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First day…

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Phew..we’ve been super busy and have got fully immersed in festival fever already ! Our first full day out and about was lots of fun and we zipped about town on our bikes, soaking up the atmosphere and planning lots more festival adventures….

Our first stop was to see the fantastic Showstoppers Kids’ Show – we really enjoyed this one, especially the interactiveness of it and the cast had us up and dancing a ‘poo dance’ and other various madcap things !! It looks like this is starting to sell out again like in previous years, so make sure you book !

Whilst at the Pleasance we stopped in at the wonderful Kidzone and the kids got stuck in making shrinkie keyrings – they’ve got lots of templates as usual and a wide variety of very reasonably priced arts and crafts activities and free colouring in too ! They even take suggestions, so my son was delighted that someone had been in the day before asking about Ninjago templates and there were already two for him to choose from (there may be a few more too next week after our chat with them yesterday !!)…

Next up we whizzed to Summerhall to check out the delightful Duckie ! An extremely charming reimagining of the story of The Ugly Duckling, which opens up some important conversations about self acceptance and inclusion – some great song choices too ! Leaving Summerhall on a high note, we were super happy to see the return of the ‘hot donut’ stall in George Square gardens….

A short trip to the High Street to watch some fun street performers doing magic, lead us nicely to our final destination of the day – Assembly to watch the spectacular Attrape Moi – we were blown away by this. Absolute jaw dropping, mesmerising acrobatics, juggling, hula hooping and even trampolining !!! We loved every second…….

…….and then home to relax ! And for the kids to start practising for their grand plan of running away with the circus…..

 

Pleasance Kidzone 2018

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Image result for pleasance kidzone 2018We all surely LOVE the Kidzone at the Pleasance – with the picnic tables, the toys, the puppet theatre, the fabulous arts and crafts that keep our kids busy and entertained whilst we grab a coffee at the cafe – it’s an oasis amongst the chaos and I for one, spend alot of time there during August !!!

This year, as ever, it’s back and jam packed with activities for children up to 10 years old, including the popular shrinkie badges and key rings, decopatch animals and foam clay goodies!

As always the arts and crafts are very reasonably priced and the tent is family run by such lovely people that you will just want to keep on returning!

 

 

A trip to the Kidzone can be combined with seeing one or two of the brilliant children’s shows at the Pleasance this year – they have 17 this year for us to choose from, so there is bound to be something for everyone !! Some top picks are :

Cat In The Hat – This lovable character is back to entertain us with his rhyming wit and mischievous exploits ! Energetic and fun, this is great for the wee ones !

 

The Bear – Adapted by Pins and Needles Productions, this looks fab – a big white bear climbs int Tilly’s bedroom – but she’s not scared. Featuring beautiful puppets, this looks set to wow…

 

Wilde CreaturesWilde Creatures – From the talented Tall Stories team, Oscar Wilde’s classic fairy tales are brought to life- we see the  pompous mayor, the petulant princess and the love-sick student compete to become the new town statue.

The Showstoppers' Kids Show The Showstoppers Kids Show – Embracing the mayhem that can occur when the kids get to decide, this improvised musical adventure is bound to be great fun !

 

BBC at the Edinburgh Festival 2018 – a bit of a let down

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I was hoping to share my usual enthusiasm for this great space during the festival, but whilst the BBC at the Edinburgh Festivals tent is now open and inviting you in to sit on the lovely deckchairs, lie on the bright green fake grass, play ping pong to our hearts content and eat delicious snacks ….. all from the 3rd – 27th August !!! – I have to share my HUGE disappointment that this year there are NO specific kids activities or shows, or their fabulous CBeebies weekends and arts and crafts …yup, not a single child specific activity this year folks…..speaking to one of the team they mentioned budget costs, streamlining blah blah blah…I’ve already tweeted them and will email them via their website too….such a shame.

It has returned to the luscious site at George Heriot’s School though which means great views of the Castle, especially with the fireworks ! And is still a great place to hang out, to get a bit of peace from the chaos on the streets – – it does have giant connect 4 and ping pong still – it was just much more friendly and inviting with the kids being catered for too !!

You can check out their Facebook page here for regular updates about events and (adult) shows!!

 

Amazing Assembly….

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Image result for assembly helter skelterAssembly have kicked things off with a bang this year ! We were lucky enough to attend the Assembly Gala last night and we LOVED every minute – Assembly have brought some fantastic programming to the Fringe this year, added even more venues and let’s not forget about the rather fun helter skelter on George Street so we can all ‘sip and slide’ !!!

The gala was a sensational showcase of some of the brilliant shows Assembly are hosting over this festival – and such an awe inspiring reminder of the breadth of acts and performers we are being treated to and the wide variety of talents !! We saw jugglers, cabaret stars, acrobats, comedians and clowns! I know this blog is for the kids events, but it’s nice to add a few top tips for all the parents too if any of you are lucky enough to get a night out ! …

  • The fabulous Le Gateau Chocolat – what a fab compere, we were crying with laughter and what a voice ! I’m super excited for his kids show Duckie, but I’m going to make sure I get along to see Icons too – it’ll be fantastic !
  • I was super excited to see the return of Lady Rizo who I’d seen a few years ago in the upstairs of the old forest cafe, and been utterly captivated by her voice and presence – she wowed the crowd last night and her show is set to wow too !!
  • I missed The Choir Of Man last year but can see why it was something of a hit – high energy, feel good and sing-a-long-able too…I can imagine my nine year old daughter enjoying it alot !!

And not forgetting of course, the showcase piece from 7 Fingers with Reversible, which we went along and saw tonight. Much gentler and more evocative than their hit show Traces back in 2015, Reversible is a journey of remembering- family, friends and loved ones and reflecting on what they’ve given to the young people who flip, dance, juggle, hoop and spin themselves around the stage. A simple set and fantastic lighting, with dramatic shadows filling the huge venue add to the ambience of the piece and let the raw talent and skill of the performers shine. Moments of humour and high energy acrobatics add energy to the performance and balance emotions out ! It was particularly great to hear the front row, consisting of mainly children giggle wildly at a somewhat harassed looking bride squeezing herself out of the smallest of spaces and wriggling about the floor  – I’d highly recommend seeing it yourself !

The very best thing of all is the generosity Assembly have shown in the locals discount – it’s great that one of the venues is taking this approach and making themselves far more accessible for everyone….the locals discount only last till the 5th August so get in there quick and snap them up !!

Pitch Perfect Pianodrome…

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Very excitingly, this year during the festival we are being treated to a brand new venue, one which looks totally unique and pretty mega ! Its the Pianodrome – if you’ve not heard of it before, it’s definitely worth checking out. It’s just finished being constructed in the Botanics and is a thing of beauty !

If you’ve ever wondered where all the old pianos end up, then wonder no more ! It’s an amphitheatre made entirely of up-cycled pianos !  Open every day from 3 – 26 August..

There is lots of fun to be had at the Pianodrome over August, including :

Drop in and play sessions – Daily 10am – 4pm
Five pianos are tuned for all to play and the rest are used to build a circle of tiered seating. Come along for free events, workshops and performances.

A host of wonderful free workshops, including one this Friday, the 3rd August by the brilliant Rowanbank Environmental Arts and Education – a ‘tree circus’ – Free family circus show, set in the beautiful grounds of the Botanics- between 3pm -4pm……one not to miss !

Sat 4 // Something Smashing improv dance and music showcase // 2-5pm
Sun 5 // Healing Plants Walk with Rachel Ashton Art (bring a pencil and sketchbook and arrive early for a prompt departure!) // 2-3pm
Sat 11 // Senegalese Djembe drumming workshop (ages 6+) // 11am-12.30pm
Sat 18 // Caroline Overy leads a singing workshop for all abilities and none // 11am-12pm
Sun 19 // Music and drum workshop open to all (age 6+) // 10am-1pm
Mon 20 // Pianodrome Philoshophy: games & stories to facilitate sympathetic listening and sharing of opinions // 2.30-3.30pm

Then at night, something magical will occur with #Pianodrome Live Wednesdays-Sundays 7pm-9pm. Brilliant multi-instrumentalists Sink host different guest acts each night

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