BEST BETS Saturday 8/26

3:30pm

Family

For Potter fans of all ages, it’s “Harry Potter Day” at Storyopolis, with visiting “professors” from Hogwart’s (School of Witchcraft and Wizardry) who will sort attendees into “houses,” oversee a wand-making project and judge the “Hogwart’s Entrance Exam” (a Harry Potter trivia test).

* “Harry Potter Day,” Storyopolis, 116 N. Robertson, Plaza A, Los Angeles. 3:30 p.m. $6. (310) 358-2500.

7:30pm

Music

An ensemble from Richard Sheldon’s Gilbert & Sullivan company, Opera a la Carte, performs with Victor Vener and the California Philharmonic. Besides excerpts from “The Pirates of Penzance” and “The Mikado,” the orchestra will offer music by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Leonard Bernstein, Rossini and Grieg.

* Opera a la Carte and the California Philharmonic perform at the Los Angeles County Arboretum, 301 N. Baldwin Ave., Arcadia. 7:30 p.m. $15 to $55. (626) 300-8200.

8pm

Theater

Colony Theatre Company’s inaugural production in its new Burbank venue is “Dandelion Wine,” a revival of Ray Bradbury’s coming-of-age musical, based on Bradbury’s semiautobiographical novel about growing up in a small Midwestern town, and a 15-year-old’s idyllic, mystical summer in 1928.

* “Dandelion Wine,” Burbank Center Stage, Media Center Shopping Center, 555 N. 3rd St., Burbank. Saturday, 7:30 p.m. (with a pre-show gala in Bradbury’s honor). Regular schedule: Thursdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. Ends Dec. 10. $25 to $28, except opening night, $50 to $100. (818) 558-7000.

8pm

Music

Carl St.Clair conducts the Pacific Symphony in “Gershwin’s Greatest,” featuring pianist Anne-Marie McDermott, vocal soloist Roberta Laws and Kevin Deas and the Paul Smith Singers. The program includes “Rhapsody in Blue,” the “I’ve Got Rhythm” Variations and excerpts from “Porgy and Bess.”

* “Gershwin’s Greatest,” Pacific Symphony plays Gershwin at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater, 8800 Irvine Center Drive, Irvine. 8 p.m. $15 to $60. (714) 755-5799.

8pm

Dance

What’s new in Peru? Is it chilly in Chile? Is Colombia the gem of the ocean? “Latino L.A.” has all the answers, presenting a constellation of dynamic Southland community groups rarely seen outside their respective communities. Intended to showcase what producer Gema Sandoval calls “the Latino soul of L.A.,” this testament to local Latino diversity will be hosted by Sandoval’s own Danza Floricanto/USA and Mexican guest artists Los Folkloristas but intends to focus attention on the dancing of Mi Linda Nicaragua, Club Libertad, ASOSAL, Grupo Cultural Latinoamericano and Latin Show. In addition, the musical groups Mariachi Mexicapan, Marimba Guatemala India and Grupo Cantamerica are featured.

* “Latino L.A.,” John Anson Ford Amphitheatre, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. E., Hollywood. 8 p.m. $25. (323) 461-3673.

8:15pm

Pop Music

Marco Antonio Solis, widely regarded as second only to Juan Gabriel in the field of Mexican romantic pop, figures to spotlight music from his current album, “Trozos de mi Alma,” at Universal. It’s is a finely crafted demonstration of the former Los Bukis leader’s ability to walk the line between the tasteful and the sentimental.

* Marco Antonio Solis at the Universal Amphitheatre, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City. 8:15 p.m. $30.50 to $58.50. (818) 622-4440.

FREEBIES

Comedy and cabaret duo Alan Chapman and Karen Benjamin, Beverly Hills Civic Center Plaza, Rexford Avenue just south of Santa Monica Boulevard. 8 p.m. (310) 285-1045.

The Latino Book and Family Festival features readings, book signings, entertainment, panel discussions, celebrity appearances and 700 vendor and exhibitor booths. 10 a.m.-7 p.m. in exhibit halls G, H and J of the L.A. Convention Center, 1201 S. Figueroa St., downtown L.A. Also Sunday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. (323) 255-9206.