What do face painters, bouncy castles, root beer gardens and internationally recognized children’s musicians all have in common?
You will be able to find all of them and more at the Squamish Children’s Festival on Sept. 3.
The event promises to take over part of Cleveland Avenue – which is regularly occupied by the Squamish Farmers’ Market – and fill it with three bouncy castles, a giant sandbox, trampolines and all sorts of live entertainment.
The Springman family band will be returning as the featured performer for the festival. The band is made up of four kids along with their father Perry Springman. The youngest child, Jacob, is six years old while the oldest, Emma, is 13.
The performance aims to get the audience on their feet and involved through contagious dance moves and silly lyrics.
Norman Foote, Squamish local and internationally recognized children’s performer, will also be there this year.
Foote has been given a variety of awards for his work, most notably he was the winner of a Juno Award in 2010.
Brian Loverin, the event founder, says the community has helped put this event together and made it a success last year.
In an attempt to diversify this year’s performances, magicians and puppeteers have been added to the line up for the first time.
Children and adults alike can look forward to Jesse Thome, a multidisciplinary artist who will be delivering his acclaimed Some Bunny Loves You puppeteering act.
Dustin Anderson, also know as the Purple Pirate, will also be performing a magic and musical dance act.
Additionally, the festival is working with the Squamish Art Council, which is offering its annual art walk along with a specially curated children’s version.
Participants will be able to collect the art walk’s passport stamps by visiting a variety of business around town, if you collect all the stamps you will be awarded a special edition cup, which can be used in the root beer garden for 50 per cent off.
