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31 Best Things to Do in Los Angeles September 2024 With Kids

Spider Pavilion. Photo courtesy of the National History Museum of Los Angeles County.
Spider Pavilion. Photo courtesy of the National History Museum of Los Angeles County.
8/30/24 - By Toby B

September kicks off with loads of long Labor Day weekend events and keeps it going with some early Halloween activities, plus so many more things to do in Los Angeles with kids!

Fall fun is officially upon us! LA's favorite venues, like Underwood Farms, Legoland, and Irvine Park Railroad, are kicking off the festivities in Los Angeles this month, and the Spider Pavilion creeps and crawls back to the Natural History Museum. There's also a wagon-load of incredible fall festivals coming to Los Angeles this September: dinos, the Maritime Festival in Dana Point, and the Malibu Chili Cook-Off. Plus, Santa Monica Pier, the stars of the US Gymnastics team, and Batman celebrate landmark anniversaries and achievements. 

These are just a few of our favorite things to do in Los Angeles this September, and more events are added to the Los Angeles Family Activity Calendar each day. Keep reading for the best things to do in Los Angeles this September. 

If you're eagerly waiting for all things fall, see where to leaf peep near Los Angeles, where to go apple picking near LA, and plan more autumn adventures in our Fall Fun Guide for Los Angeles and OC Kids. 

 

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Lil'Libros booth. Photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Kids Book Festival
Lil'Libros booth. Photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Kids Book Festival

Best Things To Do in LA with Kids in September 2024

Orange International Street Festival

Orange - FREE
Friday-Sunday, August 30 - September 1, 2024
Fancy some Italian food Labor Day weekend? Maybe hoping for some Asian fare? Mexican? Irish? Greek? Lebanese? The Orange International Street Fair has all that and more. With more than a dozen ethnic streets, there's something to please every taste. READ MORE

Annual Malibu Chili Cook-Off

Malibu
Friday-Monday, August 30-September 2, 2024
The Malibu Chili Cook-Off, a much-loved Malibu community tradition, returns for another Labor Day weekend. The annual fest features carnival rides, food, music, a skateboard competition, a showcase of local artisans, and, of course, lots and lots of chili! READ MORE

Huntington Beach Civil War Days

Huntington Beach - FREE
Saturday & Sunday, August 31-September 1, 2024
The Huntington Beach Historical Society commemorates the anniversary of the Civil War with a weekend-long living history re-enactment of the War Between the States. READ MORE

Long Beach Greek Festival By the Sea

Long Beach
Saturday-Monday, August 31-September 2, 2024
The Long Beach Greek Festival and Cultural Event is a community celebration of Greek culture as the grounds of Assumption Church transform into a Grecian Village packed with activities for the whole family. READ MORE

Americana in the Park Concert Series 2024

Santa Monica - FREE
Sundays in September, 2024
Santa Monica partners with McCabe’s Guitar Shop for another season of this concert series in Gandara Park. The Americana in the Park series explores Americana music from its roots to modern forms. READ MORE

Dance MDR

Marina del Rey
Fridays in September 2024
Dance MDR offers a night of dancing in the park. Participants can pick up new dance moves with beginner lessons from L.A.'s best dance teachers and then groove to the DJ. There is a different dance style every Friday night in September. READ MORE

Santa Monica Pier's 115th Birthday Celebration

Santa Monica - FREE
Friday, September 6, 2024
The Santa Monica Pier celebrates its 115th birthday with a free celebration. Guests can enjoy a live performance by Pinkstastic Plastixx, kids' activities including games and face painting, Snap & Go photos to take home, a poem reading by Santa Monica's Poet Laureate, Anne Carmack, and a beer garden. READ MORE

Original Lobster Festival

Fountain Valley
Friday-Sunday, September 6-8, 2024
Everyone’s favorite crustacean is celebrated this weekend at the Original Lobster Festival. A master chef steams up live Maine lobsters flown in daily for the event. READ MORE

Bob Baker’s Hallowe'en Spooktacular

Highland Park
Starts Saturday, September 7, 2024
A beloved Bob Baker tradition returns! The Bob Baker Marionettes presents Hallowe'en Spooktacular, a family-friendly musical revue, set to haunting and jazzy holiday-themed tunes celebrating nearly every decade. READ MORE

Mid-Autumn Moon Festival at the Bowers Museum

Santa Ana - FREE
Sunday, September 8, 2024
The Bowers celebrates the season with its annual Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. The day includes live performances of traditional music and dance, art projects, free face painting, and more. READ MORE

2nd Annual Los Angeles Kids Book Festival

West Hollywood - FREE
Sunday, September 8, 2024
The 2nd Annual Los Angeles Kids Book Festival returns to West Hollywood Park This free event celebrates children’s literacy and fosters a love for reading for kids of all ages. Highlights include over 70 exhibitors, live book readings by celebrated authors, interactive storytelling sessions, musical performances, arts and crafts, and other activities. READ MORE

Fireworks Finale: Boyz II Men

Hollywood Hills
Friday-Sunday, September 13-15, 2024
It's not the end of the road—it's the Hollywood Bowl's Fireworks Finale, featuring Boyz II Men. The best-selling R&B group of all time returns for three fireworks-filled nights of New Jack Swing and slow jam classics. READ MORE

Ocean Institute Maritime Festival

Dana Point
Friday-Sunday, September 13-15, 2024
The Ocean Institute on Dana Point hosts the 40th annual Maritime Festival. Kids can tour tall ships, experience a mermaid breakfast, meet pirates, learn about marine life and pan for gold, enjoy carnival games and bounce houses, take part in cannon battles at sea, and more. READ MORE

Moompetam: Celebrating Coastal Native Americans

Long Beach
Saturday & Sunday, September 14-15, 2024
Aquarium of the Pacific hosts its 19th annual Moompetam Festival, celebrating the indigenous California maritime cultures, including Tongva, Chumash, Acjachemen, Costanoan, Luiseno, and Kumeyaay. READ MORE

Brick or Treat

Carlsbad
Starts Saturday, September 14, 2024
Legoland offers a festive kid-centric Halloween celebration on select weekends this fall. The fun includes tons of candy, an all-new show lineup, never-before-seen exclusive Lego characters, and more. New features for 2024: LEGO T-Rex Guy transforms Dino Valley into the Prehistoric Pumpkin Patch, where sweet treats await, as well as a chance to build your very own LEGO pumpkin.  READ MORE

Spider Pavilion

Exposition Park
Starts Sunday, September 15, 2024
The spiders return to The Natural History Museum, in the improved Spider Pavilion that debuted a few years ago. Guests have the rare opportunity to immerse themselves in the spiders’ habitat and witness the day-to-day lives of these often misunderstood, but uniquely talented creatures. READ MORE

Irvine Park Railroad Pumpkin Patch

Orange
Starts Saturday, September 14, 2024
Irvine Park Railroad and the Pumpkin Patch once again open for the season with the Pumpkin Train, a moon bounce, hayrides, and a haunted house.  Other daily fun includes panning for gold, carnival games, John Deere races, face painting, cookie decorating, and more.  READ MORE

Family Days@LA Plaza: Fiestas Patrias

DTLA - FREE
Sunday, September 15, 2024
September 16 marks the beginning of the Mexican War of Independence. LA Plaza visitors can learn more about the day with activities for the entire family at this festival celebrating Mexican Independence. READ MORE

2024 Orange County Children's Book Festival

Costa Mesa
Sunday, September 22, 2024
Read all about it: the Orange County Children's Book Festival unites children's books authors, illustrators and readers. READ MORE

Gold Over America Tour

DTLA
Friday, September 20, 2024
The Gold Over America Tour is an exhilarating display of jaw-dropping athleticism and high-energy choreography with an inspirational message of hope, strength, resilience, and determination. The tour is led by Simon Biles, the most decorated gymnast of all time. READ MORE

Mid-Autumn Moon Celebration

San Marino
Friday-Sunday, September 20-22, 2024
The Huntington invites guests to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival with a magical stroll through the moon-lit Chinese Garden, with spectacular lights reflected in the lake and illuminating pavilions, courtyards, and pathways. READ MORE

The Sound of Music Sing-a-Long at the Bowl

Hollywood Hills
Saturday, September 21, 2024
These are a few of my favorite things: raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens, and the Sound of Music Sing-a-Long at the Hollywood Bowl. Where else do you get to work your inner Julie Andrews under the stars? READ MORE

Batman’s 85th Anniversary at Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood

Burbank
Saturday, September 21, 2024
He's Batman. Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood celebrates Batman’s 85th Anniversary for one special night.   READ MORE

Baja Splash Cultural Festival

Long Beach
Saturday & Sunday, September 21-22, 2024
The Aquarium  of the Pacific celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with the 23rd Annual Baja Splash Festival. Where else can you see ancient Aztec dance performed in the shadow of a shark tank? READ MORE

Dino Fest

Exposition Park
Saturday, September 21, 2024
Who ya callin' extinct? Dino Fest comes roaring back to the Natural History Museum. The Natural History Museum hosts a festival celebrating dinosaurs, their prehistoric past, and the science that brings their world back to life.  READ MORE

Westchester Arts & Music Block Party

Westchester - FREE
Saturday, September 21, 2024
This free, day-long, family-friendly celebration features live music and dance performances, vendors & community booths, kids' activities, garden tours, and food trucks – plus a beer and wine garden. READ MORE

Tiny Tot Olympics

Malibu
Sunday, September 22, 2024
It's never too early to go for the gold! Kids as young as two can participate in this fun-filled event. Opening ceremonies are followed by the running of the torch and a group stretch. Little athletes can then participate in a variety of athletic events. READ MORE

Knott's Spooky Farm

Buena Park
Starts Thursday, September 26, 2024
Knott's Berry Farm invites kids to a non-scare Halloween celebration that's about cheer, not fear. Kids can dress in all their Halloween finery to go trick-or-treating around the town of Calico’s shops and buildings, plus enjoy additional Halloween activities. READ MORE

27th Annual Fall Harvest Festival at Underwood Farms

Moorpark
Starts Saturday, September 28, 2024
Underwood Family Farms' annual Fall Harvest Festival features pig races, animal shows, a corn maze and gourd tunnel, a combine slide, tractor rides, Farmer Craig’s Chicken Show, hay pyramids, and animals to feed, as well as a gigantic pumpkin patch. READ MORE

Locale 90254 Oktoberfest

Hermosa Beach - FREE
Saturday & Sunday, September 28-29, 2024
This South Bay take on the Bavarian tradition promises authentic German cuisine, craft brews, and live entertainment with German music and dancing, and carnival rides and games. READ MORE

The Port of Hueneme Banana Festival

Port Hueneme - FREE
Saturday, September 28, 2024
The Port of Hueneme Banana Festival is back! Guests can enjoy a variety of delicious foods, which may include banana empanadas, banana splits, banana funnel cakes, banana lumpia, banana cream pie melts, banana Italian ice, banana popcorn, banana cupcakes, and chocolate-covered bananas. Both parking and admission are free. READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary