It’s quietly one of the more diverse and exciting annual family events along the Eastern seaboard, and it is about to get underway again. The 2012 iteration of the Philadelphia International Children’s Festival will feature a couple of performances already sporting the coveted [cough, cough] OWTK stamp of approval: Pasta! The Pop Ups Puppet Musical and John Tartaglia’s ImaginOcean. What? We’ve got a thing for puppets and catchy show tunes.
In addition to those fine productions, this year’s fest will also feature XPN Kids Corner fave John Hadfield and a pair of shows that sound fantastic: Circo Comedia, a whacky two man routine from Montreal-based, Cirque du Soliel vets, and Space Panorama which promises a full recreation of the historic Apollo 11 moon landing using only two human hands against a black-draped table, and Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 10. I dunno about you, but that seems every bit as preposterous as it does brilliant. I’m calling it a must see.
Tickets to all shows are $10 per person / per show, but a $25 fun pass is available for Saturday May 5 if you want to go pedal-to-the-metal on a single day. I think this is what we are doing, seeing as how we refuse to adhere to sensible governors (see: the vacation we just got back from).
Included with all tickets is access to the Fun Zone, where you can hear even more music – by local acts The Plants and Cat’s Pajamas, among others – meet the Philly Phanatic, get your face painted, etc.
More info and tickets to the 2012 Philadelphia International Children’s Festival here.
