Imagine Children’s Festival takes place over 11 days at February half-term, with brilliant theatre, comedy, music, literature, poetry, dance and flat-out family fun on offer, designed for children aged 0 – 11.

It’s all about inspiring creativity, celebrating the individuality of every child, championing diversity and sparking imaginations.

The week before half term focuses on early years fun: sing and dance along with The David Gibb Big Band or at a free Wondergig, and see Tom Fletcher’s interactive adventures for big imaginations leap from page to stage in There’s a Monster in Your Show.

Half-term highlights include dance circus fusion from Motionhouse’s Starchitects: A Cosmic Adventure, talks by Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho and Michael Rosen, a new performance from YolanDa Brown, CBeebies Ocean Adventure with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, workshops in the Art Makes People Powerful creative zone, plus hip-hop, comedy, singing, poetry, dance parties and more!

For children aged 7+, there’s a great range of events including Chotto Desh, from the Olivier award-winning choreographer Akram Khan, Rosie Jones: The Amazing Edie Eckhart, Patrick Kane: Human 2.0 and, for children aged 9+, the Stand Up to Racism Writing Workshop with Yassmin Abdel-Magied.

Imagine Children’s Festival is a relaxed festival, meaning that all performances have a relaxed approach to noise and movement in the space – you are free to enter and exit throughout, and chill-out spaces and noise cancelling headphones are available for adults and children. In addition, there are loads of events with BSL interpretation, as well as sensory-adapted and Audio Described shows, and non-verbal performances, allowing a more inclusive and welcoming environment for all.

Around 40% of events are free – you can find them listed in the ‘Free’ tab on this page, or by checking the ‘free’ filter when you search our What’s On calendar.

There are free events every day of the festival, except for the final day.

A special thanks to all our donors who have contributed towards the Imagine Children's Festival, including STIK and Kusuma Trust.

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Imagine Children's Festival

Our festival for families returns in February 2024

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