What to Know
- The 46th Annual LA Chinatown Firecracker
- Feb. 24-25, 2024 in Chinatown
- Join a run, walk, or cycling event; there's a dog walk, too, and other festive goings-on
46th Annual LA Chinatown Firecracker: While there are oodles of august events swirling through the Lunar New Year, from feasts to parties to parades, only a few happenings cover a good bit of distance via bicycle tires and running shoes. This on-the-move merriment is centered in Chinatown on Feb. 24 and 25, which will also be the place to see, and hear, 100,000 firecrackers each morning (give or take); enjoying the festival atmosphere is a visitor favorite, too.
Lunar New Year at Kidspace Children's Museum: A playful Pasadena place brimming with educational energy will embrace the Year of the Dragon over the coming — and warmish, oh yay — weekend. That means lion dances, oh yes, and lots of cute crafts, too, including puppet-making on Saturday. The lively Lunar lark is included with your Kidspace admission, no separate ticket is needed, but do buy yours ahead of time.
Happy 28th, Irvine Park Railroad: Time-traveling back to 1996 sounds pretty rad, but could we take a choo-choo, the sort of whimsical rails kids do dearly love? That's even better. And such a train will be visiting '96, at least in spirit, on Feb. 24 and 25. Irvine Park Railroad in Orange always pauses each February to throw prices back to their opening year, which they'll do, to the tune of $2 per ride, all weekend long. Some other goodies will be priced at $2, too, sweet. Parking? It's an additional fee.
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Dine Out Long Beach: We're just on the culinary cusp of outdoor food festivals returning to our snack-obsessed worlds en masse, now that nicer days are really and truly ahead. Priming us beforehand are well-established Restaurant Weeks such as this one. Over two dozen eateries are participating in 2024, and finding a prix fixe meal for a deal is as easy as perusing the site. In the mood for pizza, fish, or something sweet? You've got it.
Cherry Blossoms begin: Peak bloom for the famous fruit trees that dot some of Southern California's most spectacular gardens is still a few weeks out, but if you just can't wait to bask in the beauty of some newly opened cherry blossoms, you're in luck: Descanso Gardens reports that some of the historical property's trees are starting to frill-out. The Huntington, too, is being visited by frilly fruity flowers of the most lovely variety. Late March and early April should be full of wow, and how, at both locations.
