Seattle International Children's Festival

The 2007 Seattle International Children's Festival plays May 14-19 at the Seattle Center.

On the grounds of the beautiful 72-acre Seattle Center, there's plenty of room to roam and soak up the sun (or rain). SICF is an amazing, eclectic collection of multi-cultural, multi-lingual performers. Performances include circus arts, music, puppetry, theatre, and juggling, among others too unusual to categorize, and hail from all over the globe. SICF's mission is to provide cultural experiences, education and exchange for the children and families of the Pacific Northwest region.

In addition to adventurous performances, the Festival offers hands-on art and educational activities, student performances and opportunities to just play. Discovery Centers are free to Festival ticket holders and open Monday - Friday, 9:30am - 2:30pm and Saturday 11am - 5pm.

The name "Seattle International Children's Festival" is a bit of a misnomer. "A lot of people are confused by the name and assume the Festival is really crowded, full of commercial vendors, or sold out weeks in advance. Some people think it's kids performing, that it's only for school groups, or they need to be accompanied by a child to attend," says Executive Director Andrea Wagner, "but that's just not the case. While many of the performances do take place during school hours when there are thousands of students and their teachers in attendance, there are plenty of great seats available...and if you haven't been in a theater with hundreds of kids all losing their minds enjoying a live performance, you really should play hooky from work and have that experience. And when we say 'all ages', it's not code for young people only, we really mean ALL ages."

The Seattle Metropolitan Magazine echoes this, stating "Not Just For Kids Anymore - "The Seattle International Children's Festival needs a new name - it's the "children" part that's deceiving. Chances are, the same eclectic shows meant to entertain smaller festival-goers will also entertain the chaperones."

The SICF will also be performing in Tacoma's Broadway Center on May 21.

How to get tickets. Ticket prices start at $10 for youth and $15 for adult, with multi-performance tickets available. Advance tickets are available online at www.seattleinternational.org; by phone at 206-325-6500; at Ticket Window walk up locations in Pacific Place, Broadway Market, Pike Place Market and Meydenbauer Center; and beginning May 14 at the Festival On Site Box Office located at the Seattle Center House, food court level. Day of show tickets can be purchased at the Festival On Site Box Office 30 minutes prior to show time.