Fun with Kids at the Laguna Beach Festival of Arts

The Laguna Beach Festival of Arts is known for the Pageant of the Masters, their amazing displays of one-of-a-kind artwork, and opportunities to meet the Orange County artists. But, did you know there's more?!!! You can also participate in art demonstrations, enjoy live entertainment, food and browse the the Junior Art Exhibit.

This year's Festival of Arts takes place from July 6, 2023 through August 30, 2024. And if you can make it down for day of art fun, or an evening to watch the Pageant of the Masters, I highly recommend. PLUS...did you know it's a great place to expose your children to the arts?

Here are some of the activities available to kids (and everyone) at the Laguna Beach Festival of Arts:

Exploring the Art exhibits of over 140 Orange County Artists
Junior Art Exhibit featuring the artwork of Orange County children
Free Art Exhibit Tours
Free Art Workshops - including scratch art, printmaking and crafting
Children's Art Classes
Paint Ceramics
Free outdoor music concerts
Picnic area - Purchase food at the festival, or bring a picnic
Grass area, fountains and sculptures.

Family Art Day is Sunday, July 14, 2024! Family Art Day is back to the Festival of Arts grounds with a fun NEW animal twist! This year’s event promises an exciting array of wildlife-themed art activities and encounters, ensuring a fun-filled afternoon for the whole family. Enjoy:

Reptiles from the The Reptile Zoo
Birds of prey with Raptor Events LLC
Priceless Pets Rescue is offering on-the-spot dog adoptions!
Learn about the world of bees with the OC Beekeepers Association
Bowers Museum will host a special animal anime sculpting class
Performance of the Orange County Aerial Arts
Airbrush tattoos

This week, I took the kids down to Laguna Beach to enjoy the ocean air, sights and sounds, and specifically to check out the Festival of Arts. The Festival of Arts is located in the pavilion where the Pageant of the Masters takes place. It's a fine arts show that happens every summer, and features 140 artists from Orange County.

Hours and Admission into the Festival of Arts

This year, the Festival of Arts runs July 5 to September 1, 2023. The dates, hours, and admission prices are as followed.

Dates & Hours:

Monday – Thursday: 4pm – 11:30pm
Friday – Sunday: 10am – 11:30pm
*Early closing at 1pm on August 26 for special event

Admission - Prices into the Festival of Arts are as followed. This does not include entrance into the Pageant of the Masters.

Weekday Admission into the Festival of Arts:

General Admission: $10
Students & Seniors (65+): $7
Children 6-12: $5
5 and under are free

Weekend Admission into the Festival of Arts:

General Admission: $15
Students & Seniors (65+): $11
Children 6-12: $5
5 and under are free

I really enjoy showing my kids all the different types of art and explaining what techniques were used. At the Festival, the artists are often in their booths, so you can ask them the stories behind their art pieces.

It can be scary to take kids around expensive pieces of art, but the more you do it, the more they will learn and understand how they should behave in such settings. Make sure to explain to kids that they must not touch the art and should stand two steps back from it so they won't accidentally bump into it. Toddlers should be in strollers as you don't want to have any accidents.

Take an Art Tour at the Festival of Arts

Get the most out of your visit to the Laguna Beach Festival of Arts by taking a FREE Art Tour! Tours are FREE with Festival of Arts Admission.

The friendly Festival art docents will take you on a fun and informative walk through the fine art show, where you will get the opportunity to learn about mediums and processes that make each artist’s works unique!

The FREE Art Tours at the Festival of Arts are offered:

Monday – Thursday Tours: 4:30pm
Friday – Sunday Tours: Noon & 4:30pm

The great thing about taking kids on the art tours, is that they may see some of the artists in their exhibit. It gives them the opportunity to talk to the artists and listen to their stories. My kids LOVED this part and learned so many fun things. And what inspired the artists to create their art.

Hands on Art Workshops at the Laguna Beach Festival of Arts

The Festival of Arts offers a variety of daily drop-in workshops in the Art Center. There are adult, teen and children classes offered. Some are included in your Festival of Arts admission, and some are an additional fee.

FREE Art Workshops at the Festival of Arts

The following workshops are offered daily at the Art Center and are FREE (included in your Festival of Arts admission).

Printmaking: Create a Print! Festival printmakers demonstrate a variety of printmaking techniques and walk visitors through the steps of creating their own artwork.

Multi-Media Art: Discover a broad palette of artistic mediums, including collage, beads, mixed media construction, pencil, and scratchboard art.

The Art Center at the Festival of Arts is open daily:

Monday – Thursday: 4 – 8pm
Friday – Sunday: Noon – 8pm
Closed Saturday, August 26, 2023

We got to try ink tile painting - which the kids really enjoyed. It was fun watching them choose their colors and techniques in which to move the colors around. The ink was a totally new medium for them to try, so I really liked that they were exposed to this new technique.

Printmaking was very fun for all the kids AND adults.

They were very proud of the finished pieces!

Paint Your Own Ceramics at the Festival of Arts

Ever wanted to paint ceramics? Now is your chance to either Paint a Pot, or Marble a Pot! Painted (glazed) pots are available for pick up in one or two days. Marbled pots are available for pick up in 30 minutes.

If you would like to paint a pot at the ceramics workshop, prices start at $25 plus the material fee per ceramic pot. The helpful art instructors will walk you through each step. You can choose from glazes or marble art.

Art Classes for Kids at the Festival of Arts

Besides the free art demonstrations, the Festival also host kids art classes that are $20/$30 per child. They range from ceramics to drawing to painting and are taught by local artists. This gives parents the perfect opportunity to enjoy browsing the art exhibits while the kids are having a great time learning art skills.

Click here for a list of Children's Art Classes

We got to take the ceramics class for children, and make pinch pots. The kids really enjoyed it. They learned a couple pottery techniques, and will get to come back and paint their pots after they have been fired.

The great thing about signing up for the art classes, is that is includes admission into the Festival of Arts for the child and an adult. So it's like the art class pays for itself! You must register for the art classes online before you go, so make sure to do that.

Musical Entertainment at the Festival of Arts

There is daily live music entertainment on the Festival of Arts stage. You can enjoy it while sitting on the green and grabbing a bite to eat at the food bar. It's a great atmosphere there at the Festival!

All concerts are free with your Festival admission. Select concerts offer limited “nightclub” seating in a reserved section for additional fee. Click here for a full schedule of events happening at the Festival of Arts.

Outdoor Dining at the Festival of Arts

The Festival of Arts has a really nice area where you can enjoy lunch or dinner on the lawn.

Terra Laguna Beach is the on-property dining destination and event venue focusing on California cuisine with sustainable food practices. It utilizes farm fresh ingredients to create artfully crafted meals. Surrounded by nature and creative expression, Terra Laguna Beach offers guests an artistic culinary experience unique to this place and space.

Picnic at the Festival of Arts

You can bring your own food and drink to enjoy at the Festival of Arts! That's right...you can bring a picnic. There are tables and chairs on the grounds where you can enjoy your own food, or the food you purchase. If you go during the week, it's so quiet and peaceful.

Please keep in mind, there are a limited number of tables and they are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please note that coolers, picnic baskets, or any other containers should be no larger than 14” x 14” x 14″ in size and should fit under your chair. Candles or cooking equipment are not allowed.

Junior Art Exhibit at the Festival of Arts

The kids especially liked walking through the Junior Art Exhibit at the Festival of Arts. This is where Orange County kids can submit their own artwork to be displayed at the Festival of Arts.

The art pieces are labeled by grades, so the kids loved seeing what kids their own ages submitted. It was really inspiring and made my kids want to do more artwork of their own.

Junior Art Exhibit Events at the Festival of Arts 2023

There are two events at the Festival of Arts this year featuring the Junior Art Exhibit:

Junior Artist Celebration
July 16, 2023
12 - 3pm
Join us as we celebrate the over 300 students of the 2023 Junior Art Exhibit! Activities include art projects, airbrush tattoos, scavenger hunt, and a performance from Orange County Aerial Arts. Limited space available. Children 5 and under receive free admission all summer long to the Festival of Arts.

Junior Art Award Ceremony
August 13, 2023
11am - Noon
Awards and certificates are presented to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winners selected from the more than 300 Orange County students’ work of art on display in the Festival’s Junior Art Exhibit. The public is invited to attend and celebrate the talent, creativity and hard work of these young artists.

We had such a fun time visiting the Festival of the Arts in Laguna Beach. We will definitely go back again this summer. There are a lot of fun things to do in Laguna Beach and the Festival should be on everyones list!