THE Belfast Children’s Festival is back for its 27th year bringing ten days of fun-filled and thought-provoking dance, theatre and music to the city this March.
The largest children’s arts festival in the UK and Ireland it will host over 100 events across multiple venues including The Lyric, The MAC, Belfast Cathedral, Culturlann MacAdam Ó Fiaich and Crescent Arts Centre from March 6-15, more than 50 per cent of which are free.
Launching the packed programme in Belfast’s Lyric theatre, which will serve as the hub for the 2025 festival, director of Young at Art Eibhlín de Barra described it as the “flagship event in Belfast’s cultural calendar.”
“It’s so difficult to choose a favourite event from this year’s line up - it’s like choosing which child you love the most,” she joked.
“We got shows coming from across the world from Nigeria to Belgium - it’s going be an absolute riot.”
Speaking at the event, Belfast’s Lord Mayor Micky Murray said he couldn’t think of “a better way to celebrate creativity and imagination than through this incredible festival.”
“There’s something for everyone, from babies to teens and of course the grown-ups too and the fact over 50% of this year’s events are free is unparalleled.
“One of the things I love about this festival is the diversity of the artists on board, this year we’ve got artists from Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Nigeria and of course here in Ireland.
“Last year over 32,000 people joined us for BCF 24 and we’re looking forward to welcoming even more families, schools and visitors this year.
“To think that the youngest people at the first Belfast Children’s Festival will be 27 this year is a bit mad.”
Amongst the various creative experiences on offer is the highly anticipated premiere of the Lyric and Replay Theatre’s The Velveteen Rabbit. The show features music from Belfast singer-songwriter Duke Special and a brand-new script by celebrated writer Jan Carson.
“It’s always quite daunting when something you’ve written is being promoted and you’re still trying to get your head around it” Duke told The Irish News.
“But it’s exciting and a pleasure to be part of this year’s Children’s Festival.
“Our version of The Velveteen Rabbit is set in 1980s Belfast so in that respect for parents who are bringing their children there’s going to be a lot of little references that will hopefully resonate with them, and they’ll be able to relate to.
“The hope is that it’ll be entertaining, thought provoking, challenging but also fun and something a little bit different.”
Another home-grown highlight will be Moonlight Dream: A Baby’s Cosmic Odyssey by Maiden Voyage Dance at the Crescent Arts Centre. Created for children aged 0-3 years and their caregivers the performance is a sensory rich journey that immerses audiences in a voyage to the moon and beyond.
On March 15 the Cathedral Quarter festival family day out will be bursting with exciting and free activities, including the popular Baby Rave in the Whitla Hall, circus acts, pop-up performances, workshops, comedy, music and more.
“I think it’s vital to have a festival like this in Belfast,” explained Eibhlín.
“It’s not just about promoting the arts, culture and value of it to our children and young people but also to inspire our local artists and creators.
“Ireland really punches above its weight in terms of its cultural product and some of the companies we have making work here like Replay Theatre Company and Maiden Voyage Dance are just world class so it’s fantastic to be able to give them a platform to show not only Northern Ireland but the world how good they are.”
Irish production You’ll See from Branar and NIE presents James Joyce’s Ulysses for children. His epic tale is brought to life through Branar’s signature storytelling and intricate paper design. This entertaining and educational piece of theatre will take place at the Linen Hall Library on March 8 and 9.
The festival will also feature many international performances and events including Der Lauf: Or What’s Next? from Belgium theatre company Les Vélocimanies Associés in which two circus performers compete in a series of bizarre challenges as they juggle blindly, spin plates wildly and stack glasses wearing enormous boxing gloves.
Another Belgium production, Murmur, is a multi-sensory, acrobatic sound theatre performance that uses movement, sound effects, and audience interaction to create an immersive soundscape. Aimed audience aged four and over it has been billed as a “truly unique experience.”
Sandscape from Nigerian company Kininso Knocepts Production, is a non-verbal show celebrating the beauty and essence of nature using sand as its central element. Recommended for children between the ages of two and seven the performance will be held at the Brian Friel Theatre at Queens University Belfast on March 8.
The festival will also present several performances, for children and families with additional sensory and communication needs.
