the Grove, with mini-makeovers, editor appearances, treats, and giveaways.

Lowes Build and Grow - Multiple Locations
The free project at Lowe's this week is a Monsters vs Aliens Trolley (pre-registration required).

Shark Week Celebration - Exposition Park
The Natural History Museum is transformed into a shark-themed oasis, featuring a kids area with face painting and fin hats, a scavenger hunt, giveaways, and an advance screening of Jaws Strikes Back.

Banfield Pet Hospital FutureVet Camp - Pasadena
Future vets can learn the best practices for taking care of pets and what being a vet is really like at Kidspace Children's Museum.
 
Drum Downtown - Downtown
The drum circle at Grand Park beats out Middle Eastern rhythms this weekend.

Teacher Davis Music Fun - West LA
Teacher Davis comes to Children's Book World for Saturday morning fun.
 
WFamily Summer Family Funday - Canoga Park
PBS Kids’ Arthur the Aardvark pays a visit to Westfield Topanga.

FIGat7th Kids Club - Downtown
Hawaiian forces of nature inspire 3-D Tiki art at FIGat7th Kid’s Club.
 
BHCP Kids Club - Baldwin Hills
Kids make sand mandalas at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza.

The Urban Ocean: World Port and Sealife Cruise - Long Beach
Got your sea legs? Board a double-deck yacht to explore our coastline with the Aquarium of the Pacific.

Chinatown Summer Nights -  Chinatown
Sample the best of Chinatown with the last of the Summer Nights.
 
Eat See Hear - Brentwood
Will anyone remember Samantha’s 16th birthday? Check out this under the stars screening of Sixteen Candles to find out!
 
Movies in the Park - Downtown
It’s a Star Trek double feature! Kirk (Chris Pine in Star Trek into Darkness) takes on Kirk (William Shatner in 1979’s Star Trek) at Grand Park.
 
Redondo Beach Summer Music Festival - Redondo Beach
The sun sets over Redondo Pier to the salsa sounds of Johnny Polanco y su Conjunto Amistad.
 
Street Food Cinema - Glendale
Who you gonna call? Ghostbusters screens under the stars at Glendale Central Park.
 
Studio City Movies in the Park - Studio City
If you show it, they will come. Field of Dreams screens at Studio City Recreation Center (Beeman Park).

Gladys Knight and Kool & the Gang - Hollywood
Introduce your kids to truly classic music as soul icon Gladys Knight and hitmakers of the 70’s Kool & The Gang perform at Hollywood Bowl.

Movies on the Green - Woodland Hills
Follow the Yellow Brick Road (and then Topanga Canyon Blvd.), to get to the free screening of The Wizard of Oz at Warner Center Park.
 
Marina Del Rey Free Movie Nights - Marina Del Rey
Grab your minions for a free waterside screening of Despicable Me at Burton Chace Park.

SUNDAY AUGUST 10

Hammer Kids: Let's Make Games - Westwood
Playing games is all fun and games, until you design a game, which is actually kind of fun.  
 
A Faery Hunt Jr - Tarzana
A baby must have laughed, because some new fairies were born! This special edition of the Faery Hunt features the debut of the Faery Hunt Jr performing class.

Children's Garden Workshops -  Irvine
This month kids can learn about technology that was inspired by nature in a free workshop at Orange County Great Park.

First Annual Nagoya Day in The Park - Mid-Wilshire
The Grove celebrates LA’s sister city Nagoya with a day packed with performances and activities.
 
Summer Family Fun Series - Mid-Wilshire
The fun activities at the Farmers Market include Design a Tiki Sculpture and performances by Kiddle Karoo: Monster Luau Beach Party.

Annual Children’s Festival of the Arts - Hollywood
Child celebrities from film and TV appear at this free celebration of arts and culture in Hollywood at Paramount Studios. The fun includes performances, art workshops, face painting, and Bugs Bunny.
 
Family Sunday/ Kids Run the Bases: Angels - Anaheim
The Angels play the Red Sox, and kids run the bases at Angel Stadium.
 
Second Sunday Concert Series - Mid-Wilshire
Nathalia’s lively bilingual approach to children’s music incorporates rock, cumbia, and reggaeton beats.

LevittLA Summer Concert Series - Children's Concerts in MacArthur Park - Downtown
Mommy Poppins favorite (and Latin Grammy winners) Lucky Diaz & the Family Jam Band perform at Levitt Pavilion in MacArthur Park.

Sunday Movie Nights - Beverly Hills
Save Ferris! Go to the free screening of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off  at Beverly Canons Garden.
 
And of course the outdoor concerts:

Summer Concerts in the Park - El Segundo
Scott Whyte Band plays Library Park.
 
Sunday Concerts in the Park - Agoura Hills
Peter Strauss Ranch Blue provides the setting for music by Morning (acoustic rock) and Quiet Violence (rock, folk and symphonic numbers).
 
Manhattan Beach Summer Concerts in the Park - Manhattan Beach
Polliwog Park Amphitheater has Mar de Ashe.
 
Jazz on the Lawn - Santa Monica
Get your jazz fix at Stewart Street Park with Adaawe.
 
2014 Summer Concerts in the Park - Thousand Oaks
Mama Mia! ABBA tribute band AbbaFab plays Conejo Community Center.
 
2014 Music in the Park - Laguna Beach
Erin go bragh! The Fenians play Irish music in Bluebird Park.
 
Sierra Madre Concerts in the Park - Sierra Madre
Memorial Park Bandshell has the Latin jazz of Opa Opa.
 
Sun Sets Concert Series at Calabasas Lake - Calabasas
Latin Music and Dance Night at Calabasas Lake features Octavio Figueroa y La Combinacion. (Professional instructors are on hand throughout the concert).
          
Concerts on the Green - Woodland Hills
They will rock you:  Queen Nation, tribute to Queen, plays Warner Center Park.
 
And yes, there are many more activities listed on our daily events calendar. Just a crazy notion, but why not check it out! Whatever you choose to do this weekend, we hope you have marvelous time.