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

Boo at the LA Zoo, Farmers Market Fall Festival, and More Top Things To Do in Los Angeles This Weekend

Submitted by Toby B on Wed, 10/08/2025 - 8:40am

Photo courtesy of The Original Farmers Market

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 is not just for the dogs, it's for all the creatures! Halloween is in full swing at a pack of local zoos and aquariums, including Boo at the LA Zoo and Boo at the Moorpark Teaching Zoo, as well as Scarium Family Night at the Aquarium of the Pacific and Sea Scare at Cabrillo Marine Aquarium. Every dog has its day, and that day is Sunday, as Santa Monica's annual Day of the Dog Block Party brings out four-legged friends for all kinds of furball festivities. And its harvest time in the city: the Farmers Market Fall Festival has horses, a pumpkin patch, a petting zoo, and tons of free fall fun.

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.

Ultimate Guide to Fall Festivals in 2025 for Los Angeles Families

Submitted by Toby B on Sun, 08/31/2025 - 2:07am

Pick a peck of pumpkins at the Annual Pumpkin Festival Cal Poly Pomona. Photo courtesy of the Cal Poly Pomona Facebook page

Fall festivals in Los Angeles do exist, even if the warm beach weather says otherwise. While other places have a season called fall, LA has something more like extended summer weather with back-to-school fun and a pumpkin aisle at Trader Joe's.

Of course, the beauty of an endless summer that fades gently into Halloween or Thanksgiving—usually right up until that guy in the red suit arrives—is that family-friendly fall festivals keep going strong through November. Check out some of our favorite annual faux fall festivals in Los Angeles, from Labor Day through Day of the Dead.

For more fall fun, visit the best pumpkin patches in Los Angeles, go apple picking near LA, and see what other seasonal activities should be on your fall bucket list in our Fall Fun Guide for Los Angeles and OC Kids.

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

Submitted by Toby B on Fri, 08/29/2025 - 3:07am

The Spider Pavilion creeps into September. Photo courtesy of the National History Museum of Los Angeles County.

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.

Labor Day Weekend 2025 in Los Angeles: Festivals, Blippi, and More Things to Do with Kids

Submitted by Toby B on Wed, 08/27/2025 - 9:29am

End the summer with gelato. Photo courtesy Gelato Festival World Masters

Looking for things to do this Labor Day Weekend 2025? Add these fun things to your list of what to do with kids in Los Angeles this Labor Day weekend.

Labor Day weekend marks the end of a jam-packed Los Angeles summer. This weekend brings some summer favorites to a close, such as the 2025 Griffith Park Free Shakespeare Festival, the OC Parks Sunset Cinema Movie Series, and the Rescue Exhibition at Discovery Cube LA. Crank up the volume on Labor Day weekend with festivals like the Gelato Festival World Masters, the Long Beach Greek Festival, and the Orange International Street Festival.

There's still time for summer fun, so head to the best beaches in Los Angeles over the long Labor Day weekend or take a family road trip from Los Angeles. Make those end-of-summer memories with ideas from our Ultimate Los Angeles Kids Summer Vacation Guide.

21 Best Things to Do in Los Angeles August 2025 with Kids

Submitted by Toby B on Sun, 07/27/2025 - 9:15am

Enjoy free music at Getty Garden Concerts for Kids. Photo courtesy of the event.

Summer is not over yet, and there are so many things to do in a Los Angeles August! It's a great time to enjoy outdoor movies & concerts, summer festivals, and the best beach days.

A Los Angeles August is that crazy time of year when the height of heat and summer fun collides with back-to-school, and parents need to turn the dial up on the end-of-summer fun. Luckily, the events and outings in Los Angeles this month do not disappoint, and there are loads of amazing activities to do before the school bell rings, and many of them are free.

Monster trucks zoom into August at Monster Jam at Crypto.com Arena and the Hot Wheels Trucks Live Glow Party. Culver City's annual Fiesta La Ballona returns for some end-of-summer fun. And it's no trick: this year's August celebrations include Halloween, as both Midsummer Scream and Disney's Oogie Boogie Bash – A Disney Halloween Party get the spooky season off to an early start.

These are just a few of our favorite things to do in August—there's so much more! When the heat is too much to grin and bear, we've got Places to Beat the Heat in LA. When your credit card says to take it easy, we've got Free Things To Do In Los Angeles This Summer with Kids. And don't forget to check back weekly for our picks for the best things to do in Los Angeles each weekend.

Toby B

Latest posts by Toby

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