Why you should visit The Edinburgh International Children’s Festival this year


by Aimee Jakes |
Updated on

On the hunt for a magical day out, the entire family will enjoy? A day that will spark the imagination of everyone from your toddler to your teenager (to even you)?

The Edinburgh International Children’s festival is back for its 30th year and the unmissable event is bundles of fun for the entire troop.

Here is your cheat-sheet on the annual festival...

What is Edinburgh International Children’s festival?

childrens-festival-review.jpeg?fm=pjpg&ixlib=php-3.3.0

In a city renowned for its festivals, this is the one dedicated specifically to children, and covers audiences from the age of 6 months upward; offering a wonderful opportunity to combine a family-friendly city break with an early experience of live theatre for young children. Expect entrancing visuals and deeply engaging storylines from the world's greatest.

The performances are diverse, challenging and enthralling. Says Noel Jordan, Festival Director,’They encourage children to be critical thinkers with curious minds, whilst making them laugh, gasp or cry.’

Whether it’s an acrobatic circus-dance for toddlers (Three Legs), a stage full of floating foam sculpted to reveal mysterious characters (The Little Bath), a magical family show featuring an invisible man (The Invisible Man or a superhero who doesn’t feel up to the job anymore (Super Human Hero), audiences are in for a treat.

When is Edinburgh’s International Children’s Festival?

playful-tiger-festival.jpeg?fm=pjpg&ixlib=php-3.3.0

The festival starts from the 25 May 2019 to 2 June 2019, so there's still time to grab your ticket. Click here, for more ticket information.

What makes the festival so great?​

edinburgh-festival-highlights.png?fm=png&ixlib=php-3.3.0

Mother&Baby visited The Edinburgh International Children’s Festival in 2018 and were amazed by the children's shows which oozed sophistication, wit and world-class story-telling. Although the shows are suitable for younger ages groups, they often allude to weighty worldly themes (e.g. the refugee crisis and grief) and had as much to offer parents as they did the kids. The shows were captivatingly brilliant and it's no surprise as the acts are handpicked by the Festival Director, who travels the world looking for the best of the best to perform at the festival. A treat, to say the least!

The atmosphere of the event was incredible - it was heart-warming seeing all the children gasp and shriek with delight, during the course of a show.

Not only are the shows phenomenal, but the event, of course, is in the heart of Edinburgh, which is a beautiful city to explore with your family. From visiting Edinburgh castle to a magical Harry Potter tour (we so recommend this!) it's the ideal location for a getaway with little ones in tow.

Are you planning on visiting the festival? Have you been before? Let us know on Facebook or Twitter!

Make sure you're following Mother & Baby on Instagramfor relatable memes, inspiring stories and parenting hacks!

Join the club! Introducing our brand, spankin’ new Facebook group called #mumtribe. Simply search ‘#mumtribe’ into the search bar and meet like-minded mums, win gorgeous goodies and have some fun!

Just so you know, we may receive a commission or other compensation from the links on this website - read why you should trust us
How we write our articles and reviews
Mother & Baby is dedicated to ensuring our information is always valuable and trustworthy, which is why we only use reputable resources such as the NHS, reviewed medical papers, or the advice of a credible doctor, GP, midwife, psychotherapist, gynaecologist or other medical professionals. Where possible, our articles are medically reviewed or contain expert advice. Our writers are all kept up to date on the latest safety advice for all the products we recommend and follow strict reporting guidelines to ensure our content comes from credible sources. Remember to always consult a medical professional if you have any worries. Our articles are not intended to replace professional advice from your GP or midwife.