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First visit…..

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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

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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

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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

Pleasance Kidzone 2013

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For the 2015 version please follow this link

Every year the Pleasance have a great Kidzone, packed with activities for the kids and a few food stalls so parents can have a well deserved cup of coffee while the little ones run around. Its a great little space in the middle of all the festival hecticness and I like the fact you can bring the kids and let them run around and cause chaos and no one minds !

This year the Kidzone is returning and it’s going to be space themed – there will be arts and crafts activities (for a small charge), and the Cafe on the Green which serves kid friendly food…its open from 31st July – 26th August.

You could make a day of it by spending time in the Kidzone and seeing one the the many childrens shows at the Pleasance this year – my recommendations would be :

  • Aliens love Underpants – I mentioned this in another post – based on the very funny book, I’m sure the show will be great. (Age 3+)
  • The Just So Stories – Again I love this book and the incrediable stories – and this show is bringing four of these stories to life including why the moon pulls the tides and why the elephant’s nose is so long. With two showings a day, it’s worth checking out. (All ages)
  • My Brother The Robot – again I mentioned this in another post – by Tall Stories who have brought great productions to the festival previously – a story about a robot brother who causes a bit of mayhem ! (Age 4+)
  • The Golden Cowpat – maybe its because I like the name, but this show sounds fun – in a muddy magical adventure with songs and interaction.  (Age 4+)

If you’re looking for something a little more interactive for little ones – there is ‘Song Circle’ for 0-2 year olds and ‘My Yellow Ukelele’ for 2-5 year olds – ‘Song Circle’ presents classic nursery rhymes and a hamper of toys while ‘My Yellow Ukelele’ provides dressing up, singing and strumming- both with Scottish Folk singer Gill Bowman which all sounds like it could be lots of fun. Check it out here.

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 !