Kids of Nanjing, get set to rock! The much anticipated Hand in Hand International Children’s Music Festival is coming to Nanjing.
Hand in Hand was founded by American journalist Rebecca Kanthor and her husband Liu Jian, a Chinese musician and author; they have two children. “Before we had kids we were always going to music festivals and rock shows together,” Kanthor told The Nanjinger. “But later when we tried to bring our kids with us, we realized they weren’t designed with families in mind. Later when Liu Jian heard kindie rock (as rock music for kids is known) from the US and Europe, he was so impressed he decided we had to bring them to China to share with families here. Children’s music in China hasn’t changed much at all from the time when he was a kid, and we want to change that. Kids here can learn about the world through music and can experience different types of music too.”
Together they bring the coolest award-winning bands from around the world to perform in China three times a year in autumn, winter and spring. “Since we started Hand in Hand last June, we’ve held three music festivals and traveled to eleven cities, performing for 50,000+ people”, Kanthor said.
“Our goal is to bring the best bands for kids from 10 countries to 100 cities in China over the next 5 years”, she said. For this Hand in Hand festival, Kanthor and Liu will bring two bands to five cities including Zhengzhou, Wuhan, Changsha, Nanjing, and Nantong.
Hand in Hand provides the highest quality when it comes to catering to families, setting a unique standard by paying attention to the details. For example, they control the sound levels to 85-90 decibels, designed for children’s comfort. A large LED screen simultaneously displays Chinese and English lyrics during the show and there are even nursing and diaper changing areas for the youngest audience members.
Booked for the stage this year are two bands from US and Holland. Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band from Los Angeles are Latin Grammy, Emmy and Parent’s Choice award winner. Headed by Lucky Diaz and his wife Alisha Gaddis, the band has been called “the face of kindie music” by The Washington Post and “the best new band for kids” by USA Today. They put on an interactive show that has kids and parents dancing and singing along with the band.
Joining the Lucky Family Band is Hippe Gasten from the Netherlands. Roughly translated into English as “the cool guys,” the band is made up of six guys who make rock music that older kids will really enjoy. They bring the kids up on stage to learn the air guitar and their entire show is designed to give kids an unforgettable experience for their first live concert. The bands hopes to create an amazing memory for the kids and parents to share together.
Kanthor told The Nanjinger, “This is our first time to bring Hand in Hand to Nanjing and we’re so excited. The show will be at Ola Art Space, a live music space. There will be no seats, so it will be more like a huge dance party for kids and their parents. It’s a great opportunity for parents to take their kids to their first live rock show.”
- Hand in Hand; International Children’s Music Festival / Nanjing:
- Date: October 2, 2018
- When: Morning show; 10:30am to 12pm / Afternoon show; 4pm to 5:30pm
- Venue: Ola Art Space
- Address: B1, Sun Palace Square, 3 Yangguang Lu, Xuanwu District 玄武区太阳宫演艺广场B1层欧拉艺术空间
- Tickets: ￥160, ￥260, ￥360, ￥560 (Tickets are required for all attendees, including children. Ticket prices reflect distance from stage). Tickets can be purchased from http://yoopay.cn/event/06442702 or via the QR code below.
