The official launch of the 17th annual Belfast Children’s Festival, one of the leading children’s arts festivals in the UK and Ireland, took place last Wednesday in Belfast’s Castlecourt Shopping Centre. On the menu for 2015 is a veritable feast of cultural treats which will be served up from March 6th – 13th at various locations across the city. The week-long festival gives children, 0 to 14 years old across all communities, the opportunity to come together and experience a range of art forms from theatre to dance, music and visual arts.
Joining the ‘Cultural Buffet’ workshop at the launch were pupils from Seaview Primary School and Our Lady’s Primary School as they worked together to create a piece of art to celebrate one of the United Nations Rights of the Child – the right of access to arts and culture. A right that Belfast Children’s Festival believes is under threat in Northern Ireland as recent funding cuts raise concerns that this Festival may not see its 18th birthday.
With audiences of 40,000 in 2014, the 2015 programme aims to, once again, appeal to a wide audience as it deliver artists from all over Europe, including France, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands.
Highlights of the international programme will include Constellations, a stunning dance piece choreographed by award-winning Enrique Cabrera, performed by world-renowned Spanish dance troupe Arcaladanza and inspired by the art of Joan Miro. Onirica Mecanica’s Fragile from Spain is a unique theatre piece that will have audiences spell-bound as robots come to life in the most human ways. Whilst French company Flop will present Happy Glimmer in association with Belfast’s Golden Thread Art Gallery. Running alongside this unique production of optical illusions and magical mechanics Golden Thread will also host an interactive exhibition entitle Meat Clunk for families.
On the home front, Theatre for Young Audiences NI (TYA NI) will present their annual showcase for a plethora of international delegates. Highlights will include a double-bill of early years shows for 0-4 years TiNY and WiggleGiggle presented by Replay Theatre Company and two world premieres; one from Young at Art’s associate artist Mary Frances Doherty called Katie’s Birthday Party, directed by Loose Canon Theatre Company Director Jason Byrne, and multi-sensory theatre production The Gift by popular Belfast Company Cahoots.
Tickets are now on sale. For more information and to download a copy of the programme see here or call 028 9024 3042
