SoCal kids & families, June 27-July 4: Music and fireworks, Pirate Invasion, ‘Ebb & Flow,’ ‘Mary Poppins’ and more
SoCal kids & families, June 27-July 4: Music and fireworks, Pirate Invasion, ‘Ebb & Flow,’ ‘Mary Poppins’ 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!
Disney’s ‘Beauty and the Beast’ Hit stage show based on the animated 1991 musical based on the classic fairytale. Rose Center Theater, 14140 All American Way, Westminster. 7:30 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays, June 28 thru July 14. $20-$40. (714) 793-1150. rosecentertheater.com
‘Sawdust Art & Craft Festival’ The annual summer showcase for works and wares by local artists and artisans is up and running and also features hands-on art demonstrations plus live music, balloon artists, magicians, food and drink and more. Sawdust, 935 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach. 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays thru Sept. 1. $5-$12; ages 5 and under free, no ticket required; passes, $29-$49. sawdustartfestival.org
‘Where the Wild Things Are’ Outdoor screening of Spike Jonze’s tenderhearted 2009 adaptation of author and illustrator Maurice Sendak’s guide to fantastic beasts and where to find them. With Mark Ruffalo, Catherine Keener and the voices of James Gandolfini, Lauren Ambrose, et al. Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., L.A. 8:30 p.m. Friday, June 28. $15, $20 (includes museum admission). (310) 440-4500. skirball.org
‘Ebb & Flow: Exposition Park’ This free and family-friendly community arts festival presented by Heidi Duckler Dance returns with new works by six multidisciplinary artists. Exposition Park, 700 Exposition Park Drive. L.A. 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday, June 29 (early check-in recommended). Free. RSVP at heididuckler.org
Pirate Invasion Long Beach Arrrr! This family friendly two-day outing returns with pirate battles, live music, magic shows, fun and games, face-painting for the kids, a costume contest and a pub crawl for the grownups, plus vendor booths, food and drink and much more. And cosplay is definitely encouraged for all. Shoreline Aquatic Park, 200 Aquarium Way, Long Beach. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday, June 29-30. $10, $20; pub-crawl add-on, $45; passes, $125 for one person or $200 for two. pirateinvasionlongbeach.com
‘Mary Poppins’ Street Food Cinema and Disney’s D23 present a 60th anniversary outdoor screening of the beloved 1964 live-action/animate musical based on P.L. Travers’ books about a magical British nanny. Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke star. Also included: food trucks, and a closeup look at the historic — though currently non-operational — Griffith Park Merry-Go-Round. Griffith Park, 4730 Crystal Springs Drive. L.A. Doors, 6 p.m. Saturday, June 29; screening, 8:30 p.m. $22, $27. streetfoodcinema.com
Levitt LA 2024 Free Summer Concert Series A night of Latin-infused ska with Inspector, Chencha Berrinches and La Pobreska. Levitt Pavilion, MacArthur Park, 2230 W. 6th St., L.A. 7 p.m. Saturday, June 29. Free; RSVP recommended. eventbrite.com
‘July Fourth Fireworks Spectacular with Harry Connick, Jr.’ The crooner joins the LA Phil under the baton of Thomas Wilkins for popular tunes, patriotic favorites and look, up in the sky … fireworks! Hollywood Bowl, 2301 Highland Ave., Hollywood. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, July 2-4. $20 and up; ages 12 and under, half-price (limits apply). (323) 850-2000. hollywoodbowl.com
Gloria Molina Grand Park’s 4th of July Block Party This year’s edition of the family-friendly event includes a 75-foot-high Ferris wheel (!), a 90-foot-long fiberglass slide (!!) and a light show featuring an airborne armada of synchronized drones (!!!), plus live music, deejays, dancing, food trucks, etc. Grand Park and the Music Center, 200 N. Grand Ave., downtown Los Angeles. 4 to 9:30 p.m. Thursday, July 4. Free. grandparkla.org
‘July 4 Spectacular: Music of Chicago’ Conductor Richard Kaufman and Pacific Symphony are joined by Chicago tribute band Brass Transit for a selection of the Grammy-winning rock-jazz-pop group’s classic hits; the evening also includes fireworks plus patriotic favorites by John Williams, John Philip Sousa, George M. Cohan, et al. Great Park Live, 8000 Great Park Blvd., Irvine. 8 p.m. Thursday, July 4. $40-$450. (714) 755-5799. pacificsymphony.org
‘Despicable Me 4’ Reformed supervillain Gru (Steve Carell) and his trusty Minions are back in this 2024 entry in the animated franchise. With Kristen Wiig, Pierre Coffin, Will Ferrell, et al. Opens Wednesday, July 3. Rated PG. despicable.me
‘Enchanted Toy Shop’ Bob Baker’s classic and colorful puppet show 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
‘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 thru Oct. 4. $15-$60; pay-what-you-will (cash only at the door), Friday, July 26. (310) 455-3723. theatricum.com
‘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