THE UK’S BIGGEST CULTURAL FESTIVAL, THE NATIONAL FAMILY ARTS FESTIVAL RETURNS

Building on the enormous success of the previous two years, the national Family Arts Festival has joined forces with BBC’s Get Creative to form the Get Creative Family Arts Festival, offering families all over the country an extraordinary range of events and activities, many of which are free, over the autumn half term.

From exploring backstage at a theatre to listening to a concert dressed up as your favourite superhero; classic children’s stories to fine art; encompassing theatre, dance, sculpture, painting, music and almost every other art form known to man, the festival, which runs from 9 October to 1 November, has something for everyone and illustrates the quality, diversity and sheer talent that the arts has available for families to enjoy together over the October school break. Its aim is to open up the imagination, to encourage participation and to create a nationwide programme of events that can be shared across generations.

Organisers are also delighted that former Children’s Laureate and bestselling author Michael Morpurgo will return as Patron of the Festival for another year.

Michael Morpurgo said “I am delighted to be Patron of the Get Creative Family Arts Festival again this autumn. Now in its third year, there is a huge range of events on offer: from music to theatre, dance to art. There is sure to be something to delight and share with all members of the family across the generations.

“An early cultural experience for children in whatever form - opera, ballet, music or art is a wonderful thing because it opens the door to a life-long experience, a life-long enjoyment. I encourage families to make a day of it together - or a week - exploring the exciting events that are happening all around the UK this half-term.”

Event listings are now live on www.familyartsfestival.com where families can search for events in their area by genre, age range and interest. New events are uploaded daily.

Highlights include:

Royal National Scottish Orchestra’s Magic and Monsters
Join Owen and Olly on a mythical musical adventure this Halloween, with witches, wizards and kelpies on the loose. But never fear, they’ve got a trick up their sleeve with some spellbinding singing from the legendary RSNO Junior Chorus.

Arnolfini in Bristol. Enjoy many family orientated art events in one of Europe’s leading centres for contemporary arts. From giant drawing inspired by the Big Draw, family boat tours and artists workshops with Rose Robbins in which you can design your own football kit and mascot.

Unicorn Theatre The UK’s leading theatre for young audiences has a range of shows and events for all the family.

Royal Albert Hall - the UK premiere of Ratatouille in Concert Pixar’s animated comedy adventure of Remy’s adventure is brought to life as composer Michael Giacchino’s Grammy-winning and Oscar-nominated score is performed alongside the film by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra.

Dance Umbrella - 16 Singers
Aimed at parents with babies aged 0-18 months, this is a rare opportunity to share a beautifully crafted performance with your baby. It cleverly captures the attention of tiny spectators using breath, rhythms and song, and by blending movement with an intricate, moving set.

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra - Superheroes
Put on your superhero cape and mask for a fantastically superpowered afternoon of sensational superheroic themes from Batman, Spiderman, the Incredibles and many more.

The Mac, Belfast - Gulliver
Join the hilarious madcap theatrical adventure of Gulliver and his family as they come across a world ruled by horses with interactive sessions for families and a range of activities each day.

Sunderland Empire - Autism friendly backstage tours
Explore behind the scenes of the beautiful Edwardian theatre which includes dressing room, the stage and see the set and costumes up close. This event is aimed at families and individuals with ASD.

Wales Millennium Centre - Les Misérables
Following a nationwide search to all corners of Wales, a choir of over a hundred and twenty of the most talented young performers, all of whom are aged 13-19, to perform one of the world’s most famous musicals in Welsh.

Birmingham Royal Ballet – Family Fun Day
Take a peek behind the scenes of the Ballet which includes: Make-up demonstrations from professional ballerinas, craft activities and a chance to watch a stage reset.

Launched in 2013, the Family Arts Festival is an exuberant nationwide celebration. The festival is part of a wider scheme, the Family Arts Campaign, which aims to support organisations up and down the country to provide high quality family friendly events and encouraging family participation in the arts. Since it started the festival has included 9000 family arts events by over 1000 organisations.

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