Light the Blue 2025: Family Arts Day
- Various Venues
Overview
Light the Blue 2025: Family Arts Day
An exciting day of pop-up, studio and interactive performances, arts activities, live music, sports, food, backstage tours and inspirational experiences for all the family.
Taking place across Union Terrace Gardens, His Majesty’s Theatre and Aberdeen Art Gallery, Family Arts Day invites those aged 0 – 12 and their families to spend the day with us.
Watch over 200 young and professional artists perform; enjoy a family-friendly backstage tour of the iconic His Majesty’s Theatre; create your own arts and crafts; participate in drop-in sports activities; and soak up the atmosphere.
Entry is free and you don’t need to book a ticket – come along from 12pm – 5pm for an unforgettable, fun and creative day on us!
Family Arts Day will culminate in a procession of young people travelling through the winding walkways of Union Terrace Gardens with puppets, masks, banners and crafts accompanied by family-friendly band Sprog Rock. The band will close the event with a fun, lively gig for the whole family!
Important information
Suitable for: 0 – 12
Price
Free Entry
Family Arts Day Line-Up
Full Schedule Announced!
Union Terrace Gardens Sports Activity
StreetSport Denis Law Legacy Trust
Pick up and play football panna, pickleball, basketball and more throughout the day.
12 – 4pm, UTG Grass Area, drop-in at any time
Monkey Business Parkour Limitless Movement Coaching
Have you ever wanted to move across your city, unrestricted by traffic, obstacles or people? Learn the very basics of parkour, the sport inspired by unrestricted and creative movement.
12.30pm, 1.30pm and 2.30pm, UTG Climbing Frame, limited spaces (turn up at start time)
Get Craftin’!
Are you ready? Crafts Activity Just Us (Clare Adam & Lesley Howard)
Join us as we take young explorers and their families on an exciting journey around Scotland. Meet fascinating friends like our jellyfish, dragon, and exciting explorers. An opportunity to dive into a new creative activity, while learning British Sign Language. Collect all 4 stamps as you go! ‘Are you ready?’
- Maps Station, UTG Grass Area, 12 – 4pm
- Planes Station, UTG William Statue, 12 – 4pm
- Dragon Station, HMT Circle Bar, 12 – 3.30pm
- Jellyfish Station, AAG Learning Space, 12 – 3.30pm
Meet at UTG Balcony for paper plane throws at 1pm, 2.30pm and 4.15pm.
Indoor Theatre Performances
HMT Family Backstage Tours
Meet in HMT Foyer at 12.45pm and 1.30pm for a free 30-minute family-friendly backstage tour of His Majesty’s Theatre (limited spaces, arrive early to secure a spot).
Studio Performances
Catch our ticketed family shows in HMT Studio – Doon the Watter (11.30am), The Truth About Trees work in progress (1.30pm) and A Wee Dance With Us! (3.45pm).
A Dispute with a Butterfly Fibi Cowley
Step into a soft, sensory storytelling experience, following the incredible journey of the Painted Lady Butterfly. Through puppetry, participation and play, we find out what makes this butterfly special, how important it is to learn from past generations, and how we can all work together to make the world a better place.
Drop in and stay as long as you like: 12 – 12.40pm (HMT Foyer), 1 – 1.40pm (HMT Foyer) and 3 – 3.40pm (UTG Balcony).
Or Just Chill Out!
Sub Bass Soft Space Chill Out Area
Take a pause during the day with Sub Bass Soft Space, Soundplay Projects’ horizontally aligned, vibrational sound system! Relax on comfy beanbags and interact with sound and music in new ways. Suitable for all ages and abilities.
Running 11.45am – 3.45pm in Aberdeen Art Gallery’s Seminar Room.
Family Arts Day Finale
Join us for the Family Arts Day finale featuring a fun, lively gig for the whole family by Sprog Rock and an exciting parade of puppets, masks, crafts and more. Interested in participating in the parade? Meet at UTG Grass Area at 4pm and join us in celebrating the end to a fantastic day.
Check out Sprog Rock’s latest album Born Ready!
The young artists involve include:
- Aberdeen Performing Arts Youth Theatre: Let’s Play! & Let’s Create!
- Aberdeen Arts Centre 8-11 Youth Theatre
- Citymoves Dance Agency’s Bring It Boys
- Academy of Expressive Arts
- Riverbank School Wind Band
- Bucksburn Training Band
- Fiddle Futures Juniors
- Redmyre School Choir
Professional artists involve include:
Are you ready?, Clare Howard & Lesley Adam (Imaginate & Aberdeen Performing Arts Co-commission)
Join us as we take young explorers and their families on an exciting journey around Scotland. Meet fascinating friends like our jellyfish, dragon, and exciting explorers. An opportunity to dive into a new creative activity, while learning British Sign Language. Collect all 4 stamps as you go! ‘Are you ready?’
Heebie Jeebies, Up & About Theatre
Have you seen the Heebie Jeebies? This visual performance, created for children under 6 and their carers, combines multilingual storytelling (Gaidhlig, French, English) puppetry and live music to inspire a deeper connection to nature and to each other.
Pop!, Vince Virr
a colourful and dynamic dance duet exploring adolescence.
Sub Bass Soft Space, Soundplay Projects
a horizontally aligned, vibrational sound system! Relax on comfy beanbags and interact with sound and music in new ways. Suitable for all ages and abilities.
A Dispute with a Butterfly, Fibi Cowley
Step into a soft, sensory storytelling experience, following the incredible journey of the Painted Lady Butterfly. Through puppetry, participation and play, we find out what makes this butterfly special, how important it is to learn from past generations, and how we can all work together to make the world a better place.
Sprog Rock
A live interactive music gig for children and their adults. Playing original songs co-written with children around Scotland.
Sports activity includes:
Monkey Business, a Parkour Workshop (Limitless Movement Coaching)
Have you ever wanted to move across your city, unrestricted by traffic, obstacles or people? And feeling like your favourite superhero whilst doing so? Well at Monkey Business, a Parkour Workshop, you can learn the very basics of Parkour, the sport inspired by unrestricted and creative movement!
30-minute sessions delivered by Limitless Movement Coaching, where experienced coaches will take you through a fun warm up, before teaching you 4 exciting but important skills that you can use in your everyday life!
Family Arts Day Studio Performances
We also have three ticketed performances taking place throughout the day:
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Doon the Watter, PACE Theatre Company, 11.30am, His Majesty’s Theatre Studio
A heartwarming celebration of nature, storytelling, and the joy of adventure for ages 0-5 and their grown-ups.
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The Truth About Trees, Apropos Theatre, 1.30pm, His Majesty’s Studio
When Grandpa explains how to learn the story of the trees, Alfie doesn’t believe him. Once he starts to listen closely, Alfie realises he is the only one who can save them from being chopped down.
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A Wee Dance With Us!, Fusion Youth Dance Company, 3.45pm, His Majesty’s Theatre
An energetic and playful show created by Fusion Youth Dance Company for early years and their families. Join Fusion to dance, sing and get creative together – everyone is welcome!
Get involved in our finale parade!
We’re inviting young people aged 12 and under to participate in our Family Arts Day finale parade. Come along and make a craft on the day, or bring your own costume/puppet/banner/mask responding to our festival theme ‘into the unknown’. Meet in Union Terrace Gardens at 4pm and join us in celebrating the end to a fantastic day.
Please Note
Family Arts Day will take place across indoor and outdoor locations, with Union Terrace Gardens being the hub of the event. In the event of bad weather, we will move outdoor activity to indoor venues and communicate this across our channels.
Light the Blue 2025
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Light The Blue 2025
Light the Blue is our multi-artform festival for and by young people returning 1st – 15th June 2025 with a programme of theatre, music, dance, film, visual arts and more taking place across Aberdeen city.
With over 25 events across 15 days, this year’s festival invites artists and audiences to step into the unknown – with stories being told in new and exciting ways on our stages as well as unusual indoor and outdoor locations.
Light the Blue offers something for everyone – whether you’re a young person, a family or interested in seeing work in the early stages of development. Join us in June for an unmissable fortnight of creativity, conversation and connection.
