SURREY — "Art is Everywhere" is the theme for next year's Surrey International Children's Festival, to celebrate its 11th year from May 21 to 23 at Bear Creek Park and Surrey Arts Centre.
Shows from Vietnam, Iceland and Canada will be performed at the festival. Group and school tickets go on sale Nov. 4, with details at Surrey.ca/childrensfestival/93.aspx.
A highlight of the festival will be Vietnam's Golden Dragon Water Puppet Theatre, described as "magic on water.... A silent lake stands against the backdrop of an enormous, intricate temple. From behind bamboo curtains, a laughing jester emerges with a giggle that makes his pigtails rattle.
Suddenly, an amazing parade of puppets spring to life: multi-coloured phoenixes and copper turtles, fantastical jumping fish, pirouetting dragons who breathe real fire and spray water. This thousand-yearold tradition of puppetry on water, found only in Vietnam, is a unique and inspiring experience."
Other performers at the festival will be Montreal-based musical trio Bon Débarras, Metis author and literacy advocate David Bouchard, Music with Marnie, the Icelandic puppet show Peter and the Wolf, theatre show The Secret Life of Walter Manny and the Manitoba-based circus duo The Street Circus.