ANNOUNCING
FAMILY FEST
FREE FUN FOR FAMILIES
AT THE ADRIENNE ARSHT CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY

First Saturdays, starting November 1!
FREE ADMISSION

Miami, FL October 29, 2008 – The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County is offering a new opportunity every month for the entire community to enjoy a free and fun family experience at the Center. FAMILY FEST will take place on the first Saturday of each month from November through May, and features interactive activities for children to share with their friends and families, including puppet-making, face painting, arts and crafts, storytelling, movement and theater classes, and outdoor performances on the Parker and Vann Thomson Plaza for the Arts.

FAMILY FEST takes place from 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM on November 1, December 6, January 3, February 7, March 7, April 4, and May 2. Everyone is invited to celebrate, and no tickets or reservations are needed.

“Family Fest is a fun and interactive day designed to foster a love of learning and the arts. The performances, hands-on demonstrations, and mini-workshops at Family Fest provide active and engaging opportunities for parents to share with their children while introducing ”hands on” involvement in the performing arts. Families don’t just watch the show, they are the show!” says Scott Shiller, Executive Vice President of the Adrienne Arsht Center.

The first FAMILY FEST (Saturday, November 1) is a celebration of the glittering new nationally touring production of The Wizard of Oz, which is being presented on stage at the Center through November 2. Everyone is invited to the Center’s outdoor Plaza to meet Dorothy and her friends; listen to professional storytellers; and sing along to the classic “Ding Dong the Witch is Dead” with 70 youth from all over Miami-Dade County.

Through each of the interactive activities at FAMILY FEST, children can morph into their favorite Wizard of Oz character by having their faces painted, crafting their very own Oz accessory (a tin hat or a lion’s mane, for instance) and learning how to play the role – and it’s all free!

Each FAMILY FEST promises to be equally inspired by the array of family-friendly offerings presented at the Adrienne Arsht Center. Every installment will feature interactive learning opportunities, creative activities, and entertaining experiences that bring together the entire community in a family-friendly place.

CALENDAR LISTING
Adrienne Arsht Center presents
FAMILY FEST - FIRST SATURDAYS AT THE CENTER
It’s for FREE, for FUN, for FAMILIES!
Mark your calendars now! Join us the first Saturday of the Month, from 11:30 a.m.– 1:30 p.m. for free family fun. Activities for children to share with their friends and families include face painting, arts and crafts, storytelling, movement and theater classes, and outdoor performances on the Parker and Vann Thomson Plaza for the Arts. Make a puppet, learn a song, or try out a few new dance moves, while learning about the arts and other cultures.

First Saturdays - 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
November 1, December 6, January 3, February 7, March 7, April 4, May 2
Parker and Vann Thomson Plaza for the Arts - Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County
1300 Biscayne Boulevard, Miami, FL 33132
Sign up to receive the latest updates on performances, including free events, at www.arshtcenter.org

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About Adrienne Arsht Center for Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County
Adrienne Arsht Center for Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County is Miami-Dade County’s largest ever public/private-sector partnership, comprised of an $150 million private capital campaign conducted by the Performing Arts Center Foundation and public funding drawn primarily from the County’s Convention Development Tax revenues, as well as the City of Miami Omni Redevelopment District Community Redevelopment Agency. Greatly enhancing the artistic and educational opportunities in South Florida, the Adrienne Arsht Center will have significant and long-term economic benefits for the city and the region.

Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County is made possible by the public support of the Miami-Dade County Mayor and the Board of County Commissioners, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, and the Miami-Dade County Tourist Development Council. Education & Outreach is funded in part by The Children’s Trust. The Adrienne Arsht Center also receives generous support from private and corporate contributions to the Performing Arts Center Foundation of Greater Miami through its Membership Program; City of Miami Omni Community Redevelopment Agency; Dade Community Foundation; The MAP-Fund, a program of Creative Capital, supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation; The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts; the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs;  the Florida Arts Council; the National Endowment for the Arts; and The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.

The Adrienne Arsht Center, designed by world-renowned architect Cesar Pelli of Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, includes the 2,400-seat Sanford and Dolores Ziff Ballet Opera House, the 2,200-seat John S. and James L. Knight Concert Hall, a 200-seat black box Carnival Studio Theater, the Peacock Education Center, a restored Art Deco Tower, and the Parker and Vann Thomson Plaza for the Arts, which unites the Center buildings across Biscayne Boulevard, providing a magnificent setting for outdoor entertainment and informal gatherings. The key members of the design team include theater planning and design consultant Joshua Dachs of Fisher Dachs Associates, Inc. and acoustician Russell Johnson of ARTEC, Inc., both of whom worked on the project since its inception.

The Adrienne Arsht Center is a Miami venue not only for its four resident companies (Concert Association of Florida, Florida Grand Opera, Miami City Ballet, and New World Symphony), but also for many smaller South Florida arts organizations that perform in its theaters on a regular basis, as well as for the finest popular and classical performances from around the world. With state-of-the-art performance facilities in Miami for the first time, the Adrienne Arsht Center offers South Florida audiences the best and most diverse theater, music, and dance—with a dedication to entertain, challenge, and educate all segments of the community. For more information, visit www.arshtcenter.org.

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