Grab the kids and have some fun at the Nelson Arts Festival

Nelson Arts Festival's children's shows are always a favourite with our younger viewers, and the Festival team works hard to bring together a programme of shows that will delight, entertain and take young audiences on exciting journeys into new territories.

This year the children’s shows take us into far-away places and imaginary worlds. 

As well as travelling the South Seas with Gavin Bishop’s Cook’s Cook (Saturday 20 October, 1.30pm) and visiting an imaginary 3D world full of dragons with James Russell’s An Unfamiliar Place, the 3rd book in The Dragon Defenders series (Saturday 20 October, 11am), we’re going on a journey of discovery with Ann-Droid, a Pinocchio-themed story about a robot girl who wants to be real (Tuesday 16 October, 7pm), and dancing with pirates at Captain Pinky’s Pirate Toddler Boogie (Sunday 14 October, 2pm).

And then there’s The Messy Magic Adventure!, when two cleaners, Spray and Wipe, are hired to clean a magician’s house – their most exciting job ever!

But when they accidentally let the magic out of its box, everything is turned topsy-turvy...and the audience must help get the magic back in the box before the magician comes home, as her house gets messier and messier!

Circus, slapstick, magic, mayhem and pies make this a crazy adventure for 4-12 year olds. Christchurch-based Rollicking Entertainment, aka Lizzie Tollemache and David Ladderman, are well known award-winning international performers, bringing their special mix of family-friendly magic to the Nelson Arts Festival.

We’ve got a family pass to give away for The Messy Magic Adventure! To enter, email festivalenquiries@ncc.govt.nz and tell us the name of the two cleaners who take on cleaning the magician’s house! Entries close 5pm, Monday 8 October.