The short explanation is as follows. The date stays the same - Tuesday, March 31, 2026. It is still a paid state holiday, so county and city offices, courts, libraries, and most schools will be closed across Los Angeles County. The only thing that changed is the name of the holiday and its framing - as of March 26, 2026, California's March 31 observance became Farmworkers Day thanks to Governor Newsom signing Assembly Bill 2156.
The name change followed the release of a New York Times investigation on March 18, 2026. Several other cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Jose, also started their own renaming processes. The new framing shifts the attention from an individual figure to the movement in general - literally hundreds of thousands of workers who grow and harvest all of the food Californians eat.
So, if you are a parent of small children, you should know that this holiday has become better for them than ever before. While the idea of Cesar Chavez is quite complicated for a preschooler, the idea of farmworkers is not. Here is how to celebrate it in Los Angeles.
Cesar Chavez Day Activities and Their Replacement in 2026
The typical activities related to Cesar Chavez day were based on his biography - the marches, the fasts, the union history. Most of the material is being updated around the state this spring, and school curriculum will change as well.
What came in place of these activities is much broader and more tangible for preschoolers and elementary school students. All it asks for is answering a simple question that preschoolers actually ask: "who grows my food?"
The updated activities for Cesar Chavez day will look as follows. Tracking the path of a strawberry from the field in Oxnard to your plate. Visiting a farmers market and talking to the growers there. Growing something and taking care of it during several weeks to realize how difficult it is to grow food. Making thank-you cards for the people who put the produce on shelves in your store.
All of these do not require history lessons that preschoolers cannot understand. And they land quite well.
If you are looking for activities associated with Cesar Chavez day in 2026 out of habit, it is recommended to use the keyword "Farmworkers Day" as well. LA County Library system, city parks departments, and school districts are updating their guides, so the newer material is more relevant now.
Cesar Chavez Day Activities for Kids - The New One That Works Well
As we mentioned above, the Cesar Chavez day activities for kids under six were always a stretch when built around a biography. Union organizing is not really a preschool concept, while farm work is.
The best age-appropriate activities on March 31:
Visiting a farmers market is the best activity of all. Santa Monica offers several farmers markets throughout the week, and the Pico market at Virginia Avenue Park is scaled in a way that the big downtown markets are not. Allow a child to choose something on their own, let them pay for it, and ask the vendor about growing it. That is the whole lesson.
Planting seeds in a pot. Some flowers or beans grow fast enough so a child could see the changes. Watering it for several weeks teaches more about farming than any story does.
Sorting and washing the produce at home, which may seem boring but is loved by preschoolers. Some real job and some real vegetables.
Reading some picture books about farms and harvests. There are plenty of such books at Los Angeles County libraries around the March 31 date, and librarians in the LA County system have historically run story sessions tied to the holiday.
Preparing something simple using the produce bought at the market. The chain from the field to the pot becomes visible during one day.
The one thing to skip with children under six is the heavy history. Leave it for ages ten and above.
Events for Cesar Chavez Day Across Los Angeles in 2026
Typically, Cesar Chavez day events in Los Angeles include various marches, community gatherings, library programs, and school assemblies. This year, things are in transition and what is organized varies depending on the organizer.
LA County Library branches have César Chávez programming every year - story times, art activities, and book displays. The LA County Library system is large, so each branch programs independently. That means that checking the branch listing for the week of March 31 will provide the most accurate information.
LA County and City of Los Angeles offices are closed on March 31, meaning that it is a weekday off for many families, even though not all schools in LA are closed. This is a planning fact parents need the most.
Various community organizations and labor unions traditionally organize marches and rallies. UCLA Labor Center used to arrange buses to attend a march in Delano. Since LA has a renaming process underway right now, the details may change, and it is better to confirm the information from organizers before going.
What will not change: farmers markets. All of them have the usual schedule on March 31, so it is a great way for families with preschoolers to celebrate the holiday and not to go anywhere else.
What Is Open and Closed in LA County on March 31
This is the most practical information, since it is what most parents need the most.
Closed: city and county offices, courts, most public libraries, many public schools. State offices are closed because it is still a paid state holiday.
Open: private businesses, stores, restaurants, malls. It is not a federal holiday, so banks, post offices, and other commercial services operate normally. Trash collection and public transport also operate normally, but it is better to check locally.
Open: us. Fun Play World will have normal hours on March 31 at two locations - 828 Pico Blvd in Santa Monica and 10672 West Pico Blvd in Los Angeles. Walk-in Open Play starting from 10 AM on weekdays, no booking required.
This combination - closed offices, sometimes schools, open businesses - means a very specific kind of a day. Parents who are having a day off and children who do not need to be anywhere. It is one of the busiest Tuesdays in our calendar precisely because of that.
How LA Families Are Building the Day on March 31 in 2026
The schedule that works for families with small children on March 31:
A visit to a farmers market in the morning. The cool air, the real vendors, and a child choosing produce on their own. Forty-five minutes, and the educational part of the day is done properly.
Doing something with the produce purchased in the middle of the day - cooking or planting. This is what turns the visit to the market into a lesson.
Physical activity in the afternoon because preschoolers need some physical exercise after the walk and polite conversation at the market.
We have a Santa Monica floor at 828 Pico Blvd, which is minutes away from the Pico farmers market, making this combination quite easy. Our multi-level climbing structures, challenge levels for different difficulties, soft surfaces, real seating with sightlines across the floor. First child - $35 for a two-hour session, second sibling - $25, third sibling - $20. Two adults are included per family. $200 monthly membership is for families who want to visit regularly.
Spring is also the busiest time for the birthday calendar. The birthday packages cost $1,800 (Basic), $2,300 (Adventure), $2,700 (Ultimate), and $5,700 (VIP) with food and dedicated staff, a separate room for a party from the play floor, and setup through breakdown included. Service fee is 18%, 40% deposit secures the date, the rest of the payment is due five days before. March through June weekend slots fill earliest at both the Santa Monica and Los Angeles locations.
Talking to Children About the Holiday in a Simple Way
A preschooler does not need the news cycle. He or she needs just one simple thought, and the new framing gives a great opportunity to convey it.
"We say 'thank you' to the people who grow our food today." That phrase has everything a preschooler needs in it. Everything else - the fields, the hours, the heat, the hands that grew the strawberries in the bowl - develops naturally after that, when the child will ask follow-up questions.
For children of eight and above, the labor history behind the holiday is worth learning too. Why did farmworkers organize, what conditions were they working in, what changed and what did not. California schools taught this history for decades, and it is important still.
And for families who want to go further than the day itself, the most helpful thing is not a craft. It is observation. Noticing the fields when driving to the North, looking at origin labels on produce, asking at the market where something was grown. This practice will last long after the holiday is over.
