Shows for all ages at the Edinburgh International Children's Festival
The Edinburgh International Children’s Festival is an annual celebration - marking its 35th anniversary this year - of exceptional Scottish and international theatre and dance for young audiences, with a focus on performances that are deeply engaging, innovative and inspiring.
The Festival is attended by children, their families, as well as artists and professionals from all over the world. But we know that saying young audiences is as crazy as saying old audiences, given that different age groups like different things.
So below we've created a quick run through of this year's programme broken down into three different age groups - which should keep all your young ones happy, interested and excited.
Pre-Schoolers [0-5 years]
For little ones, a visit to the Festival this year could well be their first trip ever! And, the shows we have hand-picked for their age group will make it a magical experience they’ll remember for years to come. Performances are all fairly intimate (60 to 80 max), with children sitting on benches or cushions close to the stage and performers. Some even have the opportunity to interact and play on the set after the show for a full immersive experience.
Great Big Tiny World (for 0-12 mths) from England
An immersive experience for babies, in a beautiful world filled with sounds, scents, music, shadows and over 300 plants.
Beneath the Snow (for 6 mths-3 yrs and 3-6 yrs) from France
An immersive experience where two performers play with the wonder of metamorphosis and transform a world of white tissue paper into beautiful paper creatures.
Tiébélé (for 18mths - 6 yrs) from Belgium/Burkina Faso
A gorgeous show about women in Burkina Faso and the marks they leave on their homes -combining earth and song, organic matter and poetry and the melodic sound of their voices.
Game within a Game (for 3-7 yrs) from Germany
A touching world of play with three dancers humorously going from one game to the next, exploring different rules, spaces and choices, and learning to get on and co-operate.
Curious Little Minds [5-10 years]
Acrobatics, slapstick, shadow play and tongue twisters – when it comes to primary-aged children, they’ll be spoiled for choice this year!
Shades of Shadows (for 4-10 yrs) from Germany/France
A humorous show of shadow and light with two pupeteers creating an unruly world where objects and their shadows come to life in a magical interplay of movement and illusion.
Not Falling (for 4-10 yrs) from Belgium
An energetic performance with three dancers trying to escape gravity, in a fascinating interaction with film projections of children leaping and floating through the air.
Grown Ups (for 4-12 yrs) from Belgium
A hilarious and absurd tragi-comedy about what happens to grown-ups when children are not looking, featuring ladders, hammers, sparks and side-splitting performances
Tongue Twister (for 6-12 yrs) from Scotland
A humorous and colourful show featuring one man’s attempts to say tongue twisters in as many different languages as possible while trying to change into multiple dazzling costumes.
Double You (for 6-13 yrs) from Belgium
Combining circus with acro-dance, parkour and Chinese pole, this exciting show pokes fun at our FOMO, with the audience seating on both sides of a stage separated by a fabric wall.
Big Kids, Big Questions [8 - 14 years]
Children know what’s going on around them and we believe they should have access to inventive theatre that explores the topics and questions already on their minds. From learning to accept outsiders to finding your true self, the programme of performances for older children is curated to inspire and open up conversations, just as much as they are to excite and entertain.
The Show for Young Men (for 8-14 yrs) from Scotland
A funny and moving dance performance about friendship between a man and a boy, using playground games, risk-taking and mischief.
The Unlikely Friendship of Feather Boy and Tentacle Girl (for 8-14 yrs) from Scotland
A visually stunning aerial show about two outsiders – a girl who wants to be a monster and a boy who wants to fly – celebrating difference and the joy of friendship.
The Pale Baron (for 8-14 yrs) from Belgium
A musical tale about the friendship between two musicians during a regime that hunts down anyone that is deemed superfluous or different.