Octoburst! offers free Children’s Day programmes at Esplanade on Oct 2

Families can enjoy free Children’s Day programmes at Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay on October 2nd as part of the return of the Octoburst! Children’s Festival. Due to the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix, the festival could not take place at the venue in 2025 but was held through classroom visits across the island. The line-up includes nine free programmes, with several offering multiple time slots throughout the day.

Rachel Lim, senior producer at Esplanade, emphasizes that the festival is designed around the child’s perspective, aiming to spark curiosity and imagination through various artistic experiences. The festival features two new commissions created alongside Zip Zap Zoom Collective, including "Dear Story Keeper" and "The Story Keeper’s Room," both of which showcase original tales written by pre-school and primary school pupils.

Visitors can read these stories at the Esplanade White Room from 10am to 6pm, or attend live storytelling sessions featuring the Story Keeper and his helper, with four sessions from noon to 5pm. At the Esplanade Lawn, children can participate in a non-competitive Sports Day activity called "Come and Play," which includes four sessions from 10am to 5.15pm.

At the Esplanade Concourse, WahSoSimple offers a drop-in craft station from 10am to 6pm, where children can create colorful paper "florists" to match their mood. Later in the day, at 4pm, The Voice Company will present a 30-minute session of popular musical theatre songs. The evening's highlight is the return of Amanda Chong and Julian Wong's "The Feelings Farm: Live In Concert" at the DBS Foundation Outdoor Theatre, featuring five actors who will perform two 30-minute sets at 6pm and 8pm.

This 22nd edition of the festival, which began in 2005, aims to help families connect through simple creative moments, offering a new way to experience the arts and see them in a fresh light.