Preview: Hoo-ha! festival 2018

The Colston Hall’s flagship family festival is spreading its wings this year, with the free fun taking place in the foyer and ticketed shows hosted by Bristol Folk House on Park Street.

Taking place for its fourth year from August 16-18, Hoo-Ha! will feature the likes of a live show from CBeebies favourites Sid and Rebecca; a draw-along with illustrator Nick Sharratt; and music from Fun DMC, Dizney Rascal and festival favourites Junior Jungle Rave (pictured above).

Free foyer entertainment includes a pop-up planetarium, a Mexican paper-cutting bonanza and Down the Rabbit Hole, an interactive, silent-disco-style audio adventure with Alice and friends.

For more information, visit www.colstonhall.org/shows/hoo-ha-2018

Ticketed shows at Bristol Folk House
Nick Sharratt’s Drawalong
Children & adults £8.60
Thu 16 Aug, 11:15
Seated show (some floor seating), 1 hr duration, for ages 4+
Join this much-loved children’s writer and illustrator in a family-friendly, fun filled draw-along for ages 4 and above. Nick’s best-selling picture books include You Choose, Shark in the Park and Pants. He’s also the illustrator of Jacqueline Wilson’s phenomenally popular children’s novels. He’ll be showing you how he creates characters like Tracy Beaker and Timothy Pope, sharing ways to invent your own crazy creatures and giving loads of top tips as your draw along with him. Bring pencils, paper and something to lean on. After the show, Nick will host a meet and greet and book signing session.

Mischief and Mysteries in Moomin Valley
£10.75 incl. bf, adults go free (ticket required, must be accompanied by a child)
Fri 17 Aug, 10:00, 12:00 & 14:00
Seated show (some floor seating), 45 minutes duration, for ages 4-7
Discover a world where anything is possible. Be sure to pack your imagination and join us on an unforgettable journey to Moominvalley where everyone is welcome, nature thrives and adventures are plentiful. Magical puppetry, an ingenious pop up book set, original music and interactive play will delight young audiences and encourage them to immerse themselves in a unique participatory story-telling. Expect snow, surprises and plenty of Moomin mischief.

Free shows on the Foyer Stage at Colston Hall
Junior Jungle Rave
Thu 16 Aug, 11am
Now a Hoo-ha! Festival favourite, the Junior Jungle Rave returns to Colston Hall for more massive raving for you and your little monkeys with DJ Nick Terrific and MC Rocky Patch. With no pop or Disney, just proper rave tunes, this the greatest family rave on the planet!

Dan the Hat
Thu 16 Aug, 12.30pm
A mixture of serious skills, stupid stunts and ‘Off the Wall’ improv comedy from Dan the Hat. Expect world-class hat manipulation, juggling and Yo-Yo mastery interspersed with ridiculous feats of stupidity and lots of audience interaction! Warning: this show contains the World renowned “Fruit Catch of Death” and the “Bear Trap for Children”.

Dizney Rascal
Thu 16 Aug, 2pm
What happens when you take all your favourite Disney songs & mash them with all your favourite sing-a-long anthems? The answer is… DIZNEY RASCAL!
These movie music bandits throw down the gauntlet with a no holds barred sing-a-long-show that would get Cruella De Ville tapping her feet! Dressed in full costume with plenty of Disney trivia & audience interaction thrown in, this tongue & cheek show is a must for any fan!

It’s Time to Play with CBeebies’ Sid and Rebecca
Fri 17 Aug, 1.30pm
Hoo-ha! Festival is excited to present It’s Time To Play, the new live stage show for kids starring Sid & Rebecca from hit CBeebies TV show ‘Let’s Play’. Packed full of games, songs and music, including ‘Copy Me’, a groovy ‘Simon Says’ with lots of energy, ‘Musical Bumps’ with a super twist, and loads more! With Sid & Rebecca’s own brand of comedic playfulness and spontaneous interaction a good time is guaranteed for everyone. Plus, you can meet Sid and Rebecca after the show!

Fun DMC
Sat 18 Aug, 11am, free
Whether the proud parent of a Lil Wayne, a Missy Elliot or a whole crew of Beastie Boys and Wee Papa Girls Rappers, FUN DMC is the jam for you and yours. A real block party experience designed with both parents and children in mind with areas to dance (obviously), practice your graffiti, play with our super-fly Hip-Hop fancy dress, or just chill and enjoy a drink. So grab your ‘kid and play’!

Rocktopus
Sat 18 Aug, 1.30pm
Rocktopus, the world’s greatest rock band for kids and families, are ready to rock out with you! Join the band, learn the moves, and get involved in this truly interactive experience which will have everyone, aged 3 to 103, singing and dancing along. There’s just one question: are you ready to ROCK?

Free activities in the foyer

The Amazing Scene Machine
In this interactive art experience, you’ll work with the artist team to build an amazing unique scene out of modelling clay. After the event, the team animates your creation into a film using time-lapse and stop-motion. You can then watch the film online and see your scene you made come to life – and share it with your friends!

Down the Rabbit Hole!

Down the Rabbit Hole!
Venture into wonderland and join Alice and her friends on an exciting journey down the rabbit hole. Every child who travels down the Rabbit Hole will be transformed into a White Rabbit, ready for a special silent disco storytelling adventure. This is an interactive theatrical audio adventure for young children and their families from Hoo-ha Festival favourites Bakehouse Factory, who previously brought you Wild Things and Dino School to Hoo-ha!

Explorer Dome Hands-on Science
Join Explorer Dome for family-friendly science you can handle! Our pop-up planetarium hosts much more than space so let our lively, interactive science shows immerse you in the rainforest, dazzle you with experiments on light & colour or take you on a tour of the human body. With a different interactive show each day, you can return again and again for stimulating, science-based fun.

Let’s Make Art
Let’s Make Art are back at Hoo-Ha, this time with a paper cutting bonanza for this year’s Hoo-Ha! Come and decorate the space with Mexican Papel Picado style bunting and make celebratory flags.

Children’s Scrap Store Workshop
Join the Children’s Scrap Store Team for a medley of Summery crafts for all ages. Find them nestled in their usual mountain of colourful scrap and craft materials, with some activities dreamt up especially for Hoo-Ha!

Ready Sheddy Disgo
It’s the disco with a difference with just one rule: leave your upside-down smiles at the door. Dance floor dudes and divas can learn new routines, shake it like a Polaroid picture in the music games and make like Drake by singing silly songs. Strictly for shiny happy people (no bullies allowed).

Nick Sharratt has illustrated such favourites include Shark in the Park and Eat Your Peas