Canberra Cultural: Kids, Creatures and 100 Harlequins Festival

Last Saturday I took Princess to the Canberra "Kids, Creatures and 100 Harlequins" festival, in a park about as central as you can get in the city. It was awesome!

We got there about an hour after things began and the place was heaving. I let Princess set the pace and she:

• Went on the jumping castle twice. It was a lovely big castle, with a lady managing the kids and sending them all off every 5 minutes so that other kids could get on.
• Went into a huge dark tent for an Aboriginal "Creation Story" play/puppet show/something. Princess found it too dark, loud, slow and creepy though, so we left after 15 minutes.
• Went into another tent where they were doing a sort of panto play about water and a frog (you had to be there) which Princess enjoyed.
• Watched a Punch and Judy show.
• Had her face painted.
• Got made a balloon poodle.
• Had her first slushie and shared a cheeseburger and chips with me.
• Watched a brilliant circus act about the Very Hungry Caterpillar.
• Joined in a drumming circle.
• Danced to a band.
• Decorated a money box
• Goggled at clowns, walking flower people and a talking tree.

There were more story tellers and craft tents and performers that we didn't quite get to, and a rather odd monster-giving-birth-to-monsters final interactive scene which we didn't understand but that looked like fun.

We stayed until the very end, and Princess' only meltdown came when I couldn't quite remember how to get back to the car and she was hungry and tired. Finally a nice man pointed me in the right direction, we bought a huge chocolate cookie, and I carried Princess and her cookie the final 200 feet to the carpark and she watched Peppa Pig all the way home in time for dinner.

What a day! She had a blast and I enjoyed spending the day with her. 4 is a lovely age.