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Things To Do in LA this Weekend with Kids: Oshogatsu, Three Kings, & Goodbye to the Holidays

Photo courtesy of Winter Fest OC
Photo courtesy of Winter Fest OC
1/1/20 - By Toby B

We're coming at ya brand spankin' new. Hot off the presses, fresh off the grill, just out the toaster, we hand you the two oh two oh, full of sheen and sparkle and that new year smell. On this, the first weekend of the new year, deeply infused with the spirit of rebirth, we proudly present to you the newly minted....

...closing weekends of a bunch of holiday favorites. (Is it too soon to break out the 2019 nostalgia?)  Because really, you're not emotionally available to engage with a new year until you've gotten closure with the previous one. Last year was a bit piggish anyway (though in truth I hear this new year is a rat).

There is much to come in this new year, much to look forward to. But for now, just chill and enjoy the ride. Things are finally coming into focus, and it's gonna be a great year.

Keep reading for our most 2020ish events for this weekend...

OUR LATEST VIDEOS

Disney on Ice: Mickey's Search Party. Photo courtesy of Feld Entertainment
Disney on Ice: Mickey's Search Party. Photo courtesy of Feld Entertainment

Things To Do All Weekend

Disney on Ice: Dream Big (Ontario)

Ontario
Disney is back on the ice, bringing figure skating versions of Moana and Maui, Miguel from Coco, and those famous princesses who were never bothered by the cold anyway. All that plus Rapunzel, Jasmine, Ariel, Aurora, Belle, and Cinderella make for a must-see family show. READ MORE

Reptile Super Show (Anaheim)

Anaheim
All the cool(-blooded) creatures are in Anaheim this weekend. READ MORE

Kiddee Matinees

Hollywood
On Saturdays and Sundays, families can catch a matinee screening of a kid-friendly movie at the New Beverly Cinema.   READ MORE

Enchanted: Forest of Light

La Canada-Flintridge - Last Weekend!
Enchanted: Forest of Light is an interactive, nighttime experience, featuring a one-mile walk through unique lighting displays throughout Descanso Gardens. READ MORE

Happy Harbor Days

Dana Point - Last Weekend!
The spirit of the season illuminates Dana Point Harbor through the New Year READ MORE

LA Zoo Lights: Animals Aglow

Griffith Park - Last Weekend!
Zoo Lights once again lights up the night with a holiday light display at the LA Zoo. The event transforms select areas of the zoo into an immersive landscape filled with spectacular lantern sculptures of animals among blooming flowers, towering trees, and more. READ MORE

Science of Gingerbread Display (OC)

Santa Ana (and Sylmar) - Last Weekend!
The Discovery Cube OC's holiday attraction goes inside the kitchen, where guests can learn about the history and engineering behind gingerbread. READ MORE

Exhibit : The Lion Guard (Discovery Cube LA)

Sylmar - Last Weekend!
Zuka zama! Kids can explore the Pride Lands with Kion and his friends in the newest exhibit at the Discovery Cube LA. READ MORE

Burbank Rose Parade Float Viewing

Burbank
Anyone who'd like one last peek at Burbank's entry in this year's Rose Parade can catch the community float in its final public viewing across from the Burbank Central Library, at the corner of Glen Oaks and Olive. The float is on display from January 3, 2023 through January 7, 2023, 24 hours a day.  READ MORE

Holiday Classics at The Paley Center

Beverly Hills - Last Weekend!
Holiday television classics screen for free all day at the Paley Center. There's no better place for your annual dose of Rudolph, Frosty, and the Grinch. This weekend's screenings add a touch of Kwanzaa to the mix. READ MORE

Winter Fest

Costa Mesa - Last Weekend!
 Feel that chill? That's the return of Winter Fest, So Cal's largest winter festival! This year's event features an all-new outdoor ice skating trail, General admission includes unlimited ice tube rides, real snow play, the North Pole Journey (an immersive walk-through experience), entertainment, light displays, photo ops, and meeting Santa. READ MORE

Exhibit: Dogs! A Science Tail

Exposition Park - Last Weekend!
Doggone it,  its's almost gone! Dogs! A ScienceTail ends its run at the California Science Center.   READ MORE
Watson Adventures. Photo by Mark A. King
Watson Adventures. Photo by Mark A. King

Things To Do Saturday, January 4

Home Depot Kids Workshops

Multiple Locations
Home Depot's free kids workshops truly deliver ...in this case, a Home Depot delivery truck! READ MORE

Planes of Fame Hangar Talk and Flying Demo

Chino
The featured plane in January is the Curtiss P-40N Warhawk. READ MORE

Saturday Morning Stories and More

West LA
Erin go bookstore! Luke Robertson visits Children's Book World for a St. Patrick's Day storytime. Every Saturday morning Children's Book World offers free children's entertainment March 2020 schedule:      March 7: Andrew & Polly Mini-Concert (all ages) March 14: St. Patrick’s Day Storytime with Luke Robertson (ages 4 – 7) March 21: Kevin Noble Maillard Storytime & Signing (ages 3 – 7) March 28: Roda Ahmed Launch Party & Signing (ages 4 –... READ MORE

Las Posadas Celebration 2024

Norwalk
Norwalk holds a traditional cultural celebration, featuring a candlelit procession at the City Hall lawn. This festive event features caroling of holiday songs, food trucks, cultural activities for children, and special performances by mariachis, ballet Folklorico, and Aztec dancers.    READ MORE

Monster Energy AMA Supercross

Anaheim
Monster Energy AMA Supercross brings indoor motocross to Angel Stadium in Anaheim. READ MORE

Public Star Party

Griffith Park
The sky... it's full of stars! The lawn... it's full of telescopes!   ​The Observatory's free public star party offers a chance for the whole family to look at the sun, moon, planets, and other objects with the assistance of the Los Angeles Astronomical Society, the Los Angeles Sidewalk Astronomers, and the Planetary Society. READ MORE

Birds of the Santa Monica Mountains

Calabasas
Look at the birdies!  Families can go on an easy bird walk around the grounds of King Gillette Ranch. This area attracts many songbirds, water birds, woodpeckers, and raptors. ​Kids are welcome and the walk is less than a mile at a very easy pace with frequent stops to observe the birds. READ MORE

Watson Adventures’ Wizard School Scavenger Hunt

West LA
Watson Adventures leads a Harry Potter-themed scavenger hunt for kids ages 10 & up. Participants follow in the footsteps of young wizards on a field trip to the Getty Center in search of art that echoes characters, places, and enchanted objects in the famed Harry Potter books and movies. READ MORE

Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse at the Vista Theatre

Los Feliz
I'm Spider-Man. And I'm not the only one. Not by a long shot​.  Academy-award winning Spiderman: Into the Spiderverse  ​screens at the Vista Theatre. READ MORE

Fantastical Creature Workshop

Exposition Park
Inspired by the work of artists featured in Dust My Broom: Southern Vernacular, visitors to the California African American Museum can bring fantastic beings to life. READ MORE
Mochitsuki (rice pounding) demos create mochi samples at the Oshogatu Family Festival. Photo courtesy of the Japanese American National Museum
Mochitsuki (rice pounding) demos create mochi samples at the Oshogatu Family Festival. Photo courtesy of the Japanese American National Museum

Things To Do Sunday, January 5

2024 Oshogatsu Family Festival

Little Tokyo
This year's Oshogatsu Family Festival is going to be "fire"! (See what I did there?)  The Japanese American National Museum welcomes the Year of the Dragon with cultural performances, crafts, and activities for families and kids of all ages.  READ MORE

Free Family Festival at the Bowers

Santa Ana
Welcome Spring! The Bowers celebrates Japanese culture and the coming season with free mochi, art projects, origami, and taiko. READ MORE

Studio D on the Plaza

Costa Mesa
Segerstrom Center for the Arts starts out the year with free community classes for people of all ages and abilities. The last three Saturdays of January, enjoy these complimentary music and movement classes taught by Studio D faculty members and accompanied by live musicians.  READ MORE

Andell Family Sundays: Outdoor Pictures

Mid-Wilshire
Artist Thomas Joshua Cooper has been making photographs outdoors for 50 years with a camera from 1898. In workshops, LACMA visitors can make their own camera obscura, and create unexpected landscapes. READ MORE

A Faery Hunt - Crestwood Hills Park

Brentwood
Looking for the faeries?  You can once again find them—in person!—at Crestwood Park. READ MORE

Los Tres Reyes Magos / The Three Kings

Downtown
A traditional procession and historical reenactment celebrates the Christian holiday of Epiphany, commemorating the three kings or wise men who arrived at the nativity with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh for the baby Jesus.  READ MORE

A Chance to Dance by the Los Angeles Ballet Company

Sawtelle
One Sunday each month during Los Angeles Ballet's season, LAB dancers offer free ballet classes and more. The day's classes are usually centered around a theme. After several years of virtual events, the Los Angeles Ballet is offering their dance courses in person. Some classes are specifically geared towards children, like Children's Creative Movement, so make sure to check the schedule to find specific times. READ MORE

Three Kings’ Day at Paleyland

Beverly Hills
The Paley Center Los Angeles ends the holiday season with Three Kings’ Day festivities, including souvenir photos and kids craft activities, The first children to arrive receive gifts (limited quantities, first come first served).  READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

Planes of Fame Air Museum
The California African American Museum