For the fifth year, the Ha Ha Ha Kidzfest will be bringing art and culture to children from June 5 to 7 with a move to a bigger arena.
This year, the festival is moving to Okanagan Lake Park, a stone's throw from previous host-site Gyro Park.
The festival will continue to bring three packed days of entertainment as the largest children's festival in the province outside the Lower Mainland.
The theme for 2025's festival is 鈥淚n Full Colour鈥�, and will be part of all the performances and activities at Kidzfest.
This year鈥檚 theme,鈥� said festival organizers, Rachel Bland and Jacki Kliever, 鈥渞eflects the uniqueness in each one of us and the celebration of how much more wonderful our world is when we bring all of those unique qualities, understandings and experiences together to make our community a more colourful place.鈥�
In addition to a main stage with a full schedule of performing artists, there will be plenty of activities and workshops filling the park.
The festival has also announced it's list of headline performers in advance of this year's event:
* Merry Marching Band (Quebec) 鈥� This troupe combines music and humour to introduce the audience to a wide variety of styles, eras and genres as they go on a musical adventure around the world and even to Mars!
* Amanda Panda (Alberta) 鈥� Returning to the Kidzfest stage, Amanda brings her colourful personality and incredible hula hoop and circus skills talents. Larger than life and a natural kid magnet, Amanda is a delightful combination of a high energy dancer and an enthusiastic professional.
* Karima Essa (British Columbia) 鈥� A three-time Canadian National Dance champion, Karima Essa is Vancouver鈥檚 very own Bollywood star. An incredibly charismatic and passionate performer, choreographer and instructor, she has used her one-of-a-kind Bollywood talent to entertain diverse audiences at festivals, theatres and in schools across Canada.
* Kym Gouchie (British Columbia) 鈥� With ancestral roots in the Lheidli T鈥檈nneh, Cree and Secw茅pemc Nations, Kym Gouchie is fostering change through her music and art. Her music and storytelling bring awareness to First Nations and women鈥檚 issues, promoting reconciliation and community building while reminding us that we are all in this together. Kym was recently nominated for the 2025 Juno Award for Children鈥檚 Album of the Year.
* The Great Balanzo (Alberta) 鈥� The Great Balanzo turns the everyday into an adventure with a circus & comedy show for all ages. Having performed on Just for Laughs and for the Governor General of Canada, the Great Balanzo brings his silly antics and fun to his Penticton debut performances.
* Penny Pom Pom (British Columbia) 鈥� With 2 albums, 1 book and a web-series on YouTube, Penny Pom Pom captivates young audiences with her catchy, original songs. In addition to the Kidzfest Main Stage, Penny will also be spending time in Tiny Town, the festival's designated area for five-and-under guests, as well as teaching a watercolour painting workshop to school-aged children.
Tickets are available at www.hahahakidzfest.com starting March 1st for school groups and April 1st for general public.
The performance schedules, volunteer opportunities and further festival details are also available from the website.
