Festival Family Day 2026
The Edinburgh International Children's Festival opens on 30 May with a FREE Family Day from 10am to 5pm in the beautiful setting of the National Museum of Scotland – an ideal way to get creative and experience exciting new ideas from local artists.
All events are free, drop-in, and will include:
- Walk-about characters
- Pop up theatre and dance performances
- Interactive experiences
- And more…
Some events have a specific starting time, while others will be happening throughout the day. You can find details of all performaces below or by downloading the Festival Family Day programme HERE.
Dreich, Drookit and Braw! (all ages)
Julia Chan, Michelle Ross, Robyn Gray and Vee Smith
A light hearted, humorous story about three characters navigating the Scottish weather using acrobatics and circus to explore friendship. Commissioned by Imaginate and Glasgow Life.
Venue: Grand Gallery: 11:00, 13:45, 15:30 - performance lasts 15 mins
Dance Makes the Floor (7 years+)
Mark Bleakley and Cameron Howard
A participatory, playful show where the audience is invited to join the performers as they try to ignite the dance floor, fuelling the fire with their dance moves. The live movements will be linked by webcam to the speed of the music on the dance floor.
Venue: Grand Gallery: 11:30, 13:15, 14:30, 16:00 - performance lasts 12 mins
Tufts (3 yrs+)
Kerry Cleland, Ben Winger, Katy Wilson, Ella Mackay
A high-energy piece featuring two flamboyant handlers and their uncanny lookalike pets as they navigate the highs and lows of the competitive dog world. Join us for a flurry of chaos with a precious poodle and a scruffy mongrel… and bring your own Teddy Bear pup along to compete! Commissioned by Imaginate and Aberdeen Performing Arts, thanks to Starcatchers.
Venue: Grand Gallery and other rooms: 10:30, 13:45 - walkabout lasts 45 mins
Venue: Grand Gallery: 12:00, 16:30 - performance lasts 15 mins
Wake Amusements (all ages)
Rob Heaslip
Step back into a forgotten tradition, as a solo performer invites you to enjoy the unruly games once played by people to pass the time at lengthy Irish wakes. Even in the most sombre of times, joy has a way of creeping in…
Venue: Grand Gallery: 10:30, 12:45, 15:00 - performance lasts 15 mins
Windbags (all ages)
Ronan McMahon and Fergus Dunnet
Windbags are a band of daft, parading unmissable inflatable wonders. They are curious, musical and very emotional creatures. New things and new meetings physically inflate them into elaborate, awkward and beautiful shapes. Commissioned by Imaginate and OneRen. With support from Manipulate, Merchant City Festival and Surge.
Venue: Grand Gallery and other rooms: 10:00, 12:15, 14:30 - performance lasts 30 min
Spaceman’s Spacewalk (3 years+)
Dan Brown, Alison Brown, Ben Fletcher
Spaceman performs his first spacewalk in a new atmosphere, with zero gravity. Watch him as he VERY SLOWLY traverses his new surroundings taking in all the interactions that come along with him. Supported by Imaginate and Creative Scotland.
Venue: Grand Gallery and other rooms: 10:45, 13:00, 15:15 - performance lasts 25 mins
Venue: Hawthornden Court: 11:15, 13:30, 15:45 - performance lasts 5 mins
King of the Birds (5-8 yrs)
Niamh O'Loughlin
A playful duet inspired by the fable of the Wren and the Eagle, this is the story of who can fly the highest. Told through dance, imagination and gentle interaction, the piece invites audiences into an ancient world of adventure. Supported by Creative Scotland, Dundee Rep and Scottish Dance Theatre, Dance Base.
Venue: Hawthornden Court: 11:45, 14:15, 16:30 - performance lasts 15 mins
In Bloom (all ages)
Kumquat Lab
Inspired by flower pollination, In Bloom is an interactive light and sound sculpture where each touch triggers colour and musical notes, inviting visitors of all ages to play together and create a shared, evolving composition. Supported by Creative Scotland.
Venue: Kingdom of the Scots (Level 1): 10:00-17:00 (not 13:00-14:00) - Interactive installation (drop in)
Ambient Arcade (all ages)
Soundplay Projects
A collection of immersive, accessible audio-visual sculptures inspired by retro arcade machines and vintage computer terminals. Sub Bass Soft Space is a horizontally aligned vibrational sound system! Supported by Creative Scotland.
Venue: Event Space (Level 2): 10:00-17:00 (not 13:30-14:30) - Drop-in installation
Film Programme (all ages)
Various artists
Step into a cosy, chill-out space with bean bags and cushions, to unwind while watching a selection of films from Imaginate’s projects, collaborations and associated artists. Spanning a rich mix of genres and themes, the programme gives audiences a chance to pause, rest and discover a range of dance, theatre and stop-motion animations.
Venue: Seminar Room (Level 4): 10:00-17:00 - Films (drop-in)