Imagination For The Whole Family
Whistler Children’s Festival
Mini robots, giant xylophones, a dinosaur made of trash, and a dash of magic. This year’s Whistler Children’s Festival, put on by Arts Whistler, takes wonder and creativity to a whole new level with three days of inspiring family activities and performances from Friday, July 7 to Sunday, July 9. The fun kicks off Friday evening with a free, all-ages pyjama dance party from 5 to 8 p.m. at Whistler Olympic Plaza. Parents, kids, and everyone in between are invited to wear their pyjamas, fairy wings, or super hero outfits and come wiggle, wave, and whirl to the lively songs of renowned Canadian children’s performer and JUNO award winner Norman Foote. The energy and entertainment continues on Saturday at 10 a.m. with the Ta Daa Lady and her giant inflatable dragon, followed by the marching rhythmic beats of X-Corps Drumline. Vocal percussionist RupLoops will beat box his way through a live jam, and Norman Foote will dazzle with his live puppets and classic songs. On Sunday, don’t miss the larger-than-life jaw-dropping lion dance performance by the Shao Lin Hung Gar Lion Dance Team, mesmerizing magic by Leif David, and unicycle tricks by Mike Battie. There’s far more to the festival than just music and magic. Your $10 day pass gets you access to a vast amount of activities that will ignite imagination, movement, creativity and exploration. Take a family photo safari through the large pop-ups around the grounds, upcycle some trash by making a Trash-A-Saurus, design a family flag with Nesters, or create your own museum of curiosities with the Whistler Museum. Make your own patio stone to decorate your garden or bang out a tune on one of the giant instruments in the musical playground. If you want to up the ingenuity ante, register for the creative workshops. Kids three to five will delight in the popular shaggy shakers or goofy monster hand puppets, while six-year-olds can explore the world of vocal percussion, beat creatures, paper lanterns or magic tricks. Older kids will marvel at making their own art-bots, birdhouses, dream catchers or beaded necklaces. There are even activities for the under-three crowd. Rest, relax, and repair your stuffies at the Teddy Bear Hospital zone, where you can picnic as a family and enjoy stories and songs. At the Whistler Children’s Festival, the choices are as endless as the imagination, and they offer an unforgettable, unplugged experience for the entire family to share and create together. To learn more, visit whistler.com/events or to purchase festival tickets or register for workshops visit whistlerchildrensfestival.com.