Special events
PARADE: Enjoy a festive day in downtown San Juan Capistrano during the 57th annual Swallows Day Parade and Mercado Street Fair at the Historic Town Center Park at 11 a.m. on March 21.
swallowsparade.com
CHERRY BLOSSOM FESTIVAL: The Huntington Beach Cherry Blossom Festival is featuring Japanese dance performances, traditional food and live music. Crafts and games will also be available. 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on March 22.
hbjapanesefestival.com
FOOD TRUCK FRENZY: Bring the whole family to the OC Fair & Event Center for Food Truck Fair Thursday. A variety of food trucks will be available for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on March 26. Admission and parking are free, and food prices vary per truck. Check the OC Fair & Event Center’s Facebook page for a listing of visiting trucks.
ocfair.com
CITRUS FESTIVAL: Live music, kid’s games, hayrides and free lemonade are offered at the Anaheim Citrus Festival from noon to 5 p.m. on March 28 at Farmers Park. anaheimpackingdistrict.com
GARDEN BEATS: This hourlong family friendly event teaches children and adults how to rock out on the percussions and have a musical learning experience. The event takes place at the Orange County Great Park from 2 to 3 p.m. on March 28. ocgp.org
DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE: The “Alice in Wonderland” ballet, presented by Maple Youth Ballet, is performing at the Barclay Theatre in Irvine at 1:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. on April 4. Tickets are $33 for adults; and $28 for seniors, students, and children 12 and younger. thebarclay.org
CONCERT: Ariana Grande comes to town to perform at the Honda Center with special guest Rixton at 7:30 p.m. on April 10. hondacenter.com
ART WORKSHOPS: Roger’s Garden is presenting the third annual Day of Art. The event attracts more than 50 artists to paint and draw for the day. Paintings and art will be on display for purchase from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 26. Free art workshops and demonstrations are also offered. rogersgardens.com
FRESH PRODUCE: Every Thursday, the OC Fair & Event Center in Costa Mesa hosts a farmers market from 9 a.m. to
1 p.m. Parking and admission are free. ocfair.com
TIDE POOL TOUR: Discover local marine life during a docent-led TideWater tide pool tour organized by the Laguna Ocean Foundation. Kids receive a sea-life coloring book that teaches them about marine critters and tide pool stewardship. Find docents at Crescent Bay, Shaw’s Cove, Heisler Park, Wood’s Cove, Goff Island and Treasure Island. lagunaoceanfoundation.org
BASKET WEAVING: Learn about the rich heritage of Native American culture while exploring a creative art form. On the first and third Wednesday of each month, Mission San Juan Capistrano holds a Native American basket weaving class from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The session is included with the price of entrance ticket. missionsjc.com
ZOO ANIMALS: Come visit the Orange County Zoo and learn about bears, foxes, bald eagles and many more animals. Native Southwestern U.S. plants are also on display. The zoo is open weekdays from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and weekends from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is $2 ages 3 and older. ocparks.com
GOLD RUSH: Pan for gold at Mission San Juan Capistrano every Saturday and Sunday. Kids will love finding “gold” (which is actually fool’s gold) during this mini adventure. Price: $3 per person. missionsjc.com
GREAT PARK MARKET: Every Sunday, the Great Park Certified Farmers Market features fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables, crafty artisan products and live entertainment, as well as a selection of gourmet food trucks. Open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
ocgp.org
FEED the sea: ExplorOcean in Newport Beach invites you to come feed the sea creatures and learn about their eating habits at 2 p.m. every Wednesday and Saturday. explorocean.org
TRAIN RIDE: Hop aboard and learn about smaller-scale engines. The Orange County Model Engineers operates a variety of trains from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. every third Saturday of the month at Fairview Park. ocmetrains.org
STORY TIME: On the first Sunday of every month, Farm + Food Lab holds story time at the Orange County Great Park from 10 to 11 a.m. The program includes food-related stories, games and fun activities for kids ages 3 to 8. ocgp.org
Sports
March 31: The UCI baseball team will play University of San Diego at UCI at 6:30 p.m.
April 1: Opening day for the Angels against the Kansas City Royals at Angel Stadium at 7:05 p.m.
April 3: The Anaheim Ducks take on the Edmonton Oilers at the Honda Center at 7 p.m.
April 4: The Cal State Fullerton Titans softball team goes head-to-head with the University of Hawaii Rainbow Warriors at CSUF at noon.
April 8: The Ducks play the last home game of the regular season against the Dallas Stars at the Honda Center at 7:30 p.m.
Exhibits
ART GALORE: The Children’s Museum at La Habra features seven galleries, 14 different hands-on exhibits, an outdoor dinosaur topiary and a historic 1942 caboose to explore. lahabraca.gov
ALIEN SHE: The exhibition focuses on seven contemporary artists and cultural producers who pioneered the punk feminist movement Riot Grrrl. The exhibit runs through May 24 at Orange County Museum of Art. Free admission for children 12 and younger. ocma.net
PRETEND CITY: The Pretend City Children’s Museum offers a beach, farm, art studio, city hall and more hands-on exhibits. General admission: $12.50. For more information visit pretendcity.org
GLOW CAVES: Explore the caves of Lascaux then take a trip to the Glow Cave and make a glow cave painting at the Bowers Museum. March 28 from 1:30 to 3 p.m. Admission: $15 for adults; free for kids 12 and younger; Glow Cave fee is $6 per child. bowers.org
Theme park news
Disneyland
SoCal Resident Discount: Through May 21, Southern California residents can get a 2-day, 1-park-per-day theme park ticket for $139 and a 3-day, 1-park-per-day ticket for $169. Tickets must be purchased before May 14. Blackout dates may apply. disneyland
.disney.go.com
Knott’s Berry Farm
Knott’s Boysenberry Festival 2015: For two full weeks, this festival is featuring food and entertainment for the whole family in Knott’s Ghost Town. Runs from March 28-April 12. Festival is included with admission to theme park; $35 kids ages 3-11, $39 adults.
knotts.com
LEGO adventure
Kids are invited to build, fly, and sail with LEGOs during the LEGO Travel Adventure at the Discovery Cube in Santa Ana, every Sunday through May 10. Admission is $16.95 for adults; $12.95 for children ages 3-14 and seniors ages 62 and older.
discoverycube.org
Explore Earth
Bring the family down to the Orange County Discovery Cube for the National Geographic Presents: Earth Explorers exhibit and discover new things about nature and different parts of the earth through May 3. Admission is $16.95 for adults; $12.95 for children ages 3-14 and seniors ages 62 and older. discoverycube.org
Out-of-town enjoyment
Explore underwater worlds:
Heal the Bay’s Santa Monica Pier Aquarium is offering free admission to visitors on the first Wednesday of the month. The aquarium is open 2-5 p.m. For more information visit healthebay.org
“Don’t Try This at Home”:
Now at the Robert H. Fleet Science Center, kids can watch messy and exciting science experiments performed live in a new show series called “Don’t Try This at Home.” Shows are performed each hour. rhfleet.org
A “Cool” experience:
Disney on Ice presents “World of Fantasy” where Lightening McQueen, Tinkerbell, Ariel, Buzz and Woody meet on the ice for an enchanting adventure. April 15-19 at the Los Angeles Sports Arena. Tickets start at $22. disneyonice.com
