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

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

Submitted by Toby B on Wed, 02/12/2025 - 12:42pm

Big Sunday Valentinemania! Event photo courtesy of Big Sunday

Presidents Day weekend is jam-packed in Los Angeles. The long weekend starts with Valentine's Day on Friday; kids can pitch in at Big Sunday's Valentinemania to help make cards and goody bags for people across the city. Starting Saturday, Kidspace reminds us we are Wired for Wonder with its new multisensory immersive maze experience. The Harlem Globetrotters swoop into the Intuit Dome on Sunday with a show that entertains, amazes, and redefines the laws of physics. LA families can spend Presidents Day Monday at one of the two local Presidential Libraries or cheer on the rescheduled Kingdom Day Parade.

Valentine's Day and More Top Things to Do in Los Angeles February 2025

Submitted by Toby B on Fri, 01/31/2025 - 3:53am

Barbie: You Can Be Anything: The Experience rolls into Discovery Cube. Photo courtesy of the exhibit.

February brings plenty of things to do in Los Angeles, from holiday celebrations to inspirational exhibits and sports events. This month is full of enthralling activities.

Anything is possible this February in Los Angeles! Still wondering what you're going to be when you grow up? Discovery Cube LA enlists Barbie to let you know You Can Be Anything. The Harlem Globetrotters trick-shot their way into the Intuit Dome, showing you that you can do anything - even impossible feats of athleticism. And the Pokémon GO Tour - Unova pops up at the Rose Bowl, reminding you to catch 'em all!

For a tiny month, February is full of holiday happenings, from the San Gabriel Lunar New Year Festival to a Black History Parade and Festival in Pasadena, to Presidents Day celebrations at both the Nixon and Reagan Libraries.

Best Lunar New Year Events in Los Angeles for Kids

Submitted by Toby B on Sun, 01/19/2025 - 7:44am

Enjoy Lunar New Year lion dances, crafts, and more in the middle of Santa Monica. Photo courtesy of Santa Monica Place

Lunar New Year in Los Angeles is a vibrant celebration that reflects the city's rich cultural diversity. From Chinatown to Little Tokyo and beyond, the streets come alive with colorful decorations, lively parades, and traditional performances.

Celebrate in the serene setting of the Huntington Library's Chinese Garden, the exuberant Tet Parade in Westminster, or Lunar New Year at Disneyland with Mulan and Turning Red's Mei. Los Angeles bursts with lion dances, brightly glowing lanterns, and plenty of red envelopes.

Keep reading below for more Lunar New Year events for kids in Los Angeles, and check our Los Angeles Events Calendar as more events are added daily.

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

Submitted by Toby B on Wed, 01/15/2025 - 1:35am

Honor MLK by volunteering or doing a unity walk. Photo courtesy of CAAM King Day 2025

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

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, "Life's most persistent and urgent question is 'What are you doing for others?'" This year, the sentiment resonates even more profoundly as Los Angeles faces the aftermath and recovery from devastating county-wide fires. National MLK Day of Service events, such as Big Sunday's 13th Annual MLK Day Clothing Drive and the LA Works MLK Day of Service, offer families a chance to spend a day giving back in honor Dr. King's memory, and in support of our fellow Angelenos.

Additionally, Lunar New Year observances in the Southland offer opportunities for reflection and renewal. Families can ring in Year of the Snake at two-day events in Monterey Park and Rancho Cucamonga.

Our hearts and thoughts are with those affected by the fires. Please check venue websites before attending any events this weekend for updates on possible event cancellations and business closures as a result of the air quality and fire conditions. Here are ways to help with the Los Angeles wildfires.

Fun Free Activities for Kids in January 2025: 12 Free Things To Do in Los Angeles with Kids

Submitted by Toby B on Sun, 12/29/2024 - 10:52am

Welcome the Year of the Snake at the Oshogatsu Family Festival. Event photo by Doug Mukai for JANM

Free things to do in Los Angeles will provide a nice break to your wallet after the spending spree in December. There are plenty of fabulous free Los Angeles activities in January. From walks in nature to the Oshogatsu Family Festival to Martin Luther King, Jr. Day parades and days of service, January's best events are 100% FREE. So, give your credit cards a rest while everyone enjoys these free activities in Los Angeles with kids.

For more free things to do in Los Angeles with kids, visit these always-free, kid-friendly LA museums, discover free museum days for kids in Los Angeles, and browse our Guide to Free Things To Do in Los Angeles with Kids. Free events are continually added to our Los Angeles event calendar, too.

New Year's Eve Weekend 2024 in Los Angeles: Fireworks, Balloon Drops, Noon Years Eve

Submitted by Toby B on Wed, 12/25/2024 - 2:48am

3 - 2 - 1, Happy Noon Year! Photo courtesy of the Southern California Children's Museum

Looking for the best things to do in Los Angeles on New Year's Eve weekend to ring in 2024? Here are some events and activities to add to your list for this holiday weekend.

Get out your party hats, folks; it's time to celebrate making it through another year. New Year's Eve 2024 offers loads of events all day, from Noon Year's Eve daytime celebrations at Discovery Cube LA and the Southern California Children's Museum to nighttime New Year's Eve festivities at Gloria Molina Grand Park, the Long Beach Waterfront, and Marina del Rey. And then, 2025 gets started in the most Southern California way possible, with parading floral floats.

Christmas Weekend 2024 in Los Angeles Top Things To Do: Boat Parades, Holiday Concerts, and More

Submitted by Toby B on Fri, 12/20/2024 - 6:55am

Forget the reindeer, Santa is paddling! Photo courtesy of Ventura Harbor Village

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

Merry Christmas weekend, folks! The gift to us all in 2024 has been the many things to do in Los Angeles with holiday activities, light shows, Nutcrackers, and theme park celebrations everywhere you turn. A few suggestions sure to make spirits bright over Christmas weekend: the magnificent Newport Beach Boat Parade, the holiday version of the Warner Brother Studio Tour which puts a seasonal spin on the Gilmore Girls' Stars Hollow, Las Posadas, the nightly free reenactment of Mary and Joseph's journey to Bethlehem; and the Los Angeles Ballet's stunning production of The Nutcracker in Hollywood.

And our gift to you is a ticket giveaway! We’re giving away a family four-pack of tickets to The Wiggles Bouncing Balls! Tour Giveaway. You can enter to win by signing up for our newsletter here.

However you choose to celebrate, happy holidays from all of us at Mommy Poppins!

19 Best Things to Do in Los Angeles December 2024 with Kids

Submitted by Toby B on Fri, 11/29/2024 - 6:15am

Disney on Ice: Magic in the Stars glides into DTLA. Photo courtesy of Feld Entertainment.

December brings plenty of things to do in Los Angeles with Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year's Eve. Don’t miss our favorite kid-friendly events and activities in Los Angeles this month.

Top things to do in Los Angeles and unwrap this December include Wicked at the Pantages, Manhattan Beach Annual Holiday Fireworks Festival (snow and fireworks!), an entire fleet of boat parades, including Dana Point's Boat Parade of Lights, and LA County's Annual Holiday Celebration. Mirabel, Tiana, and Moana skate into the Southland with a new Disney on Ice show that finds the Magic in the Stars. 2024 brings us a true Chrismukkah miracle as the first night of Hanukkah coincides with Christmas Day. However, some local celebrations occur earlier, such as the Skirball's annual Hanukkah Festival.

To end the month in style, ring in the New Year at Gloria Molina Grand Park—or Noon Year at the Southern California Children's Museum—depending on your bedtime, as we look forward to all the fun we'll have in 2025. Keep reading to discover the best things to do in Los Angeles this December.

For even more fun things to do in LA this season, check out our Holiday and Christmas Activities Guide for LA Families—which includes a roundup of the Best Holiday Lights Drive-Thrus, Walk-Thrus, and Christmas Light Shows in Los Angeles, where to see The Nutcracker and other holiday shows in LA, and more.

Toby B

Latest posts by Toby

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