Don’t miss Dr Brown…..(or his singing tiger!)

If you haven’t seen the absolutely fantastic Dr Brown children’s show in the past couple of years at the fringe festival, please do go and check it out…

This year, there will only be two shows at the festival and they are this weekend, the 17th and 18th August at 11.50 at the Underbelly Bristo Square…Dr Brown Brown Brown Brown Brown and his singing tiger is an excellent show for children, with lots of audience interaction and participation and the singing tiger is totally captivating for younger children….

Dr Brown won the Comedy award last year and if you have seen the adult show you may wonder how it can possibly translate into a children’s show, but it does and its great !!

Infact, I think I prefer the kids show even ……don’t miss it !

Super Summerhall…

I keep on hearing more and more great things about the venue Summerhall since it first opened and this festival season it seems it’s the place to be !  Added to this, they have just opened their new children’s play and activity space called Animal Antics …this place looks FANTASTIC and I’m super keen to go check it out: offering soft play, fancy dress, arts and crafts and a library all in one space !! Open Thurs-Sun from September, during the festival its open 11 – 16th August / 18 – 19th August  and 23rd August.

As well as providing a cafe and a great space to hang out and keep the kids occupied, there are some great children’s shows happening at Summerhall this festival, lots happening in a yurt, and I’ve heard some great personal reviews about some of them- this show in particular :

L’Apres-midi d’un Foehn -Version 1 – This show involves plastic bags beginning their own life – with beautiful musical accompaniment, the ‘plastic dancers’ are propelled by air currents to dance. A growing number of my friends have been to see this show and both their children and themselves loved it – it states it is ‘strongly recommended for those aged above 5 years’

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These events happening during August also look great :

YurtaKids! UnLeashed_Scatenati – This is a seafaring journey, an adventure with no words: just light, sound and action. A trip for little ones over waves of sound, as cleverly manipulated chains play centre stage in an experience of metamorphosis, discovery and enchantment. Suitable for ages 0-5..

YurtaKids! The Red Bike – Discover the eccentric history of Marta’s family – they make a living by putting toys inside chocolate eggs but their lives are complicated by Mister Moneybags, the villainous ‘owner of everything’(!), of the chocolate egg factory and of the house and also of the moon and the stars. But Marta and her family have a plan…Ages 5+

Crying out loud presents Daydream – This unusual events definitely looks worth checking out – and the whole family could go at once…Come in. Settle down. Close your eyes and listen. Are there bees living in your ears? Has the sea stopped crying? Is the house sighing? Let the music caress you (inside a 40’ shipping container).

The performance runs every 15 minutes in three 4 hour blocks through the day

  • 11.00 – 15.00 (last show 14.45)
  • 15.30 – 19.30 (last show 19.15)
  • 20.00 – 00.00 (last show 23.45)

So – lots of reasons to go and check this venue out – playspaces, events, a cafe, shows, yurts…..I’ll be heading down their way very very soon !

http://www.summerhall.co.uk/

First visit…..

So, after a long weekend in London, today was my first visit to the festival and myself and the kids had a great old time…

The Golden Cowpat

We went to the Pleasance to see the show The Golden Cowpat which was really enjoyable – it had music from the beginning to end which helped engage both kids and enough audience participation and puppetry and loud noises that both my kids enjoyed it and sat through without too much wriggling !!! The two actors were fantastic and put loads of energy into the performance and spent time at the beginning interacting with everyone which I thought was a nice touch…..worth checking out.

We then trundled off to the Kidzone and spent some time there playing with the various toys and puppet theatre and then got stuck into the arts and crafts – the two ladies running that section were lovely and extremely helpful and I was pleasantly surprised at how affordable the prices were (!!) – lots of things to do for under £3. My daughter made a cool ‘shrinkie’ necklace for £1.50 and I think she is actually still wearing it while asleep as it’s much loved !!!

All in all a great start to our festival experience …..

Fringe by the Sea August 5th – 11th North Berwick

I know it’s not technically Edinburgh, but I thought this festival deserved a little mention too – especially as we’ve been having such great weather lately that a day out at the beach in North Berwick could be easily combined with seeing something at this little festival.

They have a few things on for children :

Bookbugs – these song and story sessions last around 40 mins and are perfect for younger children –              August 6th – Baby Speigeltent    11.00

Mr Boom – The unique children’s entertainer, combining songs, dance and audience participation.            August 6th – Belhaven Speigeltent    2,.00pm    £6

Jo Jingles – There are two sessions of this on the 8th August, it’s a music, singing and movement class for babies and young children.    on 8th August   11.00am and 2.00pm Belhaven Spiegeltent  £5

I know it’s not really a children’s show, but I know a few folk in the fantastic band Orkestra Del Sol – and the band is always great- high energy and will totally get the whole family up and dancing with their Balkan musical mayhem !  definitely worth checking out….  August 7th  Belhaven Speigeltent  4.00pm   £15

Just Festival 2013

just Festival Edinburgh

This festival is one of the smaller, lesser known festivals happening in Edinburgh this August. It was formerly known as the Festival of Spirituality and Peace, and has rebranded this year as the Just Festival. From the 2nd – 26th August the festival aims to unite people of all faiths, with 450 activities across the city including music, poetry and theatre.

Nestled within the varied programme are some family events including the two below which look fun :

Andy and Mio’s Seaside Show – Storytelling and Puppetry with stories of the sea with harp music and games. Includes Mr. Punch’s Grumpy Holiday and Angels on Vacation.  August 8th and 22nd – Persian Tent at St John’s       15.00 – 15.45    by donation

What’s the Story – Professional storyteller Marie-Louie Cochrane is set to delight with her traditional tales all set within the magical Persian Tent. Suitable for all ages.                 August 15th 15.00 – 15.45  – St John’s       by donation

If you like eating cake (who doesn’t ?) – the event Intercake is worth checking out ! Celebrating the diversity of cakes, sweets and puddings – this cake sale, masterclass and pudding party features cakes from different cultures. Proceeds from sales will go to charities Mary’s Meals and  Waverley Care.       August 4th (16.00 – 17.30), 5th (10.00-12.00) and 6th (16.00-17.00)        Hall at St John’s