Northern Alberta International Children's Festival
5 St. Anne Street T8N 3Z9 Saint Albert, AB, Canada

Thanks St. Albert Today for helping us spread the word about our Family Day Zoom Events. Join us on Monday, February 15 at 11 AM for West African Dance with Sangea Academy's Reckie Lloyd, 1 PM Alex Zerbe's The Zanica Zoom Show and at 3 PM The Magic of Sheldon Casavant. Read all about them here.

With Valentine's Day around the corner, we thought we'd share this at-home craft with you. Hopefully the materials are things you already have around the house. If you make this, and want to share - please tag us or comment below - we'd love to see your creativity.

Boy do we sure have a Fun Festival Family Day for you! 11 AM Start your day with a virtual trip to West Africa, learn about the culture and dance steps with Sangea Academy’s Reckie Lloyd.... 1 PM Alex Zerbe's The Zaniac Zoom Show! is packed to the gills with ridiculous skills, jaw-dropping tricks, and more silly, wacky goofiness than you could ever imagine. 3 PM Sheldon Casavant’s magic show is lighthearted, highly interactive, and fun for the whole family. Sheldon will teach you how to perform your own magic tricks using everyday objects from around the house. Join us with a deck of cards, pencil, coin, and 2 small rubber bands, and you’ll be amazing your family and friends in no time! ALL the fun happens FEBRUARY 15. Each show will be presented over Zoom and the show links can be found at www.childfest.com. These shows are free, thanks to the generosity of Canadian Heritage and the Alberta Foundation for the Arts. If so inclined we invite you to make a donation to the Festival via CanadaHelps (also found at childfest.com) #FamilyDay #StAlbert #ChildFest2021 #ButterflyPride

Make this Family Day magical! Sheldon Casavant’s magic show is lighthearted, highly interactive, and fun for the whole family. As a bonus, Sheldon will teach you how to perform your own magic tricks using everyday objects from around the house.

The zaniest Family Day FUN you have ever had! This super-interactive virtual show is packed to the gills with ridiculous skills, jaw-dropping tricks, and more silly, wacky goofiness than you could ever imagine.

Getting the straight talk from Rosie (National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation) is a gift. She shares the history of the Métis in a way that only kids can. We loved it, and hope you take a few minutes to watch with your kids.

Only a few days left to register for our 4-week Theatre Arts classes. Classes will be on Saturdays starting November 21 and run until December 12 The 6-8 years ...classes will be at 10:30 AM and the 9-11 years class will run at 2 PM. Register here: https://activity.stalbert.ca/C/public/category/browse/ACPC See more

A feel good story for today! Local budding visual artist, Bari Horn is one of 34 visual artists whose illustration was chosen to appear in J.K. Rowling's new fairytale book; The Ickabog. Full St. Albert Today story here: https://www.stalberttoday.ca//11-year-old-st-albert-visual

Did you see the High Level Bridge in Edmonton last night? It was lit up blue and white in honour of Métis Week, Nov 15 - 21. It was an incredible sight and a very fitting tribute as Alberta is home to the largest Métis population in Western Canada and the second largest in the country.

Our Friends of the Northern Alberta International Children’s Festival board has a terrific Christmas raffle planned. Win a visit with Santa! You can choose in person or Zoom, and they will accommodate anyone in Alberta! Tickets are limited, get them here: https://rafflebox.ca/raffle/naicf

Our friends at Amplify Festival are excited to host virtual programming this year, to spotlight the power and potential of youth, art and community in our city. Amplify Festival takes place on Oct 16 & 17 with a weekend of (online) music, poetry, visual art and more. And new this year, Amplify will host its first Film Festival! There are different activities for youth in Grade 7 to age 21 to participate virtually throughout the two days. Most of the events are free and the workshops are $10 each. Visit www.amplifyfestival.ca for the full schedule of virtual programming for Amplify Festival.

Explore The Winter Wonder Forest from November 27 to January 3. Activities include drive thru light displays, ice sculptures, musical performances, wood carvings, and drive up to Santa.The Rainbow Valley Campground will be transformed into an enchanting illuminated forest for you and your family to enjoy from the comfort of your own vehicle! https://winterwonderforest.ca/

Today we express our gratitude to our fallen heroes.

Now that we are officially into fall, it is time to start thinking about pumpkins. Head out to Prairie Gardens & Adventure Farm for all kinds of fall fun!

It's opening day for the Edmonton Public Library's Stanley A. Milner branch. Congratulations to the staff on all your hard work!! If you are looking for a great family outing put this on your list to check out and explore. They have a multi-storey interactive digital wall and a new and improved Shelley Milner Children’s Library. Very exciting!

Registration is now open for the Art Gallery of St. Albert's Fall Classes. Read all about them here: http://artgalleryofstalbert.ca//2020/08/fallbookletrevaug1

A little something to make you smile today. This Wisconsin farmer planted a field of sunflowers, just to spread joy. How wonderful!

Marty Chan, has launched a fantastic story starter series for young writers. Click the link to read up on the details.

This will be fun! The St. Albert Cultivates the Arts Society has asked Visionary Centre for the Performing Arts to host a pre-school sing-a-long! Get your child bopping and bouncing with this mid-morning music fest! Sing-a-long runs online Saturday, Sep 5, 10 to 10:45 AM. Please register as a family on Eventbrite to receive free access to the Zoom link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/pre-school-sing-a-long-dance-a

I spy with my little eye, a poetic riddle nearby. Add some detective work to your river walk all September and find hidden poetry boxes using the St Albert Cultivates The Arts and Poet Laureate's riddles and route map! To start on the poetic adventure register with Evntbrite and receive your first clue: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/poetry-caching-by-the-poet-lau

Thanks so much to Family Fun Edmonton for profiling the performing arts classes in St. Albert. The classes are brought to you by the same people who deliver those wonderful St. Albert Children's Theatre shows at the Festival. There are classes for babies all the way to seniors. No pressure classes just a great way to get creative and meet great people in a welcoming environment. Read the article and click the link within to register!!... https://www.familyfuncanada.com//st-albert-performing-art/

If you are looking to snap some great portraits of (and with) the family and need a few location ideas look no further. Edmonton Tourism has created a list of the best photo spots in Edmonton including many of the new murals. https://exploreedmonton.com/arti/edmontons-best-photo-spots

Only two spots left for this weekend's Summer Family Drop-in. Check out the link for details. Don't worry, if you miss out on the weekend Family Drop-in as the museum is open 4-days a week (Thursday to Sunday) to enjoy!

When you stumble upon a web cam of California Sea Lions, it's only natural to share it with friends. We're so glad the Georgia Aquarium has this set up. I think we may be checking in on them on a pretty regular basis. :) https://www.georgiaaquarium.org/we/california-sea-lion-cam/

This is pretty neat. The kids will get a kick out of moving the screen to follow the action (I know I did :)) https://youtu.be/QXF7uGfopnY

Ever wanted to see the Rosetta Stone or a real-life mummy? Look no further than this interactive feature from the British Museum. This interactive tour is packed with artifacts searchable by era, region or type, and you can discover all sorts of interesting objects along the way. Warning this journey is incredibly addictive for ALL ages. https://britishmuseum.withgoogle.com/

Very Exciting News! Our colleagues in Performing Arts have unveiled their Fall class schedule. Their classes are slated to begin online and if possible move to in-person (or a combination of both) depending on AHS rules and your own comfort. There are classes for all ages; read more and/or register online here: https://activity.stalbert.ca/CO/public/category/browse/ACP

Parents take note! Our friends at the Vancouver International Children's Festival have partnered with SoundON BC to present the one and only Fred Penner!! The concert is from 12-13:30 (our time) - so make plans to have lunch with Fred - what could be better. Stream the concert here: https://soundon.ca//vancouver-international-childrens-fes/

Today is International Youth Day! The global theme for this year is Youth Engagement for Global Action highlighting the importance and value of young people’s contributions. Youth contributions can be seen easily at our Festival through our Youth Ambassador program and within volunteer fleet. We celebrate and thank you for your commitment to our Festival and the community of St. Albert.

Check out this one-stop guide from our friends at Edmonton Macaroni Kid for your U-pick options in the area. This makes for a great family outing plus you get to enjoy the "fruits" of your labour. https://edmonton.macaronikid.com//2020-guide-to-u-picks-in

We loved this video and especially appreciated this text from his description of the video: "This video was made without a sponsor. I don't need you to buy anything. Just remember we need to take care of each other." Have a great weekend! https://youtu.be/Pwe-pA6TaZk