Budget-conscious people postponing a visit the International Children’s Festival may be surprised to learn they can still enjoy a day of silliness and fun without spending a cent.
“Just pack a lunch and come down,” says festival director Nancy Abrahamson, who has made it a priority to include free activities, entertainment and roving site artists to entertain the all-ages guests.
The five-day event runs until Saturday and is located on a large swath of land that extends from St. Albert Place plaza, down along the picturesque Sturgeon River and into Millennium Park and Lions Park.
At the front plaza on the Enmax Outdoor Stage, a continual round of talent rotates throughout the day. Picnic tables scattered throughout the plaza invite people to take a load off their feet while enjoying the free talent.
One new act slotted for two shows daily is High Strung Aerial Dance with Toronto aerialists Stacy Clark and Robin Szuch. The duo nimbly climbs a 35-foot laddered trapeze and start bickering like siblings while gracefully navigating a series of stunts.
Although many activities have a $2 cost, organizers have sprinkled the festival with free fun and games such as Magic Nuudles, building skyscrapers with connector straws and jumping on bouncy inflatables. Each child can come away from the festival enjoying the artistry of face painters, balloon artists and airbrushed tattoo artists at no cost. And CN’s Little Obie is also a free ride for the public.
In addition, a series of roving artists punch up the colour and create a sense of magic along the intertwining pathways. Unlike the more distant artists on stage, they are personal and immediate.
Perhaps the most dramatic is Cliff Spenger’s 12-foot Walking Tree Man. “He looks like a tree and he’s going to walk around. Can you imagine a monstrous tree walking around?” laughs Abrahamson.
Replacing Annie Dugan’s Hoola Hoop Girl is Safire a.k.a. Sandra Sommerville, a gal who makes her own hula-hoops from plumbing pipes. And she’ll bring scads of hoops for both adults and children to practice their hippest moves.
Returning to the festival are The Human Fountain, a people powered sprinkler, Heather D. Swain, a woman with a gazillion personalities, Neatoe the Clown, Niklolai the Juggler and St. Albert’s own Peter and Mary with their bag of magic tricks.
“Every morning there’s an odd calm. The volunteers arrive and they hug each other rekindling the relationships they’ve built up over the years. Then the buses come and kids come running out the door to explore the world. They make things; they learn new songs and dances. And they will take home something they haven’t seen before,” says Troy Funk, associate director.
The festival just reinforces the idea you don’t need to break the bank to have fun. Just a little imagination.
Festival hours are Wednesday to Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Friday 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. St. Albert Transit provides a free park ‘n’ ride from St. Albert Centre.
