Families in Columbus can celebrate children and Latino culture for free on Oct. 11. CAPA will host Día de los Niños/Day of the Children at the Lincoln Theatre, 769 E. Long St., from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Admission requires advance registration, so families can't simply arrive and enter.
The annual event combines activities and performances. CAPA's Education and Engagement Department launched it in 2023 as an extension of Festival Latino. That was three years ago.
What's on the Schedule
The afternoon starts in the Lincoln Ballroom. Children can try balloon art and crafts, then join dance instruction led by Ballet Folclórico Xochihua. COSI will lead science demonstrations, while the Columbus Symphony runs an instrument petting zoo.
The lineup extends beyond CAPA. A folkloric dance group, a science center and the city's symphony all take part, giving children a chance to go from a dance lesson to a science demo and hands-on time with instruments in one afternoon.
After the activities, award-winning artist David Gonzalez will present "Cuentos: Tales from the Latinx World." The show features colorful stories and songs, with positive messages, compelling plots and memorable characters. Gonzalez includes Spanish words in his stories for young audience members to listen for.
Drawings for tickets to local museums, touring shows and other prizes will follow the show. Those prizes could help families who attend visit other cultural venues.
Free Admission, With a Catch
All activities are free. Food isn't. Families can buy it from the Dos Hermanos food truck.
Advance registration is required, so families who want to attend need to sign up beforehand instead of just showing up. The base announcement doesn't explain how to register or how many spots are available.
A Day Set Aside for Children
Many countries mark an annual day to celebrate childhood. They use it to advocate for the happiness, well-being and promising futures of the next generation. Dates and traditions differ, but the shared purpose is to make children feel special by devoting a day to them.
In Columbus, CAPA has connected that idea with Latino culture. Dance, storytelling and Spanish words woven into Gonzalez's tales all feature in the program for young audiences.
Why This Matters:
Free, publicly accessible cultural programming matters most to families who might otherwise weigh a theater outing against other expenses. This event removes the ticket price, though families still need to register and food costs extra. It also places Latino culture at the center of a mainstream arts venue rather than at the margins. COSI and the Columbus Symphony join other arts and science institutions around a shared goal: children's well-being and futures. From a center-left perspective, programs like this show how cultural organizations can widen access and help children from different backgrounds feel welcomed and valued. Whether that access reaches the families who need it most will depend on how easy registration is and how well organizers publicize the event.