Toby B

Toby is our uber-busy events editor for Mommy Poppins LA. Feel free to email Toby about events for our LA area calendar.

Latest posts by Toby

Knott's Merry Farm, CicLAvia x Stranger Things, and More Top Things To Do in Los Angeles This Weekend

Submitted by Toby B on Wed, 11/19/2025 - 7:40am

Snoopy and his ensemble of elves are gliding onto the ice for Snoopy's Night Before Christmas. Photo courtesy of Knott's Berry Farm

Looking for the best things to do in Los Angeles this weekend? Here are some of our favorite events and activities to add to your list this weekend

This weekend in Los Angeles, we're seeing some classics in a whole new light. MOMIX Alice sends us down the rabbit hole with whimsical reinvention of the Lewis Carroll classic. Inglewood's Cosm gives us a whole new way to experience movies with its immersive shared reality presentation of Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. And CicLAvia doesn't just walk the walk, it dives headfirst into the Upside Down, as Stranger Things takes over CicLAvia's Melrose Avenue route.

16 Must-Do Christmas Events and Holiday Activities in Los Angeles for Kids

Submitted by Toby B on Fri, 11/14/2025 - 1:30am

Try sock skating at Kidspace Winter Frolic. Photo by Jamie Pham courtesy of the Museum

'Tis the season for Christmas events and holiday activities in Los Angeles! From the hundreds of Christmas events and holiday activities taking place this year, we've managed to trim our list to the top family favorites.

This year, Santa's bag is overflowing with festive fun for families in Los Angeles. This holiday season's stockings are full of theme parks dressed up in their holiday finest, traditional holiday parades, only-in-LA holiday shows, and other beloved holly jolly traditions. We can barely keep up with all the fun Christmas events and holiday activities in Los Angeles this year.

For more holiday activities, don't miss our Holiday Events and Christmas Activities Guide for Los Angeles, packed with every possible holiday and Christmas light show, Nutcracker shows, Polar Express holiday trains, outdoor ice skating rinks, and so much more.

Veterans Day Weekend 2025 in Los Angeles: 16 Best Things To Do With Kids

Submitted by Toby B on Wed, 11/05/2025 - 1:01am

Veterans Day celebrations take place across LA. Photo courtesy of Canva

Looking for the best things to do in Los Angeles this Veterans Day weekend? Here are some family-friendly events and activities to add to your list for this long weekend!

We owe so much to our veterans—those who have put themselves in harm's way to defend the liberties we hold dear. Families can thank local veterans in person at Torrance Visit with a Veteran, one of several Veterans Day observances that are held this weekend in advance of the Tuesday holiday.

This weekend also marks the opening of several seasonal-favorite events, such as Ice at Santa Monica, Kidspace Winter Frolic, and Astra Lumina.

Families can add their light to a communal glow at the Los Angeles Water Lantern Festival in Irwindale, as their own personally-designed lanterns become part of a luminous fleet at Santa Fe Dam.

As we prepare for Veterans Day, more upcoming holidays are top of mind, like restaurants open on Thanksgiving in Los Angeles, and holiday and Christmas events in Los Angeles to book now. Plan for more holiday fun in our Guide to Holiday and Christmas Events for Los Angeles Families.

16 Best Things To Do in Los Angeles with Kids November 2025, According to Mommy Poppins Editors

Submitted by Toby B on Fri, 10/31/2025 - 11:43am

LA Zoo Lights dazzle. Photo by Jamie Pham

November brings plenty of things to do in Los Angeles as we gear up for holidays from Veterans Day to Thanksgiving and full steam ahead to Christmas. Don’t miss our favorite kid-friendly events and activities in Los Angeles this month.

It's a good thing that November starts with an extra hour of sleep. There are so many fun things to do, that extra hour will be very much needed. For train lovers, make tracks at Day Out with Thomas, gear heads can race over to The LA Auto Show, and whether you like bikes or Demigorgons, you can head Upside Down with CicLAvia's Stranger Things themed event on Melrose Avenue. And, the holidays are coming, the holidays are coming! Everyone's favorite recurring LA holiday events are kicking off this month, including Holidays at Disneyland, LA Zoo Lights, and Christmas on the Farm.

Halloween Weekend 2025 in Los Angeles: Trick-or-Treat and More Things To Do with Kids

Submitted by Toby B on Wed, 10/29/2025 - 9:28am

Jump right into the daily Kidspace Halloween Parade to strut your stuff in costume. Photo by Jamie Pham, courtesy of the event.

Looking for the best things to do in Los Angeles this Halloween weekend? Here are some events and activities to add to your list for Halloween 2025.

This weekend in Los Angeles, there are many treats, along with a trick or two. The weekend starts with a Friday Halloween, which you can spend trick-or-treating in your favorite neighborhood, or scaring up fun at your spooktacular of choice, like the Lakewood Halloween Carnivals or the DTLA Halloween Festivals for Kids. Then it's on to Día de los Muertos: we recommend the annual observance at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, the Self Help Graphics Día de los Muertos Celebration in East LA, and the Día de los Muertos Celebrations held at multiple Forest Lawn locations.

Non-holiday fun this weekend includes Day Out with Thomas in Perris, UCLA's free STEM festival Exploring Your Universe, and a Getty Center Family Festival built around the theme of Medieval Travel.

Don’t miss our roundup of free Halloween events in Los Angeles, the best pumpkin patches near Los Angeles , and more Halloween activities on this wonderfully spooky weekend.

Best Things To Do to Celebrate Día de Los Muertos in Los Angeles

Submitted by Toby B on Fri, 10/03/2025 - 7:46am

Celebrate Día de los Muertos. Photo courtesy of the Forest Lawn sponsored event in Glendale.

Día de los Muertos in Los Angeles has vibrant celebrations across the city in many neighborhoods and cultural institutions that honor the Mexican tradition of remembering and celebrating loved ones who have passed away.

Spirited Day of the Dead celebrations are steeped in traditional arts and culture throughout Southern California. Children may be familiar with these celebrations from movies such as Coco and The Book of Life. Expect Aztec dancers, mariachi musicians, Calavera face painting, and sugar skull decorating. Ofrendas, or altars, are also created to remember loved ones and are often the centerpieces of Día de los Muertos events.

Take part in more fall traditions by finding the best pumpkin patches in Los Angeles, going apple picking near LA, and discovering fall fun in our LA Fall Day Trips Guide.

25 Best Things To Do in Los Angeles with Kids October 2025, According to Mommy Poppins Editors

Submitted by Toby B on Sun, 09/28/2025 - 2:55am

No tricks, just treats at Boo at the LA Zoo. Photo by Jamie Pham courtesy of the Zoo

There are tons of things to do in Los Angeles for ghouls and gals, but Halloween is the name of the game in October. Los Angeles comes alive with pumpkin patches, haunted houses, fall festivals, and, of course, trick-or-treating—so many opportunities to wear Halloween costumes!

Major treats are in store for families looking for things to do in Los Angeles this October. The sky's the limit at the Pacific Airshow as high-flyers, including the US Air Force Thunderbirds, take to the air over Huntington Beach. DTLA's major cultural institutions open their doors with free performances and interactive activities at Grand Ave Arts: All Access, and dearly departed loved ones are remembered and honored at Día de los Muertos on Olvera Street.

Favorite frightful Halloween activities include the chance to Boo at the LA Zoo, find the STEM in the pumpkin at Battleship IOWA Halloween STEMebration, and Pumpkin Palooza at Discovery Cube OC, wander through the Carved jack-o-lanterns in La Canada-Flintridge, watch wheeled gourds speed to the finish line at Manhattan Beach's Pumpkin Race Festival, and so much more.

These are just a few of our favorite things to do in Los Angeles in October—we're adding more events to the Los Angeles Family Event Calendar daily. Keep reading for the very best things to do in Los Angeles this October, and don't forget to check back weekly for our picks for the best things to do in Los Angeles each weekend.

Best Halloween Events in Los Angeles 2025 for Kids and Families

Submitted by Toby B on Sun, 09/21/2025 - 12:00pm

Treat yourself to an adorable Halloween. Photo courtesy of Kidspace Children's Museum

Halloween events are creeping up on us, bringing chills and thrills, bags full of sweets, and loads of Halloween events in Los Angeles—including Boos at Zoos, Halloween haunts, cemetery tours, and trunk-or-treats. Among the Halloween events in Los Angeles we're looking forward to are Carved at Descanso, Oogie Boogie Bash at Disneyland Resort, and Boo at the LA Zoo, plus tons of Halloween shows and movie screenings.

Some kids (and adults) like the spooks and scares while other kids prefer gentler Halloween activities, so in our Halloween Fun and Activities Guide for Los Angeles & Orange County Kids, you'll find our picks for not-so-scary events for preschoolers as well as scary Halloween haunts for big kids—plus free Halloween events in Los Angeles for kids, and much more.

Toby B

Latest posts by Toby

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