Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Fun for all the family with high-octane slapstick acts
This year, Canterbury Festival presents its biggest-ever line-up for children – including an awardwinning act from Australia and the first Canterbury Festivalcommissioned children’s cabaret.
The festival’s family-friendly programme takes place across three weekends, hosted mainly in the Spiegeltent – a stunning 1920s vintage travelling dance hall that lends itself to cabaret, variety and all sorts of silliness. Seating is flexible, there’s a buggy park area, and plenty of space for smaller siblings to crawl and toddle. Under ones go free. Roll up, roll up!
Slapstick comedy circus Trash Test Dummies (October 28) arrives trailing cans of laughter all the way from Melbourne. Kids, it’s time to get the bins out! The Trash Test Dummies have won Best Children’s Presentation at the Adelaide Fringe Festival 2015, plus rave reviews – and promise to take the Canterbury wheelie bin to new heights.
The Dummies – Jamie Bretman, Jack Coleman and Simon Wright – are skilled circus performers showcasing jaw-dropping acrobatics, juggling and stunt work.
Variety act Slightly Fat Features returns to the Spiegeltent with a brand-new production, The Slightly Fat Show (October 24 and 25). Best described as “Cirque du Soleil meets Monty Python”, their performance is filled with slapstick humour, great tunes and brilliant circus skills that will appeal to all the family.
Specially commissioned by Canterbury Festival, The Greatest Little Show on Earth will close the Family programme in style on November 4. Expect highoctane entertainment for anyone from 3 to 103.