The programme is here !

Posted on June 9, 2016 by Edinburghfestivalsforkids

So, after months of waiting, the programme for the Edinburgh Fringe festival 2016 is here !

I am getting very very excited already and have had a quick flick through the children’s section and I’m very happy to see some of my favourite shows are returning, including; The Snail and The Whale, Lords of Strut, The Trash Test Dummies and The Cat in the Hat…

Alongside these old familiars, there are some new shows that stand out,including, Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs 2, Nick Cope’s Family Songbook, Shark in the Park and Bedtime Stories….

Oooooo, so much to be keeping us all going in August ! I’ll be having a more detailed look and will start posting about venues soon. I can see that the BBC tent is moving to rather luscious new accommodation at George Herriot’s School too….

Lots to be checking out then….enjoy flicking through the programme and the countdown has now truly begun !

Edinburgh International Magic Festival 1st – 8th July 2016

Posted on June 2, 2016 by Edinburghfestivalsforkids

Edinburgh International Magic Festival

Seekers of wonder and amazement are invited to ‘lose themselves in magic’ this summer as the Edinburgh International Magic Festival celebrates its 7th magical year as the UK’s biggest festival of magic running from the 1st – 8th July.

Edinburgh is set to sparkle with an enchanting programme of world-class magic events, unforgettable performances, and jaw-dropping stunts from some of the greatest illusionists, mindreaders and accomplished magicians from around the world.

And even better is that there are some great events for kids, including a fantastic sounding magic school and a matinee performance of the Magicfest Gala show…

MagicFair: 1st – 3rd July | Summerhall
This year’s MagicFest launches with a brand new three day MagicFair at Summerhall – a multi-room experience enticing visitors to lose themselves with a full spectrum of magic performances and watch up to 10 live shows all with one ticket across morning (10am-2pm), afternoon (2-6pm) and lates (7.30-11.30pm) sessions.Family oriented morning sessions offer free entry to under 7s, who can enjoy Magic School workshops, wand-crafting, treasure hunts and six different live shows.Between shows, festivalgoers can explore the Ribbon Maze, Magic & Circus Shop, Sam the Scam Banco Booth and enjoy spontaneous close-up magic, comedy, illusions and sleight of hand with food, drink and music in the open-air courtyard.
Magic School & Workshops: 4th – 7th July | Quaker Meeting House | £80/18 Ages 7-10 The most mysterious summer school in the world!This 4-day course or 2.5 hour workshop will bring-out the inherent magic talents of budding young wizards, under the supervision of Head Master Gary James. Magic School students will learn, create and perform their own magic tricks, with each day focussing on a different area of magic and performance, from levitation to vanishing card tricks, with a graduation ceremony and magic show for family on the final day.
Magic and Variety Gala Show: 8th July | Festival Theatre | From £14 | Age 5+
Due to incredible popularity, a matinee performance has been added to this year’s MagicFest Gala, which brings the festival to a splendiferous finale.Believers and sceptics will be blown away by this two and a half hour variety of breath-taking performances from world champion illusionists, mindreaders, masters of the impossible and confounding magicians from Scotland and around the world. Highlights include South Korean Digital Time Traveller Hun Lee; Alchemist Young Min Kim, who deconstructs matter with the touch of his hand; Scotland’s mindreading equivalent to Sherlock Holmes and sell-out act Colin Cloud; Spanish magic world champion Hector Mancha; and mind-dizzying hula hoop artist Miss Polly Hoops.

Plenty of things to keep the wee ones entertained and to spark their magical imaginations !

Imaginate Festival 28th May – 5th June

Posted on April 23, 2016 by Edinburghfestivalsforkids

It’s that wonderful time of the year when the nights are getting lighter, the days are a little bit sunnier and festival season is just around the corner !

To warm us up before full festival season gets going, the Imaginate Festival is bringing some fantastic children’s theatre to Edinburgh.

One of the highlights looks to be the family fringe opening weekend, which is taking place at the National Museum of Scotland over the weekend of the 28th/29th May. There will be a host of free drop-in activities including storytellers, mini performances, hands on art activities and live music for everyone to enjoy.

The_Bookbinder-024-pm_53b_05514-A4 I was particularly excited to see that The Bookbinder is coming to the Imaginate festival as I tried really hard to get tickets during the fringe and never managed and it had great reviews so is well worth checking out. ”A story of mystery, intrigue and charm.” Traverse Theatre 2nd-5th June.

Untitled For the littler ones, the Blue Block Studio looks good to explore – offering an innovative, creative space for babies to listen, to explore, to build, to watch, to lie down, to look and to touch.

National Museum – 28th May – 3rd June

All the other performances look well worth checking out in this gem of a festival and a wonderful way to introduce kids to theatre……

It’s starting to look alot like Christmas…

Posted on November 16, 2015 by Edinburghfestivalsforkids

So, now that Halloween is well and truly done and dusted, we can all embrace the the upcoming festivities and celebrations surrounding Christmas! As usual Edinburgh is putting on a wide array of events, shows, celebrations and markets !

The main hub of events are organised by ‘Edinburgh’s Christmas‘ which is kicking everything off this weekend, on the 20th November.

Sunday the 22nd November looks great with the annual free ‘Light Night‘ taking place on George Street between 1.30-5pm. Expect fireworks, Susan Boyle and 50 school and community groups each performing an act, a dance, a song or a piece of music to celebrate all things Christmas on one of the stages.

Other free events include the ’24 doors of Advent’ – each day from 1 – 24 December, a building around Edinburgh that’s usually closed to the public will open its doors, including Gilmerton Cove, The Victorian School Room and The Real Mary King’s Close.

Edinburgh’s Christmas also includes the usual Christmas market, ice rinks, Christmas wheel, Santa Grotto, Christmas tree maze, Santa train and other rides and attractions.

Stockfest 2015 12th-20th September

Posted on September 15, 2015 by Edinburghfestivalsforkids

I’m a little late with this event – but luckily it’s still going ! Stockfest, a week long festival celebrating the village of Stockbridge in Edinburgh and the surrounding community, returns in 2015 for its 4th festival between the 12th and 2th September!

The brainchild of Stockbridge Traders, Tannis Dodd and JoJo Hernandez, follows on from the success of previous years and one day festivals in the area. Spread over the week of Saturday 12th – Sunday 20th September, the festival involves local traders, community groups, schools & residents and as ever the 2015 programme will not disappoint!

Stockfest Committee organised events return including: StockFlea – an UpCycling and Vintage Flea Market.. StockDog – a mini ‘scruffs’ event to be held in Inverleith Park.. StockDish – where Stockbridge Chefs go head to head with their culinary delights.. a Party to thank everyone, business and residents, for supporting Stockbridge & shopping locally!

Highlights for the rest of the week include Guided Walks through the area, Taster Sessions in Zumba and Swing Dancing at LifeCare on Cheyne Street, Book and Poetry readings plus a Local History Talk at Stockbridge Library, Live Music and Shopping Discount Evenings throughout the area and even a WW2 themed Community Celebration.

Check it out – the StockDog on Sunday 20th looks especially fun !

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