It's a great festival weekend -- which is good, since kids fresh out of school, as they will be in several local districts, will be eager for fun. In the city you've got your Honfest and St. Nicholas Greek Folk Festival; in Howard County, the Columbia Festival of the Arts has lots to offer for children.

Here's some of what's on for families, courtesy of intern Kayla Cross:

Thursday, June 11:

St. Nicholas Greek Folk Festival: Explore the Greek world through food, theater and dance in this four-day festival for all ages in the 500 block of Ponca Street. Shops will be set up during the festival, offering historic icons, religious texts, crafts, Greek music CDs and more. You can buy Greek food and pastries, or learn how to incorporate Greek tastes into your everyday cooking with Stella Koukides, who will be holding cooking demonstrations at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. The festival starts at noon Thursday, 11 a.m. on Friday and Saturday and noon on Sunday. It ends each night at 11 p.m., except on Sunday, when it will end at 10 p.m. Free.

Hike: Take a 2-mile trail hike with the volunteer park rangers of Patapsco Valley State Park in Ellicott City from 6 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.  Hikers are encouraged to wear sturdy shoes and bring water. For ages 7 and up. Free. 

Friday, June 12:

Child Safety Seat Check: Drive up to the Mount Washington Pediatric Hospital to have a free inspection of your child’s safety seat. The event is being held from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.; cars and safety seats will be checked for proper installation.

Columbia Festival of the Arts LakeFest Weekend: Head to the Columbia Festival of the Arts lakefront to experience a weekend of free fun for all ages. See local artwork from the Summer Reflections Community Art Project, watch Cirque-tacular, a performance by illusionists and acrobats, or listen to a book reading by some of the region’s authors. Other kid-friendly events include hands-on art activities lead by KidzArt, a Howard County organization. Children ages 5 and up, with parents, can make CD suncatchers, watercolor paintings, clay turtles, festival masks and even a "masterpiece in a box" for Father’s Day. The art activities are from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Friday, 12:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 12:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Sunday.

Free "Hairspray" screening at Hopkins Summer Outdoor Films: Break out the lawn chairs and blankets for a screening of "Hairspray" on the Wyman Quadrangle at the Homewood campus of Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles St. The movie starts around 8:30 p.m., but live music from the Swingin’ Swamis begins at 7:30 p.m. Free for all ages.

And more...