If you’re already worrying about how to fill the time during these school holidays, then fret no longer. Hoo-Ha! Festival, Bristol’s biggest free festival for kids, is back with two jam-packed editions this August. There are no tickets required at either – families can just turn up and party!
The first party (a mini-version of the festival) is happening at Beacon Music Centre in Southmead on Saturday, August 10. At Bristol Beacon’s base for creative learning, Kid Carpet presents songs and games from his anarchic family shows – with a mix of music, comedy, ping pong balls and punk DIY attitude.
Plus, Japanese experimental musician ICHI combines handmade, quirky instrument inventions with found sounds captured on his trusty sampler; RSVP Bhangra invite everyone to party Punjabi style; and The Incredibly Clever Canine Circus will conjure the most incredible spectacle out of participants and their pets.
Julia Roderick, Head of Community Engagement at Bristol Beacon adds: “We’re so excited to be throwing open the doors of Beacon Music Centre and welcoming in the Southmead community for this joyful celebration of music, play and creativity. We hope families can come along and make special memories together with us this summer.”
Then on August 27 & 28, Bristol Beacon hosts the ultimate end-of-summer party. The two-day event will be bursting with shows, shenanigans and spectacles before the school holidays come to an end – from Bridgehouse to Lantern Hall – including Dizraeli: Lullabies Live where you can pull up a beanbag, lay back and drift on a warm sea of live sound, song and visual projections.
Matt Aitken, Artistic Programmer at Bristol Beacon says, “After a fallow year in 2023, we’re delighted to bring Hoo-Ha! back to its home at the transformed Bristol Beacon, and looking forward to introducing families, friends and neighbours in Southmead to the organised chaos of this much-loved festival for the first time.”
Also at Bristol Beacon, Poco Drom will put on a storming show with some family-friendly electro grunge; Lunatraktors showcase a special show for children with some re-imagined Anglo-Celtic traditional music; and acclaimed French comedian, Marcel Lucont, will present his wild family gameshow, Les Enfant Terribles (this is ticketed and can be booked here.)
At both Southmead and Bristol Beacon events there will be plenty of hands-on activities such as interactive science shows with Explorer Dome, craft with Let’s Make Art, exploring sound with Noisy Toys, crazy golf with Kiss My Putt, and lots more. To learn more about Hoo-Ha! Festival head here.