Various venues across Edinburgh
The Edinburgh International Children’s Festival celebrates the best of children’s theatre and dance from around the world, showcasing high quality Scottish and international performances to an audience of children, their schools and families each year.
Featuring a mix of circus, dance, storytelling and theatre and with an emphasis on striking visual productions, the international programme aims to inspire and engage children, from toddlers to teenagers.
As the place for the celebration of quality theatre and dance for young audiences, the 2025 Festival will once again push boundaries, exploring the highs and lows of the human condition, while always considering the perspective and viewpoint of the child.
Running from 24 May to 1 June in venues across Edinburgh, the festival’s 35th program includes circus, dance, puppetry and theatre for young people, their schools and families thanks to continued support from Creative Scotland and the Scottish Government’s Festivals Expo Fund.
The festival kicks off with a fully accessible Free Family Day of pop-up performances and artists interventions by Scotland-based artists at the National Museum of Scotland and explores timely topics such as celebrating differences and the search for identity.
The festival aims to ensure that more children in Scotland can experience work that is deeply engaging, innovative and inspiring, regardless of their circumstances, access needs or location and this year’s highlights include:
- Intimate sensory works for babies that will delight young audiences with their beautiful design and gentle interactions. These includes Great Big Tiny World an immersive show filled with sounds and scents taking placein a space filled up with hundreds of plants, or Beneath the Snow which creates a world of white tissue paper from which emerge beautiful creatures.
- Shows for both children and adults, with family pleasers such as Grown Ups and Double You featuring adults behaving badly with hilarious consequence, while The Show for Young Men depicts a funny and moving performance about friendship between a man and a boy.
- A regional focus on Flanders, with four stunning productions representing the vibrant and dynamic children’s theatre scene from this region.
- Two new Expo-funded commissions by Scottish companies, Tongue Twister and The Unlikely Friendship of Feather Boy and Tentacle Girl, which will be touring Scotland in the lead-up to the Festival. Both focus on celebrating diverse cultures and accepting differences.
For more information and to see the full programme, visit Edinburgh International Children’s Festival.
