Festival of Children brings charities, dancing and activities to Costa Mesa’s South Coast Plaza
The 16th annual Festival of Children kicked off Saturday with a series of shows and activities at Costa Mesa’s South Coast Plaza.
Following an opening ceremony at noon, the first day of the event featured performances by the Anaheim Ballet, Arts & Learning Conservatory, Ballet Folklorico Raices de Mexico and animal magician John Abrams, among others.
The purpose of the event is to shine a spotlight on children’s charities and raise public awareness about their work, according to the Festival of Children Foundation.
About 75 charities are expected to participate and are being provided free display space in the Sears and Bloomingdale’s wings at South Coast Plaza.
The festival will be held on weekends throughout September and feature musical and dance performances, arts and crafts, face-painting and other family-oriented activities.
Most of those will take place in Carousel Court and Jewel Court on Saturdays and Sundays, largely between noon and 4 p.m.
The festival is held in conjunction with National Child Awareness Month, another effort led by the Festival of Children Foundation to bring attention to issues facing youths across the country.
For more information, visit festivalofchildren.org.
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