Happy Wednesday, North County!

This week, San Marcos is giving parents four whole hours without the kids for $25, which is cheaper than most babysitters and comes with pizza you don’t have to order. Little and big kids also get Vikings, magic, classic cars and a free art festival in Carlsbad.

Babies and toddlers have music, dancing, Japanese storytime and their own hands-on corner of ArtWalk. Teens get surf films at La Paloma, the fastest boats on Mission Bay and a chance to do something useful before someone asks what they did all weekend.

Let’s break it down.

1. KidsWalk at ArtWalk Carlsbad ArtWalk Carlsbad has a whole hands-on area where little kids can get their faces painted and make art with Studio ACE and the City of Carlsbad Cultural Arts Office. It’s technically for all ages, but your toddlers should get much more out of KidsWalk than being pushed past 150 artists and told not to touch anything.

📍 ArtWalk Carlsbad, Armada Drive above The Flower Fields, 5790 Armada Drive, Carlsbad, CA 92008
💰 Free admission; food, artwork and optional purchases cost extra. Designated event parking is east of the festival along Fleet Street, but no parking fee is published.
📅 Saturday, September 19, 11 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sunday, September 20, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
👉 Details

2. Kathryn the Grape Dance Party Kathryn the Grape brings live music, singing and plenty of movement to North County Mall’s Center Court. It’s 45 free minutes indoors, and nobody will question why your toddler is dancing like a person who has never heard a beat before.

📍 Center Court, Level 1, North County Mall, 272 E. Via Rancho Parkway, Escondido, CA 92025
💰 Free
📅 Wednesday, September 23, 10:30–11:15 a.m.
👉 Details

3. Music & Dance Party Playgroup FIT4MOM North County Inland is hosting a free playgroup where little ones can sing, dance and move to music after its morning class. You do not need to take the workout or be a member to join, so nobody is checking whether the adults broke a sweat first.

📍 Hollandia Park, 12 Mission Hills Court, San Marcos, CA 92069
💰 Free and open to everyone; an optional RSVP is available
📅 Tuesday, September 22 at 10:30 a.m.
👉 Details

4. Japanese Storytime The San Marcos Library combines stories, songs and a craft in Japanese during this hour-long program for all ages. It’s a simple way to introduce little ones to another language, even if their current vocabulary in English is still mostly “no.”

📍 San Marcos Library, 2 Civic Center Drive, San Marcos, CA 92069
💰 Free; no registration is listed
📅 Monday, September 21, 10:30–11:30 a.m.
👉 Details

1. Vista Viking Festival The Vista Viking Festival fills the Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum with armored battles, music, storytelling and a youth pavilion with crafts, games and a kids’ shield wall. There is also a fish-flinging contest for ages 3–17, because apparently regular carnival games were not Viking enough.

📍 Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum, 2040 N. Santa Fe Avenue, Vista, CA 92083
💰 Ages 5 and under free; ages 6–12 are $5 for one day or $10 for two days; adults are $28 for 1-day or $45 for 2-days. Off-site parking is $10 cash with a free shuttle; limited on-site parking is $15 cash. Some activities require separate activity tickets; the activity-ticket price is not published.
📅 Saturday, September 19, 10 a.m.–8 p.m.; Sunday, September 20, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
👉 Details

2. ArtWalk Carlsbad and KidsWalk Beyond the toddler-friendly KidsWalk we mentioned above, ArtWalk San Diego is bringing more than 150 artists, live music and food to Armada Drive. Little kids can make their own art while parents look at paintings, sculpture, photography and jewelry without attempting the same activity at home with permanent markers.

📍 ArtWalk Carlsbad, Armada Drive above The Flower Fields, 5790 Armada Drive, Carlsbad, CA 92008
💰 Free admission; food, artwork and optional purchases cost extra. Designated event parking is along Fleet Street, but no parking fee is published.
📅 Saturday, September 19, 11 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sunday, September 20, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
👉 Details

3. Fun Friday Nights The City of San Marcos will handle games, crafts, pizza and a movie while parents get four hours to do whatever adults used to do on Friday nights. And you can’t beat $25 for four hours when the alternative is paying a 15-year-old babysitter $25 an hour plus DoorDash.

📍 San Marcos Community Center, 3 Civic Center Drive, San Marcos, CA 92069; or San Elijo Recreation Center, 1105 Elfin Forest Road, San Marcos, CA 92078
💰 $25 per child; advance registration required, first come, first served and nonrefundable
📅 Friday, September 18, 6–10 p.m.
👉 Details

4. Grand Illusion All-Ages Magic Show Grand Comedy Club is turning its stage over to four magicians for two hours of illusions, sleight of hand, comedy and surprises. The ticket is only $13, but there is a two-item minimum per person, so factor in snacks before the disappearing-money trick happens at your table.

📍 Grand Comedy Club, North County Mall, 200 E. Via Rancho Parkway, Suite 125, Escondido, CA 92025
💰 $13 per person, plus a two-item food or drink minimum per person
📅 Sunday, September 20, 5–7 p.m.
👉 Details

1. Parents Night Out! Fun Friday Nights Yes, we already listed this for little kids, but the City of San Marcos program goes through age 11 and gives bigger kids four hours of games, crafts, pizza and a movie too. More importantly, it still gives mom and dad four hours without either age group.

📍 San Marcos Community Center, 3 Civic Center Drive, San Marcos, CA 92069; or San Elijo Recreation Center, 1105 Elfin Forest Road, San Marcos, CA 92078
💰 $25 per child; advance registration required, first come, first served and nonrefundable
📅 Friday, September 18, 6–10 p.m.
👉 Details

2. Encinitas Cruise Night: September Finale Encinitas 101 MainStreet Association is closing out its Cruise Night season with classic cars, specialty vehicles and Tower 7 playing at the F Street stage. Big kids can check out everything from woodies to Teslas, while adults quietly explain why cars from their childhood are now considered classics.

📍 Downtown Encinitas, South Coast Highway 101 from D Street to K Street; event office at 818 S. Coast Highway 101, Encinitas, CA 92024
💰 Free; parking costs vary by location
📅 Thursday, September 17, 5:30–7:30 p.m.
👉 Details

3. Vista Viking Festival The little kids get crafts and a shield wall, but bigger kids can dig further into the festival’s armored combat, strength competitions and weapons range. Axe, spear and archery activities require festival activity tickets, so admission is not necessarily the end of the spending.

📍 Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum, 2040 N. Santa Fe Avenue, Vista, CA 92083
💰 Ages 6–12 are $5 for one day or $10 for two days; adults are $28 for 1-day or $45 for 2-days. Off-site parking is $10 cash with a free shuttle; limited on-site parking is $15 cash. Weapons-range activities require separate activity tickets; the activity-ticket price is not published.
📅 Saturday, September 19, 10 a.m.–8 p.m.; Sunday, September 20, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
👉 Details

1. Sessions Surf Festival Film Sessions Sessions Surf Festival takes over La Paloma with new surf films, filmmaker panels and live music on Thursday and Saturday; Friday is already sold out. Saturday’s lineup includes ProCasual, Maps to Nowhere: In the Current, HUCK 2 and Problematic, which should be an easier sell to a teenager than another night watching whatever the parents picked.

📍 La Paloma Theatre, 471 S. Coast Highway 101, Encinitas, CA 92024
💰 $32.64 per person, including fees; Thursday and Saturday tickets remain available, while Friday is sold out
📅 Thursday, September 17 and Saturday, September 19, 5:30–10 p.m.
👉 Details

2. Carlsbad Village Coastal Cleanup Day Our beaches may be slowly disappearing, but it’s still never a bad idea to teach teenagers to appreciate what we have and help keep it clean. I Love A Clean San Diego, Carlsbad Village Association and Lily Field Realty are leading this three-hour cleanup, with refreshments and prize drawings for volunteers.

📍 Check-in at Lily Field Realty, 2965 Roosevelt Street, Carlsbad, CA 92008
💰 Free; advance registration required. Bring reusable gloves, buckets, trash pickers and water bottles if possible.
📅 Saturday, September 19, 9 a.m.–noon
👉 Details

3. San Diego Bayfair This one takes us well outside the North County bubble, but H1 hydroplanes, Grand Prix boats, pit access and car shows make a decent argument for the drive south. Friday is the cheaper day, while Sunday is when the fastest boats race for the championship.

📍 Mission Bay, with the primary spectator area at Crown Point Park, 3700 Crown Point Drive, San Diego, CA 92109
💰 Friday $30; Saturday or Sunday $45; three-day pass $80. Crown Point parking is $35 per day or $80 for three days; Fiesta Island parking is $15 Saturday and Sunday. Free shuttles run between spectator areas.
📅 Friday, September 18, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.; Saturday, September 19, 8:10 a.m.–5 p.m.; Sunday, September 20, 8:30 a.m.–4 p.m.
👉 Details

4. ArtWalk Carlsbad We focused on KidsWalk in the younger sections, but the main ArtWalk is the better teen angle: more than 150 artists from the U.S. and Mexico, live bands, food and work ranging from photography and jewelry to painting, glass and sculpture. Creative teens can see what working artists are making without anyone calling it an educational outing.

📍 ArtWalk Carlsbad, Armada Drive above The Flower Fields, 5790 Armada Drive, Carlsbad, CA 92008
💰 Free admission; food, artwork and optional purchases cost extra. Designated event parking is along Fleet Street, but no parking fee is published.
📅 Saturday, September 19, 11 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sunday, September 20, 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
👉 Details