🌟Local Kiddo SF

Your weekend plans, handled.

Author

Jasmine Alves
January 16, 2026

📆Issue No. 51 - January 17-19, 2026

Happy Friday, friends!

It's a long weekend! MLK Day on Monday means opportunities for service, community, and reflection, and also an extra day to spend with the people you love.

Last chance: Cirque du Soleil Echo wraps up this weekend, if you've been waiting for the right moment, this is literally it. Also closing, Union Square Ice Skating has its final weekend. One last skate before they pack it up for the year.

Date night idea: Acrofun Night is happening on Saturday. Drop the kiddos off and go on a date. You deserve it.

Free all month: The San Francisco Zoo is FREE for kiddos all of January. Yes, really. If you haven't taken advantage yet, this long weekend is the perfect time.

And Sunday? Sunday is has so much going on. A celebration of Claude the albino alligator at Cal Academy, Mo Willems at SF Sketchfest (Pigeon fans, assemble!), and the Harlem Globetrotters at Chase Center. Pick your adventure.

Let's get into it.

⚡ TLDR: Weekend Gameplan

Holiday Highlights

Saturday:

Sunday:

Monday:

💌 Love Local Kiddo? Know about an event that we didn’t feature? We thrive on your feedback! Email us at [email protected] with your thoughts, event suggestions, community bulletin posts, or sponsorship inquiries. Send us your SF adventures to share on our instagram @heylocalkiddo.

Want to see your event in an upcoming issue?

✍️ FILL OUT THIS FORM ✍️

Saturday Highlight

Lunar New Year is almost here, and the library is getting a head start with lion dance performances at several branches this weekend. It's free, it's festive, and it's a great way to introduce kids to the Year of the Fire Horse celebrations coming up.

Worth Knowing:

Your kiddo gets to build a hydraulic robot arm. That's it. That's the pitch. First Inventors makes STEM stuff genuinely fun. If you've got a tinkerer, a builder, or a "but WHY does it do that?" kiddo, this one's for them.

Worth Knowing:

  • Saturday, January 17, 2:00pm-3:00pm

  • SFPL Merced, 155 Winston Drive

  • Free

Sunday Highlights

Claude the albino alligator was an SF icon. This celebration of life honors his memory and legacy. Bring the kids who loved visiting him, share some stories, and pay respects to Claude. (Tissues optional but recommended.)

Worth Knowing:

  • Sunday, January 18, 11:00am-1:00pm

  • Golden Gate Bandshell

  • Free

Mo Willems, the author behind Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, Elephant & Piggie, and Knuffle Bunny, is doing a live show at SF Sketchfest with actor/comedian/ukulelist Kate Micucci and creative partner Cher Willems for a show of books, songs, drawing, audience participation, and improvisation. If your kids have strong feelings about pigeons and hot dogs, this is the event for them.

Worth Knowing:

  • Sunday, January 18, 11:00am or 2:00pm

  • Marines’ Memorial Theatre

  • Tickets from $42.77

The legendary Harlem Globetrotters are celebrating their 100th year and bringing their mix of basketball wizardry, comedy, and family-friendly entertainment to Chase Center. Spinning balls, trick shots, and pure joy. My son was absolutely mesmerized last time they came through. This is the kind of show where kids (and adults) leave grinning. A Sunday afternoon slam dunk.

Worth Knowing:

  • Sunday, January 18, 3:00pm

  • Chase Center, 300 16th Street

  • Tickets from $47.00

Monday Highlight

MoAD goes all out for MLK Day with free admission and a full day of programming that brings together art, music, and community. The thoughtful programming will allow kiddos (and adults) to connect with Dr. King's legacy in meaningful ways.

Worth Knowing:

  • Monday, January 19, 11:00am-5:00pm

  • Museum of African Diaspora, 685 Mission Street

  • Free

  • Schedule:

    • 11:00am–2:00pm: Prescott Circus performers from Prescott Elementary in West Oakland

    • 12:00pm–12:30pm & 1:00–1:30pm: Māhealani Uchiyama explores connections between Dr. King, the Civil Rights Movement, and the fight for Indigenous rights in Hawaii, culminating in a tribute performance

    • 1:00pm–4:00pm: Sidewalk chalk art

    • 2:00pm–2:45pm & 3:00pm–3:45pm: The legendary Glide Ensemble performs freedom songs in honor of Dr. King

    • 11:30am–4pm: Family art activity with Nicole Dixon

    • All day: Gallery scavenger hunt

✨Full List of What’s Good This Weekend✨

Ongoing:

Saturday, 1/17: 

Sunday, 1/18:

Monday, 1/19:

Found a spot that works for both you and the kiddos? Tell us – we read everything.

Until next week,

Jasmine @Local Kiddo — Because good taste doesn’t end at parenthood.

P.S. Forward this to a parent who is still trying to figure out what to do during their kiddo’s wake window.

P.P.S. Want to partner with us? Have an event we should highlight? We work with brands that parents actually want in their lives (you know, the ones that don't make us choose between "kid-friendly" and "still cool"). Email us at [email protected] if that sounds like you.

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