Sidestep FESTIVAL for kids this weekend

Come on down with the family to Brunswick Heads this weekend and explore the magical playground that is Sidestep Kids Festival! Presented by Roundabout Theatre, Sidestep Kids Festival is a free two-day multi-arts festival for kids.

Enjoy a jam-packed program of live music, circus, singing, dance, comedy, interactive games, upcycled dress-ups and a huge array of hands-on and collaborative art projects including cubby building, weave world and paper caper. Bring a picnic rug and some lunch, or drop in to one of Brunswick’s many cafes. Follow Sidestep Kids Festival Facebook Event page to register and for more info. Festival highlights include the wonderful and wacky Roundabout Theatre who will be on hand to entertain and delight kids and families with interactive performances of The Slow Show, The Flycycle, Giant Twister and the brand new Sidestep, The Game – a raucous interactive game absurdly facilitated by the infamous Lollipop Ladies and friends.

Saturday, 10.30am and 2pm; Sunday 10.30am and 2.15pm (roving performances); Saturday & Sunday, 11am (Sidestep, The Game).

See Joel Salom – ‘international man of circus’, who will not only perform his own action-packed comedy, juggling and robotics show, he will also be hosting kids trying out their best jokes and having a crack at being comedians. Kids say the funniest things!

Saturday 12.45pm (solo show), 2.45pm (kids being funny).

Shire Choir is coming for kids and it’s going to be awesome! Led by the enthusiastically delightful Melia Naughton, Shire Choir’s appearance at Sidestep will be the first time the choir is focused on children. Melia will lead you through a song in harmony, reminding you how much fun it is to use your voice. Sidestep will also be the first time you’ll get to see Melia’s wonderful new band for kids, The Gumboots!

Saturday, 2pm (The Gumboots). Sunday 1.15pm (Kids Shire Choir).

Join local artist and facilitator, Claudie Frock and her friends in ThePaperCaper and have fun with all things paper and arty. Play fun drawing games, collaborate on chalk mosaics, crazy creature collages and create paper wearable art. Saturday & Sunday 10am–4pm.

The Parlour, Weave World, Wow Tent and Cubby Land is where you choose your own adventure! Step into The Parlour to facepaint your adult, play dress-ups, create hilarious hairdos and pose in the photo booth. Wind your way into Weave World for soft craft, giant weaving, and weave your own crowns and nature critters. Crawl in to Cubby Land for clever cubby construction and learning how to tie all kinds of knots. The North East Waste Forum WOW Tent is all about fun sustainable activities, including making beeswax wraps.

Saturday & Sunday 10am–4pm.

The Spaghetti Circus show is bursting at the seams with youthful local talent. This show is actionpacked with acrobatics, teeterboard, and most of all – fun. Straight from Woodford Festival via the Brunswick Picture House –not to be missed!

Sunday 2pm & 3.15pm.

Bunny Racket is a super entertaining show for all ages of rock’n’roll lovers. Join King Bunny and his band of fluffy, denim-clad rock rabbits as they whip their audience into a frenzy with their catchy tunes. Lots of fun, lots of volume, and lots of crowd participation make this show one of the most talked about kids’ acts in the country!

Sunday 2.30pm.

Sidestep Kids Festival | FREE entry |Sat 18 & Sun 19 March | 10am–4pm | Banner Park, Brunswick Heads | Sidestep Kids Festival Facebook Event page: tinyurl.com/sidestepkidsfestival

SOPHIE’S GOING TO TOWN AND IS BRINGING THE RAINBOW CREATIVES

Internationally acclaimed, award-winning cartoonist and novelist, Sophie Labelle, will present The Trans Agenda at the Byron Theatre on Saturday. This event is presented in partnership with Queer Family, a local community group who create joy and connection by providing safe spaces for LGBTQIA+ people and allies to meet and build community in the Northern Rivers.

Sophie (she/her) is a neurodivergent trans creative and activist from Montréal, who now lives in Finland. She is the author of the webcomic series Assigned Male, about a group of queer and trans teenagers, and she has a following of over 200,000 online. Her novel, The Best of Assigned Male, was recently published by Hachette UK.

During this event Sophie will speak about her art and activism, her artistic process, comic-making, community building and empowerment through art. She will answer questions from the audience, and you can meet her after the show at her book signing.

As a trans woman and outspoken activist for trans rights, Sophie attracts attention from both fans and critics alike. She is adored worldwide by hundreds of thousands of trans and gender diverse people for the representation she provides. She has also been the victim of a sustained and hateful anti-trans campaign, leading to her work being banned in conservative states and ongoing death threats, which saw her move to Finland after her address was published online.

After The Trans Agenda, join the queerest and coolest of the Northern Rivers for a night of storytelling by Rainbow Creatives.

Queer Family are thrilled to bring you the Rainbow Creatives Grand Finale. This free event will celebrate the conclusion of their Rainbow Creative program, where participants have performed comedy, created intimate creative pieces and explored the writing process. The event will showcase some of the incredible writing talent of rainbow folk from our rainbow region.

Rainbow Creatives was made possible thanks to the hard working and wonderful queer creatives of the Byron Shire and beyond. They are super grateful to the NSW government for funding this project so they can bring it to you free, and to Byron Shire Council for nominating and supporting them.

Why not make a night of it and see both of these great shows? Make sure you register for each show separately. Both events will be Auslan interpreted, have gender neutral toilets, and the venue is wheelchair accessible.

Sophie Labelle with The Trans Agenda, Saturday 5pm Byron Theatre.

Tickets: $22–$29+bf – byron.sales.ticketsearch.com/sales/ salesevent/95140 or free if needed (contact Queer Family).