The Edinburgh International Children's Festival returns this weekend (27th May to 4th June) with 14 productions from 11 countries.
The Festival brings together a range of theatre and dance performance, with an emphasis on physicality and fun and a willingness to explore different theatrical styles and stagecraft.
"The Festival cements its reputation for pushing the boundaries of what is expected of children’s theatre and dance, exploring important themes like mental health, war, identity and gender, all in joyful, visual and accessible ways," says Children's Festival director Noel Jordan.
"We also feature a regional Spotlight on Flanders, the Dutch-speaking Northern part of Belgium, one of the world’s leaders in producing innovative theatre and dance for young audiences."
Opening the festival this year is Family Encounters - a popular day of free pop-up performances and artists interventions for families. It takes place this Saturday at the National Museum of Scotland (10am to 5pm).
The programme will feature two new commissions in partnership with Merchant City Festival and include walk-about characters, dance performances, musical explorations, and workshops.
Family Encounters will also include a performance of a show developed by children from Forthview Primary in Edinburgh with artist Cynthia WS Cheung.
The show was developed under a new project, Creative Encounters, which focuses on taking a children’s rights-based approach to performance, placing them at the heart of the creative process.
Read more about the Edinburgh International Children's Festival