ellaslist’s Top Family Picks for Sydney Festival 2016

Wow 40 years! That’s how long Sydney Festival has been bringing the best arts events and activities and big ideas to the city of Sydney.

Its diverse program never disappoints and this year’s Sydney Festival 2016 (7-27 January) is no exception. The choice of things to see and do is dizzyingly huge with 157 events, a staggering 89 of which are free! The program features fantastic entertainment for kids of all ages. Do not, under any circumstances, miss the Family Week at Sydney Festival (12-16 January) with heaps of awesome activities and entertainment happening every day between 10am and 3pm in the Meriton Festival Village, Hyde Park North.

So where on earth do you start with planning where to go and what to do with your kids during the Sydney Festival? We have just the starting point! The ellaslist team have been eagerly combing through the Festival program and want to share with you their top picks for what to see with kids at Sydney Festival 2016.

Yvette - 2 girls aged nearly 3 and 7 years

Love Sydney Fest! With a toddler in tow, we need lower key events to avoid the crowds of the big events. We’ve done the Lawn Library before and it’s such a wonderful afternoon, blue skies, shady trees. So relaxing! The Anna Van Riel concert looks really fun for all ages – we hear she’s pretty quirky. I totally want to do Dance your Hyde off with Guru Dudu – but I know my 7yo will think it’s way too embarrassing!

Lisa - girl aged 4 years & 18 month old twins

I have three kids under four so it’s sometimes a challenge even leaving the house! But the Sydney Festival is so action-packed that we will definitely be doing a few family visits to these amazing events. We can’t wait for Family Week (12 – 16 Jan) and all the amazing FREE events that are happening around the Meriton Festival Village in Hyde Park North.

My three yo loves boogying so we will definitely be taking part in the FREE Bubble Disco – with each kid getting their own pair of headphones. They will also love learning a traditional Tiwi Dance on Sat 16 Jan (FREE), where they can pretend to be a shark, crocodile, turtle or a rainbow.

I definitely want to take them to see a show at the Magic Mirrors Spiegeltent. Sunny Ray and the Magnificent Moon about staying up all night (which I think my kids would all love to do) looks like a lot of fun. It’s on from 12- 16 January. Cost is $25 a person.

My kids love building towers…and get as much glee from knocking them over with gusto. So I think they will adore the building and demolition days of the People’s Tower at Darling Harbour. Two gigantic buildings will be created, with the kids’ help, by cardboard and tape on 7 Jan and then everyone can help to destroy them on 10 Jan. FREE.

Annie - girl aged 10 and boy aged 7 years

We treat ourselves to a single Sydney Festival theatre event every year, and this year my pick of the bunch is My Family’s Weirder Than Your Family, running between 12-16 Jan in The Famous Spiegeltent in Festival Village at Hyde Park. We go early every year for a wander and a beverage and soak up the atmosphere. Tickets $25ea.

Family Week at the Festival Village in Hyde Park is our ‘must do’ every January. We catch the bus into town to join in the hustle and bustle of the Festival for a few hours and participate in all the free stuff on offer. This year will be no different – the City of Sydney Lawn Library is a gorgeous chill-out area; the Australian Museum is running mask-making, there are more craft activities, even a silent disco! FREE.

I’m embarrassed to admit that I still haven’t visited Barangaroo so cannot wait to get down there with the kids during the Festival for The Ephemeral City. I’m planning on packing a picnic dinner and heading down mid afternoon for a wander around, then joining in the afternoon construction session at 5pm (kids workshops run between 2-7pm in the same place). I don’t care how long the queue is, I am not leaving without a go on the Flying Fox!

The kids’ dad is a mad-keen 51yrs-young skateboarder, so we’ll wrap up our evening at Barangaroo with Gallery Hour featuring a brand new work by contemporary video artist Shaun Gladwell being projected onto the walls of the Cutaway, called Skateboarders vs Minimalism from 8-9pm between 8-24 Jan (plus 1-3pm on Australia Day). FREE.

Finally, one of my favourite works at Sculpture by the Sea this year was the audio installation at Mackenzie’s Beach of a whale sound, so I think The Pleasure Garden will be really cool. It promises an immersive sonic experience where music and environmental sounds weave through the beautiful gardens of Vaucluse House. 7-26 Jan. FREE.

 

Marie - boy aged 3 years

This will be our first Sydney Festival! I can’t wait to take my 3yo into the city and experience the buzz. We need attention-grabbing, interactive and not-too-long events please! The Silent Bubble Disco, 12-16 January in Meriton Festival Village, Hyde Park North (FREE) looks so much fun especially as my son’s obsessed with his headphones at the moment.

If there’s anything to press, turn or crank my son is happy so we have to head to Arquitectura de Feria - an interactive vintage-style fair in Parramatta’s Prince Alfred Square. 7–24 January, closed Mondays (FREE).

And I’ve heard great things about the City of Sydney Lawn Library in Meriton Festival Village (FREE). There’s loads of fun activities to get involved with from paper plane making and circus skills to chilled out story time under the trees.

Sharon – girls aged 6 & boy 4 years

We’re so excited about the Sydney Festival! My kids are completely spoilt for choice – it’s so hard to choose! Inside The Loop! With Adam Page certainly sounds interesting. Adam Paige is incredible and my kids will learn so much from him – cant wait to discover the fun in every day sounds. 12 – 16 Jan (FREE).

 

Putting on headphones, dancing with bubbles and just being in their own little world of silence will just be so great to watch at The Bubble Disco 12-15 January (FREE). The Circus Skills workshop will be perfect for my 6 year old who believes she will be the next olympic gymnast. She will love learning new tricks and acrobatics – really looking forward to taking her to this. 10, 17, 24 January (FREE).

And finally, the Late Night Library is something we can enjoy with family and friends. Storytime, comedy, music, food all under the stars on a summers night – sounds pretty perfect to me! 12 & 13 January 19 & 20 January (FREE).

Sabine - a boy aged 8 & a girl 5 years

We’re planning to go to the installations at Barangaroo and help with building the Ephemeral City and maybe try the Flying Fox. The Cutaway Workshops in Barangaroo look exciting too. We would love tickets to My Family’s Weirder Than Your Family and What Will Have Been; I’m a huge fan of the Spiegeltent and this is my chance to introduce the kids to it!

Natalie – boy aged 3 years & bub due in January

Sadly I’ll be missing the festivities of Sydney festival this year as I’ll be getting my head around the arrival of the newest ellaslist baby! Given my husband is a serious muso though, I’ll definitely be using this as an opportunity to encourage him and our 3 year old out the house!  I’ll be suggesting the Meriton Festival Village for Family Week and of course, the Bubble Disco!

Sydney Festival 2016 features a unbelievable choice of events for the whole family, many of which are FREE! Start planning your festival now! ellaslist top tip – use the festival’s ‘sync to calendar’ function so you don’t forget anything.