TODAY EAST MEETS FEST: If your family’s taste is more downtown than Disney, Kids’ Day at the Lower East Side Festival of the Arts has all the edgy entertainment you need. And it’s free! Juggler and clown John Grimaldi hosts an afternoon of live music, dance and theater performances, including one from “Pinkalicious.” Kids are invited to improvise. 2 to 5 p.m. Theater for the New City, 155 First Ave., between 9th and 10th streets; (212) 254-1109.

OUT OF AFRICA: From live Senegalese hip-hop music to screenings of the animated sequel to “Kirikou!” – BAM’s DanceAfrica has more than just moves. Dance takes center stage, of course, with performances by the Ndere Troupe of Uganda and Kulu Mele African American Dance Ensemble. Today and tomorrow, noon to 10 p.m.; Monday, noon to 7 p.m. $10 to $45 for main-stage performances; screenings and outdoor stage performances are free. Brooklyn Academy of Music, Peter Jay Sharp Building, 30 Lafayette Ave., between Ashland Place and St. Felix Street; (718) 636-4100.

FAIRY-TALE FOSSILS: Was the unicorn really just a rhinoceros? Trace the surprising roots of magical creatures at “Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns and Mermaids,” where interactive stations let you build your own griffins and dragons via blocks and video screens. Daily through Jan. 6, 10 a.m. to 5:45 p.m., $21 for adults, $12 for kids. The American Museum of Natural History, Central Park West at 79th Street; (212) 769-5100.

TOMORROW UP IN THE SKY: It’s a bird, it’s a . . . sheep? All that and more (raptor demonstrations, high-flying animal puppets, airborne acrobats) are among the flights of fancy on display at Van Cortlandt Manor’s annual Animals & Acrobats Weekend. Through Monday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., $12 adults, $6 for kids. Van Cortlandt Manor, 525 S. Riverside Ave., Croton-on-Hudson, N.Y.; (914) 271-8981.

– jburtwang@hotmail.com