Playground Festival

An artist and baby lying on the floor and looking at each other. There are colourful balls around and inbetween them
Back to our work See upcoming Playground Festival events

Kent’s first international early years festival, celebrating the creativity of babies, young children and their families

From 22–31 May 2026, Playground Festival brought Kent's first international early years festival to life - ten days of joy, wonder and creativity, made especially for babies, young children and their families.

More than 10,000 babies, young children and families joined us across 150+ free events at 20+ venues, from libraries and cultural spaces to outdoor locations across the county.

The festival brought together inspiring work from artists across the UK, Spain, Mexico, Norway, Sweden, Finland and beyond — performances, installations, workshops, talks and discussions, all created especially for the very youngest audiences.

Playground Festival also visited Wyvern School on 29–30 May, bringing international performances and activities to the school community.

Watch the highlights

"It was so special to step away from everyday routines and truly value that uninterrupted time connecting with my baby girl as they are quite rare with her being my second child.  It’s an experience that has genuinely resonated with me and one I’ll truly treasure."

Playground Festival attendee

Festival gallery

A young child running in a performance space that is lit up in pink
Two parents and a baby dancing to a song. One is holding up their hand and the other holding up the baby
An artist balancing on a block with their hands up in the air
Two artists outdoors during a performance of Tangle
A young child sitting with their mother/carer
People stranding in an exhibition space. There are tall pieces of clothes hanging with paintings and illustrations
Babies, parents, carers and artists engaging with each other during a session
Two performers from Cohesion Plus during a performance of Baby Bhangra
A young child and their parent/carer holding a drum together
See upcoming Playground Festival events

See more of our work

A young child and Playground artist are on a white piece of material together. They are playing with a feather and torch.

Playground Specialist Sessions (SEND)

A mother and infant engaging with an installation. The mother is touching an orange circle with different colour shapes and textures on it.

Projects

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