Families take part in Virginia Avenue Park ‘robot invasion’

Robots: Santa Monica families dove deep into the local arts scene this past weekend with a technological twist. On April 27, Virginia Avenue Park hosted the 2024 Arts & Literacy Festival, the 10th festival held by the City of Santa Monica in collaboration with Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. This year’s theme was “The Robots Are Here,” with a bevy of booths showcasing robot-themed activities and demonstrations. The SaMo Tech Robotics team provided demonstrations of their latest autonomous robot projects, Santa Monica Resource Recovery Recycling’s “Curby the Robot” was on-hand to teach children about recycling, and the Santa Monica Public Library’s Storytime Stage featured robot-themed books read by local librarians and Santa Monica Fire Chief Matthew Hallock. The activities aligned with the Santa Monica Cradle to Career Building Blocks for Kindergarten campaign, which promotes social and emotional development and other early learning skills. Aside from the tech-savvy endeavors, performances took place from the WeBreak hip hop dance company, Santa Monica Youth Orchestra’s Mariachi Ensemble and Balkan Ensemble, Elemental Music’s Prelude program and Santa Monica Ballet Folklórico.