Posts Tagged ‘children’s fairyland’

School starts Monday, so now’s the time to hunker down in town and have some close-to-home fun.

Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival

Introduce your children to mom and dad’s music at this giant outdoor music fest featuring Radiohead, Tom Petty, Beck, Wilco, and scores of other musical greats. Of particular interest to kids: Jack Johnson’s 7:40pm set on Sunday. Maybe he’ll play something from Curious George!

When: Fri.-Sun., 8/22-24; 5-10pm Fri., 1-10pm Sat. & Sun; Age 5+; $85-$695 (for 3-day VIP tickets).

Where: Various stages in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco (see website for details); SFOutsidelands.com.

Breakfast with Enzo

The zippy and talented Enzo Garcia and his guitar (and banjo, and musical saw, and accordion, and…) get kids and parents tapping and dancing along at this weekly sing-along.

When: Fridays, 10am & 11am; All ages; $6 per person.

Where: Fort Mason Center, Room C260, Marina Boulevard (at Buchanan Street), San Francisco, 415-561-2958; enzogarcia.com.

Sing-A-Long The Little Mermaid

Dress up as Ariel or Ursula and sing along to the subtitles while the movie plays on the giant Castro screen. The best costume wins a prize!

When: Daily Fri.-Thu., 8/22-28; 2 & 7:30pm; Age 2+; $10-15.

Where: Castro Theatre, 492 Castro Street (at Market Street), San Francisco, 415-621-5288 x15, thecastrotheatre.com.

Fairy Music Farm Grand Opening

Celebrate with snacks, pomp and circumstance as Children’s Fairyland celebrates the opening of its Fairy Music Farm Tunnel, a 118-foot tunnel journey that explores music through hands-on exhibits and art.

When: Sat., 8/23, 10:30am; Age 0-8; Free with admission ($6 per person).

Where: Children’s Fairyland, 699 Bellevue Avenue (at Grand Avenue), Oakland; 510-452-2259; fairyland.org.

If you haven’t yet dragged your monkey(s) to the kitschy, vintage delight that is Oakland’s Children’s Fairyland, have I got a reason for you: The park’s popular Summer Sleepovers haven’t yet sold out.

For $40 per adult and $20 per kid, you can linger in Fairyland after its official closing time, pitch a tent in the park’s verdant meadow and sleep overnight with a fantastic view of Lake Merritt and the Oakland skyline. You are fed dinner, and the creaky kiddie rides are open until 9pm. Kids in pajamas careen around the park, eating french fries, hiding in the Alice in Wonderland maze, dementedly jamming their Magic Keys into the storytelling boxes. There’s a special nighttime puppet show too.

The downsides: You are awakened at 6:30am (check-out is at 8:30), and the Lake Merritt area is fairly city-gritty. Fairyland employs strolling all-night security, so rest easy. And at least they’ll give you breakfast (bagels, coffee, hot chocolate, juice) before they boot you.

The July 12 sleepover date is already sold out, but July 26, August 9 and August 23 are still available. Call 510-452-2259, or visit fairyland.org.