Second week highlights…..2022

Posted on August 17, 2022 by Edinburghfestivalsforkids

We haven’t managed to see quite as much this week as we were away over the weekend, and now it’s back to school…eek. We have squeezed in a show or two though of course, and a few snacks along the way. There is still lots on, and some new shows just starting, so do keep on exploring the festival programme….

Top picks this week have been :

Brave Space – Beautiful, immersive and intimate circus, where you are invited in to get up close and personal with the performers. A gentle and emotive start to the day….Visually stunning, with serene and graceful performances, Brave Space is an oasis amongst the hustle and bustle just outside

Boom – Emotive, energetic, playful and poignant…this circus takes you through a whirlwind of emotions and is seriously impressive. Boom is based on real events where performers met just after the outbreak of war in Ukraine, in March 2022, and its incredible what they’ve produced together to share here in Edinburgh.

For the littler ones, our mini-reviewer has enjoyed :

Dinosaurs and all that rubbish – Balancing both an environmental message and lots of fun, this show is sure to delight younger audiences and their accompanying adults alike !This show was a massive hit with our mini-reviewer, and also with me!

Splash Test Dummies – There is a reason why these guys are seasoned favourites of the fringe! Back with their aquatic themed silliness – Splash Test Dummies is a totally bonkers, fun show full of audience participation, slapstick comedy and splattered with some pretty impressive circus skills!

First Day (ish) 2022…

Posted on August 5, 2022 by Edinburghfestivalsforkids

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!

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 !

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 !!!

My Top Six Children’s Show at Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2017

Posted on July 13, 2017 by Edinburghfestivalsforkids

As always, flicking through the festival programme I’m getting very excited and also have the familiar sense of being overwhelmed and spoilt for choice yet again as the number and variety of children’s shows available this year is fantastic !

Trying to whittle down what to recommend is extremely tricky ! There are some favourites of ours returning from last year along with some brilliant looking new shows from much loved theatre companies …I’ve put together the following top 6, but as before, please let me know your own recommendations, top picks or old favourites!! ( Some of my other favourites (such as the superb Nick Cope ) will feature in a later post on shows for littler little ones so I can squeeze in these six !!! )

How To Be A Kid – Paines Plough have absolutely wowed us the past two years with their shows in the unique Roundabout venue at Summerhall and this year’s show looks set to do the same. Molly cooks. Molly does the dishes. Molly gets her little brother Joe ready for school. Molly is only 12, but she doesn’t feel much like a kid anymore. Now Molly’s mum is feeling better, maybe things will get back to normal. Can you help Molly learn how to be a kid again? 4th – 20th August ( not 8th/15th)

The Road That Wasn’t There – Brought to us by the team behind The Bookbinder, Trick of the Light theatre are bound to bring something equally magical and spectacular with this new show about a girl who followed a map off the edge of the world… In New Zealand there are some 56,000 kilometres of paper roads – streets and towns that exist only on surveyors’ maps. Or do they? Puppetry, shadow play and music at it’s very best. 3rd-27th August (not 14th/21st)

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 … 3rd – 28th August (not 9th/16th/23rd)

The Gruffalo’s Child – Brought to the Fringe by the brilliant Tall Stories- Julia Donaldson’s much loved tale is brought to life in this magical, musical adaptation. Because the Big Bad Mouse doesn’t really exist… does he? Join the Gruffalo’s child on his mischievous meander through the deep, dark woods… 2nd-20th August (not 5th/9th/16th)

Arr We There Yet ? – I was fortunate enough to catch the Head First Acrobats circus show Elixir last year and it was spectacular, so I’m very very excited about their children’s show this year ! 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. 5th – 26th August (not 14th/21st)

David Walliams The First Hippo On The Moon – Two big hippos. One enormous dream. Who can make it to the moon first? Three… Two… One… blast off! Adapted for the stage by Les Petits Theatre Company following their tour of Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs, this looks like it’s going to be a fun and creative show for fans of the book and little ones alike. 2nd- 20th August (not 15th)

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