Why You Should Go to the Ottawa Children’s Festival

There is no other event for kids like the Ottawa Children’s Festival in the city. This festival, at LeBreton Flats Park from May 8-12, is entirely for kids and families to enjoy together sparking great imagination and curiosity for kids of all ages. With special performances that will encourage singing and dancing, shows to tickle the funny bone, and hands-on activities, there are endless ways for families to experience the festival. Here are some of the highlights that will have you blocking it off in your calendar immediately.

Hands-On Activities

One of the reasons kids love going to the Ottawa Children’s Festival is because of the hands-on activities encouraging them to touch, feel, see and do. Forget those events where you are trying to wrangle the kids away from stations or booths that they shouldn’t be touching. At this festival, you want them to get active and really explore the spaces around them. They’ll love the climbing structure from Altitude Gym; their rock wall will be set up for the kids to give a try. They can try the Pedalheads bike obstacle course or pretend to be Merida or Hawkeye with Archery Games. Parents will love how tired the kids will get after burning off all their energy playing soccer in an inflatable bubble or after the kids try the Ottawa Gymnastics Centre gymnastics circuit obstacle course where they can tumble and bounce.

While your kids explore the grounds of the Ottawa Children’s Festival they will run into some unusual characters to interact with or they can participate in a puppet workshop. They can also let their creativity sore with the Ottawa Art Gallery’s mobile art studio.

Stage Shows to Love

There are a variety of stage shows that are ticketed events, and you can buy the tickets online. These shows are designed for kids and the young at heart in mind. The site map (found on the Festival website) will provide information about where all of the stages and performances are located.

The puppet show ‘Fly’ for children aged 5 and up, will talk about life lessons through empathy with some humour and is 40 minutes in length.

‘Is this a sword?’ is the story of MacBeth told for kids 8 years old and up. This unique, 60-minute one-man show is a humorous take on a classic  Shakespearean tale.

You can check this page out for a full list and times for all of the stage shows.

Things to know before you go:

The festival grounds are free to enter and include many of the hands-on activities mentioned above, however, shows and performances require tickets to be purchased. These can be purchased in advance to avoid disappointment if there are shows that sell out however, you can also purchase on-site if there are tickets still available. The shows are also not assigned seating, so arriving early is recommended. The activities are open on weekdays between 9:30 am and 2:30 pm, while on weekends, they’re open from 10 am until 4 pm. There are food vendors on site and plenty of space for a picnic if you wish to pack one.

For more information about the Ottawa Children’s Festival, or to view the full daily schedule, please visit their website.

 

Feature photo credit: Julie-Anne Madore