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Fringe by the Sea 2016 : 8th – 14th August

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.Fringe by the Sea returns to it’s beautiful beachside location and has two children’s events that both look great, so that along with a day at the seaside and some lobster and chips you can enjoy a show or two in a different setting outside the usual festival locations !

FBTS-website_image_6Alexander the Great –  join award winning entertainer, Alexander the Great, for fun filled entertainment at the Spiegeltent. Alexander the Great, who trained in Circus Skills at De Hoogta Circus School in Amsterdam, specialises in magic and circus skills.
The 9am interactive entertainment shall include magic, and games, for ages 3yrs to adult! The 11am show will teach Circus Skills as well as games.
9th – 14th August, 9am and 11am.

And Mr Boom returns to Fringe by the Sea once again -festival veteran Mr Boom will be back to entertain children with his one-man band from the moon !  His imaginary spaceship has been landing on Planet Earth for over 30 years and he continues to enchant and delight wee Earthlings with an exciting mix of action songs, circle dancing and spontaneous banter.            9th August 3pm and 10th August 12.00

My Top Six Children’s Shows for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2016

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So, once again it’s that time of year where you are inundated with programmes, flyers and posters and hundreds of fantastic looking shows to choose from. The number of children’s shows seems to be increasing each year which is absolutely brilliant and also means it is more overwhelming to try and decide what to see…

I’ve put together this Top 6 (as a top 5 was too hard), which was pretty difficult to do given the great choice and variety this year…and as it is a bit of a work in progress, I am always open to suggestions of what should have made the list too !

  • Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs 2: The Magic Cutlass – Captain Flinn is back ! And this looks like a fantastic sequel to the Captain Flinn show that Les Petits Theatre Company brought to us before. When Flinn is in the middle of his school play his old nemesis, Mr T the T-Rex, appears and kidnaps his friends forcing them to hunt for the Magic Cutlass: a sword that grants any wish!                                            3rd-29th August (not16th)

 

  • Lords of Strut : The Family Show – I was lucky enough to catch this show last year and I LOVED it (see feature here)…with only eleven shows this year, its one not to be missed. Brothers Famous Seamus and Sean-tastic will do anything to be famous, really anything. Charm, sharp wit and good humour, with flashes of surprising acrobatic skill and just enough naughtiness to keep kids and adults guessing. Silly and bonkers – absolutely bonkers!           4th – 14th August

 

  • Nick Cope’s Family Songbook – We have been lucky enough to see Nick Cope a few times before and we have all enjoyed every single second- he sings gorgeous songs about everything from socks, supermarkets, bears and dragons. Audience participation is included and the kids will love him ! If you haven’t heard his songs or seen his shows before, come and find out what you’re missing.                                                                                   3rd-21st August (not 17th)

 

  • Shark in the Park – This well loved book should be perfect for the stage and I’m really looking forward to seeing Timothy Pope and his telescope ! From the producers of The Hairy Maclary and Friends Show – see all three of Nick Sharratt’s Shark in the Park books live on stage!                           4th-29th August (not 15th)

 

  • The Snail and the Whale – I have seen this production before when it was last in Edinburgh and its a delight, with lovely music and song and a gentle and engaging version of Julia Donaldson’s well known book. Tall Stories really do great children’s theatre and this is no exception.        3rd-21st August (not 6th/17th)

 

  • The Many Doors of Frank Feelbad– From the folk that did ‘The incredible Book Eating Boy’ this looks like an imaginative and evocative tale about what to do when things go missing- join Frank on an adventure to find out. Dealing sensitively with grief and loss, this interactive performance looks charming.   10th-28th August

Edinburgh Play Day Wednesday 27th July

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This fantastic, hands on event is a sure sign the festival is on its way and is a great afternoon out with the kids. Taking place on Wednesday 27th July from 12.30-4.30pm in the Grassmarket- Playday is a street play event not to be missed….
Like previous years, this playday will feature activities suitable for ages 0-8, including:
  • Giant sand pit
  • Water play
  • Mud kitchen
  • Magic potions
  • Junk drumming
  • Cardboard construction
  • Baby play

And this year the PlayTalkRead bus will be at the Grassmarket too.

Fingers crossed the sun also decides to show up !!

 

Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival 15th-24th July

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Image result for edinburgh jazz festival 2016

Festival time is fast approaching and to kick things off in style, we’ve got the Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival in a couple of weeks time, running from the 15th-24th July..

This provides two very fun events for kids and families, namely the Mardi Gras and then of course, the festival Carnival…

Mardi Gras will be on the Saturday 16th July and will be in the Grassmarket, for the whole afternoon, The Grassmarket becomes home to multiple stages, non-stop entertainment and a host of bands. This year’s musical line up includes: Criterion Brass Band, St. Aidan’s Swing Band, James Brown Is Annie, Rosie Nimmo and Stuart Allardyce, Jambouree, Charlotte Marshall & The 45s.       1-4pm

 

Carnival! imageCarnival is on Sunday 17th July , kicking off at 2.30pm from the Mound, Princess Street:

2.30pm – Parade from The Mound to the West End of Princess Street

2.30-5pm – Performances in Princess Street, Princess Street Gardens,

There will be over 700 Carnival Performers with music, dance, costumes, circus acrobats and puppetry from all over the world!

If you have never been before, its a really fun and colourful afternoon -come and see giant puppets, exotic sounds, bright costumes and street performances and join the fun!

Edinburgh International Book Festival 13-29th August

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If you have read this blog before you will know I’m a huge fan of the Edinburgh book festival, so I was most delighted when the rather lovely and jam packed book festival programme fell onto my doorstep a few days ago…

It looks like another great year and the children’s events look as fantastic as always….

Some highlights from the programme include:

Julia Donaldson & FriendsJulia Donaldson and friends – Julia Donaldson is just super duper fantastic, if you love her books, then you will love any of her shows. She brings her family and friends, she sings and engages all ages in her interactive retelling of some of her favourite tales…On three dates- Sat 13th, Sun 14th and Sun 28th August

On Saturday and Sunday 13th and 14th August, the opening weekend, there will be free drop-in activities in the story box all around the theme of ‘get stuck into science‘ which looks fun….

Jacqueline Wilson – talking about her latest tale Rent a Bridesmaid (14th August)

 

 

Picturing Harry Potter – Illustrator Jim Kay brings his breathtaking full-colour edition of this well loved wizarding story. (Monday 15th)

Guinness World Records – This looks fun – taking a look at some wacky feats from over the years.( Tuesday 16th)

Sing-Along with Nick CopeSing-Along with Nick Cope – If you’ve not seen him before, please don’t miss out (he’s also got a family show at the fringe too) – fantastic, acoustic folk songs for kids…(Wednesday 17th August)

 

Tea, Cake and Colouring-in– looks lovely, with the colouring book of Scotland (Wednesday 17th August)

On Friday 19th August there will be a Beatrix Potter birthday party in the story box with free drop in activities to mark the 150th anniversary of Beatrix Potter’s birth. Celebrate with all your favourite characters…

You're a Bad Man, Mr Gum!

For fans of Mr Gum, Andy Stanton will be at the book festival on Friday 19th August with his first book of the series – You’re a Bad Man, Mr Gum

 

Nick Sharratt – will be at the festival on Saturday 20th with some nonsense poetry….

On Tuesday 23rd August, they will be celebrating Paddington Bear’s birthday – its 60 years since Michael Bond first came up with his idea for everyone’s favourite bear from Peru…

 

Chris Riddell – Meet the Children’s laureate – Chris’ illustrations are exceptional, this is ure to be a great event and interactive too…(Sunday 28th August)

Pirate Adventures with Jonny Duddle – yet another pirate adventure with Matilda, Jim Ladand the Jolley-Rogers…(Sunday 28th August)

 

 

 

And that list hardly touches it to be honest, every year the programme gets better and better and all of the activities in the story box look great too…its a fantastic venue to take the kids to, even if you are not going for an event, the children’s bookshop is immense and you can spend a very long time browsing all of the wonderful books on offer, you can enjoy lunch in the gardens on the deckchairs and take part in the daily free activities in the story box.

Tickets go on sale on Tuesday 21st June at 8.30am – grab them while you can !!