First week highlights 2018

Posted on August 11, 2018 by Edinburghfestivalsforkids

Wowee, it’s been a VERY busy first week indeed, even slightly longer than a week as we squeezed some preview days in ! I feel like it’s been a month already…
We have seen some WONDERFUL shows, really enjoyed hanging out at the Pleasance Kidzone too and making some shrinkies, loved the hot donuts and the delicious ice cream stall next to it in Assembly gardens and all the brilliant street performers – some great bubble guys along middle meadow walk most days !

In terms of shows, we’ve been blown away by some great family circus, enjoyed musical delights and some spellbinding storytelling – highlights have been :

Duckie – A mesmerising musical show by the fabulous Le Gateau Chocolat, a reimagining of the Ugly Duckling that is all about realising your own inner strengths and beauty – just beautiful.

Arr We There Yet ? – A total treat of an hour – pirates, sea shanties, swashbuckling sword fighting fun and lots of impressive acrobatics !! Add to the mix some silly puns and its entertaining for the whole family ! Climb aboard and enjoy the fun…

Chores – Messy, silly circus for littlies ! Two brothers are set the challenge of tidying their room with hilarious consequences…fast paced, frantic and fun !

Splash Test Dummies – The Dummies are back with a fabulous splish splashing adventure ! Baywatch style lifesaving, beach volleyball and synchronised swimming all get a Dummies makeover !

The Bear – Beautiful puppetry makes this enchanting show even more captivating – lovely songs, a great ever changing set and a gentle story perfect for wee ones..

Wilde Creatures – Tall Stories return with a musical tale, looking at what qualities would make someone fit for a town statue – Intelligence ? Beauty ? Generosity ? Oscar Wilde’s lesser known fairy tales get a spectacular outing in this storytelling gem !

And finally our winner of the week, that the whole family LOVED :

Attrape Moi – Spellbinding circus tricks, giant trampolines, ice pop fun – there’s a little bit of everything in this show – the kids mouths were hanging open in wonder !!! Best to see it for yourselves !

Creative and Curious Circus Hub 2018…

Posted on July 28, 2018 by Edinburghfestivalsforkids

Image result for underbelly circus hub

The superbly brilliant Circus Hub by Underbelly returns to the Meadows this year, bringing with it a whole host of spectacular and fun shows and this year, even more family friendly circus shows – yay !!!

You can visit the Circus Hub for two dazzling circus tents – The Lafayette and The Beauty – and a charming bar ! ( I’m also hoping the yummy churros stall will be back this year – that was a highlight last summer !)..

Every single show in this venue looks like it will be fantastic, but here are my top five picks of family friendly shows, with some old favourites returning !!! :

Arr We There Yet ? – Returning after last year’s huge success, this is a rip-roaring and swashbuckling adventure in which three sailors hit the high seas in search of treasure! A scallywag pirate, a muscular sailor and a chef with a seafood allergy make for a hopeless crew as they fight for the title of Captain aboard the ship. These acrobatic pirates turn ship life upside down! 4th – 25th August 12pm The shows on 14 and 21 August will be Relaxed Performances.

Splash Test Dummies – Yay !!! This trio of very loveable acrobats return with a new adventure for us this year . Splash Test Dummies are here, ready to roll out their beach towels and spring into a brand-new hour of circus-filled hilarity for the whole family. See a brilliant array of catch-your-breath stunt work, acrobatics, juggling and the side-splitting, slapstick comedy for which the Dummies are famous. 4th – 25th August 1pm

Circa : Wolfgang – After the sell out success last year of Humans – Circa return with a family show this year which is sure to be stunning. Straight from the score and onto the stage, the man known as Mozart appears amidst a puff of powder, wigged and ready to throw musical madness into a crescendo of dives, swoops and twirls. Featuring mischievous acrobats and musicians, Wolfgang reinvents the composer’s magical music with circus twists. Watch as the notes are physically lifted off the page as performers bring the renowned compositions to life amidst a storm of powder, tumbles and crashes, all under the eccentric swirl of the conductor’s baton. 4th – 25th August 2pm

Circus Abyssinia: Ethiopian Dreams – Back again, we LOVED this last year – full of colour, energy and music !! An unashamedly joyful mix of astonishing stunts and enchanted adventure, Circus Abyssinia follows the journey of two Ethiopian brothers whose dream of joining the circus became a reality. Plunged into a world of daredevil wonders, they encounter a host of other circus dreamers: dancing, contorting, gravity-defying figures, all weaving tales of their own. 4th – 25th August 3pm

Universoul Circus : Hip Hop Under The Big Top – This newcomer to the Circus Hub looks fab, combining great music with great acrobatics – one to definitely check out! It’s Hip-Hop Under the Big Top, combining edge-of-your-seat performances, stunning spectacle, hilarious audience participation and a soundtrack that will blow the roof off the tent. UniverSoul’s international cast includes high-wire artists, slapstick comedy, jaw-dropping contortionists, Caribbean limbo fire-dancers and global internet sensations Fresh The Clowns. 4th – 25th August 5pm

Wowee….that’s ALOT of circus to be seeing, we are very very lucky !!!

Final week !!!!

Posted on August 21, 2017 by Edinburghfestivalsforkids

Gosh, August is flying by and soon we’ll be saying goodbye to the hundreds of shows and the cool circus tents until next year…sniff. But, luckily there is still time to squeeze in a few shows and events this week. Here are some top recommendations ! :

The BBC tent is still open until Friday 25th. Events this week for families include :

Sparkle Arts – Under the Sea (Ages 2-6) Tues 22nd August 10.45am – 11.30am / 11.45-12.30pm

Make sure you have your swimming kit and goggles with you, because today we’re going on an ‘Under the Sea’ adventure. During this class, the magical rainbow fish introduces children to all her mystical sea friends including Sally the Seahorse and Christopher the Crab. Find out more

Bookbug (Ages 0-4) 23rd August: 10.30am – 11.15am / 12 noon -12.45pm and 25th August: 10.30am – 11.15am / 12 noon -12.45pm

Sing along with traditional nursery songs and action rhymes in an event hosted by Edinburgh City Libraries. Find out more

Volcano Day: Geology Rocks (All ages) Thurs 24th August: 10.30am – 4.30pm

Come explore the Earth and learn about the world we live in. Erupt a volcano or become a paleontologist and discover your own fossil. Fun for all the family courtesy of the University of Edinburgh School of GeoSciences. Find out more

Great shows to check out :

Dr. Zeiffal, Dr. Zeigal and The Hippo That Can Never Be Caught – We loved this show, it’s engaging and quirky and again with plenty of interaction, with the audience wearing their Hippo google goggles and assisting in the search of the elusive Hippo !! On until the 28th..

Circus Abyssinia – This was soooooooooo fun !! A great family friendly circus show, with plenty of colour and energy, spectacular pole acrobatics, crazy contortion-ism and lots lots more ! ….On until 26th …

The Road That Wasn’t There – Wonderful, immersive storytelling with dark edges….a beautiful tale of adventures and maps, with a haunting soundtrack, intricate puppets and lots of mystery ! … On until the 27th…

Morgan and West’s : More Magic For Kids which we loved , you can read the review here – they are such a fantastic duo, charming the audience with their wit and had the children non stop giggling with their rather silly magic ! I’d definitely recommend it , but like last year, it was busy so get tickets early ! …On until the 27th…

China Goes Pop ! Again I would suggest getting tickets early as the queue was massive !! It was very quirky and very fun, with some amazing acrobatics, an infectious pop soundtrack and lots of very smiley, happy performers bringing us an hour of hoops, scooters, circus and hats !! …On until the 27th…

AnimAlphabet the Musical – We really enjoyed this – one for the littler ones, with plenty of music, song and dance and great animal costumes and puppets….On until the 28th…

And not forgetting our old favourites from last year !!! :

Trash Test Dummies – These guys are a firm favourite with my family – dustbins, acrobatics and much silliness ! What more do you need ? (read review here)…On until the 26th..

Children Are Stinky – Children are also scaredy cats, lazy, unimaginative and uncoordinated in this madcap hour of acrobatic fun with loveable Australian clown duo ‘Kylie and Jason’. We loved this show last year (see here ), so if you missed it, do do check it out. Expect daredevil stunts, incredible acrobatics, lighting-fast hula hoops, loads of laughs and mischievous fun …On until the 28th…

And if all that wasn’t enough, there is still time to check out our favourite hot donut stall in Assembly George Square Gardens too !!!

First Week Highlights….2017

Posted on August 8, 2017 by Edinburghfestivalsforkids

So, it’s probably not technically the first full week of the festival- but with previews shows that we were seeing last week, it has been for us; and what an amazing first week it’s been ! We’ve seen such a variety of shows and been out exploring all the family friendly places to hang out at the festival and sampling some of the rather tasty treats on offer too!! How great to get some sunshine aswell….

For now my highlights have been :

The Road That Wasn’t There – Wonderful, immersive storytelling with dark edges….a beautiful tale of adventures and maps, with a haunting soundtrack, intricate puppets and lots of mystery !

Mavis Sparkle– It’s hard not to love Mavis Sparkle, with her glitter, her impressive cleaning trolley with all the little doors and surprises, her cheeky cuckoo clock and her friend Spike!

Circus Abyssinia – This was soooooooooo fun !! A great family friendly circus show, with plenty of colour and energy, spectacular pole acrobatics, crazy contortion-ism and lots lots more !

Other hot tips on the family friendly grapevine are :

The Listies Make You LOL – With plenty of poo jokes, alien attacks and dirty underpants, these guys are well worth checking out !!

Nick Cope – Our family loves Nick Cope – and you’re never too young to discover the wonder of his brilliant, humorous and melodic songs about such things as dragons named Keith, pirates, dinosaurs and of course…poo ! Read our review from last year here

Super Spectacular Circus Hub 2017

Posted on August 7, 2017 by Edinburghfestivalsforkids

Image result for edinburgh circus hub The rather fantastic Circus Hub has returned to the Meadows this year, bringing with it a huge range of family friendly circus shows and some old favourites like the Trash Test Dummies ! I’ve already been lucky enough to check a few of the shows out, and also sample the delicious churros on sale !!

It feels like the variety of circus shows grows at the festival every year, and this year we have a bumper crop of superb circus to choose from, and rather fantastically, most of the shows are family friendly – yay !!

My top five picks are :

Arr We There Yet ? – Head first Acrobats bring us a kids show full of pirates, swashbuckling adventures, some amazing acrobatics and lots and lots of fun ! We had a fantastic time and the kids couldn’t stop giggling ……(and these guys have the most amazing and fun show for adults – Elixir – I’ve seen it twice now and it’s absolutely hilarious-just don’t bring the kids! )

Trash Test Dummies – These guys are a firm favourite with my family – dustbins, acrobatics and much silliness ! What more do you need ? (read review here)

All The Fun – A hypnotic, tongue-in-cheek antidote to the glittering circus world. You’re invited beyond the everyday 1, 2, 3 of juggling in an ever-changing space, with the performers balancing objects and throwing bodies, rendering failure just as visible as sweat.

Circus Abyssinia:Ethiopian Dreams – An unashamedly joyful mix of astonishing stunts, astounding circus skills and enchanted adventure, Circus Abyssinia: Ethiopian Dreams follows the magical journey of two little Ethiopian brothers whose dream of joining the circus is made real by the Man in the Moon.

Kin – The boys from the 2015 smash Bromance are back in this red-hot, five-star circus show… and they’ve brought friends! Lots of humour makes this circus piece really accessible for families, and children will be amazed at the talents and skills of the performers. Highly recommended….

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