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

25 Things To Do in Los Angeles Before School Starts

Submitted by Toby B on Sun, 07/20/2025 - 8:39am

Kidspace is packed with summer essentials. Kidspace Campout photo by Jamie Pham.

Quick: It’s time to shoehorn all these last favorite things to do in Los Angeles before school starts up!

Is it me, or did this summer go by extra fast? I feel like we didn’t get to do half of our usual summer traditions, and now school is about to start. Hopefully, you at least got in a few day trips, visited a few beach towns, and got to go swimming in a lake or two.

But perhaps you haven’t made it on as many outings this summer? Well, there's still time to check out some really cool museum exhibits (like Discovery Cube LA's Rescue Exhibition) and shows for kids (such as Roswell That Ends Well, The Actor’s Gang out there take on Shakespeare) that truly should not be missed—they won’t be here when the next school vacation rolls around and are easy to squeeze in between your Target run for notebooks, and last-minute doctor’s appointments...

Check out more end-of-summer fun in our Summer Activities Guide for Los Angeles Kids. And if school is starting soon for your family, our Back-to-School Guide has pretty much everything you need.

4th of July Weekend in Los Angeles: Fireworks, Parades, and More Things To Do With Kids

Submitted by Toby B on Wed, 07/02/2025 - 10:12am

The Pacific Park Ferris Wheel, photo by alexc43, courtesy of the Santa Monica Boardwalk.

4th of July weekend in Los Angeles is alight with fireworks, fun runs, parades, and more family-friendly events to add to your list for this weekend.

4th of July festivities will be everywhere this week in Los Angeles! Take in the red, white, and boom of fireworks over water, sporting arenas, and theme parks. Watch 4th of July parades marching by, go to carnivals, and more. The LA Convention Center gets animated with Anime Expo, and Pageant of the Masters turns its players into living works of art. The makings are here for a spectacular red, white, and blue weekend.

For a complete list of all the dazzling 4th of July fireworks in Los Angeles, check out where to see 4th of July fireworks in Los Angeles and the best 4th of July activities that aren't fireworks if you choose to have a more low-key celebration. We wish you a Happy Independence Day, LA!

Please note, several local Independence Day events have been canceled or postponed, among them the annual celebration in Gloria Molina Grand Park.

Best Things to Do in Los Angeles July 2025 with Kids

Submitted by Toby B on Sun, 06/29/2025 - 7:25am

Burst into fun at Bubble Bash. Event photo courtesy of Long Beach Towne Center.

Bring on all the things to do in Los Angeles in July with kids. Kicking off with 4th of July fireworks galore, this month never slows down, so you can enjoy every minute of summer fun.

July will be dynamite! Things to do in Los Angeles are aplenty this month, starting with all the 4th of July events in Los Angeles Independence Day fireworks in LA that'll light up the sky. And this is only the beginning, as summer favorites such as Echo Park's Lotus Festival, the Long Beach Dragon Boat Festival, and the Orange County Fair return. Kids and teens can immerse themselves in their favorite fandoms at Anime Expo and the road-trip-worthy San Diego Comic-Con. New this summer, NexGen members can get a sneak peek of the David Geffen Galleries at LACMA or prowl around NHM's purr-fect new exhibit Fierce! The Story of Cats.

These are just a few of our favorite things to do in July, but there's so much more! As the month heats up, the best splash pads in Los Angeles will help cool the kiddos down. Enjoy free concerts and outdoor movies, and soak in summer with our Ultimate Los Angeles Kids Summer Vacation Guide.

Father's Day Weekend 2025 Things To Do in Los Angeles: Plus, Honoring Juneteenth and More

Submitted by Toby B on Wed, 06/11/2025 - 7:36am

Paddle into Father's Day with the Cardboard Yacht Regatta. Photo courtesy of santamonica.gov

Looking for the best Father's Day weekend activities in Los Angeles? Here are some events to add to your list for this weekend in June.

Father's Day weekend is upon us, and there are so many ways to celebrate in Los Angeles. Let the father figure in your life choose how to spend their day from sunup to sundown: watch a Dodgers game and get a new hat, indulge in pop-up mini golf in El Segundo, check out the cars at the Rodeo Drive Concours d’Elegance, or even attend a yachting regatta—of the cardboard variety. For music lovers, numerous outdoor summer concert series begin this weekend.

Keep the mood silly with a few dad jokes, and forward these parenting tips for soon-to-be fathers. Sit back, enjoy time with Dad, and splash into summer fun with our Ultimate Los Angeles Kids Summer Vacation Guide.

Los Angeles's Free Concerts and Outdoor Music Festivals for Families Summer 2025

Submitted by Toby B on Sun, 06/08/2025 - 12:53pm

Saturdays Off the 405 at the Getty Center. Photo by Cassia Davis. © 2022 J. Paul Getty Trust

Free concerts throughout Los Angeles in the summertime, where parents can pack up both a picnic and restless tots and spend an evening under the stars, is beautiful music to our ears.

They say music soothes the savage beast, but it's also pretty good at entertaining the easily bored child. Lucky for us, free outdoor concert series fill Los Angeles and OC parks and open spaces all summer long. So the odds are you won't have to travel far to find an open-air event. Throw down a blanket, spread out the snacks, uncork the wine, and watch the kids boogie the evening away as you sway to breezy melodies.

Looking for more entertainment in the great outdoors? Our roundup of the best free outdoor movies in Los Angeles this summer will help you find your favorite films, and there's plenty more summer fun in our Ultimate Los Angeles Kids Summer Vacation Guide.

21 Best Things To Do in Los Angeles With Kids June 2025

Submitted by Toby B on Fri, 05/30/2025 - 8:56am

Surf into June. Photo credit: The Santa Monica Pier Corporation

Get ready for Los Angeles June summer activities! A Los Angeles June brings festivals for Pride, Juneteenth, Father's Day, and maybe even some early fireworks.

When deciding what to do with kids in and around Los Angeles in June, be sure to put epic Pride celebrations like the 2025 LA Pride Parade on your list. Other exciting family events include preschool favorite Blippi in the Blippi Join the Band Tour in both Long Beach and Thousand Oaks, and Dad gets his day mid-month—may we suggest a a day among the cars at the Beverly Hills Rodeo Drive Concours d’Elegance.

You can always find more great happenings this June on our event calendar. Check out summer festivals and fairs in Los Angeles for families, and explore our Summer Fun Guide for Los Angeles Families. Subscribe to our newsletters to get event picks by week, month, and more delivered directly to your inbox.

Memorial Day Weekend 2025 in Los Angeles Best Things To Do With Kids

Submitted by Toby B on Wed, 05/21/2025 - 2:23am

Naval ships at port. Photo courtesy of LA Fleet Week Foundation

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

Traditionally, Memorial Day Weekend is the start of the summer season and is filled with festivals and fairs galore—this year is no exception. Watch jet planes in action at LA Fleet Week in San Pedro, celebrate the South Bay at Fiesta Hermosa in Hermosa Beach, and travel back in time at the Koroneburg Renassaince Festival in Corona. Summer 2025 is off to an epic start!

Memorial Day weekend closes with tributes to our fallen heroes. Ceremonies will be held at the Nixon Library and several Forest Lawn locations. You can find some of them listed below.

Looking to get out of town for the long weekend? We've got epic California road trip ideas, the best family-friendly spa resorts near Los Angeles, the best spots to go camping near Los Angeles, and more—all in our Guide to Weekend Getaways and Day Trips from Los Angeles.

School Calendars 2025-2026: Start & End Dates for Los Angeles County Schools

Submitted by Toby B on Thu, 05/15/2025 - 2:27am

Here's when school is in session in Los Angeles for the 2024-25 school year.

It's not too soon to start thinking about next year! School calendars for the largest school districts in Los Angeles County for the 2025-2026 school year are below, and you'll want to bookmark the page now for reference—especially when planning family vacations and booking summer camps. Follow the links for each district below for details on school holidays and semester breaks and to stay up-to-date on any last-minute changes from your local district.

Toby B

Latest posts by Toby

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