If your Brisbane Kid is eight years old or under, don’t miss all the free entertainment and activities on offer at the annual Out of the Box Children’s Festival, running from 25 June until 2 July 2014.
This year, the festival offers 30 free events and 1000 free activities for Brisbane Kids, held at the Queensland Performing Arts Complex, South Bank, Queensland Art Gallery and Gallery of Modern Art, State Library of Queensland and Queensland Museum.
An arts and cultural experience for Brisbane Kids
The Cultural Forecourt at South Bank is a good place to start your day at the festival – you may even spend your whole day there! In 2014, the festival has a distinct Asian flavour with interactive shows and workshops including Bollywood dancing, Japanese drumming, and Chinese dragon dancing at the Under Age Stage. No bookings are required, and your Brisbane Kid will love to watch, dance and make music with the performers as they learn about traditional and contemporary Asian culture.
Story and play time for under eights
Also in South Bank’s Cultural Forecourt is the Courier Mail’s Story Space where popular Queensland personalities, such as newsreader Melissa Downes, share stories with your Brisbane Kids. In between storytelling sessions there are stacks of books and cushions available for you and your Brisbane Kids to snuggle up together and read a story. You may even be lucky enough to score a free book as a keepsake of your day – see a volunteer for more information.
Arts and crafts
There are lots of free arts and crafts activities for Brisbane Kids to participate in throughout the festival. One of the most popular is Henna Hands, located in Southbank’s Cultural Forecourt. In Indian culture, the intricate designs of Henna are used to decorate the body, and now Brisbane Kids can make their own hand designs. Be prepared to line up for this one!
Paid festival events – lots more to discover
If you’ve managed to exhaust all the free events, there are a number of ticketed events including performances by much loved entertainers Justine Clarke, Jay Laga’aia, Sam Moran and Katie Noonan.
For something a little different there is a circus, animation and music performance by Circa called Carnival of the Animals, and an interactive experience for babies from internationally renowned Australian artist Sally Chance, called Nursery.
Out of the Box Children’s Festival 2014 Tips
- For parents and teachers that wish to extend the festival experience, Out of the Box organisers have included learning resources on their web site, specific to each activity or event.
- Complete the day (and save parking costs) by catching a bus, train or ferry to and from the festival.
- There are many food outlets available at the festival locations, but bring your own snacks, lunch and drinks to save money.
- Don’t forget a hat and sunscreen as many of the festival events and activities are outdoors.
- Book online before you go for ticketed events, and for some free events.
The Out of the Box Children’s Festival 2014 is a great day out for Brisbane Kids – they will be entertained, inspired and engaged; they will participate in music, drama and dance, and they will create art. What more could a kid ask for?
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