Get ready for Funk The Family Festival this weekend

Funk The Family Festival 2017 hits Hove Park, Brighton & Hove on Sunday, June 18 '“ Father's Day.
Jazzie B (Rodney Beckford)Jazzie B (Rodney Beckford)
Jazzie B (Rodney Beckford)

Spokeswoman Andrea Freeman said: “Following three hugely successful festivals, Funk The Family return with an exceptional line-up of high quality music, entertainment and literally tons of family activities which are all free! Funk the Family is all about giving families a good time with minimum hassle; easily accessible with exceptional music, food and activities, all without the hassle of camping. The perfect choice for first-time festival goers with kids.

“A special two-hour DJ set is confirmed by Jazzie B of Soul II Soul and a spectacular performance from London’s 34-piece House Gospel Choir, singing much-loved house and electronic tracks from classic Frankie Knuckles to upfront Disclosure. Plus the brilliant jump-up jungle-meets-jazz Queen Jenna & The G’s, self-styled “chap hop” lyricist Professor Elemental, Rowlf The Dog on jazz piano, Brighton School of Samba, Soul Casserole DJs, the Baby Loves Disco crew and many, many more. All the music is carefully selected by FTF founder, ex music journalist and mother, Lucy ‘Elle J’ Small. Her aim is to create an environment for the whole family to enjoy- so expect a credible and danceable soundtrack.”

Andrea picks out the following highlights:

• Liz Pichon presents Tom Gates

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Best-selling children’s author and illustrator Liz Pichon, renowned for her wonderful series of Tom Gates books, joins the brilliant and inspired line-up of popular children’s authors. Families and children can meet Liz, learn to doodle just like Tom, ask questions and find out more on the latest instalment of the much-loved Tom Gates series.

https://www.funkthefamily.co.uk/artists/liz-pichon-presents-tom-gates/

• Nick Sharratt

Spectacular illustrator and author Nick Sharratt will be inside the festival’s brand new ‘Story Tent’, presented by Brighton & Hove’s awarding-winning children’s literature shop, The Book Nook. Having illustrated close to 250 books by authors including Julia Donaldson, Jeremy Strong, Michael Rosen and most notably Dame Jacqueline Wilson, Nick Sharratt has also written around 40 of his own! At Funk The Family, he’ll be reading and illustrating excerpts from ‘There’s A Shark In The Park’ and afterwards signing his best-selling, much-loved books.

https://www.funkthefamily.co.uk/artists/nick-sharratt/

• Abie Longstaff

Presented by The Book Nook, children’s author Abie Longstaff (‘How To Catch A Witch’, ‘Tally and Squill’) reads from her ‘Magic Potions Shop’ series and assists Funk The Family festival kids in making their own spells! Team FTF love her, not simply because she’s a brilliant, funny and engaging writer… but because she confesses, “When I was little I wanted blonde hair so I poured a tin of yellow paint on my head.” So that’s where the idea for her ‘Fairytale Hairdresser’ series came from!

https://www.funkthefamily.co.uk/artists/abie-longstaff/

• Cirque Du Funk

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Step inside the giant, stripy big-top for fun, thrills and laughter. You’ll find the Circus PaZaz team entertaining kids (big and small) throughout the festival inside Cirque Du Funk. Expect free acro-balance shows, tumbling, clowning, bubbles, balloons & more.

https://www.funkthefamily.co.uk/artists/cirque-du-funk/

• Urban Arts Academy

The ultra-talented team at Urban Arts Academy will be offering a variety of workshops at Funk The Family this year for all ages and abilities; including break dance, street dance, parkour and calisthenics. If you're looking to learn flips, tricking, tumbling, dance, handstands and generally have a lot of fun, then this is the place to be!

https://www.funkthefamily.co.uk/artists/urban-arts-academy/

• Science Experiments

Unleash your inner scientist! Grab some goggles, pop on a lab coat and get set to experiment with slime, sherbet, bath bombs and volcanoes. Funk The Family are super excited to have the creative team behind Rottingdean’s much-loved Arthopod Arts on board this year. “We believe in the power of imagination and experimentation and that through the process of creating something, transformational things can happen!” say those whacky scientists. Creativity and fun at its best.

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https://www.funkthefamily.co.uk/artists/arthropod-arts-science-experiments/ - sthash.gvGpmGnj.dpuf

• The Amazing Art Cart

The Amazing Art Cart is a bespoke, portable art cart packed with all kinds of creative materials. Be inspired, get messy, get crafty and make your own unique mythical mask or head-dress. The Amazing Art Cart team will be on hand and ready for you to dive in and make something magical.

https://www.funkthefamily.co.uk/artists/the-amazing-art-cart/

• Little Musketeers Fencing

Experience fencing: duel your friends or fence the family! Little Musketeers are coming to Funk The Family; offering swashbuckling sword fencing workshops! An enclosed zone will showcase this elegant, exhilarating art; an age-old pastime that is instantly rewarding, instinctive and immensely fun.

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https://www.funkthefamily.co.uk/artists/little-muskateers-fencing/

• Tree of Life

Children will find their inner zen over at Tree of Life’s well-being zone. Well, that’s the plan! There will be free taster kids yoga sessions on offer, as well as massage for grown-ups too, including a papa pampering package for Dads as this year’s festival falls on Father’s Day. Ommmm.

https://www.funkthefamily.co.uk/artists/tree-of-life/

• The Circus Project

Fancy hanging upside down on a trapeze? The Circus Project invite children (over five years) and adults to have a go, for free. Crash-mats supplied! Plus there’s hula-hooping for all ages and beautiful performances from Brighton & Hove Youth Circus.

https://www.funkthefamily.co.uk/artists/the-circus-project/

• Clown Zaz

Unicycling, juggling, spinning plates and generally being very silly is what Clown Zaz does best. Taking great pride in making people smile, Zaz will be entertaining families with his Circus PaZaz team inside Cirque du Funk. https://www.funkthefamily.co.uk/artists/clown-zaz/

• Pro Direct Soccer Academy

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Football skills workshops for all ages and abilities to instil confidence and creativity in all players! Have fun whilst developing skills in the beautiful game. Pro Direct Soccer Academy will be running a football zone all day offering fun games, competitions, prizes and tournaments including: beat the goal keeper, a speed challenge, hardest shot competition and a special dads versus kids event to celebrate Father’s Day.

https://www.funkthefamily.co.uk/artists/pro-direct-soccer-academy/

• Axe & Paddle Bushcraft

We love to see families go wild together! Within an authentic, eye-catching tipi, expect flint and steel fire-lighting workshops (supervised of course!), bow drill fire-lighting demonstrations, natural fibre cord making and an archery contest!

https://www.funkthefamily.co.uk/artists/axe-paddle-bushcraft/

• BeatBoxing Workshop with Ollie Heath

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Stand out from the crowd by learning the musical art of using your mouth and voice like a drum kit. Come learn the basics of beatboxing, record your own voice with a live looper and become part of a funky beatbox orchestra. A 30 minute workshop that will convince anyone that you’ve been beatboxing for years!

https://www.funkthefamily.co.uk/artists/ollie-heath/

• Guy Parker-Rees

Zimbabwe-born illustrator Guy Parker-Rees heads inside our exciting new ‘Story Tent’. Having moved to England at three-years-old, Guy spent most of his time at school “doodling and painting” before embarking upon a degree in English and Philosophy at York University, where he spent “a lot of time painting and doodling.” And now the lucky, talented fellow makes a good and honest living out of it! In fact one of the books he has illustrated -‘Giraffes Can’t Dance’, written by Giles Andreae- has gone on to be an international best seller.

https://www.funkthefamily.co.uk/artists/guy-parker-rees/

• Hartbeeps

Drop in to Hartbeeps’ original and highly interactive workshops for babies & young children at Funk The Family Festival. Brimming with original songs, remixed nursery rhymes, musical stories, BIG fun characters & colourful themes, there’s lots to do, learn and make believe.

https://www.funkthefamily.co.uk/artists/hartbeeps/

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