dalstonsqsummerprog-2.jpg

From Carnival crafts to puppet making, children will be spoilt for choice with lots of exciting things to see and do at the free Dalston Children’s Festival 2017.

Taking place across two weekends of Saturday 27 May and 3 June during the half term holiday, the Dalston Children’s Festival is the perfect way for Hackney’s children to be entertained for free whilst giving families the chance to discover the fun to be had in Dalston all-year-round.

With creativity and play at the heart of the festival, Dalston’s vibrant artistic and play communities will have activities on offer both indoors and out.

Some of the many highlights of the festival include:

• Pasta Armando Festival in Dalston Square, learn all about pasta and Italian food, if you’re lucky you can also grab one of the 500 free portions of pasta made by famous Italian chef Lorenzo Toppi
• Children’s music workshop using sticks, chairs, djembe drums and improvised instruments to learn West African rhythm patterns at the Vortex Jazz Club
• Puppet making at the Arcola Theatre
• A performance of Kirikou by the Hackney French Youth Theatre and a screening of the film A Cat in Paris (u) (subtitled) at the Rio Cinema
• Dalston Square will be transformed into a giant Play Street playground.

Lucy McMenemy, Cultural Programme Officer at Hackney Council said: “This is one of the highlights of Hackney’s cultural calendar, it’s great to see local community groups, businesses and artists working together to provide a fantastic array of free cultural events for families and children in the heart of Dalston, one of the borough’s most diverse and creative town centres. I would encourage families from across Hackney to head to the Dalston Children’s Festival to experience and enjoy all of the activities on offer. It is an event not to be missed!”

The Dalston Children’s Festival is a community-led event and has been organised by the Dalston Children’s Network (DCN), a collective of organisations that have an on-going offer for children and young people in Dalston, and is supported by Hackney Council.

For more details about the Dalston Children’s Festival 2017, please visit the website or pick-up a flyer from Dalston businesses, restaurants, cafes and the Dalston CLR James Library.

You can also follow the Dalston Children’s Festival on Twitter using #dalstonchildren or on Facebook.