The Niagara Children’s Festival is an exciting explosion of creativity, offering live theatre, performances and arts-based activities for young audiences and their families. Join us in downtown St. Catharines May 14-17 for a celebration of Arts & Culture for all ages!

Sometimes adults seem like gods—powerful, protective, and kind. But they can also be unpredictable and dangerous. What adults often overlook is children’s unique power: their ability to see right through them.

While We Wait follows a young girl named Leo and her discovery of a magical garden shed. As the seasons pass, she struggles against the changes in her own life. This show is a celebration of inter-species kinship, explores the challenge of facing change, and revels in the power of noticing. The piece features live music, puppetry and is an enchanting introduction to live performance for young audiences.

Ages: 3+

Run Time: 45 minutes

Rip, fold and scrumple!

Shall we see what we can make with a single square of paper? As you scrunch the paper, see how your imagination begins to dance…

Dive into the magical world of Club Origami, an immersive and interactive dance show inviting family audiences to create, imagine and explore whole new ways of thinking, playing and moving. Dance, fashion and live music meet the magic of origami to sweep us up on a spirited and inspiring adventure in a land made purely of paper and play.

Ages: 0-6

Run Time: 40 minutes

Deep in the forest, two little creatures bustle about, collecting their provisions. Acorns, pine nuts and mushrooms, pebbles, apples and branches: every item is counted and tucked away in the burrow’s belly. One inventories, rations and studies… The other writes, ponders, relishes… Their friendship, peppered with little quibbles, sews the flow of the seasons. Yet somehow, something has come between them.

A spring special menu featuring:

Two main entrées to choose from: an 8 oz center cut filet with three blackened scallops over corn and spinach: 112 CAD 80 USD (with an option to upgrade to 11 oz: +17 CAD 12 USD), and three marinated lamb chops topped with mint. 97 CAD 69 USD

Two spring cocktails: a Passion Fruit Martini: 15 CAD 11 USD (Bacardi, passion fruit, vanilla) and a Spicy Strawberry Margarita: 17 CAD 12 USD (Don Julio, lime, strawberry purée, hot honey)

An entrée complement of blackened scallops over corn and spinach: 32 CAD 23 USD.

In this beginner-friendly sewing workshop, you’ll create your very own Bridgerton-esque Regency gown inspired by the refined silhouettes of the Regency era (1811–1820).

Guided step-by-step, you’ll learn foundational sewing skills while constructing a flowing, empire-waist gown reminiscent of the romance and glamour seen in Bridgerton. Perfect for first-time garment makers and curious creatives alike, you’ll leave not only with a handcrafted Regency gown, but with the confidence to continue your sewing journey.

Celebrate Earth Week at Heartland Forest with a variety of engaging programs that connect our community with nature. From learning to ID frogs by their calls and discovering native plants, to participating in a hands-on Earth Day clean-up and exploring seasonal plant changes through citizen science, there’s something for everyone to enjoy.

The week also features a Youth Environmental Summit, a nature photography workshop, and a special International Astronomy Day event with the RASC Niagara Centre.