Attend Annual Kids Festival March On At Esplanade – Theatres On The Bay

Esplanade’s annual children’s festival, March On, is back – and you’re invited! With many events free, it runs from March 9 -19 and will explore relevant issues for kids through multi-disciplinary program and participatory arts experiences.

Want to find out more? Details of events and ticket bookings are available here

With a theme of ‘Little Steps, Big Dreams’,  this year’s festival will feature three commissioned works that take on the theme of identity and how children navigate their environment.

In the Esplanade Theatre, The Beginning of Anything follows the story of six-year-old Shan and her explorations of a new world: school. Through music, animation and storytelling, the play guides children through the fears of change, leaving the comforts of home for the first time, but ultimately finding love and support in the familiar and unfamiliar. Incorporating images and drawings shared by children in Singapore through organised workshops, it invites children and adults to have a conversation about their own fears of growing up and navigating identity.

Changeling is a theatrical live action roleplaying game (LARP) that sees children eight and up embark on an adventure searching for Nadim, a runaway boy who mysteriously disappeared 20 years ago. Players must walk between worlds, crossing into the fantastical domain of the Bunian fairies, a dark mirror of ancient Singapura ruled by Sultan Maharaja Mambang, the monstrous monarch of the Misty Straits. Be prepared to solve puzzle quests and roleplay with colorful characters!

The third work is Come Back Home, which was developed through a collaborative process of creation at a distance. From 2021, artists from Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay and Australia’s Polyglot Theatre worked together to make a new, participatory experience for and with children. Come Back
Home is a tale that winds through the past and the present to seek out a child who went missing a long time ago. Immersive and theatrical, it draws on the experience of children and adult memories of being a child, to celebrate possibility, place and imagination. Audiences will be invited to participate in the action as the story unfolds, taking their place in the activity of a vibrant community.

One of the great things about this festival is that most of programs are completely free! The free programs include Rattle King 2, where the king and his jesters play, make music and rediscover the beauty of sounds on a musical journey of listening, learning and living with urban aural distractions. Don’t miss, too, participatory art showcase Kiap Kiap Revolution, and Collector of Stories, which explores the personal stories behind the items we discard.

Engage in meaningful conversations and make fun memories at March On this month!