SoCal kids & families, June 20-27: Dance DTLA, TOCApalooza, Bob Baker Marionette Theater and more
SoCal kids & families, June 20-27: Dance DTLA, TOCApalooza, Bob Baker Marionette Theater and more
Encourage your children to learn and grow with our curated list of fun, artsy and engaging events and activities in LA and OC this coming weekend and beyond
Welcome to a new edition of TV or Not TV’s curated guide to artsy, kid-centric and family-friendly events, activities and happenings all around LA and OC this weekend and beyond. I’m Matt Cooper, former listings coordinator for the Los Angeles Times’ Calendar.
Let’s have some fun!
Dance DTLA Hooray for Bollywood! Instructors will be on hand to teach you how to bust a move in the style of the movie-musical genre from India in the return of the Music Center’s annual summer series of outdoor all-ages dance parties. The Music Center’s Jerry Moss Plaza, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. 7 to 11 p.m. Friday, June 21. Free. musiccenter.org
‘Enchanted Toy Shop’ Bob Baker’s classic and colorful puppet show, originally created in 1958, is back and includes previews of three new numbers from the company’s upcoming 2025 production “Choo Choo Revue.” Bob Baker Marionette Theater, 4949 York Blvd., Highland Park. Various times, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, June 22 thru Sept. 1. $25; age 2 and under, free. (213) 250-9995. bobbakermarionettetheater.com
California Watermelon Festival There’ll be live music, arts & crafts, rides and game, a petting zoo and — checks notes — watermelons, lots and lots of watermelons, at the return of this annual event. Hansen Dam Recreation Area Soccer Complex, 11400 Foothill Blvd., Sylmar. 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday-Sunday, June 22-23. $16, $20. watermelonfest.org
‘Feline Frenzy!’ Pspspsps … Cute and cuddly kittens will be looking for their forever homes at this adoption event that also includes hands-on arts and crafts. Wallis Annenberg PetSpace, 12005 Bluff Creek Drive, Playa Vista. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, June 22. Free. RSVP at annenbergpetspace.org
Levitt LA 2024 Free Summer Concert Series Vilma Díaz y La Sonora, La Diabla, the Cumbia Fever DJ’s and BIPOC string quartet Classical Around Town help kick off the series’ 17th season. MacArthur Park, 2230 W. 6th St., L.A. 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, June 22. Free; RSVP recommended. eventbrite.com
TOCApalooza This jam-packed family friendly festival presented by the Torrance Cultural Arts Foundation features live performances by local music and dance groups on three stages, plus food and drink, vendor booths and much, much more. James R. Armstrong Theatre, 3330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance. 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, June 22. Free with RSVP. (310) 378-8100. torrancearts.org
‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit?’ Everyone’s favorite highly excitable lagomorph returns in Robert Zemeckis’ groundbreaking live-action/animated 1988 comedy. With Bob Hoskins, Christopher Lloyd and the voice of Charles Fleischer. Academy Museum, Ted Mann Theater, 6067 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. 11 a.m. Saturday, June 22. $5. academymuseum.org
‘Wendy’s Peter Pan’ Return with us now to Neverland in an outdoor staging of artistic director Ellen Geer’s reimagining of J.M. Barrie’s beloved fantasy tale. Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum, 1419 N. Topanga Canyon Blvd., Topanga. 7:30 p.m. Saturdays, other dates and times, June 22 thru October 4. $15-$60; pay-what-you-will (cash only at the door), Friday, July 26. (310) 455-3723. theatricum.com
CicLAvia – South LA Put on your walking shoes, strap on your skates, hop on your bike, etc. and explore five miles of car-free open streets, with four different hubs offering live entertainment, family-friendly activities, bike repair, first aid and more. Western Ave. between Exposition Blvd. and Century Blvd., L.A. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, June 23. Free. Maps and info at ciclavia.org
‘Mrs. Doubtfire’ An out-of-work actor poses as a Scottish nanny so he can stay close to his kids after his wife divorces him in this Broadway musical based on the 1993 comedy that starred Robin Williams and Sally Field. Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday, thru June 30. $45 and up. (323) 468-1770. broadwayinhollywood.com
(Also at Segerstrom Center in Costa Mesa, Sept. 24 thru Oct. 6)
‘Inside Out 2’ Emotions are running high in Disney and Pixar’s 2024 sequel to their animated 2015 coming-of-age comedy about a young girl’s interior and exterior lives. Kelsey Mann directs. With the voices of Maya Hawke, Amy Poehler, et al. Rated PG. Opens Friday. movies.disney.com
‘Dino Quest’ RAWR! The dinosaurs are back in an updated version of this exhibit featuring hands-on activities including a fossil excavation site. Discovery Cube Orange County, 2500 N. Main St., Santa Ana. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Included with museum admission ($17-$22). discoverycube.org
Butterfly Pavilion This exhibit featuring hundreds of butterflies flitting about in an outdoor netted enclosure returns for another season. Natural History Museum, 900 Exposition Blvd., Exposition Park, L.A. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily thru Aug. 25 (museum closed the first Tuesday of each month). $8 plus with museum admission ($8-$17; ages 2 and younger, free). nhm.org
‘Dining with the Sultan at Charles White Elementary School’ LACMA serves up a kid-sized companion to the exhibit “Dining with the Sultan: The Fine Art of Feasting.” Also included: monthly hands-on arts & crafts workshops (RSVP required). Charles White Elementary School, 2401 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. 1 to 4 p.m. Saturdays, thru Aug. 10. Free. lacma.org
Disney’s ‘The Little Mermaid’ Princess Ariel ditches the ocean for love in this stage adaptation of the 1989 animated musical based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale. La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts, 14900 La Mirada Blvd., La Mirada. 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, 1:30 and 6:30 p.m. Sundays thru June 29. $22-$129; discounts available; children under 3 not admitted. (562) 944-9801, (714) 994-6310. lamiradatheatre.com
‘Wild Things Are Happening: The Art of Maurice Sendak’ The beloved illustrator of such classic children’s books as “Where the Wild Things Are” is celebrated in this super-sized survey of paintings, drawings, toys and more; thru Sept. 1. Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., L.A. Closed Monday. $8-$13; 2 and under, free; free on Thursdays. (310) 440-4500. skirball.org