All events are subject to change. Please confirm with the event organizer before attending.
OC Japan Fair | OC Fair & Event Center, Costa Mesa
October 16-18: Experience Japanese culture with food, J-POP and traditional performances, a tuna cutting show, cosplay, crafts, anime merchandise, family games, and more.
Nat at Night | San Diego Natural History Museum, San Diego
Sep 19, Oct 16, Nov 20, Dec 18: Explore exhibitions and the rooftop deck at the San Diego Natural History Museum at night on select Fridays, open until 11 PM. The whole family is welcome — grab dinner in the Atrium or on the rooftop and explore until bedtime. Admission is half-price after 5 PM.
Hoedown Throwdown Party | Pretend City Children’s Museum, Irvine
October 16: Grab your boots and dance at a Mickey's Country Farm-inspired hoedown. Join dance parties, listen to music, and try hands-on activities. Free for the first 200 guests!
Friday Fun | Madrona Marsh Nature Center, Torrance
Every Friday: Explore nature with story time, crafts, science, and guided activities designed for preschoolers. FREE!
Family NERF Night | Yorba Linda Middle School, Yorba Linda
October 16: Join an all-out NERF battle on a school field transformed into a NERF battlezone. Bring your own NERF gun and protective eyewear, and darts will be provided.
Spooktacular Season Fan Event: Hocus Pocus & The Nightmare Before Christmas | El Capitan Theatre, Hollywood
October 9 & 16: Celebrate Spooktacular Season with special Hocus Pocus and The Nightmare Before Christmas in 4D Fan Events featuring introductions, a live drawing demo, photo ops, and more.
Mega Night Market Asian Food, Music & Cultural Festival | Great Park Live, Irvine
October 17-18: Celebrate Asian cultures with street food, live music and DJs, traditional dance, cultural performances, and more. Admission is $5.88; wear cultural attire for FREE admission Sunday.
Southeast Asia Day | Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach
October 17: Celebrate Southeast Asian cultures with music, dance, cultural craft demonstrations, and special programming representing Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and more.
Fall Open House | LePort Montessori, Orange County
October 17: Tour Montessori classrooms, meet the teachers, and discover Montessori programs designed to support children from infancy and beyond. Children learn through hands-on experiences with carefully chosen Montessori materials in mixed-age classrooms.
Journeying Japan: Tohoku Day | Japanese Friendship Garden & Museum, San Diego
October 17: Explore Japan's Tohoku region with a Kokeshi doll exhibit, prefecture information booths, a stamp rally, and an optional Kokeshi Doll Painting workshop.
Family Festival: LA and Mexico in Focus | Getty Center, Los Angeles
October 17: Celebrate Mexican culture and the Chicano/a communities of Los Angeles with mariachi, ballet folklórico, bilingual storytelling, and hands-on workshops. Catch live courtyard performances and DJ sets throughout the day, inspired by two photography exhibitions. FREE!
Pull My Finger: Family Friendly Comedy Show | The Crow, Santa Monica
October 17: Laugh along with a silly, high-energy comedy show for the whole family. Watch an interactive improv show with professional comedians, and kids may even get to jump on stage.
Lollipop Lane Boutique | Mayfair Park, Lakewood
October 17: Shop handmade crafts and gifts from more than 100 vendors, including Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas crafts. Check out the Kids Crafter Corner, where young entrepreneurs showcase and sell their handmade creations. FREE!
Los Angeles Printers Fair | International Printing Museum, Carson
October 17–18: Browse letterpress, printmaking, book arts, and paper arts from artists across the Southwest and beyond. Shop custom posters, hand-printed cards, handmade paper, and antiquarian books, all surrounded by the world's largest collection of working antique presses.
Free Miniature Train Rides at Fairview Park in Costa Mesa
THIRD WEEKEND OF EVERY MONTH: The Orange County Model Engineers offer public ride days every third full weekend of each month. To ride the trains, children must be able to walk and be at least 31" tall. A typical trip takes about 12 minutes and covers two loops of the park.
Fall Festival | The Original Farmers Market, Los Angeles
October 17-18: Celebrate the harvest season with a petting zoo, pumpkin patch and games, equestrian activities, fall crafts, photo ops, live music, and more.
Antique Tractor Show & Festival | Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum, Vista
October 17–18 & 24–25: Explore antique tractors, steam and gas engines, and live demonstrations across 55 acres of museum grounds. Watch daily parades, blacksmithing, and sawmill and gristmill operations. Hop on a wagon ride, check out railroad displays and farmhouse baking, and browse vendors.
38th Annual Walk Against Drugs | Oso Viejo Park, Mission Viejo
October 17: Join a community walk that wraps up with a fair and disaster preparedness expo. Meet keynote speaker Kayden Tokarski, browse community displays, and try face painting and inflatables. Food trucks are on site, and the first 1,000 participants receive a free event T-shirt.
Lowe’s Kids Workshops
MyLowe’s Rewards Kids Workshops are free, hands-on DIY experiences designed just for kids. Feb 21: Birdhouse / Mar 21: Lawn Mower / Apr 18: Terrarium / May 16: Garden Basket / Jun 13: Trophy Cup / Jul 18: Mini Toy Box / Sep 12: Haunted House / Oct 17: Firefighting Plane / Nov 14: Holiday Engine / Dec 12: Holiday Trolley Car / Jan 16, 2027: Winter Play Lodge
Public Star Party | Griffith Observatory, Los Angeles
September 19, October 17, November 14, December 19: Look at the Sun, Moon, planets, and other objects through a variety of telescopes at Griffith Observatory's free monthly star party. Volunteer astronomers are on hand to answer questions and guide viewing. FREE!
50th Anniversary Community Celebration & Open House | South Whittier Community Resource Center, Whittier
October 17: Celebrate 50 years of service to LA County with a community open house. Meet the center's team, connect with local organizations and resources, and grab free food, refreshments, and giveaways. FREE!
Moto Beach Classic | Bolsa Chica State Beach, Huntington Beach
October 17: Watch motorcycle racing, stunt and FMX shows, kids e-bike races, and live music, plus explore custom bikes, art, vendors, demos, and more on the beach. FREE!
Tour the Super Constellation | Yanks Air Museum, Chino
October 17: Step inside a "TOP SECRET" EC-121T Warning Star Super Constellation once used to watch the skies before satellites. Meet crew member Conrad, hear firsthand stories, and learn about the aircraft's once-classified mission.
Family Festival: LA and Mexico in Focus | Getty Center, Los Angeles
October 17: Enjoy mariachi, ballet folklórico, bilingual storytelling, live music, and hands-on art workshops celebrating Mexican culture and LA's Chicano/a communities. FREE!
Granada Hills Street Faire | Granada Hills
October 17: Enjoy 250+ vendors, live entertainment, a car show, farmers market, Kids Corner, food, shopping, and more. FREE!
Discovery Zone – Explore, Discover, Wonder! | Madrona Marsh Nature Center, Torrance
October 17: Explore a hands-on space where kids touch and investigate real marsh objects like feathers, seeds, animal tracks, shells, and plant samples. Match animal footprints, look through magnifiers, and build a food web while learning how plants and animals survive and why wetlands matter. FREE
Lucky Strike Family Fest | Participating Lucky Strike Locations
October 17-18: Enjoy free bowling, arcade play for kids, food samples, a DJ, face painting, balloon art, giveaways, and more. RSVP required. FREE!
Kids Market | Founders Park, Ladera Ranch
October 17: Shop a community market where the vendors are kids, selling their own handmade goods and creative products.
Asian Glow Fest: Water Lanterns & Kite Festival | Elm Grove Beach, Lake Elsinore
October 17-18: Enjoy colorful kites, Asian food, music, a night market, and a glowing community water lantern release by the lake. FREE!
Opera at the Beach: Carmen | Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica
October 17: Watch a live outdoor broadcast of Carmen on the big screen, featuring fan-favorite tunes like the Toreador Song and the Habanera. Arrive early for family-friendly crafts, balloon art, face painting, live local performances, and a prize wheel. FREE!
Opera in the Park: Carmen | William Steinmetz Park, Hacienda Heights
October 17: Watch a live broadcast of Carmen on the big screen, featuring fan-favorite tunes like the "Toreador Song" and "Habanera." Arrive early for crafts, lawn games, balloon art, face painting, caricatures, and live performances by local artists. FREE!
Spooky Science Night | Columbia Memorial Space Center, Downey
October 17: Celebrate a spooky-themed night of science with hands-on STEM activities, a robotics lab, super slime, a science show, and trunk or treat. Admission is $5 per person; kids (ages 3 and under) are free. Members get in free.
Halloween Party: Night at the Autry Museum | Autry Museum of the American West, Los Angeles
October 17: Trick-or-treat around the Autry, explore a spooky maze, make crafts, play carnival games, bounce, and catch a Halloween puppet show by Bob Baker Marionettes.
Taste of Santa Ana: Frights & Bites | MainPlace, Santa Ana
October 17: Sample bites from 30+ Santa Ana restaurants, enjoy live entertainment, shop a local Makers Market, and celebrate with Halloween-inspired fun at Taste of Santa Ana.
Chemistry Day | Santa Ana Zoo, Santa Ana
October 18: Explore educational booths scattered throughout the grounds, each featuring information on chemistry. Discover facts and learn more about the science of chemistry along the way.
Skechers Pier to Pier Friendship Walk | Manhattan Beach Pier, Manhattan Beach
October 18: Walk pier to pier along the beach and back alongside thousands of families and friends. The annual walk supports children with special needs, public education, and a national college scholarship program.
Walt Disney’s Carolwood Barn Public Day | Griffith Park, Los Angeles
September 20: Tour Walt Disney's original home workshop and explore displays of backyard railroad history, an operating Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland model, and restored railroad cars. FREE!
Barnyard Afternoon | Rancho Los Alamitos, Long Beach
October 18: Meet barnyard animals at the petting zoo, get a face painting, and make Dia de los Muertos crafts. Games and music round out the afternoon of history, animals, and interactive fun.
Shark Lagoon Nights | Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach
Sep 22, Oct 6, Oct 20, Nov 10, Nov 24: Touch bamboo sharks, see rays, and get up close with large sharks during free after-hours evenings at the Aquarium of the Pacific. Only Shark Lagoon is open; event is weather-dependent. FREE!
Kids Club | The Grove, Los Angeles
June 3–24: Enjoy weekly kids shows with music, puppets, and storytelling at AMC theaters.
Family Astronomy Night | The Huntington, San Marino
October 22: Observe Saturn's rings and the waxing gibbous Moon through high-powered telescopes and binoculars. Explore the science, history, and mythology of the Moon and join a green laser-guided constellation tour.
Los Angeles Fall Fair | La Prada Event Plaza, South El Monte
October 23 – November 1: Hop on carnival rides, play games of skill and chance, and browse local artisans at the largest fall festival in Los Angeles County. Live music takes the stage on weekends, and a food court rounds out the 12-acre fair.
Formula Drift Shoreline Showdown | Long Beach Convention & Entertainment Center, Long Beach
October 23–24: Catch the season finale of pro drifting, with the PRO championship title on the line. Watch qualifying and Top 32 seeding on Friday, then cheer on tandem elimination battles through the Top 32, Top 16, and Final Four on Saturday.
Bluey’s Big Play | Pantages Theatre, Hollywood
October 23–25: Watch Bluey and Bingo team up to get Dad off the bean bag in a live theatre adaptation of the Emmy award-winning series. Meet the Heelers as puppets, follow an original story, and hear new music.
Friday Fun | Madrona Marsh Nature Center, Torrance
Every Friday: Explore nature with story time, crafts, science, and guided activities designed for preschoolers. FREE!
Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical | Irvine Barclay Theatre, Irvine
October 24: See Dav Pilkey's Cat Kid Comic Club come to life in a colorful musical about creativity, friendship, and 21 rambunctious baby frogs. Recommended for ages 5+.
Open House | Heritage Oak Private Education, Yorba Linda
October 24: Tour the campus and learn about programs for children from age 2.5 through 8th grade. Explore a curriculum taught one year ahead of grade level, plus violin, French, Spanish, athletics, and dedicated science, music, and art facilities.
Dog Man: The Musical | Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, Cerritos
October 24: Based on the bestselling series, Dog Man: The Musical is a hilarious and heartwarming show following the crime-fighting chronicles of Dog Man, who has the head of a dog and the body of a policeman.
Be Like Blippi Tour | Terrace Theater, Long Beach
October 24: Move, play, and explore like Blippi at a live show with Blippi and Meekah. Sing along to songs like "The Excavator Song" and "Dino Dance" during an interactive adventure packed with music, laughter, and surprises.
Cat Kid Comic Club: The Musical | Irvine Barclay Theatre, Irvine
October 24: Follow Cat Kid and Molly Pollywog as they start a comics club for 21 baby frogs. Watch the frogs' bickering and big imaginations send their comics off the rails in this musical based on Dav Pilkey's book series.
Disclaimer: The Kidsguide team does their best to keep event details accurate at the time of posting, but information can change without notice! Be sure to double-check with the event organizer before heading out. Kidsguide is not responsible for any errors, omissions, or changes on our calendar—we’re just here to help you find the fun!
