The First Bristol Children's Festival 2000

22 and 23 July 2000 on the Downs in Bristol The Children's World Charity has been running a Children's Festival in the town of Glastonbury for many, many years now - the Year 2002 Glastonbury Children's Festival will be our 21st! It is a much-loved annual event that provides a huge amount of fun for children and families. THE CHILDREN'S FESTIVAL ARRIVED IN BRISTOL IN THE YEAR 2000..... Thanks to a Millennium Festival Award which covered 1/3 of the costs, Children's World ran an integrational Schools Festival Tour of Somerset and (what was) Avon special scshools and neighbouring mainstream schools between April and July 2000 followed by a Schools Festival Day for all 480 participating children on the Downs on 19 July. And then on 22 AND 23 JULY Children's World held a new and wondeful BRISTOL MILLENNNIUM CHILDREN'S FESTIVAL which was open to the public. On each day THERE WERE MORE THAN 20 DIFFERENT PERFORMANCES from children's theatre companies, puppeteers, clowns, magicians, story-tellers, circus artists, etc. Performances took place in the Theatre Marquee, on the Outside Stage and in the Arena. Among the performers who presented shows were Rudi Wallenda, clown extraordinaire and his wonderful exploding car; Captain Bullock with his energetic and very amusing nautical show; Moses the Magician with tricks to thrill and amaze you; Timothy Francis and partner with their energetic juggling and drumming show; Booper the Clown with comedy and mayhem; Nathaniel of Wessex with stories so tall you're not sure if they are true or not; and Haggis and Charlie, superbly skilled high-comedy jugglers de luxe. Parachute Theatre Company were there with their wonderful large-scale puppet shows "Oh Noah!" and "Punk and Judy", and the High Flyers showed off their wonderful trampolining skills. On Sunday, Samba Sulis ran Samba drumming workshops and a parade. Also, from Australia, we welcomed Shep, Cowboy, Captain Frodo, and the Happy Sideshow who presented incredible shows to huge audiences. Plus the wonderful Jason Maverick from Channel 5's "Havakazoo". And Special Guests BODGER & BADGER (From the popular CBBC show) THERE WERE MANY DIFFERENT WORKSHOPS - Frantic Antics offered juggling and circus skills workshops; children designed and made their own badges and had their faces painted. In the Workshop Marquee children made their own hat, mask or costume and then took part in the Daily Grand Parade to show it off. They also took part in the daily Talent Show, presenting their favourite "party piece" or some new skill they learnt at the Children's Festival. Each child who entered the Talent Show received a Certificate of Merit, a tiny prize and lots of applause. THERE WERE PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES - masses of inflatables and bouncy castles to bounce on; our Dino the Dinosaur ball pool and a smaller ball pool were there for wallowing in; there was a Velcro Wall to leap at and stick to; there were large-scale New Games with parachutes; Co-ordinated Chaos ran games with earthballs and giant Monster Ball outings; Anne Harris's giant inflatable animals and Rock 'n Roll Circus were there to dance and play with. There was a Teacups Ride, lots of parachute games, an Aspirations Tree, and lots, lots more. As always, all the performances, workshops and activities were free once the entrance fee (£5 per child or £3 per adult or under-5 daily) had been paid. (Reductions for special needs, UB40's, large families and 2-day tickets.) There were various different food outlets, plus icecream and drinks sold in aid of the Children's World Charity (though people were very welcome to bring picnics). There were a few stalls selling beads and jewellery, children's clothes, children's books etc. A wonderful time was had by all, and the 1st Bristol Children's Festival was such a success and so acclaimed by punters, that we decided to go ahead with another one in 2001. "This is the best event I have ever taken my children to - so many things to do, such fun and so reasonably priced. They thought they were in heaven and didn't want to leave!" - A parent at last year's Glastonbury Children's Festival. WE ARE MOST GRATEFUL TO THE BRISTOL EVENING POST FOR SPONSORSHIP OF THE BRISTOL MILLENNIUM CHILDREN'S FESTIVAL AND TO MILLENNIUM LOTTERY FESTIVAL AWARDS FOR THEIR SUPPORT. All proceeds went to help fund the Children's World Charity's extensive innovative work with children who have special needs throughout the west country.