Children's Arts Festival to make big Hullabaloo in Offaly

It’s that time of the year again…… HULLABALOO! Offaly’s Children’s Arts Festival returns for another 4 full days of super-extra-massive-bonkers fun for you and your family during October half term school holidays.

Now, in its 12th year, Hullabaloo! is the County’s only dedicated arts festival for children under 12 years and runs from Wednesday 31 October - Saturday 3 November in Birr, Clara, Edenderry and selected Offaly Libraries (Birr, Clara, Edenderry and Tullamore).

Hullabaloo! is all about creativity and facilitating new experiences for children. The mega packed 2018 programme of workshops and live performances for children and their families is brimming over with rollicking good laughs to creative making, from inspirational and inclusive storytelling to the offbeat and avant-garde, and the best from local and UK arts and theatre practitioners. This year there is a plethora of new workshops for you to engage with, learn new skills and have lots of fun: 3D Wire Sculpture; Circus Skills; Stories and Music composition; Haunted Houses, Funky Frogs, Magical Forests, Animal Art, Germ painting and Balloon Buddies arts & crafts, As well as, Dance; Drumming; Clowning; Stop Motion Animation; Puppetry; the Science of Bubbles and the Moody Skies of Vincent Van Gogh.

There is so much entertainment for the whole family with live theatre performances from One Man Shoe by Jango Starr - a unique style of silent physical theatre including contemporary circus clowning, slapstick comedy, puppetry, juggling and absurd magic. Ceol Connected present A Winter Wish, an immersive, multisensory performance inclusive to children with special educational needs with a mesmerising music performance with traditional musicians Thomas Johnston and Stephen Markham, and visual artist Orla Kelly. Punch Lion bring you Comedy Improv Stories for kids and take you on a nonsense, fun, gobbledygook journey using your suggestions and their comedy improv skills. Taking Flight Theatre present You’re Got Dragons, a performance based on Kathryn Cave’s book of the same name about a young girl with a bad case of the dragons - a story told in a beautifully inclusive way with Irish Sign Language. Selected Libraries across the county in Birr, Clara, Edenderry and Tullamore have a programme of Halloween Parties, Hullabaloo! Films, Storytime, Drop-in Arts & Crafts, Creative Writing and Dress up as your favourite Book Character.

In Clara on Halloween Night from 6.30-8pm, The Scare in The Square, Kids Halloween Party is back with another spooktacular event. All are invited to get their monster, scary witch or pumpkin costume on and join the fun as Disney characters, Ghostbusters, Baby Shark Dance Along, singers,
dancers, DJ’s take over the Green Field near the Town Square with a bumper-packed Halloween Party.

Visit www.hullabaloofestival.ie for further information and to book events. Booking is essential for events and the Box Office will be open from 1pm Friday October 12th.