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Fun & Free Activities for LA Kids this Weekend: Free Museums, Public Safety, & Day of the Drum: September 29 - 30

9/26/12 - By Toby B

Run for your lives! It’s every man for himself, women and children first. Head for the hills, wait, no, not the hills! Unless you live in the hills, then stay in the hills, but if you live at the shore, whatever you do, don’t head for the hills, because the day we have been dreading is finally here: say hello to my little friend Carmaggedon. For north (the 101) is north and south (the 10) is south, and ne’er the twain shall meet.  At least for the duration of the weekend.

So what does that mean?  It means you gotta stay put. Whatever fun you plan on having, it'd better be within spitting distance of your home. Luckily, we live in Los Angeles, where fun is never hard to find. This weekend alone, you can celebrate the Harvest at the Annual Chinatown Moon Festival in Chinatown, indulge in Italian culture and cuisine at Feast of San Gennaro Los Angeles in Hollywood, honor public servants while riding a tractor-drawn wagon at the Public Safety Weekend at Underwood Farms in Moorpark, dance to the drums and soak in the art at the Watts Towers Day of the Drum and Jazz Festivals in Watts, and share your love of reading at both the Orange County Children's Book Festival in Costa Mesa and the West Hollywood Book Fair (in WeHo of course!).

(Note: Abbot Kinney Festival, which is usually this weekend, is being held next Sunday, October 7).

Keep reading for our favorite local picks for this weekend!

OUR LATEST VIDEOS

ALL WEEKEND
Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day - Multiple Locations
Numerous museums throughout the country open their doors for free. Simply go online to request your free ticket; (each household can request one ticket good for 2 people). Most museums participate on Saturday; the Zimmer’s free museum day is on Sunday.

Batman Live - Downtown
Holy Stage Show, Batman! The dynamic duo comes to life at the Staples Center, along with a string of nefarious villains.

Feast of San Gennaro Los Angeles - Hollywood
Holy Cannoli, Jimmy Kimmel! The Feast of San Gennaro brings a taste of Italian culture and cuisine to Hollywood, with live music, rides, and lots of good eats. Mangia!

Public Safety Weekend at Underwood Farms - Moorpark
Underwood Family Farms' 15th annual Fall Harvest Festival kicks off with Public Safety Weekend, a tribute to local heroes such as firefighters and police officers. Kids can check out SWAT cars, ambulances, and bulldozers plus seasonal attractions such as tractor-drawn wagon ride, the corn maze & labyrinth, the pumpkin house, and much more

Watts Towers Day of the Drum and Jazz Festivals - Watts
The Watts Towers Campus comes alive to the beat of the drum! This free two-day festival features world-class live music and drumming performances, drum circles, dancing, art exhibitions, arts and crafts for sale, international food, and crafts activities for kids.

Disney's Phineas and Ferb Live! - Long Beach
Hey, anyone seen Perry? Oh, that’s right. He’s in Long Beach at the Terrace Theater, along with his pals Phineas and Ferb. Together they create the Best Live Tour Ever! (As long as Candace doesn’t tell Mom.)

Festival of Children - Costa Mesa
On Saturday, kids can take free classes from Debbie Allen Dance Academy (registration required). Sunday sees the end of the festival with 10th Anniversary Moon Festival Children's Art Contest.

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 29

National Coffee Day - Multiple Locations
Krispy Kreme eases your Carmaggedon woes with a free cup of House Blend coffee.

Free Entrance Days in the National Parks - the Great Outdoors
Looking to get out of town for Carmaggedon? Entrance at all National Parks is free today.

Read for the Record Celebration at Lakeshore Learning Stores - Los Angeles
Lakeshore Learning Store gets an early start on Read for the Record day with hourly  readings of Ladybug Girl and the Bug Squad, as well as free Bug Squad themed crafts.

Wake Up with the Waves: Ride the Surf with Gidget & Friends - Santa Monica
Get ready for some girl power on the Santa Monica Pier! The real Gidget shares stories about making dreams come true, and Ariel joins for a glorious treasure hunt.

Jellyfish Mobile Making with Artist Melanie Moore  - Pasadena
One Colorado closes out its September kids events with a fun art project: kids can make their own mixed media mobile of baby jellyfish.

Stories & Songs with Hillary George - West Los Angeles
Children's librarian Hillary George entertains kids with interactive stories, puppets, and songs on her ukulele.

Annual Chinatown Moon Festival- Chinatown
Lion dancers, kung fu artists, ghost story-telling, ping pong tourneys, and free moon cakes liven up a modern take on the traditional mid-autumn Harvest Festival. Families can view the moon in great detail using state-of-the-art telescopes provided by Griffith Observatory.

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 30

Orange County Children's Book Festival - Costa Mesa
The largest children's book festival in the country features authors and illustrators, live readings and storytelling, an animal stage and petting zoo, free train rides, and lots and lots of books!

Wiggle Waggle Walk and Fair - Pasadena
The fun at this animal-friendly fundraiser starts with a 1 or 3 mile walk around the Rose Bowl, then continues with a family fair and pet expo, featuring vendors, games for kids, demonstrations, and performances.

West Hollywood Book Fair - West Hollywood
West Hollywood celebrates the written word with its 11th annual book fair.

Gwendolyn & The Good Time Gang - Topanga
Gwendolyn & The Good Time Gang close out the season on Peter Alsop's Kids Koncerts.

Kids in the Courtyard: Create! Cuckoo, Crazy, Curious Creatures! -Westwood
Kids can create their own crazy mixed-up creature masks at this free workshop at the Fowler.

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