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27 Best Things to Do in Los Angeles September 2025 with Kids

The Spider Pavilion creeps into September. Photo courtesy of the National History Museum of Los Angeles County.
The Spider Pavilion creeps into September. Photo courtesy of the National History Museum of Los Angeles County.
8/29/25 - By Toby B

September kicks off with loads of long Labor Day weekend events and keeps it going with some early Halloween activities, plus so many more things to do in Los Angeles with kids!

Fall fun is officially upon us, as September marks the end of summer and the gateway to Halloween and spooky season. LA's favorite venues, like Underwood Farms and Irvine Park Railroad, are kicking off their seasonal festivities in Los Angeles this month, and the Spider Pavilion creeps and crawls back to the Natural History Museum. There's also a wagon-load of fun festivals coming to Los Angeles this September: dinos, the Maritime Festival in Dana Point, and the Los Angeles Union Station Train Festival 2025. New this September: an exhibit about the movie Jaws at the Academy Museum, the inclusive Help Group's Family Fun Day, a live production of Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish (oy gevalt!), and Gabby's Dollhouse Live! in Long Beach and Thousand Oaks.

These are just a few of our favorite things to do in Los Angeles this September, and more events are added to the Los Angeles Family Activity Calendar each day. Keep reading for the best things to do in Los Angeles this September. 

If you're eagerly waiting for all things fall, see where to leaf peep near Los Angeles, where to go apple picking near LA, and plan more autumn adventures in our Fall Fun Guide for Los Angeles and OC Kids. 

 

OUR LATEST VIDEOS

Best Things To Do in LA with Kids in September 2025

Original Lobster Festival

Fountain Valley
Friday - Sunday, September 5 - 7, 2025
Everyone’s favorite crustacean is celebrated this weekend at the Original Lobster Festival. A master chef steams up live Maine lobsters flown in daily for the event. READ MORE

Gloria Molina Grand Park's Block Party (New Date)

DTLA - FREE
Saturday, September 6, 2025
With renewed purpose and spirit, Gloria Molina Grand Park’s Block Party: Celebrating L.A. Culture & Community descends on Downtown LA in the “park for everyone.” The six-hour celebration (initially scheduled to take place on the Fourth of July) includes an electrifying lineup of homegrown DJs curated in partnership with KCRW Summer Nights: Black House Radio, Discos Rolas and KCRW’s Boogie Boudreaux and Francesca Harding. READ MORE

Bob Baker’s Hallowe'en Spooktacular

Highland Park
Starts Saturday, September 6, 2025
A beloved Bob Baker tradition returns! The Bob Baker Marionettes presents Hallowe'en Spooktacular, a family-friendly musical revue, set to haunting and jazzy holiday-themed tunes celebrating nearly every decade. READ MORE

3rd Annual Los Angeles Kids Book Festival

West Hollywood - FREE
Sunday, September 7, 2025
The 3rd Annual Los Angeles Kids Book Festival returns to West Hollywood Park. This free event celebrates children’s literacy and fosters a love for reading for kids of all ages. Highlights include nearly 100 children’s authors & illustrators, storytimes featuring diverse books and bilingual readings, live performances, author and industry panels for aspiring authors, special guest celebrities, food trucks, face painting, and more. READ MORE

Mehregan Persian Festival at the Bowers Museum

Santa Ana - FREE
Sunday, September 7, 2025
Mehregan is celebrated early at the Bowers this year*, with a free family festival in honor of the ancient Zoroastrian and Persian festival honoring Mithra, the god of light, friendship, and love. The day includes live performances of traditional music and dance, art projects, free face painting, and complimentary treats. READ MORE

Ocean Institute Maritime Festival

Dana Point
Friday - Sunday, September 12 - 14, 2025
The Ocean Institute on Dana Point hosts the 41st annual Maritime Festival. Kids can tour tall ships, experience a mermaid breakfast, meet pirates, learn about marine life and pan for gold, enjoy carnival games and bounce houses, take part in cannon battles at sea, and more. READ MORE

The Help Group's Family Fun Day

Sherman Oaks- FREE
Saturday, September 13, 2025
As the school year gets underway, The Help Group invites families and community members to a special afternoon designed to bring everyone together. Family Fun Day is a free, inclusive event that offers a joyful way to transition from summer to fall, with fun activities for all ages and abilities. This event is all about creating opportunities for connection and discovery. READ MORE

Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish

Northridge
Saturday & Sunday, September 13 & 14, 2025
The Soraya presents the West Coast Premiere of the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene’s production of Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish. No yiddish? No problem!  The show is presented with English supertitles. Broadway legend Joel Grey directs. READ MORE

Irvine Park Railroad Pumpkin Patch

Orange
Starts Saturday, September 13, 2025
Irvine Park Railroad and the Pumpkin Patch once again open for the season with the Pumpkin Train, a moon bounce, hayrides, and a haunted house.  Other daily fun includes panning for gold, carnival games, John Deere races, face painting, cookie decorating, and more.  New this year: reservations are required on weekends.  $20 per person includes a train ride and entrance into the Pumpkin Patch. READ MORE

Heartbeat of Mexico

Orange - FREE
Sunday, September 14, 2025
Musco Center’s Heartbeat of Mexico is a free family festival filled with performances and activities celebrating Mexican and Mexican-American culture and arts. The annual event features live performances of music and dance on two stages, community organizations, live painting, and a chalk art contest, as well as a beer garden and crafts. READ MORE

Dino Fest

Exposition Park
Sunday, September 14, 2025
Who ya callin' extinct? Dino Fest comes roaring back to the Natural History Museum. The Natural History Museum hosts a festival celebrating dinosaurs, their prehistoric past, and the science that brings their world back to life.  READ MORE

Family Days@LA Plaza: Fiestas Patrias

DTLA - FREE
Sunday, September 14, 2025
September 16 marks the beginning of the Mexican War of Independence. LA Plaza visitors can learn more about the day with activities for the entire family at this festival celebrating Mexican Independence. READ MORE

Americana in the Park Concert Festival 2025

Santa Monica - FREE
Sunday, September 14, 2025
Santa Monica partners with McCabe’s Guitar Shop for another edition of Americana in the Park. This year the music series is presented as a single day festival. READ MORE

Spider Pavilion

Exposition Park
Starts Sunday, September 14, 2025
The spiders return to The Natural History Museum, in the improved Spider Pavilion that debuted a few years ago. Guests have the rare opportunity to immerse themselves in the spiders’ habitat and witness the day-to-day lives of these often misunderstood, but uniquely talented creatures. READ MORE

East LA Mexican Independence Day Parade & Festival

East LA - FREE
Sunday, September 14, 2025
The East LA Mexican Independence Day Parade is the oldest and largest Hispanic parade in the country. The family-oriented event offers the opportunity to learn about many Mexican states' cultures, enjoy traditional food, listen to cultural music, appreciate beautiful traditional dances, and interact with many fun exhibitors. 2025's Grand Marshall isSpace Shuttle Astronaut José M. Hernández. READ MORE

Jaws: The Exhibition

Mid-Wilshire
Starts Sunday, September 14, 2025
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the museum... The newest temporary exhibition of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures looks at Steven Spielberg’s groundbreaking blockbuster film Jaws (1975). READ MORE

Gabby's Dollhouse Live! in Long Beach

Long Beach
Friday, September 19, 2025
Gabby and all her friends are ready to play, dance, and sing at the Fred Kavli Theater in Thousand Oaks for this one-day-only live performance. Gabby and her team visit favorite spots from the show, searching for colors to re-create the rainbow.  READ MORE

The Sound of Music Sing-a-Long at the Bowl

Hollywood Hills
Saturday, September 20, 2025
These are a few of my favorite things: raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens, and the Sound of Music Sing-a-Long at the Hollywood Bowl. Where else do you get to work your inner Julie Andrews under the stars? READ MORE

Batman Day at Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood

Burbank
Saturday, September 20, 2025
Riddle me this, riddle me that, who wants to celebrate with the big, black bat? The Batman Day festivities at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood include a special tour and movie screening. READ MORE

Westchester Arts & Music Block Party

Westchester - FREE
Saturday, September 20, 2025
This free, day-long, family-friendly celebration features live music and dance performances, vendors & community booths, kids' activities, garden tours, and food trucks – plus a beer and wine garden. READ MORE

Los Angeles Union Station Train Festival 2025

DTLA - FREE
Saturday & Sunday, September 20 & 21, 2025
All aboard for a family-friendly celebration of the past, present and future of train travel! The free event features activations and programs throughout the iconic Los Angeles landmark. READ MORE

Baja Splash Cultural Festival

Long Beach
Saturday - Sunday, September 20-21, 2025
The Aquarium  of the Pacific celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month with the 24th Annual Baja Splash Festival. Where else can you see ancient Aztec dance performed in the shadow of a shark tank? READ MORE

Los Angeles Comic Con

DTLA
Friday - Sunday, September 26-28
Los Angeles Comic Con is LA's largest event for comics, gaming, sci-fi, anime, cosplay, and pop culture. Fans can attend over 300 panels and presentations showcasing some of the most recognized and beloved names in pop culture READ MORE

Autry Museum Annual Block Party

Griffith Park
Saturday, September 27, 2025
The Autry celebrates its 37th anniversary with its Annual Autry Block Party. This year's event honors local heroes and community members who came to the aid of those in need during the fires and continue to support the community to this day. The festivities include a carnival on the lawn with family-friendly activities such as bounce houses, a mechanical bull, a Ferris Wheel, and a mini train. READ MORE

28th Annual Fall Harvest Festival at Underwood Farms

Moorpark
Starts Saturday, September 27, 2025
Underwood Family Farms' annual Fall Harvest Festival features pig races, animal shows, a corn maze and gourd tunnel, a combine slide, tractor rides, Farmer Craig’s Chicken Show, hay pyramids, and animals to feed, as well as a gigantic pumpkin patch. READ MORE

The Port of Hueneme Banana Festival

Port Hueneme - FREE
Saturday, September 27, 2025
The Port of Hueneme Banana Festival returns for another year. Guests can enjoy a variety of delicious foods, which may include banana empanadas, banana splits, banana funnel cakes, banana lumpia, banana cream pie melts, banana Italian ice, banana popcorn, banana cupcakes, and chocolate-covered bananas. Both parking and admission are free. READ MORE

Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live Glow-N-Fire Long Beach Arena

Long Beach
Saturday & Sunday, September 27 & 28
Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live makes its debut at Long Beach Arena, with Glow-N-Fire, adding a fiery twist to the monster truck competition. Fans of all ages can watch the iconic Hot Wheels monster truck toys -  including Mega Wrex, Tiger Shark, HW 5-Alarm, Bone Shaker, Gunkster, and more -  come to life in a full-size, kid-focused, immersive Hot Wheels experience. The show introduces the new Skelesaurus, the giant that unleashes his fossil fury. Fans can also witness a special appearance from a transforming robot, plus the high-flyers of Hot Wheels Monster Trucks... READ MORE

Places featured in this article:

Musco Center for the Arts, Chapman University
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures
Terrace Theater / Long Beach Performing Arts Center