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Super Spectacular Circus Hub 2017

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Image result for edinburgh circus hubThe rather fantastic Circus Hub has returned to the Meadows this year, bringing with it a huge range of family friendly circus shows and some old favourites like the Trash Test Dummies ! I’ve already been lucky enough to check a few of the shows out, and also sample the delicious churros on sale !!

It feels like the variety of circus shows grows at the festival every year, and this year we have a bumper crop of superb circus to choose from, and rather fantastically, most of the shows are family friendly – yay !!

My top five picks are :

Arr We There Yet ? – Head first Acrobats bring us a kids show full of pirates, swashbuckling adventures, some amazing acrobatics and lots and lots of fun ! We had a fantastic time and the kids couldn’t stop giggling ……(and these guys have the most amazing and fun show for adults – Elixir – I’ve seen it twice now and it’s absolutely hilarious-just don’t bring the kids! )

Trash Test Dummies – These guys are a firm favourite with my family – dustbins, acrobatics and much silliness ! What more do you need ? (read  review  here)

 

All The Fun – A hypnotic, tongue-in-cheek antidote to the glittering circus world. You’re invited beyond the everyday 1, 2, 3 of juggling in an ever-changing space, with the performers balancing objects and throwing bodies, rendering failure just as visible as sweat.

Circus Abyssinia:Ethiopian Dreams – An unashamedly joyful mix of astonishing stunts, astounding circus skills and enchanted adventure, Circus Abyssinia: Ethiopian Dreams follows the magical journey of two little Ethiopian brothers whose dream of joining the circus is made real by the Man in the Moon.

Kin – The boys from the 2015 smash Bromance are back in this red-hot, five-star circus show… and they’ve brought friends! Lots of humour makes this circus piece really accessible for families, and children will be amazed at the talents and skills of the performers. Highly recommended….

 

 

 

First day ….

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I’ve had a brilliant kick off to the festival, it’s actually more of a day and a half but we’ve dived straight in and four shows down we’re loving it and looking forward to much much more !

On Wednesday we went and saw Morgan and West’s : More Magic For Kids which we loved , you can read the review here – they are such a fantastic duo, charming the audience with their wit and had the children non stop giggling with their rather silly magic ! I’d definitely recommend it , but like last year, it was busy so get tickets early !

We did some hanging out in George Square gardens with the fake grass and picnic benches, and the rather delicious hot donut stall (!)….

Yesterday was our first full day, packing in three shows. We started off with the magical and rather lovable Mavis Sparkle….a really gentle and enticing show about Mavis who’s a cleaner and her cuckoo clock and mystery pet Spike – sprinkled with magic tricks and some beautiful shadow puppetry, it really is very very engaging!

 

Then we got stuck into some of the fabby arts and crafts at the Kidzone – my two made some fun shrinkies and badges and are already planning to go back next week for pom pom wasps and fairy jars !!

Next up we saw the utterly enchanting and captivating The Road That Wasn’t There – Trick of the Light Theatre have once again brought some incredible storytelling and intricate paperwork and puppetry to the festival. It is best suited for older children (says 8+) with a slightly dark edge to the story at times, but we were lost for an hour, totally lost in the story and loving the set, the songs, the puppets and of course the maps…..one not to be missed I’d say.

We finished up with the mad, musical, colourful extravaganza that is China Goes Pop ! Again I would suggest getting tickets early as the queue was massive !! It was very quirky and very fun, with some amazing acrobatics, an infectious pop soundtrack and lots of very smiley, happy performers bringing us an hour of hoops, scooters, circus and hats !!

Phew…..I feel like I need a rest after all that lot, but today I’m looking forward to the BBC tent opening !

Pleasance Kidzone Activities 2017

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Folks…in a follow up to my feature on the rather fantastic Kidzone at the Pleasance this year, here is the list of brilliant arts and crafts activities they will be offering with the prices – as always its very reasonable and I’ve heard the arts and crafts area is even bigger this year ! So definitely well worth a visit and making a day of when you go see one of the fabulous kids shows at the Pleasance this year too !

BBC at the Edinburgh Festivals 2017…

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Image result for bbc at edinburgh festivalsThe luscious bright green fake grass, the brightly coloured deck chairs, the pink and blue tents, the ping pong table and the yummy food and drink…yes, it’s all returning ! And this year BBC at the Edinburgh Festivals is back in the rather grand location at George Heriot’s School again with the wondrous Edinburgh Castle for a backdrop…what more do we all need ??

It will be open from Friday 4th to Friday 25th August.

Readers of this blog will know this is one of my favourite places to hang out during the festival, to sit and watch the big screen, get involved in the daily kids activities and sample some of the tasters of shows from all the venues.

Every year the BBC tent hosts a fantastic variety of children’s events and activities and I’m certain this year the programme will be bursting with fun yet again. They have just released a list of their children’s activities for this year here and it’s looking great ! – author events, arts and crafts, dance workshops, mini beasties, geology, dragons, storytelling and much much more !

This weekend, the opening weekend is jam packed full of family friendly activities including:

  • Circus Open Toybox (Ages 5+)   Fri 4th 9.30am – 1.30pm and Sat 5th August 12pm – 4pm

Run away with the circus! Come and try out some circus skills including hulahoop, juggling, spinning plates, balancing feathers, flowersticks and more with Circus Alba.

  • RSPB (Ages 4-10)  Sat 5th August 10.30am – 4.30pm

The RSPB will be running mini beast hunts searching for lots of creepy crawlies as well as going on a wild treasure hunt to see what things we can find. You can also make a solitary bee home with us.

  • Animal Magic (Ages 3+)  Sun 6th August 10.30am – 4.30pm

Come along and have a Close Encounter with Animal Magic! Animal Handler Laura will be on site with a selection of her exotic creatures on display for you to see, learn about, meet and even touch.

All this and free arts and crafts and storytelling sessions throughout the weekend too ! See you there….

 

Pleasance Kidzone 2017

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Image result for pleasance kidzone edinburgh2017I love the Kidzone at the Pleasance…with it’s puppet shows, toys, picnic tables,  free colouring, the fantastic and very reasonable arts and crafts activities and of course, the fabulous Green cafe, keeping all us awake and enthused with hot drinks !!

It makes for a perfect day out if you combine it with checking out a show or two from the fantastic 16 children’s shows on offer at the Pleasance this year !

Some of my top picks are :

The Giant Jam Sandwich – I love reading this book with my kids and am very curious into how they’ll be adapting it for the stage !! Expect rhymes and silliness galore!

The Gruffalo’s Child – Tall Stories make great theatre for kids, and sticking to much loved Julia Donadlson books seems to be working out for them very well !! Expect the usual beautiful puppets, inventive sets and musical melodies !

 

Mavis Sparkle – With a magician for a Dad and a stargazer for a Mum, no wonder there’s more to Mavis than meets the eye! This looks rather magical and adventurous !

The Listies Make You LOL – Returning from their successful run last year, the Listies are hilarious, messy and decidedly insane. Featuring alien attacks, toilet paper guns and the most disgusting pair of underpants you have ever seen in your life  !

The Pleasance will be returning to the EICC again this year, and bringing along this lovely looking piece for little ones :

The Polar Bears Go up – The Polar Bears are moving up in the world. They’ve lost their balloon and they need to get it back. It’s time to get up, step up, climb up, jump up. One thing’s for sure, the only way is up! These lovable Polar Bears are intrepid explorers, famous for their wild expeditions.