Philadelphia Children’s Festival returns with a sensory-friendly performance, puppets, and more

After a pandemic hiatus, the Philadelphia Children’s Festival returns for a four-day event later this month. From May 20-23, get the kids out of the house to visit Penn’s Annenberg Center for family-friendly theater and artsy fun.

Created in 1984, the festival was previously known as the Philadelphia International Children’s Festival. A staple in Philly in late spring, the festival offers a space for all family members to have fun through art, indoors and out. . Families can look forward to a sensory-friendly show with ASL interpretation, a free concert and circus performance, Indigenous dances, and a shadow show.

Whether this is your first time attending the festival or you have been looking forward to its return, here is everything you need to know about the Philadelphia Children’s Festival:

The festival takes place at the Annenberg Center (3680 Walnut St.) from May 20-23. Showtimes vary. Performances are rain or shine.

Unless noted, tickets are $25 per person, no matter the age. They’re available on-site, online, by phone at 215-898-3900, or by emailing pla-boxoffice@upenn.edu. Some offerings are free to the public.

West Philly residents pay $15. To get the discounted rate and fees waived, you must live in zip codes 19104, 19131, 19139, 19142, 19143, 19145, 19151, or 19153. If you buy tickets online, enter your zip code with a “W” in front of the numbers in the promo code section (for example, “W19104″).

From May 22 to 23, tickets for school groups and home-school children are $5. Contact 215-462-7720 or email amulgrew@upenn.edu for purchase.

This year, the festival features seven different shows. Most are suitable to kids of all ages, but some age restrictions apply. Shows take place in one of three locations at the Annenberg Center: the Zellerbach Theatre, Harold Prince Theatre, or the Annenberg Center Outdoor Plaza.

When BKBXKIDS! (a.k.a. Broken Box Mime Theater) stages Destination: Everywhere, you’ll travel through imaginary jungles, carnivals, and time through silent storytelling. You can catch the hour-long performance at four times (3 p.m. May 20; 1 p.m. May 21; 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. May 22). All performances feature ASL interpretation.

Taking inclusivity up a notch, the May 20 show will be the festival’s first sensory-friendly event, aimed at parents of children with autism, sensory sensitivities, or any other learning, cognitive, or social disability. Sensory bags, weighted lap pads, quiet areas, and headphone zones will be available.

📍Harold Prince Theatre, 📅 May 20-22, ⌚times vary, 🧸 all ages

Bring the kids for a free outdoor bilingual concert with 123 Andrés. Colombian American singers Andrés Salguero and Christina Sanabria will perform their Latin Grammy Award-winning songs with family-friendly lyrics that teach kids about friendship, family, and culture.

📍Annenberg Center Outdoor Plaza, 📅 May 21, ⌚ 2 p.m., 🧸 all ages, 💵 free.

Connecticut-based dance company Catapult takes shadow art to another level, even landing as finalists in “America’s Got Talent” season eight. Now, you and your kids can experience eight shadow stories, as dancers go behind a screen to make dragons, full-size animals, and landscape silhouettes. The two-hour Magic Shadows is at the Zellerbach Theatre is May 21.

📍Zellerbach Theatre, 📅 May 21, ⌚ 3 p.m., 🧸all ages

Ready for a free circus arts and theater performance? Philly’s Give & Take Jugglers present juggling and acrobatics on May 21. Have fun watching your kid partake in the show and try to not get dizzy following the jugglers’ movements.

📍Annenberg Center Outdoor Plaza, 📅 May 21, ⌚ 4 p.m., 🧸 all ages, 💵 Free.

Indigenous Enterprise, a Native American dance troupe, brings powwow dancing to the Zellerbach Theatre. On May 22, dancers from Canada and the U.S. grace the stage with traditional attire and meaningful movements for two performances of “Indigenous Liberation.”

📍Zellerbach Theatre, 📅 May 22, ⌚ 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., 🧸 for kids 7-11

Imagine living in a world where there is no poverty, pain, or illness. Would it all be joy or would there be a price to pay? That’s what 12-year-old protagonist Jonas must discover in author Lois Lowry’s novel The Giver. Adapted by playwright Elise Thoron for a 9- to 14-year-old audience, The Giver has two shows May 23 at the Harold Prince Theatre.

📍Harold Prince Theatre, 📅 May 23, ⌚ 9:45 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., 🧸 kids 9-14

Mermaid Theatre brings three stories by New York Times best-selling author Todd Parr to the Zellerbach Theatre. Through puppetry and music, children 4 to 8 will learn about self-confidence with It’s Okay to Be Different, how to help our planet with The Earth Book, and the importance of self-love with This is My Hair.

📍Zellerbach Theatre, 📅 May 23, ⌚ 10 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., 🧸 kids 4-8

If you are in-between performances or simply want to visit, Annenberg Center’s PLAYground is packed with activity. Think face painting, balloon art, crafts, games, and live music by DJ Gerry. PLAYground is open May 21 (12:30 to 5 p.m.), and 22-23 (9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.), but closed on May 20 to accommodate the sensory-friendly performance.

📍Annenberg Center Outdoor Plaza, 📅 May 21-23, ⌚ time varies depending on day, 🧸 all ages, 💵 free

Outside food and drinks aren’t permitted in Penn Live Arts’ theaters. If you get hungry, a food truck is scheduled to be at the festival on Sunday, but there are also several nearby University City area restaurants.

Taking the bus leaves you the closest to the Annenberg Center. Lines 21 and 42 make a stop on the corner of 36th and Walnut Streets, half a block from the performance center. If you need to take the subway, Market Frankford’s 34th Street station leaves you within a 10-minute walk from the Annenberg Center. For folks taking Regional Rail, the 30th Street station is the closest stop for most if you are on the Airport, Media/Wawa, or Warminster lines, the Penn Medicine Station leaves you even closer.

Besides street parking, you can park at the University of Pennsylvania public garage, Walnut 38. On the corner of 38th and Walnut, this garage doesn’t accept cash. The daily rate is $17, but prepaying can save you $3. Parking tickets can be purchased on-site, at the Annenberg Center box office, or online. For the latter, you will need to pick up your parking ticket in person.