In April there are ample opportunities to not only immerse yourself in the traditions of other cultures and times, but also to get a close-up look at Los Angeles both past and present. The Scandinavian Festival and CicLAvia are high on my list, but unfortunately, due to the kids’ sports schedules and the fact that the events take place on the same weekend, they will be hard for me to attend this year. Hopefully, some of you can enjoy them instead. Here’s a rundown of some special events happening in Los Angeles this month. Which will you try to attend?

* WEEKEND OF APRIL 5 & 6 *

Scandinavian Festival, Cal Lutheran University, Thousand Oaks, Saturday & Sunday. This is the 40th year of the annual festival featuring Nordic cultures. Both days of the festival will be filled with music, dancing, food, vendors, food and craft demonstrations, lectures, and activities for young and old alike. The Viking Encampment and Sami Village will be there once again. Children’s activities include making head wreaths with real flowers, carving wooden butter knives, raising the Maypole and dancing around it while singing traditional songs, learning the ancient Viking game Kubb, and playing Croquet. This year the festival will also have a Children’s Theater with performances by community children’s groups and a puppet show of the Hans Christian Andersen story “The Nightingale”.

International Children’s Day, Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach, Saturday & Sunday. The Aquarium’s annual festival celebrates the talents of children of all cultures. The festival will feature West African, Mexican, Pacific Islander, Cambodian, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Persian traditional dance performances. Kids of all ages can enjoy martial arts demonstrations and participate in an international percussion circle, face painting, mural painting, and Native American and Pacific Islander children’s games and crafts. Even the Aquarium’s café has specials for the day. See website for a schedule of performances and events.

The Renaissance Pleasure Faire, Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area, Irwindale, Saturdays and Sundays, April 5 – May 18. Travel back to the 16th century and experience the glory of life during the Renaissance era. The faire provides “a cornucopia of diversity where we are unified in inviting our guests to enjoy an environment we have created to escape from the stresses and demands of the modern day.” There will be artisans of all media, entertainment galore, food trucks and booths, games and rides (including pony and camel rides), a Kids Kingdom (with games, crafts, story-telling, song, shows, and characters), and a gnome quest!

CicLAvia – Iconic Wilshire Boulevard, Downtown to Miracle Mile, Sunday, 9am-4pm. Explore a legendary thoroughfare via bike or on foot as you travel along a 6.3 mile car-free stretch on Wilshire Boulevard between Downtown and Fairfax Avenue. There are hubs along the route with a variety of activities for participants of all ages, including music, performances, food trucks, and more. The hubs for the April event are One Wilshire, MacArthur Park, Koreatown, Mid-Wilshire, and Miracle Mile. Doobie and I participated in a CicLAvia last April (you can read about it here) and it was an experience unlike any other we’d had in LA and I’d love to do it again.

Kids in the Courtyard: Magic Tricks for April Fools, Fowler Museum, UCLA, Sunday, 1-4pm. Tricksters serve important roles across cultures. Whether named Prometheus, Coyote, or Esu, these rule breakers are bound to stir things up! Watch a magic performance by Wacko and explore your inner trickster, then learn riddles, tricks, and pranks to get your loved ones to giggle. The event is inspired by the exhibit Sinful Saints and Saintly Sinners at the Margins of the Americas at the Fowler Museum.

Haute Couture with Hatitude!, California African American Museum, Exposition Park, Sunday, 1pm.  CAAM’s spring celebration highlights “haute couture” with a unique fashion showcase of a local designer. There will also be music and dance performances. Remember to bring your special hat for the “Hatitude” competition. Men, women, girls, and boys can compete in various categories and win prizes. You can also design your own hat at a workshop before the competition.

* WEEKEND OF APRIL 12 & 13 *

Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, USC Campus, Saturday & Sunday. Enjoy two days of not only books and authors, but also live music, poetry readings, comedy performances, photography exhibits, film screenings followed by Q&A’s, artists creating work on-site, and chef demonstrations. There are open-air stages with performances and readings by entertainers and authors (free for all, schedule here) and indoor discussions on a variety of topics (ticket info here). We’ve attended as a family and enjoyed wandering the grounds, listening to children’s authors read their stories (in 2012, the kids were excited to hear David Shannon and Jeff Kinney), and eating from the food trucks.

16th Annual Chumash Day Powwow and Inter-Tribal Gathering, Malibu Bluffs Park, Saturday & Sunday.  Experience native foods, children’s activities, story telling, Native American arts and crafts, tribal ceremonies, and dances. Grand Entry or Opening Ceremonies will take place at 1pm on Saturday and 12pm on Sunday.

Family Jam: Nigerian Talking Drums with Francis Awe, Fowler Museum, UCLA, Sunday, 2pm-4pm. Feel the beat with your whole body in this interactive dance class and performance. Presented in conjunction with Fiftieth Anniversary Gifts, II, featuring recently donated works of art from across the African continent.

* WEEKEND OF APRIL 19 & 20 *

World City Series: Khukh Tenger & Huun-Huur-Tu, W.M. Keck Children’s Amphitheatre, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Saturday, 11am and 12:30pm. Experience the dance traditions, customs, and rituals of a nomadic people from Mongolia, and learn about the traditional art of “throat-singing” from a group originating from the Siberian/Mongolian border called Tuva. Along with the musical performance, a visual art workshop will be offered to give children the opportunity to explore the featured culture through unique art-making projects.

Día de los Niños, Grand Park, Downtown, Saturday, 11am-4pm. Enjoy a fun-filled day of health, wellness, and cultural activities for all. Begin at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes (11am-1pm) with storytelling and children’s film screenings in the galleries, interactive storytelling and a mariachi performance onstage, and various hands-on activities in the patio and garden. At 1 o’clock, join in a fun walk with music to Grand Park for more events and activities on the lawn and onstage. See website for schedule of activities.

TAIKOPROJECT and Ryutaro Kaneko: LifeRhythm, Bing Theater at LACMA, Saturday, 7:30 pm. “LifeRhythm seamlessly blends the sublime virtuosity of renowned percussionist Ryutaro Kaneko with the undeniable energy of TAIKOPROJECT, an ensemble of premiere taiko drummers committed to preserving and advancing the Japanese art of taiko in the U.S.” See website for ticket information.

* WEEKEND OF APRIL 26 & 27 *

World Music for Kids – The Music of Veracruz, The Broad Stage at the Santa Monica College of Performing Arts Center, Saturday, 11am and 1pm. Enjoy the vibrant rhythms of Son Jarocho music from Veracruz. Master musician, singer, and craftsman, Cesar Castro is joined by instrumentalists Xochi Flores, Juan Perez, and Chuy Sandoval to share their culture, love, and knowledge of this blend of indigenous Mexican, African, and Arabic sounds that has become the signature of Latin music today. Stay after the show to meet and greet the artists while enjoying milk and cookies.

Annual L.A. Heritage Day, El Pueblo Historical Monument, Downtown, Sunday, 11am-4pm. Learn about Los Angeles and Southern California’s history through tours, museums, children’s activities, presentations, giveaways, food, and other activities. Special tours of Olvera Street, Avila Adobe, Museum of Social Justice, Sepulveda House Museum, the Chinese American Museum, and Plaza Firehouse Museum will be available, as well as the América Tropical Interpretive Center. The entire event and all activities will take place at the birthplace of Los Angeles and adjacent to world-famous Olvera Street, making for a full day of free history, fun, and entertainment.

What event stands out to you that you might like to attend this month?

In the upcoming month, Angelenos have a lot to choose from if they want to experience something out of the ordinary. Not only are there several Lunar New Year and African American History celebrations coming up, but there are also events highlighting Irish, Scottish, and South Pacific cultures. What will you choose to explore? I welcome feedback on any events you attend!

* WEEKEND OF FEBRUARY 1 & 2 *

Chinese New Year Celebration, Kidspace Museum, Pasadena, Saturday. Welcome the new year with an interactive dragon dance, a Chinese calligraphy station, tangram puzzles, Chinese drum making, cherry blossom painting, traditional Chinese games, and good fortune food. Visit the Busy Bee Learning Store at 11am and 1pm to meet Jennifer Wood, illustrator of the picture book Year of the Horse. She will read, lead an illustration activity, and autograph copies of her book. The event is free with admission and will run throughout the day, no sign-ups necessary.

Silk Road Story Time: Dragons, USC Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena, Saturday, 10:30am. Gather in the travelers’ tent for tales from along the Silk Road, plus a fun hands-on craft, Asian snack, and balloon. Free admission for kids ages 11 and under.

Chinese New Year Festival, Chinatown, Saturday 12-8pm & Sunday 12-5pm. Come and enjoy dance and martial arts performances, live musical entertainment, gourmet food trucks, a craft beer garden, demonstrations by cultural artisans, and a Capuchin monkey and trainer show. See website for detailed information and schedule of events.

115th Annual Golden Dragon Parade, Chinatown, Saturday, 1pm. The parade includes almost two dozen floats, multiple marching bands, government officials, various dignitaries, entertainers, local business leaders, and cultural groups.

Andell Family Sundays—Memory and Storytelling from Africa, LACMA, Sundays the 2nd, 9th, 16th, and 23rd at 12:30-3:30pm.  See art from Africa rarely seen in the United States in the special exhibition Shaping Power: Luba Masterworks from the Royal Museum for Central Africa. Design personal memory boards and your own royal objects in artist-led workshops. Don’t forget: children under 17 can get a free membership to LACMA through the NexGen program, which entitles them to bring an adult guest with them each time they visit.

Celebrating Black History Month, California African American Museum, Exposition Park, Sunday, 12-3pm. Join CAAM as they kick off Black History Month with a live performance program co-hosted by performer Toni Malone and actor/director Jeffrey Anderson-Gunter. The performance line-up includes musicians Jose Torres and Frank Ramirez, Ringo’s Kids choir and band, singer Yvette Cason, singer/dancer Dr. David Preston-Sharp, and Cliff Beach and his band.

* WEEKEND OF FEBRUARY 8 & 9 *

Fútbol: The Beautiful Game, LACMA, ongoing until July 20, 2014. “The exhibition examines football—nicknamed ‘the beautiful game’ by one sports commentator—and its significance in societies around the world. As a subject, football touches on issues of nationalism and identity, globalism and mass spectacle, as well as the common human experience shared by spectators from many cultures. Celebrating the sport on the eve of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the exhibition includes approximately thirty artists from around the world who work in video, photography, painting and sculpture.”

Kids in the Courtyard: Fantastic Figures, Fowler Museum at UCLA, Sunday, 1-4pm. Admire the figures in the exhibit From the Sepik River (Papua New Guinea) to Los Angeles and other monumental sculptures created around the world. Then make your own life-size guardian for your family’s house, using common household items.

 * WEEKEND OF FEBRUARY 15 & 16 *

Silk Road Day: Traveling the Silk Road, Natural History Museum, Exposition Park, Saturday. Visit the temporary exhibit Traveling the Silk Road: Ancient Pathway to the Modern World. Journey through a desert oasis, spice markets, sea adventures, and more. The special day includes storytelling, shadow puppetry shows, music and dance performances, and a spices workshop. See website for schedule.

World City: Atlantic Steps, W.M. Keck Children’s Amphitheatre at The Music Center, Saturday, 11am and 12:30pm. Explore dance and music of Ireland. Along with the musical performance, a visual art workshop is offered to give children the opportunity to explore the featured culture through unique art-making projects.

21st Annual ScotsFestival & International Highland Games, Queen Mary, Long Beach, Saturday & Sunday 9am-6pm. Celebrate The Queen Mary’s Scottish heritage with a two-day festival offering a glimpse into Scotland’s rich culture and history featuring an array of activities from Highland athletics and dancing to Lowlands music and cuisine.

* WEEKEND OF FEBRUARY 22 & 23 *

African-American Art Festival, STAR Eco Station, Culver City, Saturday, 11am-4pm. Enjoy African drumming and dancing, art exhibits, interactive art projects, BBQ, games, and local vendors.

African-American Festival, Aquarium of the Pacific, Long Beach, Saturday and Sunday, 9am-5pm.  Join the Aquarium of the Pacific as it hosts its twelfth annual African American Festival, celebrating the rich diversity of African American and African cultures. The weekend will feature live entertainment, arts and crafts, ethnic food, and more. Festival performers include Mardi Gras second line dancers, hip hop and break dancers, tap dancers, jazz musicians, interactive drum circles, West African dancers, and storytellers.

Family Jam: Maori Dance, Fowler Museum at UCLA, Sunday, 2-4pm. Watch and learn expressive Māori dance at 2:15pm in conjunction with Māori Cloaks, Māori Voices. Then make a pendant of your own shape and meaning inspired by pendants from around the world.

 What event are you going to pick to experience with your family this month?

Every month on behalf of our school’s Diversity Committee, I compile a list of diverse cultural events (I focus on international cultures and diverse ethnicities) that might be of interest to our school community. It’s really amazing all the unique activities and events that happen every weekend in the Los Angeles area. I challenge you and your family to attend one of the many events listed below!

• WEEKEND OF JANUARY 4 & 5

Silk Road Story Time: New Year, USC Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena, Saturday, 10:30am.  Gather in the travelers’ tent for fabulous tales from along the Silk Road, plus a fun hands-on craft, Asian snack, and balloon.

Oshogatsu Family Festival, Japanese American National Museum, Sunday, 11am – 5pm. Ring in the New Year and the Year of the Horse with exciting cultural performances, special foods, and fun crafts. Performances and featured activities include Onigiri (rice balls) Design Contest, Horse Candy Sculptures (candy horses will be raffled off at the start of every hour), and Mochitsuki (a traditional rice cake pounding ceremony with Mochi samples to be passed out at the end of the performance). There will also be a horse jumper and live ponies and the chance to make a stick horse, a horse wall hanging, and prancing horse origami. See website for schedule of activities and performances.

• WEEKEND OF JANUARY 11 & 12

The Peking Acrobats, Carpenter Performing Arts Center at California State University, Long Beach, Saturday at 2pm and 8pm. Experience the spell-binding feats of The Peking Acrobats. Rooted in more than 2,000 years of history and tradition, acrobatics is a rich and esteemed art form in China—delicate and masterful as well as athletic and entertaining—influenced by myth and religion.

Kids in the Courtyard: Weave a Giant Spider Web, Fowler Museum, UCLA, Sunday, 1pm-4pm. After you admire the woven textiles in The Peruvian Four-Selvaged Cloth: Ancient Threads/New Directions and twined works in Māori Cloaks, Māori Voices, you can add to a giant web of string and tape. Then sit among the strings and learn creation stories about weavers around the world and explore weaving yourself by building your own take-home cardboard loom.

•  WEEKEND OF JANUARY 18 & 19

Lunar New Year Festival, USC Pacific Asia Museum, Pasadena, Saturday, 11am-5pm.  Come to Pacific Asia Museum’s fourth annual Lunar New Year Festival celebrating the Year of the Horse. Enjoy song, dance, drumming, and martial arts performances. Participate in craft projects, learn about flower arranging, and tour the museum.

World City Series: Black Violin, W.M. Keck Children’s Amphitheatre at Walt Disney Concert Hall, Saturday, 11am and 12:30pm. The musicians behind Black Violin “set out to merge their classical music training with their love of hip-hop, bringing the two genres together with a backbeat and four strings apiece.” Along with the musical performance, a visual art workshop is offered to give children the opportunity to explore the featured culture through unique art-making projects. See website for ticket information.

Scandinavian Film Festival, Writers Guild Theater, Beverly Hills, Saturday & Sunday (also next weekend). This yearly showcase of Nordic films and filmmakers screens the year’s Scandinavian films submitted to the Academy as nominees for Best Foreign-Language Film as well as other current feature, documentary, and short films. I go every year to see a Norwegian film. Last year I attended the opening gala and saw Kon-Tiki. Read about that here.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. & Nelson Mandela: Celebrating Pillars of Peace, from Jail to Justice; California African American Museum, Exposition Park, Sunday, 1pm-5pm. Celebrate the legacies of Dr. King and Nelson Mandela. View film screenings of Dr. King’s speeches and the speech Nelson Mandela made during his appearance at the LA Coliseum in 1990. Experience music, theatre, and dance performances that represent our diverse communities.

16th Annual Los Angeles Times Travel Show, L.A. Convention Center, Saturday & Sunday, 10am-5pm. Explore ideas, inspiration, and insights on where to travel next. Discover tips, tricks, and techniques every traveler should know. Go there with special saving and sales you’ll only find here.

• WEEKEND OF JANUARY 25 & 26

Chinese Cultural Arts Celebration, The Huntington, Pasadena, Saturday & Sunday, 10:30am – 4:30pm. Artisans and performers from China’s Zhejiang Province will highlight the cultural arts of China during a weekend of special activities including traditional music, dance, and folk crafts. Experience cup-rolling acrobatics, a tea-gatherers’ dance, and songs of dragon boats. Watch folk artists demonstrate dragon lantern making, bamboo root carving, stone and clay sculpting, and embroidery. Sample authentic Chinese cuisine and enjoy special exhibits of stunning photography and beautiful penjing.

Family Jam: Drum Up the Sun—Taiko, Fowler Museum, UCLA, Sunday, 2pm-4pm. According to a story written in Nihon Shoki, one of Japan’s oldest books, Taiko drumming was created to lure the goddess of sunlight from her cave hiding place. Visit the Japanese textiles and samurai armor in Fowler in Focus: Fiftieth Anniversary Gifts, then welcome the winter sun and experience Taiko drumming by UCLA’s Kyodo Taiko. Make your own drum out of recycled materials!

What I find most fascinating is that every month that I’ve compiled this list, just about every continent is represented. This month I was unable to find an event for the continent of Australia. Did any of the events catch your attention? Or do you know of others that I didn’t include? I’d love to hear your feedback if you attend any. Thanks for reading!