All things kids at the Virginia Children's Festival

The 20th Annual AT&T Virginia Children’s Festival, a favorite Hampton Roads’ family tradition, turns 20 this year with a grand celebration featuring 25 new attractions. A portion of the net proceeds to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

More than 50 creative and interactive activities, storytelling stages, hands-on workshops and educational displays, cultural experiences, arts and crafts and more, this is one of Hampton Roads' most beloved family festivals. A whole day of activities geared toward children 10 and younger. Past entertainment has included Dora the Explorer, Spiderman and Blue's Clues.

In addition to more than 100 games, activities, workshops, exhibitions and shows, a few of the new features this year include:

    • Alex’s Lemonade Stand- a fundraiser for childhood cancer research, and staffed by area youth volunteers.
     
    • For Toddlers- Strollers on Parade- decorate your stroller, dress up in your favorite costume, and
      parade through the park with your family and friends! And the The Rocking Horse Ranch!

    • The American Girl Beauty Parlor—bring your own American Girl Doll to participate!

    • Charlotte’s Web Theatre by the Hurrah Players and Barnes and Nobles

    • The Web of Life Animal Outreach Farm Animals and Barnyard Games

    • New Workshops including Kite Building, Scrapbooking and Hat Making!

The 2008 Children’s Festival places emphasis on the importance of children helping children. Alex’s Lemonade Stand is a new addition to this year’s event and just one example of how children can lend a hand by helping to raise money for childhood cancer research.  In 2000, a 4 year old cancer patient named Alexandra "Alex" Scott announced a seemingly simple idea, she was holding a lemonade stand to raise money to help "her doctors" find a cure for kids with cancer. The idea was put into action by Alex and her older brother, Patrick, when they set up the first "Alex's Lemonade Stand for Childhood Cancer" on their front lawn in July of 2000.  On August 1st, 2004, Alex died peacefully at the age of 8; she raised over $1 million for childhood cancer research. Alex’s Lemonade Stand will be open for business during the Children’s Festival to help carry on Alex’s mission.

Another new addition to the festival is Strollers on Parade! Boys, girls, moms and dads are invited to be creative and bring their stroller or wagon “tricked” out with bells, balloons, flags, beads, costumes and more to take part in the First Annual Child and stroller family parade at 2pm! The stroller Decorating Workshop will be open from 10 am – 2:00 pm to lend a helping hand with last minute needs and repairs.  

The American Girl Doll is all the rage, and children will find all types of activities for their dolls, including a beauty parlor! After the doll makeover is complete, children can sit with their doll and listen to readings from Charlotte’s Web, hosted Barnes and Noble.

Kite building is a brand new workshop added to the schedule of activities this year. A child can enjoy hours of fun, flying a kite on a breezy day in the park; and what a better place than the Children’s Festival in Town Point Park to learn all about kites. Instructors will be on hand to teach children about kite building and assist them in building their own free kite too!

Web of Life Animal Outreach will join the festival this year to increase a child’s awareness of the roles that animals play in our world. This nonprofit organization is founded on the principal belief that all living things are connected and that the Earth's many species form an intricate web of life. The staff and volunteers of the organization are dedicated to protecting animals by saving injured, abused, neglected and unwanted companion animals. Their mission is to find a loving, responsible, lifetime caregiver for every companion animal in their program. Web of Live is based in Chesapeake, Virginia, and will be on hand all day with a live pig, horse, dogs, cats, goats, rabbits, ferrets and birds.
     
Little ones will be introduced to live theatre by the Hurrah Players as they perform skits of Charlotte’s Web, Archer’s Music will perform musical demonstrations and pass out free drumsticks, Naturel’ Blues Network will be on hand to teach our future musicians and host free Harmonica workshops.  Bob Langston will draw a child’s caricature for free and children can get really creative and make their own free RAD HAT from a brown paper bag and cool jewels with the Rad Hatter.

Toddlertown is growing this year with the addition of Rocking Horse Ranch! Tots still in diapers, crawling, or those trying to balance on two feet can visit Toddlertown. This unique area of the Children’s Festival is designed specifically for children three years old and under.  The Rocking Horse Ranch is a dude ranch for little cowgirls and cowboys complete with Rocking Horses! A nursery rhyme themed book nook will feature stories told by favorite nursery rhyme character Mother Goose. Discovery Toys will fill play stations with toys for the children to let their imaginations run wild. Gymboree will have early learning play and music programs and The Virginia Beach School of the Arts will present an interactive preschool musical show.

    General Admission:  $3 in advance and at the gate, Infants are free.

    Free Admission: One free admission for AT&T mobile phone users