What You're Doing This Week: April 1
From art and theater to food and culture, the first week of April is packed with family-friendly activities across the Southland. Here is what's hot and happening this week!
April 1
Dodgers Opening Day
Dodger Stadium
1000 Elysian Park Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90012
losangeles.dodgers.mlb.com
Spring means the start of LA's favorite sport…baseball! The Dodgers will open their season this week by playing their longtime rivals, the World Series champion Giants. For the third year in a row, Clayton Kershaw will be the starting pitcher. Game time is at 1:10 p.m. and the giveaway for the day is a magnet with the game schedule for the season. Giveaways are limited to the first 50,000 fans and will be distributed one per person.
Bubblefest XVII
Discovery Science Center
2500 N. Main Street
Santa Ana, CA 92705
(714) 542-2823
www.discoverycube.org
The Southland's most spectacular bubble show returns, just in time for Spring Break! World-renowned bubble scientist Deni Yang will use high-tech lights, lasers, and special effects to showcase the beauty, science, and versatility of bubbles. One of the highlights of the show encapsulates children within a giant bubble. Outside, children can get hands-on with an array of bubble activities including the water spheres, an interactive science zone, and an inflatable play zone.
April 2
Half-Price Bibimbap
Bibigo
Three LA Locations
english.bibigo.com
Celebrate the one-year anniversary of Bibigo this week with half-price Bibimpap dishes in all three of their LA restaurants. The global family of restaurants has taken a contemporary approach to Korean cuisine and offers fresh, healthy menu items, the most popular being the Bibimbap, a type of salad that includes fresh vegetables and meat, and choice of sauce, rice, and toppings. During lunch, the restaurant will offer the following $5 signature dishes: Hot Stone Bibimbap, Bibimbap, and Bibigo Rice. A percentage of sales during this anniversary celebration will be donated to local police and fire departments, and elementary schools in the cities where each restaurant is located.
Related Story: Guide To Kid-Friendly Korean Cuisine
April 3
Cinderella
LA Opera at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
135 N. Grand Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90012
www.laopera.com
Gioachino Rossini's adaptation of the classic fairytale will delight audiences this spring. The operatic romantic comedy tells the story of Cinderella, a kindhearted girl who dreams of escaping the oppression of her vain stepsisters by taking control of her own destiny. Rossini's music is a beautiful compliment to the adapted story and opera features an exciting cast with exceptional vocal talent. "Cinderella" will be sung in Italian with projected English translations.
Disney's Beauty and the Beast
Pantages Theatre
6233 Hollywood Blvd
Lost Angeles, CA 90028
www.broadwayla.org
The classic story about a beautiful young girl, who teaches a spell-trapped Beast to love, comes to life on stage. The popular Broadway musical features memorable characters, lavish sets and costumes, and an impressive production numbers including the title song, "Be Our Guest." The theme of the show is beauty and how true beauty is seeing past what is on the outside to look into a person's heart, and this is reflected in the design of the show.
April 4
Yamashiro Farmers Market
Yamashiro Restaurant
1999 N. Sycamore Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90068
lacityfarm.com
Fresh produce and gourmet food specialties are the highlight of the 4th annual Farmers Market, hosted by Yamashiro Hollywood and City Farm. Every Thursday through September, families can enjoy live music, arts and crafts by Art Rebel while perusing the food offerings from local vendors. City Farm aspires to support local farmers and small businesses and many of the vendors will be on hand showcasing their food products including fresh berries from New Era Farms, infused gourmet sea salts from Hepp's Salt, coffee from Longshot Espresso, and cakes from Dolce Monachelli's. Arrive early for complimentary parking at the Mosaic Church (7107 Hollywood Boulevard) where a shuttle will take guests to Yamashiro.
Related: Gourmet Eating, Drinking Under The Stars At Yamashiro Farmer's Market
Spring Break Bonanza
Zimmer Children's Museum
6505 Wilshire Blvd., #100
Los Angeles, CA 90048
www.zimmermuseum.org
In addition to offering children engaging, hands-on exhibits, the museum is dedicated to teaching children the value in taking care of our planet. Their annual Spring Break Bonanza includes a variety of creative activities that will teach children global citizenship, community responsibility, and cultural sensitivity. Featured activities include story time, sing-a-longs, dance/movement, crafts and more, all of which focus on teaching children about bugs, butterflies, plants, and more. An additional fee is required for some activities.
April 5
USA Dance 2013 National DanceSport Championships
W Marriott at LA LIVE in Los Angeles
900 W. Olympic Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90015
worldgames2013.com.co
Over the course of three days, 1,100 of America's top ballroom and Latin dance athletes will compete in the 33rd annual championship, the most prestigious and largest competitive dance event in America. In addition to competing for national titles and placements in one of 11 World Championships, the top eligible couple will be invited to represent the US at the World Games in Columbia. Latin and Balllroom dancing is popular across the globe, and tickets to this event are expected to sell out.
April 6
Spring Plant Sale
UC Riverside Botanic Gardens
Botanic Gardens Drive
Riverside, CA 92521
gardens.ucr.edu
This weekend, UC Riverside will host the one of the largest plant sales in the Southland. This is the 40th anniversary of the Botanic Gardens and during the sale, there will be nearly 10,000 plants with more than 600 varieties available for purchase. Some of the noteworthy varieties include flowering perennials, miniature roses, rare cacti, patio and houseplants, and wildflower seeds. During the sale, volunteers will sell more than 100 varieties of heirloom tomatoes, herbs, vegetables, and beneficial flowers and a series of garden classes will be available. The sale is free to the public and parking is $2 on campus.
April 7
Museum of Ventura County's 100th Birthday
100 East Main Street
Ventura, CA 93001
www.venturamuseum.org
During this free celebration, families will enjoy old-fashioned games and crafts, period costume dress-up, sing-alongs with barbershop quartet Take Four, and play areas filled with dozens of handmade toys. Children can also participate in a bean-bag toss, pick-up sticks, and a craft area where they can create their own keepsakes. The museum will showcase exhibits and events throughout the year that are representative of its history, including the latest, titled "Prized Possessions: A Century of Collecting." As part of the museum's participation in helping to encourage art awareness, it will offer free admission to the public on the first Sunday of each month.
Caryn Bailey is a Southern California-based writer and LA native who can be found writing daily on her lifestyle blog Rockin' Mama or on Twitter @RockinMama.
