Esplanade’s annual children’s festival, March On will return over the March school holidays with performances, workshops and more for plenty of family fun!
Venue: Various locations at Esplanade
Dates: 9 - 19 Mar 2023
Admission: Free and paid, fees for activities may apply
March On 2023 will explore relevant issues for the young through multi-disciplinary programmes and participatory arts experiences. Families who visit the Esplanade during the March school holiday will discover a variety of paid and free programmes for the entire family! Through this festival, Esplanade hopes to help families create a lasting memory, to bring back a helpful lesson and to create meaningful conversations between parents and their children!
Eager to find out more? Let us share 7 out of the many experiences that you and your little ones can enjoy at March On 2023!
The Beginning of Anything
Venue: Esplanade Theatre
Dates: 10, 11 & 12 Mar 2023
Admission: $45 (Cat 1) | $35 (Cat 2) (Tickets and show times here)
*Recommended for 6 years old and above
Have a little one who has a fear of the unfamiliar? The Beginning of Anything might just be the performance to start a conversation about their fears and to help them discover their own identities.
Come join 6-year-old Shan, our main character who has always wanted to be an explorer. In the comfort of her home surrounded by books, paper and pencils, she creates worlds filled with her favourite things and animals that dream. Soon, she is about to discover a new world that she has never encountered before - school. But she is an explorer, and an explorer with the right tools has no reason to be scared! So armed with her handy torchlight and a head full of stories, Shan discovers that all she needs to find her new place in the world is a little love and light.
Through music, animation and storytelling, The Beginning of Anything 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.
Kiap Kiap Revolution: Re-imagine, Re-Order, Re-Connect
Venue: Esplanade Courtyard
Dates: 9 - 19 Mar 2023
Admission: Free (Details here)
“Kiap” (Hokkien): act of squeezing or gripping an object; colloquial reference to the giant tongs in claw machines; a connection between people.
Kiap Kiap Revolution is a participatory art showcase where children and adults are invited to spend time together to re-imagine, re-order and re-connect as a larger community through the deconstruction and re-construction of toys and dolls.
Co-created by visual artist, Jimmy Ong and Tak Takut Kids Club (TTKC), a child-centric community arts centre, this activity was conceptualised through well-meaning donations of toys and dolls that the children don’t actually need. Jimmy spent time with the children during his residency at TTKC to manually deconstruct and re-construct the toys and dolls, rediscovering matters like charitable giving, social dynamics and the environment in the process.
Changeling
Venue: Esplanade Annexe Studio
Dates: 10 - 19 Mar 2023
Admission: $30 (Tickets and show times here)
*Recommended for 8 - 12 years old
Changeling is a theatrical roleplaying game where children embark on an adventure searching for Nadim, a runaway boy who mysteriously disappeared twenty 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.
Join your children as they solve puzzle quests, roleplay with colourful characters, and take up arms against a living nightmare.
Note that all children (Players) must be accompanied by an adult (Supporter). Tickets are required for each attendee.
Come Back Home
Photo Credits: Sarah Walker
Venue: Singtel Waterfront Theatre
Dates: 10 - 19 Mar 2023
Admission: from $20 (Tickets and show times here)
Come Back Home is an immersive theatre performance that winds through the past and the present to seek out a child who went missing a long time ago. 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. Families can choose to be in the seated auditorium as an Observer or to participate on stage as a Participant amidst the adventure. Observers will participate in key moments to bring the story to life from their seats while Participants will actively bring the story to life, moving around the space, and joining the story as guided by performers.
Children are recommended to be 4 years old and older to be a Participant, and to be accompanied by at least one adult Participant.
Rattle King 2
Venue: Esplanade Forecourt Garden
Dates: 10 - 19 Mar 2023
Admission: Free (Details here)
The Rattle King returns to Esplanade once again in this participative promenade performance. Follow the performers as they embark on a journey from the Esplanade Forecourt Garden and continues to various venues in an outdoor procession!
What will the King and his marching-on followers discover in the process? Will he find what he’s looking for?
This performance is suitable for all ages as families join the Rattle King and his jesters as they play, make music and rediscover the beauty of sounds on a musical journey of listening, learning and living with urban aural distractions.
The performance starts with a pre-show workshop activity from 6 pm – 6.30 pm, and the procession will start from 6.45 pm!
Collectors of Stories
Venue: Esplanade Concourse (Home Grooves exhibition) (2pm), Esplanade B2 Carpark Foyer (4pm)
Dates: 11 - 19 Mar 2023
Admission: Free (Details here)
Inspired by the karang guni profession in Singapore, Collector of Stories is a storytelling like no other! Meet our storyteller, The Collector - he travels from place to place, his signature horn can be heard from blocks away, and people rush to him with their old unwanted items and give them away.
The Collector takes them in and has done this for many years. What keeps him going are the stories these items hold. Stories that can be shared and retold. Come listen to the Collector as he retells these stories using familiar items, and your children will also be given the opportunity to share their stories through a participatory activity.
We Touch, We Play, We Dance
Photo Credits: Zoe Manders
Venue: Esplanade Theatre Studio
Dates: 16 - 19 Mar 2023
Admission: $25 (Ticketing and show times here)
*Recommended for 0 - 3 years old
Join the dancers in We Touch, We Play, We Dance (watch trailer to see what to expect) as they weave around the space, inviting babies and children to join them in a warm-hearted and playful performance.
With music mixed live by a DJ, families can expect an interactive performance about dance, play and touch as the dancers respond to the children, guiding them through a series of exchanges and encounters, with high fives, hugs, and dancing.
Families can choose to listen and watch, or to let loose and join in - it is all up to you and either way, you will discover lots of surprises and joys while having a fun time!
There will be 2 performances each day, the morning performances are recommended for infants up to 18 months or for those who prefer a gentler show while the afternoon ones are for those who might want to join in more energetically. And don’t worry, both performances will be equally engaging!
Also take note that audiences will be seated on floor cushions or benches.
Draw PIP a Friend! Contest
Stand a chance to win Esplanade Mall vouchers and PIP merchandise at the Draw PIP a Friend! Contest! Its simple to take part, simply following the following instructions and stand a chance to win!
- Draw PIP a friend (you can add a note to describe the new friend)
- Snap a picture of your drawing and send it to Esplanade before 31 Mar 2023
- The entry with the most votes at the end of the voting period will win up to $50 Esplanade voucher and PIP merchandise.
For more details for the contest, click here.
Spend & Redeem
Between 9 to 19 Mar 2023, PIP's Club members can redeem a limited-edition kids PIP mask worth $12 with a minimum spend of $20 at Esplanade Mall participating outlets. For full T&Cs, click here.
Have we gotten you excited about March On 2023? Discover the full list of performances and activities, and get your tickets here!
