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Fab Family Festival Returns

Herefordshire’s Family Festival returns to The Courtyard.

Herefordshire families are invited to get out their Harry Potter costumes, practice their Frozen songs and perfect their best Mickey Mouse impressions for this year’s Movie Magic themed Herefordshire’s Family Festival in the October half term.

On Wednesday 27 October there will be a host of Movie Magic themed performances, workshops and activities for families to get involved in. The free and low-cost drop-in activities include Biscuit Decorating, a Meet and Greet with some film favourite characters from Enchanted Kingdom, Fancy Dress Station and Face Painting.

Also on offer are a range of low-cost ticketed events, including a Lego workshop with Bricks2Learn, Dance sessions with Starlight Dance Company, a Green Screen workshop, Superhero Stage Combat and a Monster Movement session where children will learn how to use their physicality to become monsters on-screen.

The day will also include two performances from The Courtyard’s resident orchestra, Orchestra of the Swan who will be performing a Family Film Favourites at 1pm and 3pm. The concert will feature themes from your favourite films including Raiders of the Lost Ark, Star Wars, Harry Potter and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Narrated by the incredible Alasdair Malloy, this performance will be suitable for movie-lovers of all ages. Tickets for the concert are just £7.50.

Throughout the day, there will be a range of performances from The Courtyard Youth Theatre, students from Hereford College of Arts and Enchanted Kingdom.

After the success of its premier in 2019, the Club Kids’ Family Rave will return for two sessions this year at 4pm and 6pm. In true family festival style, the Family Rave sensation will be full of bubbles, balloons and big jungle beats galore. The Family Rave is suitable for all ages, but ear defenders are recommended for tiny ones.

Throughout the half-term week, families can also enjoy family friendly performances and films to keep children entertained. Performances include Beastly Belle (Tuesday 26 October, 11am), Tom Thumb (Thursday 28 October, 11am) and Puss In Boots (Friday 29 October, 11am).

Films showing during the half term week include Onward (PG), Pixar’s latest feature is set in a fantasy world where two teenage elf brothers, Ian and Barley Lightfoot, go on a journey to discover if there is still a little magic left out there in order to spend one last day with their father, and Even Mice Belong in Heaven (cert tbc) following a feisty little mouse and a shy young fox cub who unwittingly find themselves in animal heaven together.

ParaNorman (PG) and Hocus Pocus (PG) are also screening on Saturday 30 October to celebrate Halloween.

Herefordshire Family Festival is a wonderful opportunity to explore all that The Courtyard has to offer and has been described by past attendees as “a great and fun filled day.”

Herefordshire’s Family Festival will be at The Courtyard on Wednesday 27 October from 10am. To book tickets, or for more information contact the Box Office on 01432 340555 or visit www.courtyard.org.uk