Returning for 2023 is the fantastic Australian venue – House of Oz. We loved this place last year, and the outback area where we got great food and drinks and could hang out in between shows.
Even the smallest voices matter. A new Australian classic, Beetle tells the story of a child who finds a friend in her backyard; together they embark on an adventure to search for the now elusive Christmas Beetle. A family show from acclaimed physical theatre artists, Legs On The Wall.
An insane mixtape of silly songs, stupid sketches and crazy clowning! For over a decade the award-winning Listies have toured the world doing shows for literally gazillions of kidults (that’s kids and their adults). Now it’s your turn. The Listies Make Some Noise is a comedy concert for humans aged 4-400. Join the maestros of mirth Rich and Matt, as they belt out a bunch of songs with the LOLs turned up to 11.
So, we may not quite have had the sunshine back in the last week or so, but fingers crossed it returns in time for this fantastically located festival, bringing us the seaside and some of our festival favourites…
Fringe By The Sea is returning to its North Berwick location and looks set to be full of entertaining shows, workshops and more for families – check out the programme here.
Some of our top picks for children and families are :
Adventures with Abi Elphinstone – From dog-sledding in the Arctic to living with the Kazakh Eagle Hunters in Mongolia, children’s author Abi Elphinstone will be talking about the real-life adventures behind her stories. She’ll be speaking about her latest book, Saving Neverland –complete with moonpaper maps, frostbears and a woolly mammoth called Armageddon.
Bioblitz – Mini Rockpool Ramble – Discover the amazing wildlife that can be found in the rockpools of North Berwick! You’ll be amazed by the variety of life and the different adaptations of the creatures you meet. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult. Participants must dress appropriately for the shore . Family friendly.
Think Circus Takeover – Spin, twirl and juggle with fun and accessible circus workshops from Think Circus, Edinburgh’s social circus. Learn the basics of juggling, hula hoop, balancing, plate spinning and more! Suitable for ages 5+. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.
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Samba Drumming Workshop – Fresh from their visit to New York city leading the Tartan Day parade, the Pulse of the Place samba band are coming to Fringe by the Sea, and they’re offering you the chance to join in. This workshop will be high energy and full of funky carnival grooves. Come and join the party! Ages 8+. Under 10s must be accompanied by an adult.
So, I started this blog ten years ago, and naturally my mini-reviewers have grown quite a bit over that time (one is even taller than me now – eek !). As they have grown older, I have started to look for shows for the in between, teenage stage- beyond the shows directly aimed at children, and shows not quite totally for adults….it’s been tricky, but we continue to explore within this range and I’m always keen to hear your suggestions too. There is of course, circus, dance, magic which all ages will enjoy…but other options are always great…
We’ve picked a few from this year’s offerings which look good for those slightly older children in your lives :
What Girls Are Made Of – For age 12+, I missed this last time, so am delighted it’s back ! The smash-hit, gig show returns, charting the true story of Cora Bissett’s journey from 90s indie-kid to wised-up woman. Touring with Radiohead, partying with Blur, she was living the dream. Until she wasn’t. With a live band, Cora celebrates life’s euphoric highs and epic lows, asking what wisdom we should pass to the next generation, and which glorious mistakes we should let them make.- 4th – 27th August (not 9th/14th/21st)
Kathy and Stella Solve a Murder – Age 12+ – Again, we never managed to see this last year, mainly as it was always sold out ! But again, excited to catch it (hopefully!) this time round…BFFs Kathy and Stella are Hull’s least successful true crime podcasters. When their favourite author is killed, they are thrust into a thrilling whodunnit of their own! Can they crack the case (and become global podcast superstars) before the killer strikes again…? – 2nd – 27th August (not 9th/14th/21st)
Pete Heat: Huge – Age 12 + – Combining both magic and comedy, this looks intriguing and very fun, and its always good to check something new out this month!….Sharp, charmingly surreal and joyously unhinged, this hilarious modern magic show will break your brain into cute little pieces. – 2nd – 27th August (not 15th )
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YUCK Circus – Age 12 +…again these guys have been here before, and I’ve caught a snippet of their show at a festival party and it was joyous and colourful and fantastic, so I’m looking forward to seeing the entire thing this time round ! High-flying acrobatics, absurd confessions and groovy dancing – all smashed together with their trademark ripper comedy. – 2nd – 28th August (not 14th/21st)
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The Dark Room for Kids! – Age 11 + …You and your family are stuck inside a live-action videogame! How will you escape?! Will you: A) Find light switch? B) Go north? C) Explode in a shower of stinking guts? An interactive adventure featuring terrible prizes and total mayhem! – 2nd – 27th August (not 15th )
As my own mini-reviewers get a big bigger, and as the number of shows for children increases, it’s worthwhile looking at those shows which are best for the even smaller audience members and for whom this may be their first introduction to theatre and performance….as always, there’s a great selection this year, but here are a few of our top picks …
Grow – The Gardener has agreed to look after their friend’s allotment. They’re very excited to grow a plant. But there’s a problem. All the instructions are lost! What is our gardener going to do…? Come and join in with a sun dance, a rain dance and some hilarious clowning around in a joyful show celebrating nature and things that grow. 40 minutes long, so a perfect show for littlies !! – 4th – 27th August (not 9th/16th/23rd)
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Mog the Forgetful Cat – We’re excited to see the much loved Mog come alive on stage in this proudction – Mog is a very forgetful cat. She forgets that she has a cat flap, she forgets that she’s already eaten her supper, and she forgets that cats don’t have eggs for breakfast every day. Bother that cat! But Mog’s forgetfulness can come in handy…- 3rd – 27th August (not 16th/21st/22nd/23rd)
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Strictly Barking – Fab-u-lous! A high-energy comedy about a lonely old man and a homeless dog who become friends and enter a ballroom dancing competition. But little do they know what trouble awaits! Get ready for comedy, slapstick, crazy characters and enthusiastic dance routines for the whole family! – 2nd – 20th August (not 9th/16th)
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The Slightly Annoying Elephant – What’s big, blue, bossy and turns up uninvited? A slightly annoying elephant, of course! One day Sam gets a very big surprise as a tired, hungry, antique-loving, cycling-enthusiast elephant turns up on his doorstep. Adopting an elephant at the zoo turned out to be a lot more than he bargained for as he didn’t realise the elephant would actually come to live with him – silly boy! – 2nd – 28th August (not 14th/21st )
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Lucky Pigeons – A treat for the whole family, BrainFools’ Fringe debut defies gravity to conjure a surreal world where a flock of energetic, curious pigeons dwell. Join us on a journey to a magical space created through incredible contemporary circus skills. – 5th – 26th August (not 14th/21st )
So the lovely folk at Assembly are offering £5 tickets to a variety of shows from the 2nd – 6th August for people with an EH, KY and FK postcode…read more about the offerhere .
Use code: AF23
All residents of EH, KY and FK postcodes can now bag £5 tickets to over 190 Assembly shows.
Tickets are limited so get yours now!
To claim your discount, first log in to your account, then add the Local Resident tickets to your basket and finally add the code AF23 before checking out
Please note your billing address must have a EH, KY and FK postcode, the offer is limited to a maximum of two tickets per performance, six per transaction and is only valid for shows on between 2-6 August inclusive.
The offer is only live between 15 – 31 July so you better be quick! T’s & C’s apply.
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