It's such a wonderful thing to be able to bring your children to a place that feels truly magical to them.  I worry sometimes that Ivy misses out on things being the second child as we've moved onto slightly older activities that are more aimed at children Ethan's age.  That's why we were so excited to go and see In the Night Garden Live as it was truly a day for Ivy and she absolutely loved it.

Image courtesy of In the Night Garden Live

We went to see the show in Richmond, where it will be for a few more weeks, then it moves on to Birmingham and Manchester for the rest of the summer.  Tickets are still available for some of the shows, so you can book now to see it for yourselves.  The show itself takes place in the showdome, which is purpose built just for In the Night Garden and is really well laid out for children.  


From the moment that we arrived it felt special, the kids were each given a special In the Night Garden activity book and it was easy to get around and find everything you need, there's a large area to park prams and the theatre area has plenty of seating.  You may want to arrive early to ensure that you get a good spot, but saying that we actually got there late and were sat at the edge at the back and had a perfectly fine view.


As soon as you sit down the kids are mesmerised by the lights and sounds around them. Images from the show are projected around the stage and the music is playing, straight away even the smallest babies start to get excited to see what's to come.  Then the show begins and the kids are on their feet and clapping, so thrilled to see their favourite characters right there in front of them.



Ivy absolutely loves Upsy Daisy and could not wait for her to come onto the stage.  We kept hearing bits of her music and Ivy would get so excited.  When she finally did appear Ivy just couldn't contain herself, she was bursting with happiness.  I couldn't take my eyes off of Ivy, watching her face light up was the best thing ever.  And seeing how involved she was in the show, clapping and singing along the whole way through was fantastic.

Image courtesy of In the Night Garden Live

Ethan enjoyed himself as well, he likes to pretend at 4 1/2 that he's not really interested in shows for little kids, but he was just as enthralled as Ivy was by the whole thing.  They were both completely focused for the whole show, which runs for just under an hour.  Near the end of the show, during the dance sequence there are even bubbles that come from the back of the theatre and float over everyone's heads.  It's a great little touch to make the kids feel even more involved in the show.


When the show is finished you head back out to find a large shop with every piece of In the Night Garden memorabilia you could possibly imagine.  There's also an area to meet the characters and have photos taken with them, this can be booked in advance when you buy your ticket.  You can also order a goody bag in advance if you know you'll want to buy a few little Night Garden toys for you little ones to remember the show.

It was a really fun afternoon fully immersed In the Night Garden, Ivy and Ethan loved every minute of it and we would definitely recommend going to see it for yourself with your own little Iggle Piggle and Upsy Daisy fans.

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* This is a review post, we were provided with tickets to see In the Night Garden Live in order to write our honest opinions in this review.*