About the Festival

The Start with the Arts Family Festival is a celebration of the visual and performing arts, at Union Station. The Festival is named Start with the Arts^©, after the VSA arts signature resource designed to help integrate the arts into early childhood learning, for over 20 years. The Start with the Arts Family Festival will offer children lasting arts experiences, and provide parents and teachers with hands-on creative ideas. Showcasing the power of children’s imaginations and the importance of the arts in education, the festival will also feature creative workshops across a number of disciplines as well as performances by several leading artists.


Children enjoying the mask workshop led by Emily Shepardson at the 2007 Start with the Arts Family Festival	Inner Harbour African Drum Ensemble in concert during the 2007 Start with the Arts Family Festival