SPARK family festival

The family festival SPARK will return next month, bringing a programme of performances, workshops and activities inspired by Space.

Now in its third year, the one-day event on Sunday 4 October will see the Villa Marina transformed into a hub of creativity, imagination and discovery, encouraging families to explore, make and play together.

From live music and theatre to storytelling, cinema and hands-on workshops, SPARK 2026 invites children and their grown-ups to take part in a day of shared experiences across the Villa Marina.

This year’s headline performance will see Little Angel Theatre present Reach for the Stars, a puppetry production inspired by the life of Mae Jemison, the first African American woman to travel into space.

Other highlights include:

• A family-friendly performance of Holst’s The Planets Suite by Manx Family Concerts
• Astronaut Training School with Active Souls, putting young space explorers through their paces
• Spacecraft-building workshops with Wood ‘N’ Craft
• Up Above, a sensory experience for babies and toddlers exploring the changing sky through light, sound and movement
• Space-themed storytelling sessions from the Manx Family Centre’s mobile library
• Families can also enjoy a screening of Muppets from Space in Broadway Cinema, themed face painting throughout the day and a family disco hosted by Graeme Jolly from the Manx Family Centre.