Education through entertainment is what the Vancouver Island International Childrens Festival is all about.
The festival is in its seventh year and kids and their families have until Saturday to check it out all the activities in downtown Nanaimo.
Performers from Australia, Asia, Africa, the United States and three Canadian provinces bring an amazing array of arts and culture to Nanaimo's stages and downtown plazas.
Festival goers will be treated to dance, drama, circus, musical theatre, acrobatics, storytelling and puppetry on stage.
Interactive workshops, free activity centres and street entertainment will also be on site.
Kids wanting to stand out from the crows will love the Hairworks display where volunteers quickly change kids hairdo with a rainbow of temporary hues and tints.
Professional sand castle makers will show off their skills and everyone in attendance can contribute to the festival's great canvas.
Children can also clown around and try a hand at stilt walking, hula hoops and juggling.
Face painters will be out in droves to liven up the looks of children.
The Great Clay Castle makes a comeback this year when children create their own work of art to add to the original sculpture by Vancouver Island sculptor Joel Prevost.
Vancouver's Skookum Cirque leads the show this year, the first time a domestic company has headlined the seven year old festival.
West Africa's Manding Jata, Barking Gecko Theatre Company from Australia, Quebec's rocking retro culture group called Le Groupe Swing, New York's Tiny Ninjas performing Hamlet and an Inuit/Robert Munsch puppetry interpretation by Rag and Bone Theatre make up some of the programming scheduled for the festival.
Children will learn the fine art of origami and string games.
Future stars will get a helping hand from the acting for film and TV workshops and music lovers can try out the Japanese Taiko drumming and hip- hop dancing.
The weekdays are reserved for school field trips but Saturday marks family day and includes two Port Theatre Shows and an expanded program on the Harbourfront Plaza.
Saturday's events run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Two Port Theatre shows runs from noon to 3 p.m.
Call the Port Theatre box office at 250-754-8550 or 754-FEST (3378).
Admission is $4 on family day. Port Theatre tickets are $12 and $16 including site admission.
Students who attend a weekday performance will receive a free admission pass Saturday.
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