Kids and Families
Activities for Kids and Families at CresFest
Head over to our Program page to get the full list of kids activities. Kid-friendly programs are easily spotted with a yellow Teddy Bear mark!
Don't miss Jon Maiden the Marimba Man family shows, Michael the Balloonologist and Educational Jollity Consultant Phil Melgaard on the drums, cymbals, kazoo and more!
Plus Formidable Vegetable combining instruments with ecological action, a welcome dance workshop with Blackberry Jam and story time with Bella the bookworm. And of course, face painting.
Is CresFest kid-friendly?
We here at CresFest love sharing the joy of music with kids and adults alike and ensure we program something to suit everyone. From workshops to performances; from markets to magical story readings at the library; from facepainting to roaming interactive percussionists. The best news is these events are all free for kids 12 and under.
Do kids need tickets to get into CresFest?
Do you have family tickets?
Kids 12 and under are free but do need to register. Purchase a free kid ticket when you buy the accompanying adult ticket.
What's for kids on the program at CresFest?
The Creswick Market is held outdoors on the Saturday of the festival – perfect for kids to wriggle, dance and sing at kid-volume. There’ll be a live music stage featuring the Creswick Children’s Choir, Creswick Ukestra, Creswick Chorus, buskers, face painting and more. ABC Ballarat will be broadcasting live.
The Saturday Festival Parade has a Latin theme for 2023 featuring bands, dancers and singers. Kids and parents, come along and join in the parade, learn salsa dancing, shake your booty!
Throughout CresFest 2023 YouThrive’s Old Post Office stage will be an outdoor venue with all day free shows by and for musicians under 25.
IGA Creswick, one of the great sponsors of CresFest 2023, is once again inviting buskers back to what has become known as Creswick’s village square. There’s no age limit but there is a competition! A great opportunity for young and old to entertain the shoppers with music and song.
Don’t miss Jon Maiden the Marimba Man family shows. The Marimba Man makes musical instruments out of – well nearly everything, including a rubber glove bassoon!
Plus fun on the streets with face painting, Michael the Balloonologist and Educational Jollity Consultant Phil Melgaard on the drums, cymbals, kazoo and more!
Will there be quiet activities for the kids too?
The Creswick Library (located on the main street) will be open on the Saturday of the festival weekend (9am-12pm). There’ll be some special storytelling, songs for kids and Magic Pudding readings (Norman Lindsay is from Creswick).
Are kids able to join workshops?
Yes! There’ll be wonderful instrument, voice and dance workshops all weekend-long.
Are there any outdoor venues that we can let our kids run around at?
There’s a (small) playground / climbing wall located in front of the IGA. This is close to the busking festival and skate park – great entertainment for the whole family.
Are your venues pram friendly?
Almost all of the venues at CresFest are pram friendly – there are stairs at The American upstairs as well as at the Masonic Lodge.
Are there family changerooms/toilets in Creswick?
There are well maintained public toilets that include family changeroom at the rear of the Town Hall/Library.
Is there a kids playground in Creswick?
The Magic Pudding Playground was gifted to all lovers of Norman Lindsay’s iconic story and those who are young at heart by the Hepburn Shire Council and was built with the assistance of Business and Tourism Creswick Inc in partnership with the Victorian Government.
The enclosed and secure playground, situated between the two Raglan Streets running east and west, (just up from the centre of Creswick) will bring the story of the Magic Pudding to life. There’s a wooden boat and a cubby house where, in the kid-friendly park parents and children can roam freely, enjoying a picnic, relaxing or making up their own adventures to add to their memories.
[Click on map for location]
What else is there for kids in Creswick?
Creswick must surely be synonymous with the Lindsay family; from the brothers Norman, Daryl, Lionel and Percy to sister Ruby – all of whom were professional artists and Norman, of course, the author of The Magic Pudding.
Follow the trail around Creswick to learn more of this fascinating family’s story, and – especially for families – join the fun at Creswick Library to hear readings from that all time favourite The Magic Pudding. There’s even a Magic Pudding park and who knows what fun things could happen there over the weekend – it’s a ‘cut and come again’ type of weekend after all.
Our festival market will feature some fine artisans and instrument makers, as well as local craftspeople- look out for them at the Creswick Neighbourhood Centre site.
RACV Goldfields Resort is one of CresFest’s major sponsors and the RACV Arthouse is a new cultural destination within the resort which will host exhibitions, residencies and workshops.
During CresFest 2023 Arthouse will be the kid friendly home to workshops for younger visitors to CresFest. Music and Art go hand in hand in connecting people of all ages to the environment through sound, touch, sight, colour and movement. Kids will have the opportunity to express themselves freely, under the guidance of an art teacher. In addition, an exhibition of festival photography (from our inaugural event April 2022) is planned for the resort gallery commencing January 2023.
Photos by Adam Purcell - Melbourne Ceili Camera, Bruce Rigby, Terry Hope and Rachel Turner