DREAMBIG CHILDREN'S FESTIVAL Comes to Adelaide

The full family program for the upcoming DreamBIG Children's Festival promises days of thoughtful and awe-inspiring entertainment.

The fun and thought-provoking lineup features 350 artists and is jam packed with live performances involving song and dance, a boisterous puppy, a giant robot, fireflies, the Gruffalo, drag queens reading stories, silent discos and more.

The general public component of the festival runs late May to early June and features 12 shows, including three world premieres and seven Adelaide premieres. There will be 12 exhibitions held at Adelaide Festival Centre and venues across the city and surrounding suburbs.

There will be more than 25 free events and activities on offer over the popular Big Family Weekend, on Saturday, May 25 and Sunday, May 26.

Thousands of tickets have already been booked since the schools program was released late last year. DreamBIG Children's Festival Creative Producer Susannah Sweeney expects the general public will be just as enthusiastic: "We put a lot of time and effort into creating a program that not only entertains but enriches lives.

"From a world premiere show for babies, to shows tackling complex issues such as bullying and loneliness, we are proud to present this thoughtful, empathetic and entertaining festival."

Established in 1974, each festival reaches an audience of over 100,000 people with an average of 180 or more schools participating across South Australia. Adelaide Festival Centre works in partnership with the Department for Education to deliver DreamBIG.

The DreamBIG Opening Event, at Adelaide Oval on May 22, will feature up to 2000 children singing the High School Musical hit "We're All in this Together" after a reading of children's book "Alpacas with Maracas," held in unison with school students across Australia. Part of the National Simultaneous Storytime initiative, the even aims to get one million children reading at once. This will be followed by SA icons Electric Fields who recently came second in Australia's Eurovision entry competition.

The DreamBIG family program also includes:

• The Gruffalo Live on Stage - returning to Australia after sell-out seasons in London's West End and Broadway. For the first time the show will also head to Port Lincoln.

• New Owner - Combining puppetry and animation this is a beautiful story of loss and love, seen through a dog's eyes.

• Beep - from the makers of Grug, this locally produced show is about a robot, friendship and finding where you fit.

• Robot Song - performing in Adelaide as part of a national tour, this show follows the story of a young girl on the autism spectrum learning to understand the world around her, with the help of a giant robot.

• Seashore - a brand new show for babies and toddlers, exclusive to DreamBIG, featuring live music and dance to create a sense of play.

• Of All the People in All the World - a free performance installation from the UK, which uses grains of rice to represent human statistics, making us reflect on our place in the world.

• Panda's Home - a beautiful and immersive dance piece from China and Italy where Chinese culture and technology combine, and the audience becomes part of the show.

• Same Like Yesterday - an animated visual performance that illustrates the story of a group of Adnyamathanha women sharing their ancestral stories with teenage girls from their community.

Adelaide Festival Centre CEO and Artistic Director Douglas Gautier said more than two million children had participated in the festival to date, and it continues to be popular: "Adelaide Festival Centre is immensely proud of this festival.

"It's a wonderful opportunity for children of all ages to foster an appreciation for the arts, and with such a diverse range of shows on offer, there is something for everyone."

More details about the Big Family Weekend will be revealed in April.

Full details and ticketing information for both the family and schools programs can be found at dreambigfestival.com.au.

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