Running for over 22 years, the Children’s Arts Festival will once again take over Riverside Park East this September 16, 2023. From 10 a.m. to 4p.m., the park will be filled with artistic, musical, and theatrical activities and performances for children ages 2 and up. Amazing sponsors such as The City of Kamloops, B-100, Canadian Heritage, and the BC Arts Council keep this event completely free of charge year after year, so all are welcome to partake in this long-standing community event.
Drawing inspiration from the city itself, the theme for this year’s festival is “Ranches to Rodeos,” which aims to celebrate the wonders of agriculture, with a particular focus on how we can be friends to the earth. The decorations and activities of the event aim to be themed around being eco-friendly, with community booths centred on local agriculture, food security, and urban farming hoping to educate guests in a fun, entertaining manner on the aforementioned topics.
Aside from an assortment of “edutaining” booths, guests can, of course, expect the event to be filled with arts and crafts and interactive performances such as button-making, face painting, singing, dancing, and storytelling, supplied by instructors and performers from all over BC. To ensure that the fun can continue all day long, food trucks are anticipated to be present in the park so that families can enjoy the full breadth of all the Arts Festival has to offer without leaving the park grounds. Additionally, if the day’s excitement begins to feel overwhelming, the Kamloops Arts Council plans to have a “quiet zone” for those that may wish to take a break to reset and recharge.
A new addition to the festival is a colouring contest, hosted by local children’s event business and artist, Marta’s Tower. Please visit the KAC website, kamloopsarts.ca/colouringcontest, the KAC office, or Kamloops Art Party to select one of three colouring pages to complete however their inner artist desires. Once finished, the colouring page can be brought to the KAC office at the Old Courthouse at 7 Seymour Street by September 1st. All completed pages submitted by the deadline will be featured in the Hallway Gallery as part of Marta’s Tower’s “Whose Hue” exhibit, and, just as at other KAC community galleries, winners will be determined by public voting, with an announcement of their accomplishment to be made at the Children’s
Arts Festival!
If you are interested in being a part of this magical day, the Arts Council is still seeking artist facilitators, community booths, and performers! Applications are open until August 31st, and all those interested are encouraged to apply. For more information, please visit the Kamloops Arts Council website at www.kamloopsarts.ca/program/childrens-arts-festival or contact events@kamloopsarts.ca.
The Kamloops Arts Council hopes to see your friendly faces on Saturday, September 16th, 2023, at Riverside Park East to help celebrate another amazing Children’s Arts Festival!
