These New Orleans weekend plans are best bets.

There’s plenty to do this weekend (after storm cleanup) as fall creeps closer to the Crescent City.  

Read? Set? Revel.

A free celebration of creativity and learning for the entire family is on tap Saturday at the Andre Cailloux Center for Performing Arts and Cultural Justice for ART JAM, the KID smART family-friendly day of hands-on activities, performances, arts-based workshops and more. Kids can immerse themselves in gardening, mask-making and clay creations, plus hear readings by authors and check out the sparkle station. The fun runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 2541 Bayou Road, New Orleans. Get the lowdown on the fun times here.

It’s a youthquake on local stages this weekend as three community theaters open shows with young casts and youth-empowering stories on both sides of the lake. Jefferson Performing Arts gets back in class with “SCHOOL OF ROCK” opening at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Jefferson Performing Arts Center, 6400 Airline Drive. The Leslie Castay-directed production looks at a substitute teacher who turns his class into a rock band, set to Andrew Lloyd Webber music. Tickets start at $20. Get rocking with it here. At Rivertown Theaters for the Performing Arts, the youth of Baltimore “curl up and dye” for “HAIRSPRAY” opening at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the 325 Minor St., Kenner, playhouse. Based on the film (like the above “School”), the musical looks at curvaceous teen Tracy Turnblad who only wants to dance on a TV show, set against a host of issues ranging from racism and integration to how high should one tease their hair, pageants and body positivity. Tickets start at $41. Don’t tease it, tap it here. The sextet of “sisters” who were all wives of Henry VIII get their chance to tell their story in “SIX” at 30 by Ninety Theatre in Mandeville. The teen version of the show features the wives as “pop princesses” and they offer a modern spin on their tells of wedded woe as they were “divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived.” The show, at 880 Lafayette St. in the St. Tammany city, is a concert-style evening of history, mystery and rock. Tickets start at $25. There’s “No Way” you should not check out the show here.

The HISPANIC HERITAGE FESTIVAL returns to Kenner’s Laketown from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday on Williams Boulevard at Lake Pontchartrain. Food, music, a bazaar and health fair are all part of the fun, with performances by Aurelio Martinez and Javier Olondo and AsheSon. Check out more information on the good times at the lake here.

The lyric strains of John Williams and others will be the music from the screen when LPO GOES TO HOLLYWOOD at Luling’s Lafon Performing Arts Center at 7 p.m. Saturday. “Star Wars,” “Jaws,” “The Wizard of Oz” and “Rocky” are just some of the films the symphony will sound out for the evening at 275 Judge Edward Dufresne Parkway. Tickets start at $45 and are available through the Lafon Performing Arts Center. Check out the tickets here.

Free books and contributions to the College Savings accounts? Yes, please. CHILDREN’S STORYTIME: READING BOOKS TO KIDS at Baldwin & Co. Bookstore Saturday will be presented by the Baldwin & Co. Foundation and will include reading from a great book and help starting a my529 account in which the bookstore will provide seed money and help match contributions during the current year. Plus, when registering for the Magical Story Time, each child receives a book. The event runs at 10 a.m. at 1030 Elysian Fields Ave. Take the time to read all about it here.

It’s a BACKYARD BROUHAHA when four local horticulture and gardening experts discuss ways to improve the environment by using one’s backyard Saturday at the Jane Chatelain O’Brien West Bank Regional Library, 2751 Manhattan, in Harvey at 9:30 a.m. Find out about chickens with Linda Vinsanau, like raising hens for eggs, picking a breed, setting up housing, local ordinances, feed and ranging. Or Kathy McCrocklin will talk about attracting butterflies with plants by color, type of bloom, insecticides, habitat and encouraging caterpillars. Providing shelter, nesting sites, food and water for the birds will be discussed by Wendy Rihner. And Jay Martin gets busy with bees, on fences and shrubbery, water, swarm control, races of bees, working bees and the law. The events are free. Check it out here.

It’s good times at the Ogden Museum Saturday for FREE FAMILY DAY at the downtown art emporium, with free admission, crafts and performances plus information from community organizations Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.. Watch for performances by the Greater New Orleans Suzuki Forum and Little Stompers, plus an interactive art installation by ricRACK. Also get info from the New Orleans Public Library and Macaroni KID. There’s a scavenger hunt and a chance to explore creativity. The museum is located at 925 Camp St. Get in on the artistic good times here.

“Beautiful Spaces: A Symposium — Exploring the History and Legacy of New Orleans Gardens” takes a closer look at the cultural legacy of Crescent City gardens Saturday for the GARDEN SYMPOSIUM at the BK House in the French Quarter. The event is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., opening with coffee and pastries and includes a box lunch, ending with a reception featuring herbal cocktails. Tickets start at $50. Check out the event here.

Chill out at The Broadside, 600 N. Broad St., from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday for FROZEN SWEETS FEST, a gathering of cool foods, music and family fun. From drink, popsicles and Italian ice to sno-balls, the event helps raise awareness and funds for First Tee of Greater New Orleans. There’s an ice cream-eating competition, food and craft vendors and more. Get chilly with it here.