My Top Five Children’s Shows at Edinburgh Fringe 2015

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As I’ve said before- I get very, very excited in the run up to festival season, and once all the programmes are printed and launched, I enjoy flicking through all the possible show choices but I also find it immensely overwhelming. Venues are increasing the number and variety of their children’s shows each year and it is becoming so very difficult to select which shows to see amongst such a wonderful, creative collection.

I have managed to create this top five but it is very much a work in progress and I’m keen to hear your opinions too if you see something which you think should have made the list:

  • Alfie White : Space Explorer – Brought this year by Tall Stories who came to Edinburgh last year with ‘Emily brown and the thing’ which was extremely enchanting- this shows looks worth a peek. Alfie White is crazy about space. And his dad is training to be the first man on the moon. At least that’s what Alfie tells his schoolmates. In fact, Alfie’s dad has disappeared without trace… A cosmic tale of adventure and discovery.                                                  5th-30th August (not 19th)
  •   The Secret Life of Suitcases – The storytelling centre is a hidden delight of puppetry during the festival and for the past few years some of my absolute favourite shows have been hosted here – the venue is small and cosy and perfect for engaging with puppets. This story about the mysterious arrival of a suitcase in an office looks like another enchanting tale…                                   8th-23rd August (not12th/17th)
  • Morgan & West’s Utterly Spiffing Spectacular Magic Show for Kids (and childish Grown-ups!) – I managed to see these guys perform some magic last year and I loved it – they are very entertaining and I think it will work very well for kids – ‘Witness a mountain of mysterious magic, a hatful of hyper-reality, and, of course, a truck-full of tricks and tea’                                                  5th – 31st August (not24th)
  •   Trash Test Dummies – Circus seems to be a bit of a theme this year at the fringe and this show looks ace – as these three dexterous dummies take out the trash and take to the stage in their family friendly show which won Best Children’s Presentation at Adelaide Fringe 2015.                                       7th – 29th August (not 17th/24th)
  • Brush – I think this show looks intriguing, imaginative and unique… Paintings are created live on stage and brought to life right before your eyes. They tell a bewitching story filled with weird and wonderful characters through live music, dance, fanciful puppets and a company of engaging performers.                                                          6th – 30th August (not 18th)

Fringe By The Sea 2015 – 10th -16th August North Berwick

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Fringe By The Sea has a stunning beach location, so you can enjoy a great family seaside day out and catch a festival show too ! It’s like a minature Edinburgh Fringe festival and as such it hosts a handful of family friendly shows and events that are well worth checking out – I’ve picked a few in particular :

Mr Boom – Festival veteran Mr Boom will be back again to entertain children with his one-man band from the moon ! This promises to be an exciting mix of song, dance and audience participation !              12th August 3pm, 13th August 11am  (ages 3-9)

Tales in the Tide – Do you dare to take the hand of a mermaid? Swim with a Selkie? Hear the song of a Siren? Such stories are only fishwives’ tales… or are they? Come and join this London-based theatre company as they transport you deep into the enchanting depths of some of the greatest folktales and fairytales of the tides.      12th and 13th August 4.30pm (Age 7+)

FUNBOX2

Funbox – The magical FUNBOX contains everything you need to sing a song and have an adventure, but it’s locked tight, and won’t open until you find the special keys to open it up. Where could those keys be hiding though? Can you help to find them all?       13th August 2pm

Pleasance Kidzone 2015

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Each year the Pleasance has a fantastic kidzone – packed with fun craft activities, toys, picnic tables, buggy park and a few food stalls so importantly parents can also grab a well deserved cup of coffee !

Children can also enjoy storytelling sessions, face painting, music, author book signings and regular visits from all the Pleasance performers, so it is a gem of a place to spend some time with kids during the festival season.

The Pleasance’s 2015 children’s programme is almost double what is has been in previous years, with a whopping number of 26 shows for you to choose from – you can read all about them here.

Here are a few of my top picks :

  • Alfie White : Space Explorer – Brought this year by Tall Stories who came to Edinburgh last year with Emily brown and the thing which was extremely enchanting- this shows looks worth a peek. Alfie White is crazy about space. And his dad is training to be the first man on the moon. At least that’s what Alfie tells his schoolmates. In fact, Alfie’s dad has disappeared without trace… A cosmic tale of adventure and discovery for everyone aged 5+                                 
  • The Tiger Who Came To Tea – The doorbell rings just as Sophie and her mummy are sitting down to tea. Who could it possibly be? …..Most parents and children will be familiar with this delightful tale which has spanned generations and this show packed with music and clumsy chaos looks exciting !  (Ages 2 +)               
  • Albee Vector The Sound Collector – This show was part of the free fringe last year and I mentioned it in my blog as being worth visiting but I never made it myself – judging by it’s return to the Pleasance venue this year, it’s well worth the trip ! An epic tale of love, adventure and a sound-hoover called Mustard. Find out how Albee and his love Andromeda survived kings, curses and cruelty on their quest for beautiful sound in the world. (Ages 4+)                                             Albee Vector the Sound Collector
  • Rosie’s Magic Horse – If an ice lolly stick can dream of being a horse, what magic might follow? A fantastic story based on the book by Russell Hoban. This looks very mystical and enchanting…..(Ages 3-8)                                             

Definitely looks like its worth visiting the kidzone again this year….

Three Sisters Free Fringe 1st – 5th August

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So this August, The Free Sisters are looking forward to hosting Fringe for Bairns from 1-5th August to be part of another successful year of the Free Festival! With the fringe festival starting a little later this year  (7th August), the organisers have decided to host this event earlier so it ties in with the school holidays and means children can enjoy more of the Fringe before school starts again – sounds good to me!

For the first week in August the venue (The Three Sisters Pub-139 Cowgate) is going to be hosting special children’s shows, kids ceilidhs, face painting, magician acts and a petting zoo on Wednesday 5th August.

There will be plenty of events for the whole week, with a number of children’s comedians and storytellers telling tales of mystical and strange creatures from faraway lands! To top it all off, they will also have an outdoor cinema playing a selection of the best children’s films every day in August!

The daily programme for August 1st to 5th is:

  • 10.00am – 1.00pm – Kids Movies on the Big screen in the Courtyard – Enjoy a movie in the outdoor cinema, around the tables or relax on the deck chairs!
  • 10.00am, 11.45am, 1.30pm and 3.00pm – The A to Z of Wonderful Strange – Roll up! Roll up! Come and see The Stuffed Crocodile Story Wagon (a German touring wagon in the Courtyard). A fairy tale made reality! Seen around the world as it journeys from village to town. Hear Professor Pemberton’s tales of far-off lands! Faeries and Pirates! Ghosts and Dragons! Truly an A to Z of Wondrous Strange!
  • 10.45am – Defrosted – Love FROZEN or hate it, you will laugh your stripy socks off at this pair of lovable clowns and their puppet rock band. Join Nicko, the beardy Australian & Cat from CBBC’s comedy sketch show FIT! for a super-silly, fun show. Featuring comedy songs, live music and real magic.
  • 11.30am – Funtime Kids Disco – Kids have the chance to celebrate the their holidays by getting down for some serious partying! DJ Kitty Kat and Matty Grey are loud, funny and will keep the kids moving the whole time. The disco is an hour of madness, mayhem and music for kids aged 5 to 10 years. But good music… the stuff kids want to hear. No old fogy music to be even allowed in the place!
  • 12 noon and 1pm – Ceilidh for Kids – Family workshop suitable for children aged 3-7 years with parents or carers. Everyone is involved: skip, clap and march together to traditional Scottish music. Enjoy discovering very simple (often simplified) dances that you might find at a ceilidh or Scottish country dance, celebrating the social aspects of dancing with a partner. Ceilidh Kids is all about fun for all generations.
  • Midday – Gorgeous George and the return of the Snot zombies – Award winning author Stuart Reid returns to the three sisters with Bums, bogies and big bottom burps – more monsters, mayhem and muck. The Snot Zombies are back and the circus is coming to town and Grandpa Jock has almost wet himself with excitement. George’s suspicions are aroused when the circus elephants begin dumping piles of pink poo on the pavement.
  • 1.30pm – Game on – Direct from Australia. Game On returns to Edinburgh for a second year. This is a show about games, all types of games. Whether it’s the latest in 3D-4G, hi-def, surround-sound, Wi-Fi, Wii Fit, online, interactivity or … well, you know, games where you actually interact: Matty Grey will examine them all and try to work out why the cheat codes aren’t working! Matty Grey will entertain and delight with his rapid-fire comedy and non-stop energy.
  • 2.30pm – Huggers – The popular worldwide hit comedy and cabaret show for all the family returns to Edinburgh with another revolving line-up of the best comedians, musical acts, magicians and children’s entertainers for all the family to enjoy together.

On Wednesday 5th August, there will also be a visit from staff and animals from Gorgie City farm, from 10am to 2pm, with a selection of animals for the children to interact with.

Like all Free Festival shows, the shows are free entry – and donations are asked for at the end.

BBC at the Edinburgh Festival 2015 ….

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Yipee ! Yes, its one of my all time favourite venues at the Edinburgh festival and it’s returning in all of its glory…the green green grass will be laid out soon and the pink and blue tents will be traveling over. It is a great place to hang out, with deck chairs, food stalls, a giant tv screen and lots of live music too … As ever, they have a wide range of events this year including some great free family events too …I imagine like previous years they will be doing family friendly weekends…keep an eye out on their facebook page for more regular information about events – they are very good at updating daily during the festival about what’s going on in the space.

Currently there are a few family events that look good and you can already apply for tickets in the ballot system (if you miss out, don’t be disheartened as there are tickets released on the day of events at the venue too…). They have just updated the tickets page and its much easier to see whats on and to apply – for the family events click here.

  • So far…the stargazing live event with Mark Thompson and his sidekick Captain Gravity looks exciting – Friday 7th August 5.30pm – children can learn about the mysteries of space whilst launching rockets and making comets.
  • As does Swashbuckle live on Saturday 8th August at 10.30 and 12.30….where Gem searches for her hidden jewels on a desert island and she’ll need the help of all the Swashbucklers in the audience if she’s to find them before the naughty pirate who is also digging for treasure.