A welcome splash of ‘sunshine’ is on its way. From Monday 8 – Saturday 20 February 2021, Leicester’s very own The Spark Festival promises a fortnight of unforgettable family entertainment, bringing a vibrant programme of online performances and experiences to the city after a dark 12 months. Designed for children aged 0-13 years and their families, the festival programme will be the most accessible ever, including a Festival On Demand service so you can take part when it suits you.
The Festival, supported using public funding by Arts Council England and Leicester City Council, is the largest independent children’s arts festival in England and includes the very best theatre, dance, music and workshops around. After all the restrictions the last year has brought, what better way to get into a new (and hopefully better) year than by trying something fabulous. It’s like a burst of vitamin D for the imagination.
This year’s festival promises a range of extraordinary and entertaining shows from across the world, with local, national and international performers bringing colour into families lives and living rooms..
Prepare to get your groove on as Bangers and Mash-Ups with Mr Shay fuses cooking and beat-boxing in an online, live-streamed, kitchen takeover. There’s an invitation to the vegetable party of the year and Potato Needs a Bath (he’s not keen on the idea, though).
Autistic and neurodivergent children can immerse themselves in the sounds, sights and scents of the rainforest in Tribe DIY, an empowering and unique sensory experience. And for the festival’s youngest audience, Mmm Ahhh Whoosh has live songs, humming and singing for babies, toddlers and families.
Festival workshops (or ‘funshops’ as we like to see them) are always popular, and this year is no different. Write four plays in four days with 14/48 Takeover or join Words Between Us for live personal poetry-making. Make a map full of stories with Leicester Gallery’s Here Be Dragons and turn slouching on the sofa into an art form by joining Mimbre’s acrobats for a Sofa Acrobatics family movement session.
It’s not only national and international performances and adventures taking place during the festival. Families of Belgrave, the golden mile of Leicester, have been sharing their stories, their personal histories and their family traditions with writer Satinder Chohan. These Secret Stories will be performed by professional actors on Zoom during the festival.
Between Monday 8 and Friday 13 February The Spark’s At Your School programme remains at the heart of the festival, with many performances and projects adapted to be shared by schools as part of the home learning timetable.
After a year of lockdowns and restrictions, The Spark Festival 2021 is the easiest ever to experience with fabulous festival fun happening online, on your kitchen table, on your sofa. And with all events being free or pay-what-you-can, the only problem is how to fit everything in! Make a list and book your places now.
Full details of all this year’s festival events can be found on The Spark website www.thesparkarts.co.uk Stay connected with #SparkFestival or search for The Spark on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
