Weekend Fun for LA Kids: Sand Sculpture, D23, Bugs at the Bowl, August 15 - 16

8/13/15 - By Toby B

I’m sorry, what’s that? I can’t hear you because I have my fingers in my ears so that I won’t hear the ticking clock that’s about to go off and declare the end of LIFE AS WE KNOW IT summer break. A whole bunch of our summer favorites are coming to an end: adios LevittLA Children's Concerts; on the flip side, County Fairs; see ya later, Getty Garden Concerts; not if we see you first, other free outdoor summer concert series.

What’s that you say? Plenty of summer still awaits? (Seriously, I can’t hear you, fingers still in my ears.)  Slather on the sunscreen for tons of this-weekend-only fun, like a sand castle building extravaganza (does anything say "summer" like building a sand castle?), a summer festival (which by definition proves it is summer), and a summer block party (just like a summer festival, but with sno cones and funnel cake).  There's also D23, the gathering for everything Disney, festivals celebrating crawfish, rocketry, and Echo Park, and the chance for your talented teen to audition for American Idol (or you, if you're young enough and have the pipes). 

Remember, it ain't over til the bunny sings. On the big screen. With live orchestral accompaniment. At the Bowl. Because that's what's up, Doc.

Keep reading for summer's last hurrah....

OUR LATEST VIDEOS

ALL WEEKEND
83rd Annual Great Sand Sculpture Contest - Long Beach
Professionals as well as community and corporate teams gather to build incredible works of art at the Great Sand Sculpture Contest.

D23 Expo -Anaheim
Disney fanatics can get their fill of Disneyana at the Anaheim Convention Center, with panels, screenings, inside scoops, and all around Disney love.

Family Amphitheater Performances - West LA
The Skirball’s musical road trip continues. On Saturday, Faithful Central Bible Church  performs hymns, Afro-American spirituals, and gospel music. On Sunday, Buyepongo fuses merengue, punta, and cumbia rhythms with hip-hop, reggae, jazz, and funk.

Inside Out (PG) with Light Show - Hollywood
All the sads! This is your last weekend to catch Inside Out, complete with mind-blowing preshow at El Capitan. (On the plus side, you can sing out your feelings starting next week when the singalong version of Frozen returns.)

American Idol Auditions - Culver City
Your super talented kid (who is at least 15) can do a video audition for America Idol at Westfield Culver City.
 
Kiddee Matinees - Hollywood
Someone must have fed them after midnight: Gremlins 2: the New Batch takes over the New Beverly Cinema.
 
Garden Concerts for Kids - West LA
Seattle rockers The Not Its close out the Getty Center’s free summer concert series with their signature blend of bouncy pop and punk rock.

Bubble Bonanza -Pasadena
Kidspace Children's Museum sends summer off with a pop!

Harry Potter Hamlet - Culver City
Something is rotten in the City of Culver (I think Voldemort might have something to do with it).  The Actors' Gang performs free Harry Potter-influenced Hamlet in Media Park.

Long Beach Crawfish Festival - Long Beach
The Crawfish Festival features Cajun, Zydeco, and New Orleans music, entertainment, and activities for kids, plus tons of fresh crawfish prepared Louisiana style.

Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival 2015 - Griffith Park
Much Ado about Nothing? I think it’s a big deal! Invertigo Dance Theatre performs before the play at all shows this weekend.

Ventura County Fair - Ventura
Last weekend to catch the “county fair with ocean air!” Entertainment includes the PRCA Rodeo.
 
Orange County Fair - Costa Mesa
Race to the Orange County Fair as fast as your pigs can get there: this is the last weekend of the OC Fair as well. Entertainment on closing weekend includes the B-52s, Steel Pulse, and Austin Mahone.

SATURDAY AUGUST 15

Target Free Family Saturday: Natsumatsuri Family Festival - Downtown
Another fun free day at the Japanese American National Museum. Families can celebrate summer with origami crafts, taiko drums, karaoke, a community bon odori dance, and free screenings of Lilo & Stitch.
 
Warner Brothers Presents Bugs Bunny at the Symphony - 25th Anniversary - Hollywood
What’s up, Doc? Classic Warner Brothers cartoons screen at the Hollywood Bowl with live orchestral accompaniment.

Nothin' But Sand Beach Cleanup -Venice
It’s been a messy summer:  time to clean up! August’s beach cleanup is in Venice.
 
Rocket Fever! - Downey
Blast off for a day filled with rocket building and rocket launching at Columbia Memorial Space Center.

Robotics by the Sea - San Pedro
In SoCal even the robots hang out at the beach. Cabrillo Marine Aquarium’s annual event looks at robotics used in underwater exploration.

End of the Summer BMX Bike-tacular - Burbank
The Burbank BMX/Skate Park hosts an end of summer event with contests, music, and prize giveaways

Movie Night  - Echo Park
The Dodgers take on the Reds, then fans take to the field to watch Back to the Future

Marina Del Rey Free Movie Nights - Marina del Rey
or jump in the DeLorean to go back to Burton Chace Park for Back to the Future Part II!

2015 Summer Concerts in the Park - Thousand Oaks
You should be dancing to disco cover band The Boogie Knights at Conejo Community Center.
 
Water Carnival  - Burbank
McCambridge Pool toasts the summer with games, races, raffles, and fun events for all ages.
 
Silent & Classic Movie Nights - Montecito Heights
Heritage Square Museum screens the 1925 version of Lost World,  the first film adaptation made of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s novel.
           
Movies on the Green - Woodland Hills
Please look after this bear: Paddington  screens under the stars at Warner Center Park.

 Phineas Banning Birthday Concert - Wilmington
The Banning Museum celebrates the birthday of Phineas Banning - entrepreneur, the founder of the city of Wilmington, and “the Father of the Port of Los Angeles” - with a high-energy hoe-down.

Downtown Stage Saturday Concert Series - Downtown
The last free Saturday Night concert series in Pershing Square closes out with America (“A Horse with No Name”,  "Tin Man," “Sister Golden Hair”)  and Freddy Jones Band (“In a Daydream”).
 
SUNDAY AUGUST 16

Kids Koncerts at the Will Geer Theatricum BotanicumTopanga
Tom Freund sings about skate-boarding kids and Happy Days lunch boxes at Theatricum Botanicum’s weekly kids concert under the oaks.

This weekend The Secret Garden reveals its secrets…twice! Two museums screen the 1993 classic:  The Hammer Museum in Westwood and the Norton Simon in Pasadena.

 Summer Block Party - Malibu
Talk about a party! Malibu Country Mart celebrates the summer with a petting zoo, balloon art, face painting, a photobooth, tarot card readings, and carnival-style goodies like cotton candy, funnel cakes, sno cones and more.

Burbank Comedy Festival: Improv for Kids! - Burbank
Kids are funny, or at least they should be. Kids learn the basics of improv in a kids-only class at the Burbank Comedy Festival.

Mud Mania - Long Beach
It’s all good clean fun. In a messy, muddy, bring a change of clothes kind of way.

Author Event: The Peacocks of Palos Verdes - Palos Verdes
Local author Mary Jo Hazard shares the wonders of Palos Verdes, including the South Coast Botanic Garden’s famous peacocks.
 
Zimmer Sunday Family Programs -  Mid-Wilshire
Tortoise, Spiders & Snakes, Oh my!  The Zimmer presents creatures that are crawling, scurrying, and slithering by in a special presentation of live animals.

Silents Under the Stars - Agoura Hills
The silent film Lady Windermere's Fan (directed by Ernst Lubitsch and based on the play by Oscar Wilde) screens under the stars at Paramount Ranch.
 
Free Accordion JAM Session & Mariachi Concert at San Fernando Recreation Park - San Fernando
Accordion superstars Otoño Luján and Gee Rabe lead newbies and aficionados alike in one giant squeezebox symphony.

Jazz on the Lawn - Santa Monica
Louie Cruz Beltran blends Afro-Cuban rhythms with jazz, Latin jazz, pop, and R&B influences at Stewart Street Park.

Sizzlin' Summer Concert SeriesIrvine
The concert series in Mike Ward Community Park closes out with Bella Donna: A Tribute to Fleetwood Mac and Stevie Nicks.
 
2015 Music in the Park- Laguna Beach
Bluebird Park has the reggae and calypso sounds of Upstream.

Sunday Concerts in the Park - Agoura Hills
The free monthly concert in Peter Strauss Ranch features Larry Bagby (country pop to early rock n' roll)  and the Out West (country rock).
 
Playa Vista Concert in the Park - Playa Vista
Playa Vista’s concert series bids the summer adieu with pop cover band De Bois All-Stars.

Manhattan Beach Summer Concerts in the Park - Manhattan Beach
Don’t stop believing: Journey tribute band DSB An American Journey  plays Polliwog Park.

LevittLA Summer Concert Series - Children's Concerts in MacArthur Park - Downtown
Silk Road Dance Company performs traditional Korean style dancing and drumming, for the last kids concert of the summer series in MacArthur Park.

As always, there are many more activities listed on our Event Calendar, and if you didn't receive this info as a newsletter, you should sign up for our weekly events updates. Whatever you choose to do this weekend, we hope you have a terrific time!