Thousands of people converged on the Capitol District yesterday, but they weren't there to lobby legislators, battle bureaucrats or tangle with the tax man.

They were there to have fun.

Throngs of parents and children, dodging the ubiquitous strollers, swarmed the grounds surrounding City Hall and the state Capitol to participate in the 14th annual Children & Youth Day, a time in which government agencies, nonprofit organizations, businesses and other groups set up booths to offer fun activities for Hawai'i's keiki while educating them about important issues, some youth-related, some not.

So while kids could climb a fake cliff, bounce in inflatable rooms, shoot paintballs and sound sirens on police motorcycles, to name just a few of the dozens of offerings available, they also were able to learn about healthy eating, family unity, physical fitness and other more weighty topics.

"It's free, it's educational and the kids really enjoy it," said 'Aiea resident Bernice De Gracia as two of her children, Coen, 7, and Sydney, 11, munched on pizza during a lunchtime break from the activities. De Gracia has been bringing her family to Children & Youth Day for several years.

What did Coen and Sydney like best this year?

Playing tennis, they agreed. They hit balls on makeshift courts set up on closed Punchbowl Street next to the state library.

"I got to serve," said Coen, a first-timer with a tennis racket.

About the time the two De Gracia children were strutting their stuff on the courts, 6-year-old Michelle King was gently petting Oscar, a Hawaiian green sea turtle, at a nearby booth operated by Sea Life Park.

The scores of kids and adults who waited in line to pet Oscar or Marky, his relief from the turtle bullpen, also learned that Oscar and his like are members of an endangered species. As the kids and their parents worked their way through the line, they checked out other exhibits and read about the life and times of the sea turtle.

Michelle said she had fun petting Oscar but her favorite activity yesterday was trying the climbing wall set up not far from the turtles' temporary domain. She made it halfway up.

Selwyn King, Michelle's father, said they have attended the Children & Youth Day festivities for the past four years, impressed by all there is to do.

"It's just for the kids — to have a good time," he said.

Cheryl Marlow, a Downtown resident, likewise was impressed with the variety of things to do — and the hundreds of volunteers who helped make the day possible. She brought her granddaughter, Carlie, 2, to yesterday's festivities.

"This is just phenomenal," she said, as kids kicked soccer balls, did crafts, threw flying discs, painted their nails and banged on musical instruments nearby. "Just think of the amount of people willing to volunteer their time for Hawai'i's youth."

While having fun was the focus of the day, some booths concentrated on deadly serious issues facing some of today's youth.

In a cordoned-off area for teens, service providers dealing with sexually transmitted diseases, teen pregnancies, domestic violence and other similar topics handed out information while a live band played.

Lisa Jensen, of Catholic Charities Hawai'i, said this was the first year a "teen zone" had been set up for Children & Youth Day. The organizers recognized that the kind of information accessible in the teen zone, such as photos showing the effects of genital herpes or other sexually transmitted diseases, would not be suitable for young children.

Children & Youth Day is the first major event during Children & Youth Month, celebrated each October.

Reach Rob Perez at rperez@honoluluadvertiser.com.