15 family-friendly weekend activities for March 2 to March 4

Here’s what’s happening on the family fun front. As always, check WRAL.com’s Out & About calendar for more ideas.

Theatre Raleigh opens its Family Series with a kid-friendly, 50-minute version of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” The show takes a new twist on this classic tale with contemporary references, popular music and more. It’s a lot of fun. Tickets are $10 for kids and $15 for adults. Shows start Friday and run on select days through March 18 at the Duke Energy Center for Performing Arts in downtown Raleigh.

Brier Creek Commons will host a Read Across America event with the Cat in the Hat, a breakfast of green eggs and ham and facepainting. It starts at 9 a.m., Saturday, with a breakfast courtesy of Rise Biscuits and Donuts (breakfast is $6). It continues from 10 a.m. to noon with free Dr. Seuss storytimes. Find it in front of Barnes & Noble.

Marbles Kids Museum hosts a family camp-in starting at 6 p.m., Saturday, and wrapping up at 9 a.m., Sunday. Sing campfire songs, roast marshmallows, sleep overnight in the museum and watch a special screening of “Born to Be Wild” at Marbles’ IMAX theater. Dinner and breakfast are included. Tents are welcome if you have one. It’s $35 per person.

N.C. State has a busy weekend of sports, including baseball and softball games. At the baseball game at noon, Sunday, they'll be giving away trading cards and have a kids zone set up with activities. Kids 12 and under can stand with their favorite player during the National Anthem (just meet up at the marketing table 30 minutes before the game starts) or run the bases after the game. Tickets to the baseball game are $7 for kids and $10 for adults.

Le Cirque Esprit, featuring cordis and ABCirque, is 7:30 p.m., Saturday at the Cary Arts Center. Here’s a description: “Le Cirque Esprit launches the music of cordis into a dynamic production that fuses their unique sounds with the breathtaking presence of ABCirque, a contemporary cirque from Brooklyn featuring acrobatics and aerialists. The result is a one-of-a-kind spectacle that consumes ground and air.” Tickets are $27. A family and friends four-pack totals $92.

On Sunday, the town’s family series features Opera XPress’ The Billy Goats Gruff. The show is 3 p.m., Sunday, at the Cary Arts Center. Tickets are $8. This operatic version of the well-known story includes scenes from operas by W.A. Mozart, G. Donizetti and G. Rossini.

N.C. Courage, the professional women’s soccer team, will host a game against Tennessee on Sunday at WakeMed Soccer Park. The game, part of the Courage’s preseason, is free. Time TBA.

Waverly Place hosts its popular Snow Day event from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. For $8, get a ticket to sled down a manmade sledding hill for an hour. Sleds will be provided.

Cary’s annual Kite Festival takes off at Bond Park on Saturday. Registration starts at 12:30 p.m., activities begin at 1 p.m. and awards are passed out at 2:30 p.m. Sign up to fly a kite and compete for awards such as quickest tangle or best crash. Or just go and watch.

Kidzu Children’s Museum celebrates its 12 birthday on Sunday with an afternoon of free activities and celebrations. It’s 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday, and includes balloon painting, a Chinese storytime and craft, kids yoga, costumed character visits, birthday cake and more. Free and open to the public.

UNC-Chapel Hill has a busy weekend of sports, including women’s and men’s lacrosse and softball games on Saturday and baseball games on Saturday and Sunday. These games are often free or very affordable and can be a lot of fun for families, who are looking to get out of the house and see something new. UNC-Chapel Hill’s composite sports calendar lists the schedule.

For anime fans, Carolina Theatre will host a Anime-Magic Film Series this Friday through Sunday. Thirteen films are scheduled, including some that are rated G and PG. That includes Hayao Miyazaki’s Ponyo, which is about the friendship between Sosuke, 5, and a magical goldfish. The G-rated movie is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. Tickets are $9.50.

Durham Bulls Fan Fest is 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., Saturday, and kicks off the 2018 season. The free event lets fans get on the field, take advantage of some deals and get their tickets for the upcoming season. It’s at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park.

Like Carolina, Duke also has a busy sports calendar. Duke’s softball team, which kicked off its inaugural season this year, will host the Duke Inaugural Tournament with games Friday through Sunday. Admission is free, so you can come and go as you please. It takes place at the new Duke Softball Stadium on East Campus off Broad Street next to the field hockey field. The address is 4 Brodie Gym Dr. Duke's sports calendar has the details.

Carolina Kids Consignment is open to the public Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Johnston County Livestock Arena. Get deals on all kinds of clothes, toys and gear for kids.