WEEKEND FESTIVALS.

It's hip to be square this weekend at the Los Angeles Tofu Festival. The event will showcase more than 100 imaginative tofu dishes served by the hottest local restaurants, other soy-based products and a wide array of Pan-Asian and non-vegetarian specialties. There will be live entertainment, the Health & Fitness Lane, the Beer, Wine & Sake Garden and the ever-popular Tofu Eating Contest. Celebrity chefs including Tommy Tang, Iron Chef Morimoto and Troy Thompson of Iron Chef America will perform cooking demonstrations. The festival is part of the first weekend of the Nisei Week Japanese Festival. The event takes place 2 to 10 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday on San Pedro Street between Second and Third streets, Los Angeles. Admission is $8, and dishes range from $1 to $4 per serving. [phone]. www.tofufestival.com.

Also happening this weekend:

Watermelon Festival: featuring watermelons of different shapes, sizes and colors at no cost, live entertainment, rides, carved watermelons, the crowning of a festival queen and more. 4 to 10:30 p.m. today, noon to 11 p.m. Saturday, noon to 10 p.m. Sunday at Sunland Recreational Center, 8651 Foothill Blvd., Sunland. Admission is free. [phone]. www.laparks.org.

Nisei Week Japanese Festival: featuring a Taiko Drum gathering, a grand parade, a queen's coronation, Tofu Festival, car show, Asian food, the new anime festival and more. Saturday through Aug. 20 at various locations in Little Tokyo. Admission is free for most events. For full schedule information, call [phone]. www.niseiweek.org.

Ventura County Fair: featuring carnival rides, fair food, musical entertainment, livestock and more. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. today and 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at Seaside Park in Ventura. Admission is $8 for adults, $5 for seniors 62 and over and children 6 to 12, free for children 5 and under. [phone]. www.seasidepark.org

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