The Week Junior Forgotten Courtyard at Just So Festival 2017

Just So Festival has a brand new area for 2017 especially for children aged 8 and over and it’s a corker. In collaboration with fast-growing current affairs mag for curious kids The Week Junior this is the place to head this summer for families to expand their knowledge of life and the universe together.

It’s the first time that Rode Hall’s stunning Italian Garden (a bewitching ruined courtyard and secret garden space, formerly the old Tenants’ Hall) has been used across the weekend and we can’t think of a more perfect space for minds to be stretched, creative juices to flow and for some dreams to come true.

The Week Junior’s team will be running a Journalism Workshop with insight on how to get started and the opportunity to create front covers and news articles and Photography Workshop with picture editor Colin Williams on how to take the best snaps. Work from both will feature in the magazine itself. The magazine’s team will be holding a The Week Junior Big Debate where “for” and “against” groups will learn how to build and present cases together on a big topic relevant to the news that week. Exciting stuff.

There’s the chance to meet and learn from some of the UK’s favourite children’s and young adult authors and illustrators too. Kieran Larwood (Podkin One-Ear) will share top tips on how to invent your own world and design your own fantasy world map, Sarah Mussi (Snowdonia Chronicles Trilogy) will be leading a session on uncovering fact and fiction behind the legends surrounding the dragons of Wales and the tales of Merlin, Froggicorn illustrator Katy Jones will be leading a session on devising strange creatures culminating in the creation of a brand new Extraordinary Beast and Mike Brownlow (Ten Little Dinosaurs, Monsters, Pirates and Princesses book series) will be sharing the process of making a picture book.

We love that you can meet those who have broken boundaries and changed the world a little such as adventurer and author Matt Dickinson (who has survived avalanches and killer storms) who will be discussing why explorers take risks and the challenges facing indigenous people who live in the highest, coldest and most dangerous regions on earth and Corin Bell, Director of Real Junk Food Manchester on why so much food goes to waste and how to help eradicate this.

Other artistic pursuits here include a drawing workshop with cartoonist Marc Jackson, the chance to create your own monster with author Kat Patrick, experience live music and storytelling in the reading of Two Parts Mischief with author Geoff Bird and jam with and perform top tunes with award-winning songwriter and storyteller David Gibb and carnivalesque band the Bramble Napskins.

For curious young folk who are keen to learn it would be tempting to stay in this one place indeed but don’t forget that the mighty Just So Festival has over 200 cracking other events on over the weekend too!