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Back to school. With less than two weeks to go before the start of L.A. Unified’s 2023-24 school year, those three words weigh on the minds of parents and kids across the county. But the pairing of back-to-school and Metro remind us of something else… GoPass.
Did you know that students who attend participating L.A. County K-12 schools or community colleges are eligible for a GoPass through their school? GoPasses allow students to ride all Metro buses and trains for free. And that’s not just to-and-from school. That’s anywhere Metro takes you, no restrictions. You can click here to see if your/your child’s school is enrolled.
So that’s a pretty handy tidbit… but we’ve got a cherry to put on top. August is chock full of kid-friendly (and free!) happenings around the county. And Metro can get you there. Just take a look at the schedule below, and maybe you can squeeze a few to-dos in before the new school year begins.
Free Things To Do With Kids in August
August 4 – Summer Nights at The Tar Pits offer an evening of DJ sets, food trucks, and free museum access at the LA Brea Tar Pits Museum. Go Metro: Take Line 20/720 along Wilshire Blvd.
August 5 – The Getty’s Garden Concerts for Kids bring free outdoor music to the museum’s central garden on select Saturdays and Sundays in August. Go Metro: Take Line 761 to Getty Center Dr / Sepulveda Blvd.
August 5 – The Hammer hosts a drop-in Art Lab for kids every Saturday through the end of August. Go Metro: Take Line 20/720 along Wilshire Blvd OR take Line 761 to Wilshire / Westwood.
August 5 – Bridgefest LA brings an an all-day festival featuring live music to the Sixth Street Bridge. Go Metro: Take Line 18 Along 6th St.
August 6 – The Getty’s Garden Concerts for Kids bring free outdoor music to the museum’s central garden on select Saturdays and Sundays in August. Go Metro: Take Line 761 to Getty Center Dr / Sepulveda Blvd.
August 6 – 826LA comes to The Hammer for a kid-friendly workshop on the basics of recipe writing. Go Metro: Take Line 20/720 along Wilshire Blvd OR take Line 761 to Wilshire / Westwood.
August 9 – Runway Playa Vista’s Kids Club offers weekly reading/singing/exercise sessions every Wednesday through the end of August. Go Metro: Take Line 110 to Jefferson / McConnell.
August 12 – NoHo Summer Nights presents a screening of Encanto. Go Metro: Take the B Line to North Hollywood station.
August 12 – 2023 Natsumatsuri Family Festival returns outside the Japanese American National Museum with a day of free cultural performances, crafts, and activities for families and kids of all ages. Go Metro: Take the A or E Lines to Little Tokyo Station.
August 12 – Self-Help Graphics’ monthly workshop at the East Los Angeles County Library offers a tutorial on block printing on tote bags. Go Metro: Take the E Line to East LA Civic Ctr Station.
August 12 – The Getty’s Garden Concerts for Kids bring free outdoor music to the museum’s central garden on select Saturdays and Sundays in August. Go Metro: Take Line 761 to Getty Center Dr / Sepulveda Blvd.
August 12 – The Hammer hosts a drop-in Art Lab for kids every Saturday through the end of August. Go Metro: Take Line 20/720 along Wilshire Blvd OR take Line 761 to Wilshire / Westwood.
August 12 – Ivy Station hosts a Kids Crafting Session with instruction from Kelle Meschede, a Los Angeles based multi-dimensional visual artist. Go Metro: Take the E Line to Culver City station.
August 13 – The Getty’s Garden Concerts for Kids bring free outdoor music to the museum’s central garden on select Saturdays and Sundays in August. Go Metro: Take Line 761 to Getty Center Dr / Sepulveda Blvd.
August 13 – “Free Day” at Printed Matter’s LA Art Book Fair, taking place at MOCA’s Geffen Contemporary campus. Go Metro: Take the A or E Lines to Little Tokyo Station.
August 15 – Books and Cookies hosts Free Musical Story Time and Kids Crafts at Ivy Station. Go Metro: Take the E Line to Culver City station.
August 16 – Runway Playa Vista’s Kids Club offers weekly reading/singing/exercise sessions every Wednesday through the end of August. Go Metro: Take Line 110 to Jefferson / McConnell.
August 19 – Tochi Tales bring an afternoon of interactive family storytelling to the California African American Museum. Go Metro: Take the E Line to Exposition Park / USC station.
August 19 – The Getty’s Garden Concerts for Kids bring free outdoor music to the museum’s central garden on select Saturdays and Sundays in August. Go Metro: Take Line 761 to Getty Center Dr / Sepulveda Blvd.
August 19 – The Hammer hosts a drop-in Art Lab for kids every Saturday through the end of August. Go Metro: Take Line 20/720 along Wilshire Blvd OR take Line 761 to Wilshire / Westwood.
August 19 – Hauser & Wirth hosts a Family Garden Workshop on Doing the Most with Compost. Go Metro: Take the A or E Lines to Little Tokyo Station.
August 19 – NoHo Summer Nights presents a screening of The Sandlot. Go Metro: Take the B Line to North Hollywood station.
August 20 – CicLAvia returns in August with a 5-mile course bridging Hollywood and Koreatown. Go Metro: Take the D Line to Wilshire/Normandie OR Wilshire/Western; Take the B Line to Hollywood/Vine.
August 20 – The Getty’s Garden Concerts for Kids bring free outdoor music to the museum’s central garden on select Saturdays and Sundays in August. Go Metro: Take Line 761 to Getty Center Dr / Sepulveda Blvd.
August 22 – Books and Cookies hosts Free Musical Story Time and Kids Crafts at Ivy Station. Go Metro: Take the E Line to Culver City station.
August 23 – Runway Playa Vista’s Kids Club offers weekly reading/singing/exercise sessions every Wednesday through the end of August. Go Metro: Take Line 110 to Jefferson / McConnell.
August 26 – The 4th annual Leimert Park Jazz Festival returns to Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza. Go Metro: Take the K Line to Martin Luther King Jr. station.
August 26 – The Hammer hosts a drop-in Art Lab for kids every Saturday through the end of August. Go Metro: Take Line 20/720 along Wilshire Blvd OR take Line 761 to Wilshire / Westwood.
August 27 – The Hammer’s Family Flicks series screens Nim’s Island. Go Metro: Take Line 20/720 along Wilshire Blvd OR take Line 761 to Wilshire / Westwood.
August 29 – Books and Cookies hosts Free Musical Story Time and Kids Crafts at Ivy Station. Go Metro: Take the E Line to Culver City station.
August 30 – Runway Playa Vista’s Kids Club offers weekly reading/singing/exercise sessions every Wednesday through the end of August. Go Metro: Take Line 110 to Jefferson / McConnell.
And here’s a little bonus for you: You might know from We Like L.A.’s museum cheatsheet that institutions like The Broad, MOCA, the Getty Villa, and the Getty Center offer year-around free admission (minus parking of course). But here’s a quick list of free offers from other museums around L.A. County specifically for kids. Might just save you a few bucks.
M = Less than .5 miles from an L.A. Metro Station
- Norton Simon Museum: Free admission for children ages 18 and under and students with valid I.D.
- USC Pacific Asia Museum: Free admission for children ages 17 and under. M
- LACMA: Free admission for youth (12 & under) and Teens (13 to 17) residing in L.A. County via the NexGen LA program.
- The Holocaust Museum L.A.: Free admission for children 17 and under and students with valid I.D.
- Museum of Latina American Art: Free admission for children under 12.
- Japanese American National Museum: Free admission for children 5 and under. M
- L.A. Arboretum: Free admission for children 4 and under.
- South Coast Botanic Garden: Free admission for children 4 and under.
- Descanso Gardens: Free admission for children 4 and under.
- GRAMMY Museum: Free admission for children 4 and under. M
- The Huntington: Free admission for children 3 and under.
- Natural History Museum: Free admission for children 2 and under. M
- The Autry: Free admission for children age 2 and under
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