This can be done. I did it, and with very little problems, not because I have a easy go lucky kid, no he’s normal, because of pre-planning on my part.

First find out when the festival starts in the morning and go EARLY if possible. It helps to beat the crowds and also it can be cooler in the morning. I staked out the parking situation and found a street that was near the festival, but not in the park. This allowed me easy access to the festival and I also was able to leave quickly when we were done. I know this is not always possible, festival parking can be limiting, in that case—back to the first line—go EARLY. The other way is go towards the end of the day. If you go in the middle of the day, when it is hot and busy, I guarantee that the child will become fussy and difficult.

At the festival sometimes I find a snack, like chips for him to munch on. This is cheap and keeps him preoccupied while I check out the booths. After a while of this we find a kids crafts tent, there usually is one and this is a good way to do something together as a family. The last one we went to we made a wand, which was very Harry Potter like.

After the festival I scope out a nearby restaurant. This is a fun part for me, since I like to try the new hot places in town. I went to Taco Circus, fun and colorful. Again it was EARLY—since it was not lunch time yet. We found a empty table right by the window. There were tortilla chips with queso to start with. Yes, festival day is not healthy, but this not everyday.

I did some shopping at a bookstore. I let him look at the kid books and hang out in this area that had some toys for him to play with.

I ended the day by going to a sculpture park and letting him run around there. The park was not near a bathroom, but as always I scope out nearby bathrooms. A public building was nearby for that. ALWAYS look for those, libraries, fast food restaurants, make sure to know what’s nearby—three year olds tend to need to go RIGHT THEN. After this we headed home. Fun day for all—planning makes a good day for EVERYONE.