[photo credit: Kidspace Children’s Museum]
Kidspace Children’s Museum waives general admission for three afternoon hours on the first Friday of most months, a program it calls Free First Fridays. For August 2026, however, the museum’s public calendar lists that free session on August 14 rather than August 7, the first Friday of the month. The free hours run from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. Reservations are required, and the free tickets are limited.
According to the museum, tickets for the free sessions are released about two weeks before each date and are booked through its website. Because the sessions draw families from across the region, the tickets can go quickly once they are posted. Anyone hoping to attend on August 14 will want to reserve early rather than arrive at the gate expecting walk-up entry.
Outside the free window, general admission is $15.50 for adults and children, with infants a year and younger admitted free. The museum, a nonprofit, also lists discounts for seniors, EBT cardholders, and military families. Admission is non-refundable and non-transferable. Kidspace is generally open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
The museum sits on a 3.5-acre outdoor campus at 480 North Arroyo Boulevard, inside Brookside Park and next to the Rose Bowl Stadium. It offers more than 40 hands-on exhibits built for children roughly 1 to 10 years old, spread across outdoor play areas and an indoor gallery. The museum describes its aim as nurturing the potential of all children through kid-driven experiences.
Free parking is available in Rose Bowl Lot I, near the Jackie Robinson Baseball Field and the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center. The campus is also reachable by Metro and Pasadena Transit. Bike racks are available in the surrounding Brookside Park, though visitors need to bring their own locks, and there are no racks inside the museum grounds. Service dogs are permitted; other pets are not.
Once inside, families should plan for a partly outdoor visit. Indoor galleries fill on a first-come, first-served basis and can reach capacity during busy hours. In summer, children often wade in the Arroyo Stream, so the museum suggests bringing water shoes and a change of clothes.
Reservations for the August 14 session can be made at kidspacemuseum.org; the museum’s information line is (626) 449-9144.
On August 14, the gates beside the Rose Bowl open without a fee — for three hours, and by reservation only.
