To promote awareness of charities benefiting children and youth-serving organizations throughout Orange County, the 14th annual Festival of Children is scheduled to take place in South Coast Plaza beginning Sept. 4 and continuing through Sept. 27. More than 75 charities will be in attendance, in conjunction with National Child Awareness Month in September.
Children of all ages, as well as adults, are invited to enjoy the month-long festival offering free family activities and events, including live music and dance, a grand-scale back-to-school fashion show, arts and crafts, animal shows, face painting and more, while showcasing the youth-serving organizations.
More than 2 million guests are expected to visit South Coast Plaza throughout September.
The festival is presented by the Festival of Children Foundation, a Costa Mesa-based nonprofit that serves to bring together and coordinate the efforts of charities, companies and individuals who actively work to improve the lives of children. It was instrumental in designating September as National Child Awareness Month.
“Festival or Children is essential to the Foundation’s goal of raising awareness for its member charities,” said Sandy Segerstrom Daniels, founder of the Festival of Children Foundation and managing partner of South Coast Plaza. “The Festival provides children’s charities an opportunity to educate the community on current projects, and make outreach to potential donors, volunteers and fellow organizations.”
Among the charities in attendance will be Boys & Girls Club, Make A Wish Foundation and Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation, as well as MOMS Orange County, Blind Children’s Learning Center and Discovery Arts.
Among the most popular features of the festival will be the 16 structures made entirely out of canned goods placed throughout South Coast Plaza. When the Festival is concluded and the structures disassembled, more than 60,000 canned food items will be donated to the Orange County Food Bank for distribution to needy families. Since the sculptures’ inception eight years ago, 125 tons of food has helped feed about 500,000 people in Orange County.
Other features will be: a chance to meet and greet, as well as take photos with, The Hello Kitty mascot, from 12 noon to 2 p.m. on Sept. 19 at the Carousel Court; educational talks about home safety, vehicle seat safety, nutrition, water and safety, followed by arts and crafts, at 11 a.m. every Friday in September at Carousel Court; a back-to-school fashion show showcasing South Coast Plaza retailers’ products modeled by children of all ages at 11:30 a.m. on Sept. 6 in Carousel Court; and performances by Grandeza Mexican Folk Ballet and Dance Academy at 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. on Sept. 13 at Jewel Court.
Information of events at the Festival is listed, indicating the time, date and location within South Coast Plaza.
