The 14th Asian Festival of Children’s Content (AFCC) returns this year as a fully in-person event, celebrating the theme “Play!”.
Venue: The Plaza, National Library Building
Date: 25 to 28 May 2023
Time: Various timings
Fee: Free & Paid
The Asian Festival of Children's Content (AFCC)
Photo Credit: Asian Festival of Children's Content / Facebook
The AFCC is an annual festival that promotes and advocates the creation, development and appreciation of quality Asian stories for children and young adults. Organised by the Singapore Book Council, the festival's main programmes comprise conference presentations, panels, masterclasses, workshops, and lectures, as well as a line-up of free public programmes. Here are some free public programmes that you and your little ones can look forward to:
Book Fair
Photo Credit: Asian Festival of Children's Content
Date: 25 to 28 May 2023
Time: 10am to 6pm
Fee: Free
Discover and purchase the latest in children’s literature at the AFCC Book Fair! This year, there will be 10 exhibitors showcasing a wide selection of multilingual children’s and young adult titles from local and international publishers. There will also be book launches, author signings, and other public activities at the book fair. Don't forget to drop by the festival bookstore, Closetful of Books, as well!
Book Launches
Venue: Various locations
Date: Various dates
Time: Various timings
Fee: Free
The AFCC provides a platform for speakers and participants to be a part of AFCC’s programmes by supporting and growing parents’ awareness of quality Asian publications and programmes for children. Visit this link to find the full list of book launches.
Intergenerational Workshops
There will also be intergenerational programmes suitable for parents, grandparents and children to take part in together:
The Toad Who Brought the Rain - an intergenerational storytelling theatre workshop
Venue: L3, Drama Centre Function Room 3
Date: 26 May 2023
Time: 2.30pm to 4pm
Fee: Free | Register here
In this interactive storytelling theatre workshop, participants will be guided to discover the various locations and characters of the Vietnamese Folk tale. Other than learning to express oneself, participants will also be learning to interact with participants of different generations. Come discover how the Toad brought the rain!
Once Upon My Time... creating digital memoirs together
Venue: L3, Drama Centre Function Room 3
Date: 28 May 2023
Time: 4.30pm to 5.30pm
Fee: Free | Register here
Calling all grandparents and your grandkids! Come create your digital memoir together and preserve your life stories. Learn how to save your cherished memories in your own voice. Pick up valuable storytelling tips to stay authentic and engaging in this intergenerational workshop.
Language & Literacy Programmes
[Workshop] Having Fun with Languages: Learning Mother Tongue in Innovative Ways
Venue: L3, Drama Centre Function Room 2
Date: 26 May 2023
Time: 1.30pm to 3pm
Fee: $42.95 | Purchase ticket here
Learn more about fun and innovative ways to learn mother tongue languages in this session. Discover how to engage children in language learning to make it enjoyable and effective. Get practical tips for unlocking the power of multilingualism in young learners, whether you're a parent or educator.
What Should Children be Reading?
Venue: L16, The Pod
Date: 26 May 2023
Time: 2.30pm to 3.45pm
Fee: From $42.15 | Purchase ticket here
The expanding global children's book market offers many options for kids, but what should they be reading? A diverse panel of a librarian, bookseller, educator, parent, and student discuss the types of books that can broaden children's perspectives and reflect the community. They will also answer FAQs from families and the community at large.
Performances
Gerak ABC!
Venue: L1, Plaza
Date: 26 May 2023
Time: 1.45pm to 2.45pm
Fee: Free
Gerak ABC is a bilingual English-Malay dance theatre performance, animating the letters of the alphabet through the body. The dancers help make the letters come alive through embodying the letters and pairing them with simple movement words; like “gerak,” which means “move". Daily interactions like “M for Makan” and “S for Salam” are also featured and become inspiration for dance movement and engagement between audience and performers.
This is a relaxed performance and suitable for a neurodiverse audience.
The Missing Pages
Venue: L1, Plaza
Date: 26 May 2023
Time: 4.15pm to 5.15pm
Fee: Free
In this presentation of The Missing Pages, The Chewy Collective is excited to welcome you on the adventures of Alfie and Betty, the storybook sleuths! When some pages go missing from their favourite stories, they embark on a wild chase through magical portals and fairytale lands to reclaim their precious pages. However, they discover a bigger mystery to be uncovered… Maybe we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover! Will you help Alfie and Betty build things to overcome obstacles, rewrite some stories, and solve the mystery of the missing pages?
Travelling with Brocolily
Venue: L1, Plaza
Date: 27 May 2023
Time: 11.15pm to 11.45pm
Fee: Free
Bring your passport, pack your bags and we're taking off to 3 countries with Brocolily! Dip your toes into each country's nursery rhymes and meet some animals along the way. Get ready to sing, move and have a whale of a time with us!
This is a music and movement programme. Suitable for a neurodiverse audience, and for children ages 4 to 7.
Draw and Tell Me a Story!
Venue: L1, Plaza
Date: 27 May 2023
Time: 12pm to 1pm
Fee: Free
Work to tell and draw a story with our presenters as they seek your help to fill in the blanks and missing pictures (through your cues) in this fun and interactive storytelling session. No one knows what will happen next in this tale, except for you!
Visit this link to find the full festival line-up.
