FESTIVAL ’90 : Taking It to the Park : Entertainment: Thousands are expected to attend free performances at the old Los Angeles Zoo site in Griffith Park this weekend.

The Pacific Rim-oriented Los Angeles Festival is “taking it to the park” this weekend in Griffith Park with numerous free performances in what organizers hope will be a repeat of last weekend’s peaceful festival kickoff at San Pedro.

Officials are expecting about 10,000 celebrants to show up Saturday and Sunday at the old Los Angeles Zoo area above the park’s merry-go-round. Four stages will offer continuous entertainment by singers and dancers from 1 to 6 p.m. each day.

Several park-and-ride locations that will accommodate more than 6,000 cars have been established throughout the east end of the park to help commuters get to and from the location. No parking will be allowed along streets leading to the site, park officials said.

The two days will feature mostly different acts from last weekend’s festival opening at San Pedro’s Point Fermin/Angel’s Gate Park, including a mariachi festival on Saturday. Among other groups performing will be several children’s groups, including Children of Bali and Zenshuji Zendenko, young drummers from Los Angeles’ Zenshuji Soto Mission.

“If I had little kids, Sunday is the day I would focus on,” said festival executive director Judith Luther. “They will be able to see other children perform, and see how much art is part of their lives.”

The festival’s main park-and-ride site will be the Magnet School lot at the north end of Griffith Park adjacent to the zoo. The lot will accommodate 3,500 cars, according to festival consultant Warren Christensen.

To get to the Magnet School lot off the Ventura Freeway eastbound, exit at Victory, enter Griffith Park and follow signs to the zoo. To get to the school off the freeway westbound, exit at the zoo off-ramp and proceed to the zoo.

The secondary park-and-ride site, the pony ride at the park’s south end, will accommodate 1,000 vehicles, Christensen said.

From the Golden State Freeway southbound, the best bet is to exit Los Feliz Boulevard going west and turn right at Riverside Drive. The pony ride overflow lot is at the entrance to Griffith Park right next to the freeway. Going northbound on the Golden State, exit at either the Griffith Park off ramp and follow signs to the park’s entrance (where you will hit the pony ride overflow lot), or exit the zoo off-ramp and follow the signs to the magnet school lot.

Commuters can also park at the Los Angeles Zoo lot.

Those without cars can take RTD Line 203 from Beverly and Vermont boulevards. Buses will leave every 15 minutes from that location and proceed to the festival site.

Organizers said the Griffith Park program will be easier for festival-goers to move in and around than last weekend’s opening. The festivities were spread out over 150 acres and seven stages.

“This will be a much smaller area, and everything will be easier to get to,” Luther said. “Making everything work last week was a challenge, but this is a lot cozier. Foods and crafts will be a lot closer to the actual entertainment.”

More than 1,400 artists from 21 countries are participating in the festival, which concludes Sept. 17. Next weekend’s program will focus on several acts that will perform on the Santa Monica Pier. A fireworks show above the pier is also scheduled.

Officials said the first weekend of the festival went off without any problems, although only about half of the expected 100,000 people showed up during the three-day Labor Day weekend.

Griffith Park Ranger Tom Mendidles said normally 3,000 to 5,000 people come to the merry-go-round area at Griffith Park on Saturdays and Sundays. “This is a very familiar area, so we are expecting a nice-sized crowd in addition to what we normally have,” he said.

Festivities kick off at noon both days with a procession by the Bread and Puppet Theatre, a Vermont-based troupe that employs giant puppets to satirize contemporary conditions.