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

Halloween Weekend in Los Angeles: Trick-or-Treat, Day of the Dead, and More Top Things To Do

Submitted by Toby B on Wed, 10/26/2022 - 11:06am

Decorate a pumpkin to compete in the Pumpkin Races! Photo courtesy of Manhattan Beach Parks and Recreation

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 2022.

Trick or ... well look at that. This Halloween weekend in Los Angeles, it’s all treat. Our event calendar, just like your kid’s goodie bag, is overflowing. Los Angeles is flush with Halloween celebrations, and it all reaches a glorious pinnacle this Halloween weekend. Families can catch the final weekends of signature events such as Underwood Family Farm's Fall Harvest Festival and Boo at the LA Zoo (complete with trick-or-treating this weekend!) and enjoy this-weekend-only treats such as Scarium of the Pacific and Boo!-nion Station.

As if the schedule wasn't full enough, there's another major holiday nipping at Halloween's heels. Many Día de los Muertos events are this weekend in Los Angeles, and these celebrations are a wonderful place to honor the memory of our departed loved ones. Our top pick is the annual observance at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, which this year has both a daytime and a nighttime event.

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

30 Not-So-Scary Halloween Events in Los Angeles for Toddlers and Preschoolers

Submitted by Toby B on Fri, 10/14/2022 - 10:05am

Three sets of goat triplets were born this summer at Underwood, and kids can meet them at the farm! Photo courtesy of Underwood Family Farms, Facebook

Halloween can be magical in Los Angeles, where neighborhoods go crazy with over-the-top decorations and there are loads of family-friendly Halloween events. But the littlest trick-or-treaters are often overwhelmed by some of the most common elements: darkness, scary faces, and things that go bump in the night. With that in mind, we've tracked down a bunch of Halloween events perfect for preschoolers, which deliver just the right amount of atmosphere for the pint-sized crowd.

Check out the coolest free haunted houses and Halloween decorations in Los Angeles for some slightly scary fun that's totally free. You'll find all these spooky activities, and more, in our Halloween Fun and Activities Guide for Los Angeles Kids.

October's Best: Halloween Haunts, Fall Festivals, and More Cool Things To Do in Los Angeles

Submitted by Toby B on Fri, 09/30/2022 - 11:55am

Dia y Noche de los Muertos at Hollywood Forever is a spectacle every Angeleno should experience at least once! Photo courtesy of ladayofthedead.com

Halloween is the name of the game in October, which means Los Angeles is alive with pumpkin patches, haunted houses, fall festivals, and of course trick-or-treating—so many opportunities to wear Halloween costumes!

There are some major treats in store for Los Angeles families this October. From a Wicked and Wonderful garden adventure in Palos Verdes to Depot Day at Travel Town, there are loads of ways to enjoy this glorious, no-longer-100-degree fall weather. Also, I have this weird feeling that there's something else going on in October. An odd, creepy-crawly chills up my spine sensation, like I'm going to be going about my own business when all of a sudden—BOO! Favorite fright-tivities include the chance to boo at the zoo, pick pumpkins at the farm, trick-or-treat at Cemetery Lane, and so much more.

These are just a few of our favorite things to do in October—we're adding more events to the Los Angeles Family Event Calendar every day. 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.

Halloween Events in Los Angeles: Halloween Festivals, Halloween Walk-thrus, and More

Submitted by Toby B on Sun, 09/25/2022 - 11:18am

Toddle through the pumpkin tunnel to all the fun that awaits. Photo courtesy of Haunt O' Ween LA

Halloween 2022 is creeping up on us, bringing with it chills and thrills, bags full of sweets, and loads of Halloween events in Los Angeles—including Boos at Zoos, Halloween haunts, and harvest festivals. We've got Brick-or-Treat at Legoland, Oogie Boogie at Disneyland, Carved at Descanso, and tons of Halloween movie screenings, including Hocus Pocus (the original, because the new one is only streaming). Many Halloween events are still being planned, so be sure to check this roundup and our calendar of events often, as we continue to add more Halloween events as soon as they're announced.

We also know that some kids like the spooks and scares while other kids prefer gentler Halloween activities, so in our Halloween Fun and Activities Guide for Los Angeles 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.

Best Fall Festivals in Los Angeles for Families: Pumpkin Festivals, Harvest Festivals, and More!

Submitted by Toby B on Sun, 09/04/2022 - 10:46am

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 weather says otherwise. While other places have a season called fall, LA has something more like summer 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 festivals keep right on going, all the way through September and October. 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, check out our Fall Activities Guide for Los Angeles Kids, which includes the best apple picking in Los Angeles and all our favorite fall day trips from LA.

Labor Day Weekend in Los Angeles: Malibu Chili Cook Off, San Fransokyo Square, and More Things To Do with Kids

Submitted by Toby B on Wed, 08/31/2022 - 10:29am

Malibu Chili Cook-Off photo courtesy of the festival.

When is Labor Day Weekend 2023? This very weekend! Here are some events and activities to add to your list of fun things to do in Los Angeles this Labor Day Weekend with kids.

Labor Day 2023 marks the end of a jam-packed summer that was filled with things to do in Los Angeles. This weekend brings to a close some summer favorites that you might want to squeeze in, such as the the World of Barbie, a number of great outdoor concert series, and more, which we've listed below. We also crank up the volume with Labor Day Weekend festivals galore, including the Annual Malibu Chili Cook-off, the Long Beach Greek Festival, and the Orange International Street Festival. There are several new traditions as well, such as the opening of San Fransokyo Square at Disney California Adventure, and the chilling Gelato Festival World Masters, and that's just a taste of all that’s yet to come: Our September highlights post offers a sampling of new and returning events to keep on your radar.

It's so hot! With the biggest heat wave of summer hitting us just in time for the long weekend, we thought you might like to take a look at 75 Places To Beat the Heat in Los Angeles, and all the ways to keep cool by taking a trip to find some sea breezes in our Beach Guide for Los Angeles and Orange County.

September's Best: Harvest Fests, Early Halloween, and More Cool Things To Do in Los Angeles

Submitted by Toby B on Sun, 08/28/2022 - 10:43am

The Spider Pavilion creeps back into town in September. Photo courtesy of The Natural History Museum

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!

September starts with Labor Day weekend, marking the end of summer, last summer visits to the beach ... aaaand now it's Halloween. Okay, it's not quite that fast, but LA's favorite venues are kicking off the spooky, harvesty fall activities in Los Angeles this month, and we can't wait to visit favorites like Underwood Farms and Irvine Park Railroad. There is also a wagon load of incredible Fall Festivals coming to Los Angeles this September, including a host of Dino and Lobster celebrations and the Maritime Festival in Dana Point.

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

School Calendars 2022-2023: Start & End Dates for Los Angeles County Schools

Submitted by Toby B on Tue, 08/02/2022 - 10:18am

Check out the academic calendars for the Los Angeles 2022-23 school year.

It's still hard to predict what the 2022-23 school year is going to look like right now, but all our fingers and toes are crossed for a full year of being face-to-face in the classrooms, with things as normal as possible! And one thing that normal means is that summer vacation comes to an end far too fast, as the majority of SoCal school districts currently opt for an August start date.

School calendars for the largest school districts in Los Angeles County for the 2022-2023 school year are below, and you'll want to bookmark the page now for reference—and to help with 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.