STROUD’S first Children’s Festival, which runs from Friday, July 7-Sunday, July 9, has been designed for and with young people in mind.

The Children’s Festival will work closely with The Museum in the Park and will run in conjunction with the Stroud Festival of Nature in Stratford Park.

Cindy Jefferies, children’s author and curator of last year’s Children’s Book Festival said: “It’s great that we are bringing such excitement to the first Stroud Children’s Festival. If you like nature, stories, being arty or singing your heart out, come along.”

The Festival opens with Glorious Greeks on Friday, at Open House Painswick Inn. Jump on board Odysseus’ ship for a Pandora’s Box of storytelling, theatre, song and buffoonery, puppets, props and participation with Michael Loader.

Saturday will see a host of activities, with the Stroud Nature Festival, at The Museum in The Park at Stratford Park. Visit the Wishing tree created by artist Corinne Hockley, take part in a butterfly hunt at the Museum and join Hannah Shaw at ‘Bear on a Bike’ and help her make a huge drawing.

On Sunday the Children’s Festival will join forces with the Stroud Nature Festival, taking over Stratford Park with a host of activities linked with nature.

This great day for the whole family will include the brilliant Minpins Children’s choir performing in the ‘Secret Garden’.

The weekend will be rounded off by world-class opera company OperaUpClose, presenting Ulla’s Odyssey at Cotswold Playhouse in Stroud at 6.30pm.

There are also two workshops with the cast.

The first will be at The Museum in the Park at 11am and the second at the Playhouse at 5pm before the show.

  • For a full programme of events visit stroudfestival.org or go to museuminthepark.org for more.