Free Summer Activities in Temecula

Each summer in Temecula, you can find plenty of fun - and free - activities. Free summer activities range from the academic to the no-brainers.

One of the best kept secrets is the Summer Youth Art and Music Institute put on each year by the Arts Council of Temecula valley. Professional artists, musicians, music teachers, and art teachers provide hundreds of local students with a week's worth of free lessons. The program takes place over several weeks throughout Temecula and Murrieta area schools. Students accepted into the program can choose a one-week instructional period at a location near their homes.

This program can only accommodate 600 students during their entire summer season so enrollment isn't guaranteed. Applications are accepted in the spring for both the art and music classes. If more applications arrive than they can handle, names are drawn at random.

Another one of the free summer activities in Temecula is the annual Old Town Temecula Street Painting Festival. Take the family and enjoy watching fine artists create giant murals on the asphalt of Main Street. These works of art are incredible! You'll find original artwork and re-creations of the masters in sizes of over 100 square feet or more. After gaining inspiration from the hard work and sweat of the street painters, you can head over to the family section where plenty of pastel chalk and the street canvas awaits your artistic touch. This is a fun free summer activity the whole family can enjoy.

A tradition of free movies at Edwards Theatres located in the Promenade Mall continues each summer. This free summer activity typically takes place one Tuesday and Wednesday mornings. The theatre opens its doors and allows you to come on in and take in a family-friendly show.

Speaking of free movies, one of the most popular free summer activities involves movies screened outdoors at various parks throughout Temecula. Bundle up and dress the kids in warm pajamas because summer nights here are cool. When the movies are screened at the Duck Pond, plan on getting a $5 pizza at Little Caesars or spending a few more dollars for chicken and bread sticks at Pat and Oscar's and enjoy dinner and a movie for the whole family without breaking the bank. If you want to do it completely free, pack a picnic dinner.

Another terrific free summer activity that takes place in city parks is the SMART recreation program. This is a free drop-in program where kids age seven and older can head to the park and participate in arts and crafts, games, water play, and other organized fun. This is not a daycare program, kids can come and go as they please but it is an option to exercise when the kids say, "I'm bored."

Other freebies include "Hot Summer Nights" featuring live music at various venues of Old Town. On Friday and Saturday nights, shops stay open late and bands play on street corners and various nooks and crannies along the main drag.