If your kids like pirates, puppets and crafts, they’re sure to have a blast at this year’s Children’s Day during the 39th annual Harrison Festival of the Arts.
Children’s Day runs Wednesday, July 12, in and around the Harrison Memorial Hall in Harrison Hot Springs starting at 11 a.m.
“In recent years we have leaned heavily towards music and singing in our Children’s Day program, with artists like Fred Penner and Charlotte Diamond,” says artistic director, Andy Hillhouse. “This year, while we still have a great musical component, we have decided to mix it up a bit, with a little more of a theatrical bent that includes puppetry.”
As is the Harrison Festival tradition, admission to Children’s Day gives access to the indoor Memorial Hall show, which this year will feature three thirty-minute performances by The Purple Pirate (aka Dustin Anderson). His festival show Magic and Mayhem includes comedy, dance, and positive affirming messages that promote self-esteem and build confidence in children.
In around the hall will be a festive atmosphere of tents with music, storytelling, crafts, and physical activities.
The outdoor stage will feature performances by Vancouver Puppet Theatre, a company that specializes in European styles of puppetry. Puppeteer Viktor Barkar, who learned his trade in his native Minsk, Belarus, will present his program Meet The Puppets, which incorporates animal masks, carnival, and hand puppets, and is based on a traditional folk tale.
Mission’s Boris Sichon will be bringing the music to the event in a playful and exciting way, through a performance on the outdoor stage and in music workshops. Sichon plays approximately 25 instruments from his unique collection of more than 200 ethnic musical instruments, including the Russian bagpipe, Eastern European flutes, the Middle East dumbek, the Australian didgeridoo, the Indian tabla, the Turkish gong, Irish bones, and the Russian xylophone. He invites the audience to improvise with him on stage.
Other favourite activities from past years that will be part of Children’s Day include storyteller Shayna Northey (who was a huge hit in 2016), the climbing wall, a craft station, and a playmaking station run by Chilliwack School of Performing Arts.
Children’s Day kicks off at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, July 12 in and around the Harrison Memorial Hall.
Tickets $6 for adults and kids, and can be purchased at the gate.
For more information about the event, visit harrisonfestival.com. For information about group rates, call the festival office at 604-796-3664.
