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Weekday Picks: MLK Day Parade and Other Free Fun, January 18-22

1/18/16 - By Jacqueline Stansbury

Though perhaps not as renowned as January’s Rose Bowl Parade, the Kingdom Day Parade on Martin Luther King, Junior Blvd. in Los Angeles has three times as many floats and annually attracts one million people. If you enjoy a parade and want to celebrate this great man’s dream of peace and freedom for all, DTLA is the place to do it. Volunteering is another way to honor Martin Luther King, Jr.'s legacy, and our MLK Day guide has many other celebrations around town as well as several camps for working parents who find themselves surprised by a school-free Monday so close to the recent winter break.

Gymnastics aficionados won’t want to miss LA Lights at Culver City’s Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium. This is an Olympic caliber competition with gymnasts from all over the world who may be headed to the games in Rio.

Friday night is for comedy. If your kids have never seen an “old” or “classic” movie, there is no better place for this introduction than the Old Town Music Hall in Old Town El Segundo. Sing along to the live organ and guffaw at the comedy shorts. It’s a fine mess worth getting into.

Find lots more to do on Mommy Poppins’ Daily Events Calendar or January Go List.

OUR LATEST VIDEOS

1. Kingdom Day Parade – Monday
One of the nation’s largest events celebrating the birth and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr marches down the street in DTLA that bears his name.
See all Monday events

2. Bad Kitty Celebration at Children’s Book World – Tuesday
Kids can meet author Nick Bruel, learn about his writing process, and get their kiddie faces painted like kitties. Children’s Book World is a wonderful independent book store worth visiting even without a special guest appearance.
See all Tuesday events

3. Storyland: A trip through Childhood Favorites – Wednesday
This is opening week of Discovery Cube LA’s latest exhibit, celebrating classics from children’s literature like my personal favorite, Ezra Jack Keats’ A Snowy Day.
See all Wednesday events

4. LA Lights – Thursday
Culver City’s Veteran’s Auditorium hosts gymnasts from 15 countries who are hoping to compete at the 2016 games in Rio.
See all Thursday events

5. All Star Comedy Festival – Friday
Make the kids humor you in El Segundo with a trip down memory lane. These are classic sound and silent shorts accompanied by the Old Town Music Hall’s Wurlitzer organ.
See all Friday events

There are always plenty more activities on our Daily Events Calendar and in our monthly GoList. And if you don’t receive our newsletters full of suggestions for family fun, you really should subscribe…it’s free!

Photo by SEIU Local 99 via flickr

About the Author

Jacqueline Stansbury
A native Angeleno, Jackie enjoys revisiting her childhood as a mom and writer for Mommy Poppins. She did a lot of cool stuff as a kid and has newfound respect for her own mom who made that happen without the internet! Today in Los Angeles, some things are gone, some have changed and some, like the grunion, remain exactly the same. In her former life, Jackie was a development executive on the Fox Studios lot where she rounded up writer/director lists and covered screenplays. Mommy Poppins is much more fun. Jackie's kids, Benjamin and Juliet, agree.
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