NATALYA Thomas-Small has always nurtured a childhood dream of going to Disneyland. As she noticed a shortage of family-oriented events here, she decided, ‘Why not bring Disney Land to Guyana instead?’ And that she did with the introduction of Kids Fest 592 in 2017 which encompasses music, dance, fashion and pageants, games, and more recently, impromptu speech and spelling B competitions. This year’s Kids Fest started March 26 and concluded yesterday with its founder Natalya happy that the event was able to be pulled off indoors at Movietowne despite the challenges and limitations brought on by the Coronavirus pandemic.

Prior to this, the last Kids Fest was held in 2019 in the Promenade Gardens with a ‘wonderland’ theme. It included such fun activities as vending, a bouncy castle, puppet show, pageant and tea party. Mascots were also present from Mr. Bunny Rabbit and Alice in Wonderland with her friends.
“I would love Kids Fest to become a household name. I would also love to build an amusement park to bring a world of possibilities to children,” Natalya said during an interview with the Buzz this week. For this year’s event, 12 children participated in the pageant; four in the impromptu speech competition; and seven in the spelling B competition.
Kids Fest, according to Natalya, aims to work with a variety of quality children brands and entertainment companies to put on this festival, which is usually held outdoors. “The demand for quality children entertainment and activities in Guyana far exceeds the availability of such events,” she observed.

By putting on the show, she said children are encouraged not only to dream but to experience what childhood should be like. “Kids Fest 592 would like to further family involvement throughout the

community and to excite our area youth’s senses and creativity through arts.”
The purpose of the festival is to provide participatory hands-on access to the arts for children and their families, to raise an appreciation and awareness of the arts, to demonstrate the talent and ability of our community’s children and to create a visible, broad-based event adhering to Kids Fest 592 mission.
Kids Fest 592 is a platform that allows kids to express themselves and to help them find their passion and explore it further. “The concept is to bring Disney Land and children’s wildest imagination alive. Kids and their family are greeted by princesses and superhero characters while they walk through the festival, giving them a storybook feel.”
The goal of Kids Fest 592 is to celebrate the beauty of being a child and having fun, a right all children should have. It’s about family, community, education, adventure, and excitement for every child. Participants who share in the pageants learn stage presence, self-confidence, and pride in personal grooming. “And let’s face it! Who doesn’t want to dress up like a princess for the day!” Natalya noted. A talent section is usually included where the children can dance, perform magic, show off their karate skills and so forth. There is also an interview section where they are asked a question and they have to answer. The basis for the judging panel is personality, spirit and overall performance.