2015 Come Out Children's Festival Breaks Records
By: Tyler Peterson Jun. 01, 2015
Produced and presented by the Adelaide Festival Centre for the first time, this iconic festival, which ran from May 22-30, hit new highs, with record numbers of people visiting the Centre, painting, crafting, dancing and exploring their way through everything on offer in the Families Program.
The opening ceremony, A Bridge Across Time, was an incredibly moving event that saw 1700 students singing Eagle Rock on the Adelaide Oval Footbridge, signifying a bridge across the ages and tying in with the festival's theme of "Building Bridges".
On the other side of the bridge, the ACH Group 'Sing for Joy' choirs, comprising people in their 70s, 80s and beyond, sang contemporary songs including Jessie J's Price Tag, Meghan Trainor's All About that Bass and Sheppard's Geronimo.
This massive event was a memorable moment in time with all generations engaged in a shared experience, celebrating the importance of this iconic South Australian Festival and a shared love of the arts.
More than 25,000 people attended the Big Family Weekend on May 23 and 24 - making the most of the plethora of free workshops, activities and entertainment in and around Adelaide Festival Centre and other city sites on the opening weekend.
Creative Producer Susannah Sweeney says: "We expected big numbers but this just surpassed anything we could have imagined. To see local families interacting with all the different activities, shows and workshops was truly inspiring - that's what Come Out Children's Festival is all about, making the arts accessible and enjoyable for all South Australian families.
"Watching children, parents and grandparents join in the Bollywood dancing on the Terrace, seeing little ones make teepees at the Nature's Play display, or watching kids get creative with cardboard at the Cardboard Challenge - everywhere I looked I saw moving moments that will stay with me forever.
"We also broke another record - the world record attempt for the most people contributing to a painting - we reached 3000 people, beating the existing record by 700, thanks to the efforts of local organisation Jelly Bean Street. They will sell the painting, with all funds going to the Women's and Children's Hospital.
"We could not be happier with the success of this Festival under Adelaide Festival Centre custodianship - it's been incredibly rewarding for all involved."
More than 150 schools also attended shows and events throughout the Festival, through the Schools Program, which also proved a huge hit with the kids. Fourteen shows and activities sold out across both the Families and Schools Programs, including 26-Storey Treehouse, Nursery, Look, Robot Road Trip, Little Big Shots and Collage Me.
Adelaide Festival Centre CEO and artistic director Douglas Gautier says: "We are absolutely thrilled with the response of South Australian families and schools to the Come Out Children's Festival. Seeing thousands of happy children engaging with the fabulous program of arts activities throughout the Big Family Weekend was a powerful reminder of the ability of the arts to connect the community and fuel young minds
"We welcomed 25,000 children and their families to Adelaide Festival Centre on the weekend and ticket sales were very strong across performances for the duration of the Festival. We're delighted to see that Come Out is continuing as our State's flagship arts event for young people and their families."
And looking forward, we are thrilled to announce that Adelaide Festival Centre will again present the Come Out Children's Festival in 2017 with Susannah Sweeney again at the helm as Creative Producer.
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