Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning (JCAL) is inviting the community to its annual Queens International Children’s Festival (QICF), a free two-day family event taking place on Saturday, June 25, and Sunday, June 26, from noon to 5 p.m.
The event, which will be held at JCAL at 153-10 Jamaica Ave., brings together high-quality performances and activities to inspire children and families to enjoy the arts.
“JCAL’s annual Queens International Children’s Festival is one of the highlights of our calendar. It marks the start of our summer programming as we turn our focus toward families and outdoor fun,” said Leonard Jacobs, executive director of JCAL. “We offer a mixture of amusements and activities along with indoor and outdoor performances and educational demonstrations — all in a safe, inclusive atmosphere on the lawn of our Jamaica Performing Arts Center. Plus it’s always free — so we do hope everyone will join us.”
There will be live music and dance, interactive workshops, arts, crafts and a special performance from MAST High School students. Throughout both days of the festival, QICF will offer mini-golf, dance parties, cotton candy, popcorn and more.
Courtney Ffrench, artistic director of JCAL, and Wendy Arimah Berot, JCAL manager of special projects, will host the event.
QICF will kick off Saturday with a dance show by Edge School of the Arts (ESOTA), an outdoor performance by actor and educator Malik Work and the theater company, The Me Nobody Knows.
Now in its 26th year, ESOTA offers affordable, quality dance instruction to children age 3 and up as well as to adults. Following ESOTA, JCAL will present the activist orchestra, The Dream Unfinished, whose mission is to use classical music as a platform to engage audiences in dialogues surrounding social and racial justice.
On Sunday, QCIF will feature live entertainment by Sing for Hope, Dancing Classrooms and class demonstrations from teaching artists at JCAL’s School of the Arts.
Funding for the Queens International Children’s Festival is made possible by the city Department of Cultural Affairs, with additional support from City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, former Councilman I. Daneek Miller, Con Edison, Ameriprise Financial, Flushing Bank and the New York State Council on the Arts.
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