First week highlights….2022

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Wowee, it is sooooooooooooooooooo good to be back seeing live theatre and performances, what a TOTAL treat. We have been immensely lucky this week and have seen some fantastic shows (check out our reviews so far here), indulged in some delicious food and the sun has even been shining in Edinburgh during the festival so far…..the weather also seems delighted the festival is all back again!!!

The only slight disappointment is the hot donut stall – not sure what’s happened there, but they just aren’t what they used to be – so we’ve moved on to pastures new with ‘panquake’ for all your waffle and crepe desires and the dumplings stall which remains a firm family favourite !!

We have seen some spectacular circus, some seriously impressive dance, astounding magic, some spellbinding storytelling, magical puppet shows and very silly comedy…here are our top picks so far :

The Listies: Hamlet – Prince of Skidmark – Absolutely hilarious, if you only go and see one children’s show – this has to be it !!! An hour is too short !

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A Very Old Man With Enormous Wings – Intricate and very creative set and with just enough of a dark edge to keep us totally engrossed, its highly recommended you take a seat and get settled in to this  intimate hour of captivating storytelling.

Tom Brace : Embrace the Impossible !– Full of properly astounding magic, a sprinkling of time travel and some game show madness with ‘who wants to be a millionaire’ – its a fantastic show and I would highly recommend

Manual Cinema presents: Leonardo! A Wonderful show about a terrible monster – Wowsers !! What a total treat of a show…jam packed full of creativity and talent, be it paper cut outs, furry puppets, illustrations or an endearingly quirky live soundtrack and songs.

Circus Abyssinia: Tulu – This is energetic, passionate and you’ll be totally awestruck by all the performers, expect contortionism, acrobatics, aerial, rollerskating and an incredible finale involving a giant swing !!

For the littler little ones, our mini reviewers have loved:

A Ladder To The Stars– So much care has been taken throughout this performance to really tune into a child’s mind – what they find funny and what fuels their imagination to keep them invested in the story.

The Smeds and The Smoos – Tall Stories once again delight us with their adaptation of a beloved Julia Donaldson book. Including catchy songs, gorgeous puppetry and audience interaction…not to be missed.

For the whole family, we’ve loved these two high octane shows – both have been breath-taking:

Muse – Flip Fabrique once again astound us with their fantastic acrobatics and with beautiful intimate moments and silly snippets inbetween – try and sit near the front if you can !!

Beats on Pointe – This show is filled with energy, passion and some seriously fantastic dance skills, not to mention the infectious soundtrack,,,you’ll enjoy it as much as the performers obviously love dancing !

Catch them while you can….

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It feels like the fringe has only just got started, but some shows have limited days left to see them and finish up on Sunday 14th August, so be quick if you don’t want to miss out!…

I Piano – We have seen a previous version of this show – review here. And it’s in the most amazing venue of the Pianodrome which is worth a visit in itself. The piano has lost its music! But a little girl wants to help the piano find it again, and together they set off on a magical adventure. They meet a mad conductor in a mountain, a monk on a scooter at the North Pole and an octopus dancing on the bottom of the sea. With all three, they play games and hunt down clues, before at last finding the music in each other’s hearts. A beautiful, intimate performance….

Marcel Lucont: Les Enfants Terribles – A Gameshow for Awful Children – I have only seen Marcel in his adult shows and they are very very funny..so I expect the same will apply here! The UK’s favourite Frenchman channels his acerbic humour and quick-fire wit into a family gameshow, pitting children against adults and each other to try and find the most awful child. Come and experience what happens when international insouciance meets infantile exuberance, as children get to experience being politicians, pests and petomanes to win this badge of dishonour.

The Adventures of Bo Peep – Our mini-reviewer loved seeing this – full review here. Immerse yourself in the sights, smells and feel of the farm…. Counting sheep always sends Bo Peep off to sleep by bedtime, but with no sign of them yet she’ll be up all night searching. Bo Peep needs your help to save her little lambkins from danger! One for the younger ones age 2- 6…finishing up on Tuesday 16th August,

Book Festival 2022 : 13th – 29th August

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The Edinburgh International Book Festival is opening this weekend and we’re very very excited. It’s an oasis amongst the hustle and bustle of the fringe, and the festival village at the art school is a great place to spend an afternoon….

You can look at the list of all the children’s events here – there are 150 events, activities and workshops for children and young adults. 

There are lots of ways to enjoy this year’s festivities: join at in-person to take in the great atmosphere, enjoy free screenings of live events on the big screen in the Courtyard, or watch online from the comfort of your own home.

The Book Festival Village at Edinburgh College of Art on Lauriston Place is open daily from 9.30am until late – entry is free. The Festival Bookshop located in the beautiful old Fire Station building stocks titles by all the visiting authors and has an area dedicated to children stacked to the rafters with hundreds of titles, from classic picture books for budding readers through to contemporary teen fiction.

There are free drop in events too – including :

  • Meet some of your favourite picture book characters! Head on down to the Courtyard to join animal friends Pip and Posy, meet the Gruffalo or embrace being who you are with Elmer the Patchwork Elephant. A picture book character will appear every Saturday and Sunday of the Festival, with details on when each is appearing here.
  • Join Festival favourites Sprog Rock as they create their own mini music festival on the outdoor Courtyard Stage! Live, interactive, lots of fun for babies and youngsters of all ages – and their family and friends. (Sat 27 Aug 10:00 – 11:00)
  • Storytelling panto dame Mama G, plus some very special guests, to the Courtyard Stage for stories and songs in this cheerful celebration of acceptance, inclusion and love suitable for all ages. (Sat 27 Aug 11:30 – 13:30)
  • From 22-26 August they’re bringing the outdoors inside in the Baillie Gifford Storytime Yurt with Woodland Wonderland. Immerse yourself in beautiful woodland décor, unwind with the ambient sounds of nature and relax in the glow of atmospheric lighting for a moment of calm amidst the Festival fun.
  • Visit Dr Book in the Book Festival Bookshop to discover your next great read! Drop in for a quick consultation and receive a reading prescription – tailored to your or your little one’s tastes – that will soothe all ills. (Tuesday 16 August 10:00 – 13:00)

Spotlight on: House of Oz – fantastic new venue for 2022…

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There’s nothing we enjoy more than discovering great new spaces at the fringe and new venue House of Oz has us very very excited ….and it’s not just because we have an Aussie in the family who loves a caramelo koala or two !

The venue features a beautiful hidden courtyard space where the Outback bar and grill is offering food and drinks all day and before the children’s shows there’s often arts and crafts or facepainting.

Children’s shows at the venue include :

The Listies: Hamlet – Prince of Skidmark – For the first time in Edinburgh, Australia’s favourite kidult comedy duo, The Listies, present their hilarious adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic.

An unmissable hour of fun and giggles…

Free: decorate a paper crown at our garden craft station.

Circa : Carnival of the Animals – Carnival of the Animals whisks you away on a thrilling circus escapade bringing together classical music with performances of extreme physicality by Circa’s world-famous acrobats.

Free face painting in the secret garden.

Dolly Diamond : Storytime – A fabulous show for the kids and the very young at heart. Dolly tours Australia with the renowned Story Box Library. Expect fun picture books such as Pig in a Wig and My Unicorn Farts Glitter in this family friendly show.

First Day (ish) 2022…

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It’s technically my second day of the festival, but we only saw one show yesterday, (the fantastic Tom Brace), so I’d thought I’d merge it all together !…

Firstly, can I just say how BRILLIANT it is to be back seeing live shows again !!! Oh how I’ve missed it, and I’m loving the festival being back in it’s full flow and the energy and chaos back in the city again !! I’m loving seeing all the posters, all the street performers, all the food trucks, all the colours, sights, sounds, smells – we’ve really really missed it. And as the magnificent Reuben Kaye (one for the adults) said last night, how fantastic to be in a city where the arts are prioritised and celebrated !! We’re very lucky indeed…..

So…our first show of this festival was Tom Brace: Embrace the Impossible !.. and what a great start it was ! Full of properly astounding magic, a sprinkling of time travel and some game show madness with ‘who wants to be a millionaire’ – with lots of audience participation – its a fantastic show and I would highly recommend, it says ages 8+ and I would agree its best for older kids, and adults – Tom engages everyone well and puts in loads of humour so the adults enjoy it just as much as the younger audience members ! The kids are still pondering how he did all the tricks today which is the sign of a great show, leaving us guessing and wanting more …

Next up was the fantastic Tall Stories with The Smeds and The Smoos – This is for the littler little ones out there and Tall Stories have weaved their magic once again in their brilliant adaptation of this Julia Donaldson tale. Catchy songs, beautiful puppets, audience participation….its got a little bit of everything.

Chores was super fun once again – we’ve seen it before (review here) and enjoyed seeing two new siblings grapple with tidying their bedroom and the ensuing bedlam that follows. There was alot of silliness and alot of giggling….again, one for a slightly younger audience.

Lastly we saw the ever fantastically amazing Flip Fabrique with Muse – This was such a spectacular show, with the most incredible acrobatics, trapeze, diablo and much much more….sit near the front to be completely stunned !! We left as awestruck as ever !!

And if that wasn’t enough, I snuck in a visit to the List festival party and managed to catch a snippet of Magical Bones who astounded us with a few of his card tricks…and I’m definitely going to check out the full show if I can – one for the older children out there -ages 12 and up!