Author Archives: Edinburghfestivalsforkids

Apply for BBC tickets now !! (closing 22nd July)

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Wowee – my investigations into the BBC area this year at the festival were obviously not that thorough as I missed the page detailing what shows are on and what shows you can apply for tickets for…and it turns out there are lots of great kids shows being filmed at the BBC tent and best of all we can all apply to get free tickets. You have until the 22nd July to apply for tickets and then names will be randomly drawn.

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But if you don’t manage to get any, don’t despair as it says ” On family fun days tickets for additional shows are available at the venue. Please note, these shows cannot be pre-booked and will be ticketed on the day as first come first served. The family fun days are: Saturday 3, Sunday 4, Saturday 10, Sunday 11, Saturday 17, Sunday 18, Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 August.”   Great ! I like the sound of the family fun days and if last year is anything to go by, its definately worth taking a look whats on and bringing the kids along one weekend…

So, shows you can apply for tickets for now include:

That looks like a great bunch of shows and lots of opportunities to be part of the magic at the BBC tent ! If you do apply, fingers crossed you get tickets !

Wish you were there….

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Last year I spent a great day at St Andrews Square during August as they had a little ‘beach’ with buckets and deck chairs, animals from East Links Family Park, Danny MacAskill was doing some amazing cycling and there were large art installations that the kids could play on….

I have just done a little investigating and am delighted that this event will be returning to St Andrews Square this year ! Its called ‘Wish you were there‘ and is an initiative run by East Lothian Council to showcase all the great events, museums, attractions and landscape they have in the county.

The event runs from the 1st August until the 11th and promises to highlight the region’s rich golf heritage, range of activities, local food and drink – interactive activities include East Links Family Parks Petting farm, surf lessons and pitch and put golf.

10am – 7pm daily, St Andrews Square 1st – 11th August

I will definitely be bringing the kids along to check it out again this year …

Mardi Gras at the Grassmarket and Edinburgh Festival Carnival

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The Edinburgh Jazz and Blues festival kicks off the summer festivals with a weekend of free events which look great for families.

On Saturday 20th July its the Mardi Gras at the Grassmarket starting from 1pm featuring lots of bands, different stages and a party atmosphere…

On Sunday 21st July its the Edinburgh Festival Carnival (which has replaced the Cavalcade). This promises to be a great afternoon, with street performers, music, costumes and lots of entertainment. Its on Princes Street and in Princes Street Gardens from 2pm – 4pm and best of all, its free !

Over 35 acts, with a total of over 400 performers, will come together to create a vibrant international Carnival party.This year, audiences will be free to promenade around Princes Street (between South Charlotte Street and the Mound) and all over West Princes Street Gardens..

There will be a family area in the West End of Princes Street Gardens, featuring the ‘Big Red Bus’, which will have storytelling and facepainting.

Lets hope it a sunny weekend !

BBC at Edinburgh Festivals

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I’m not sure if you made it down last year – but one of my favourite new finds at the festival last year was the BBC area. They had a ping pong table, a nice cafe, big bright tents, a huge outdoor screen showing films, comedy etc and it was great for kids. They even did special CBeebies days on Sundays where you could get free magazines, play games, have a go at being a weathergirl/man and much more. And best of all it was totally free !

The programme for this year is not available yet, but as soon as it is, I’ll post about what’s on there for kids this year…

(they were also holding auditions for CBeebies presenters which would be a dream job, but sadly I was away on holiday – maybe I’ll get a chance this year ! )

A few of my favourite things…

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I’ve only just managed a quick glance through the festival programmes so far this year – life is a little hectic right now, so I am sure there is plenty I will have missed off this list, but below are a few of the shows that I’m excited to see this year across the various festivals…

  • Dr Brown Brown Brown Brown Brown and His Singing Tiger  Dr Brown Brown Brown Brown Brown and his singing tiger – If you’ve not seen Dr Brown before- he is not to be missed (he does fantastic adult shows too !). His show for children is a delight – children are fully engaged with his rather silly antics as he blunders his way through the day and the singing tiger adds a great musical dimension and ensures that the silent performer is even more accessible for kids. Don’t miss this – in Edinburgh for two days only this year, the 17th and 18th August
  • Julia Donaldson –  Julia Donaldson comes to the Book Festival most years and for the past few has opened the childrens events and every year has been brilliant – we’ve been going to see her each time and the entire family has loved it. This year she has two events in the Book Festival opening weekend and I guarantee both will be excellent; Dolls , Dragons and Dinosaurs on the 10th August and From Worms to Wizards to Weans on the 11th August. Both feature a different selection of her books and will have puppets, songs and plenty of audience interaction.
  • My Brother the Robot My Brother the Robot – This production is brought to Edinburgh by Tall Stories who have previously done The Gruffalo and last year brought The Snail and the Whale to the Fringe which was a delight. This show, about a Robot playmate for a girl living with her inventor father promises to bring music, magic and mayhem. Well worth checking out…from the 31st July to 25th August.
  •    Aliens Love Underpants – Our family loves this book and I’m very excited to see the first stage production of it. Judging by the book , I think it will be a fast moving, lively and funny show.  It does however come with a warning : this show will blow your pants off !  August 7th – 22nd (not 14th)
  • Rumpelstiltskin and the Wheel of Fortune Rumpelstiltskin and the wheel of fortune –  I was fortunate enough to see last years production of Elves and the Shoemaker by Theatre of Widdershins which was totally captivating and the puppetry and details memerising, so I am hoping that Rumpelstiltskin will also be a delight. The Storytelling Centre is a great venue, small and intimate enough that you always feel included as the audience and means you will get to fully appreciate the handcrafted puppets and sets.  30th July to 25th August (not 19th August).
  • Cinderella and the Flower Fairies Cinderella and the Flower FairiesA friend said she had booked tickets for this today, so I looked it up and I think my daughter will love this ! She loves her ballet class and loves the flower fairies book , especially the illustrations – so hopefully we can’t go wrong as this combines both ! August 9th-17th
  • Tilly and friends – Maybe its because my daughter is called Tilly, or maybe because the pictures are so beautiful – but I love these books. Featuring six best friends who all live together in a little yellow house, this event with Polly Dunbar during the Book Festival should be great and it set to include puppets and music too, so should be fun for little ones ! August 13th 10.30am.