The Edinburgh International Children’s Festival has today announced its 2026 programme, with a line-up of performances and events for youngsters, schools, families and industry professionals.
Presenting 15 productions from nine different countries, the festival programme, produced by Imaginate, spans circus, dance, music, puppetry and theatre, and will take over venues across Edinburgh from Saturday 30 May to Sunday 7 June.
Announced by new festival director Adjjima Na Patalung, the Festival’s 36th edition weaves together humour and wonder, but also tackles themes such as bullying and grief in a programme designed to appeal to young people.
It all kicks off with a fully accessible Free Family Day of pop-up performances and artistic interventions by Scotland-based artists at the National Museum of Scotland on 30 May.
This year’s programme features a focus on disabled-led creations with dance theatre show Boys Don’t Dance, aimed at 8-12 year olds, by disabled artist Marc Brew and Cringe – a play for 10-15 year olds by disabled writer and theatre maker Ross Mackay.
Talking through his play, Cringe, creator Ross explained: “I had an idea for a long time – I wanted to do something about young men and vulnerability, mostly due to my own life experiences.
“So when Imaginate had one of their accelerator call-outs, I applied and in the application I said, and I quote, ‘I want to use this experience as a launchpad to create a new, contemporary narrative around some of the themes it raises. I do not want to tell this story on stage.’
“I got knocked back but at the end of [Imaginate’s] financial year, they had a surplus and they gave me a bit of money for a first draft and a little bit of time, and I was about to write a play that was definitely not going to be about my life experience.
“This show is about…I still haven’t quite figured out how to tell this. It’s about the day my balls dropped out of my shorts in PE. But it’s also not really about that!
“Cringe is about what happens when the worst things happen. It’s about how shame is created and how it spreads and what it makes people do.
“It’s about how bullies are created and how vulnerability is a superpower and we have such a cracking team involved. I honestly cannot be prouder to have my show as part of the programme.
“I cannot tell you how delighted I am to be exposing myself – very metaphorically – at this festival.”
Marc Brew also explained how Boys Don’t Dance came about: “The inspiration behind Boys Don’t Dance draws on my story of growing up in the rural Outback of Australia, where I was the only boy who wanted to dance, and I was told no.
“It also draws on my experience after acquiring a disability from a car crash and being told again no, you can’t dance, diabled people don’t dance.
“So the universal message we want you to get with this work is that, despite being told no because you’re different or don’t fit into what society expects you to believe that you are or want to be, that you can follow your dreams and pursue your goals, and that dance is for everyone.
“Boys Don’t Dance features visual projection and animation, and we want everyone to feel welcome – that’s why we’ve embedded accessing into the making of the work with BSL, captions and audio descriptions, making a space for everyone to feel welcome.”
Throughout the rest of the Festival, young audiences with complex needs are catered for in Brrr, a multi-sensory installation and live performance featuring dance, sound and snow for ages 10 and over by choreographer Hayley Earlam.
Circus is featured prominently in The Fabulous Tale of BasarKus by Company Lamento and L’ Académie Fratellini, Gretel by Quattrox4 and The Unlikely Friendship of Feather Boy and Tentacle Girl by Sadiq Ali and Vee Smith.
Highlights for teenagers include the play It would be such a shame if you missed out by Theater Artemis and Theater Basel for 10-16 year olds covering teenager fears about missing out, as well as Tim Crouch’s new play Toto Kerblammo! which is experienced wearing headphones with binaural audio technology amongst a live mix of sound.
For babies, Island is a performance by Scotland’s arts and early years organisation Starcatchers, which is aimed at 0-12 month olds and celebrates the bond between babies and their grown-ups.
And Festival favourite Andy Manley will return with In Time by Teater Refleksion for 3-7 year olds, a playful production following two men tasked with nurturing a tiny seed and sharing the joys and frustrations of parenting a new life.
New Festival Director Adjjima Na Patalung, who joined Imaginate in October, said: “I’m very excited to be launching this 36th edition of the Edinburgh International Children’s Festival.
“This year’s Festival brings together 15 productions from nine countries, with an exciting five productions from Scotland — including two new works by disabled artists.
“By presenting work that is deeply engaging, innovative and inspiring, the Festival upholds that it is every child’s right to develop their creativity.
“As I step into this role, I’m excited to begin this journey with the Children’s Festival and to meet many children and the adults who nurture their love of live performance.”
Ben Torrie, head of theatre at Creative Scotland, said: “The quality and diversity of the programme for the Edinburgh International Children’s Festival offers children and young people a range of inspiring and enriching artistic experiences at an early age, a crucial time for sustaining engagement in culture and creativity throughout their lives.
“The Festival provides a fantastic platform for Scotland’s world-class theatre-makers to showcase alongside top-quality productions from around the world, involving children and young people in exploring important global themes.”
Angus Robertson, the Cabinet Secretary for Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, said: “The Scottish Government is pleased to support this outstanding Festival this year, with increases in multi-year funding to Imaginate from Creative Scotland and through the Festival EXPO Fund.
“We recognise the importance of children accessing live performances and the Children’s Festival’s unique ability to provide an abundance of opportunities for young people to engage with live arts through world-class theatre, dance and circus.
“The national and international interest the festival creates year on year, also underlines the value placed upon their annual programme.”
Festival tickets are on sale from 12 noon today, and can be booked online at www.imaginate.org.uk/festival or by calling 0131 226 0019.
