The first annual Kids Fest will take place on the grounds of Lars Hockstad Auditorium during the festival, Wednesday July 27 thru Sunday July 31. Kids Fest films will be shown inside Lars at 9am each day, and tickets are only $1! The Lawn Party will be on the lawn outside the auditorium on Seventh Street and will take place between 10am and 2pm each day.

Throughout Kids Fest, kids can have a seven-second video made with their friends and family and emerge with cool FlipBooks sponsored by Oneupweb. They can crawl through the incredible kids castle, take free daily yoga classes sponsored by Yen Yoga, make really huge bubbles, get their faces painted, and more.

Fun and healthy food, including Healthy Hot Dogs by Burritt’s and the Whatever Waldorf Salad, will be available thanks to Trattoria Stella. Ample family seating will be provided. Munson Heathcare is offering a Family Oasis with water, fans, a changing table, and everything families need, while outside the smaller kids can crawl and play in the Tiny Tots area.

Films

Get your tickets for the Kids Fest films here!

The air conditioning in Lars Hockstad Auditorium is strong, so please remember to bring sweatshirts!

Wednesday: “Kooky” – A delightfully original Czech film that follows the journey of a cuddly toy bear to find his little boy, complete with an exciting car chase through enchanted woods. In English, recommended for ages 7 and up.

Thursday: Short Films for Kids – The very best in new animated films from around the world, selected to provide pure enjoyment for adults and kids alike. In English (except for two short shorts), recommended for all ages.

Friday: “Twigson” – A young boy adjusts to life in a new home with the help of a new best friend, a living branch named Twigson. Give the kids a chance to try out subtitles at this sweet and funny coming of age tale from Norway. In Norwegian with English subtitles, recommended for ages 7 and up.

Saturday: “Mia and The Migoo” – One of this year’s best films, don’t miss the magical story of a young girl’s search of her father through the jungles of South America. In English, recommended for all ages.

Sunday: “A Cat in Paris” – A little girl, her cat, and the thief her cat visits while she sleeps all meet on the rooftops of Paris in this beautifully illustrated, sparkling new treat from France. In English, recommended for ages 8 and up.

Lawn Party

Wednesday, July 27 is Sports Day and will include appearances by Suntan the Beach Bums Mascot, and Sparty from Michigan State University. Kids can decorate their own kendama!, and younger kids can decorate a flying disk. Zeemo the Magnificent will teach kids magic and juggling in the activity tent, and on the lawn there will be games including giant chess, lawn games and hockey boards. Young people from the Traverse City All Star Cheerleaders, Three Swords Fencing, YMCA Gymnastics and the ATA Black Belt Academy, will all perform in addition to Zumba dancing by Fit4You.

Thursday, July 28 is Health and Safety Day, sponsored by Munson Medical Center. Smokey the Bear will be here, and the TC Fire Department will have their smoke trailer and fire truck on hand for kids to explore. Kids can make their own nutritious trail mix and create their own sun safety bracelets. At 11 am, kids can learn about ways to eat healthy with Dick Evans and the Nutrition Rainbow, followed by a lesson on the human body with Stuffee from the Great Lakes Children¹s Museum at 12 noon. The US Coast Guard will take the stage at 12:30 pm for a demonstration about safety on the Great Lakes, and everyone should stick around for Dazzling and Amazing Safety Tips presented by Kohls 4 Season Safety & Safe Kids North Shore at 1 pm.

Friday, July 29 is Science Day. Come meet Brainy the Smurf and make some goo. Grand Traverse Pie Company will introduce kids to the science of baking as they make their own cherry pie. Remote control helicopters and Great Lakes Children’s Museum’s stop rockets will be on the lawn, and the Children’s Museum will also present Magical Electricity on the performance stage. Also on the stage will be Lego Mindstorms (programmable robotics and construction toys) and the Traverse City Central High School Raptors First Robotics Team. Plus, the Ann Arbor Hands On Museum will present six interactive activities based on the fun of science.

Saturday, July 30 is Storytelling Day with Elmo, Kermit, and the Cookie Monster! We’ll have a dress up play day like none you’ve ever seen on the lawn. Kids can make their own sock puppets and then put on plays at the puppet show stages on the lawn. On the performance stage Lynn Rae Perkins and Greg Pugh will read their stories, the O’k Puppet Theatre & Pretty Good Players will perform “Shel is Swell,” along with performances by the Old Town Playhouse Young Company, Genot Picor, Toma the Mime, and Terry Wooten, Stone Circle Poet Bard. Kids can even work on a claymation movie!

Sunday, July 31 is Music & Dance Day with dancing fool Yogi the Bear. Children can make their own cardboard pianos, or kazoos. The Traverse City Symphony Orchestra will be on hand with a “Petting Zoo” of instruments. The Lawn Fun will involve dancing with the Dance Arts Academy, and we’ll have great musicians and dancers on the music stage including Songs with Chelsey Sawallich, Dancing with Audrey Prisk & Friends, and Zippity2Dads.

Performance Stage

Wednesday
10:15 am: Zeemo the Magnificent
10:30 am: Fit4U Kids Zumba
11 am: ATA Black Belt Academy
11:45 am: Three Swords Fencing Club
12:30 pm: YMCA Gymnastics

Thursday
11 am: Dick Evans and the Nutrition Rainbow
12 noon: Stuffee and the Extraordinary Human Body
12:30 pm: US Coast Guard
1 pm: Simple and Effective Safety Tips presented by Kohls 4 Season Safety & Safe Kids North Shore

Friday
11:15 am: Great Lakes Children’s Museum Science Show
12 noon: LEGO Mindstorms
12:45 pm: Traverse City Central High School Raptors FIRST Robotics Team

Saturday
10 am: Toma the Mime
10:30 am: Terry Wooten, Stone Circle Poet Bard
10:45 am: Old Town Playhouse Young Company
11:15 am: O’k Puppet Theatre & Pretty Good Players perform “Shel is Swell”
11:30 am: Local Authors Lynne Rae Perkins & Greg Pugh
12:15 pm: Genot Picor presents “Stories, Songs & Dances of the Metis’ Voyageur”

Sunday
10:30 am: Dancing with Audrey Prisk & Friends
11:30 am: Songs with Chelsey Sawallich
11:45 am: Zipity2Dads

Kids Fest Sponsors

KIDS FEST VENUE SPONSOR
Bill Kildee, CRPC, Platinum Financial Advisor,
Ameriprise Platinum Financial Services

FLIPBOOKS
Oneupweb

HEALTH AND SAFETY DAY
Munson Medical Center

PARTY PARTNERS
Great Lakes Children’s Museum
KidzArt
Party Giant
Yen Yoga & Fitness

FUN HEALTHY FOOD TENT SPONSOR
Trattoria Stella

FAMILY COMFORT STATION
Munson Medical Center

TINY TOTS AREA
Great Start & Way to Grow
Toy Harbor

KIDS CASTLE
Morse Moving & Storage

ADDITIONAL SPONSORS INCLUDE
Britten Media, The Children’s House, Tom Dayton, Department of Natural Resources Traverse City, Dick Evans, FIM Group, Fit4You, Mary Gerhard, Tim Gies, Grand Traverse Children’s Advocacy Center, Grand Traverse County Health Department, Grand Traverse Pie Co., Hoopin’ for the Health of It, Horizon Books, Harold Kranick, Little Artshram and O’k CSAe, Magic Mirror Costume Shop, Elise Nagy, North Flight, Northwestern Bank, Genot Picor, Greg Pugh, Joe Revnell, Dana Ryan, Shawn Semelsberger, TART Trails, Third Level Crisis Center, Scott Tompkins, Trains and Things, Traverse Area Model Pilots Society, Traverse City Area Public Schools, Traverse City Beach Bums, Traverse City Children’s Theatre, Traverse City Fire Department, Traverse City Police Department, Traverse City Wolves, Traverse Symphony Orchestra, United States Coast Guard, Angelo Vozzo, and Terry Wooten.