The Arts & Literacy Festival at Virginia Avenue Park on Saturday, April 29, 2023, was a resounding success. This annual free event, hosted by the City of Santa Monica, in collaboration with SMMUSD and YMCA Healthy Kids Day, drew families from all over Santa Monica for a fun day of activities and games.

The festival's theme, "Ready, Set, Build," focused on promoting social and emotional development, self-care, physical well-being and motor skills, language development, and early learning for young children. Over 30 community organizations participated in the event, offering games and activities that aligned with Santa Monica Cradle to Career Building Blocks for Kindergarten campaign.

One of the highlights of the event was the reDiscover Center's Cardboard Construction Zone, where children had the opportunity to explore different tools and materials, and create their own structures out of cardboard. The Cayton Children's Museum's Recycled City activity was another popular attraction, where children could use recycled materials to build their own mini-city.

The Santa Monica Public Library Storytime Stage was also a big hit, featuring construction-themed books read by Public Works staff in hardhats. Children were captivated by the stories and enjoyed seeing the hardhats up close.

The Under Construction Game Area featured tool relay races, building blocks, truck obstacle courses, and more. Children had a blast competing in these games and using their problem-solving skills to complete the challenges.

Roaming stilt walkers and Bob the Builder added to the festival's festive atmosphere, and children enjoyed collecting stamps from activity booths on the event's Explorer Card. This card was redeemable for a free book at the Santa Monica Public Library booth, which was a great way to encourage literacy and reading.

The Main Stage performances were also a highlight of the event, with emcee Sean Hill keeping the crowd entertained throughout the day. The Santa Monica Youth Orchestra's Mariachi Ensemble and Balkan Ensemble, Bollypop Interactive Dance Performance, Elemental Music's Prelude Program, Santa Monica Ballet Folklorico, and Psychic Buster Magic and More Show were all fantastic, and the children loved the lively performances.

The event provided a fun and educational opportunity for families to come together and enjoy a day of games, activities, and performances. We look forward to next year's festival and the new theme it will bring!