Fun at Hidden River Festival

Festival fun, brilliant Storytimes and lots of Billy Joins the Circus drawings!

Anna Christina from Music Audio Stories at the Hidden River Festival 2023

Last Saturday, I returned to the Hidden River Festival 2023 for its 10-year anniversary, and what a great day it was! I have always enjoyed taking part in this festival and I love the fact that its ethos is based on community spirit and family fun. I have to say, this year was one of the best years yet.

The organisers had placed many stalls, including the Music Audio Stories stall, inside of one large marquee that people could enter and exit at both ends. Due to this setup, there was a constant stream of visitors to all of the stalls, all day long which was brilliant.

It was extremely busy and this created a joyful community atmosphere. We felt as though we were at the heart of the festival and it was absolutely fantastic. It was also very nice to see some of the same visitors from last year who came to support the event.

The Hidden River Festival is attended by hundreds of Woodberry Down residents and visitors from other areas of London. Volunteers from the community are involved in creating a great day of community fun, local food, music, comedy, stalls and more. Nestled beside the East and West Reservoirs at Woodberry Down, the New River creates a stunning backdrop for the festival. Built over 400 years ago, the New River was an engineering feat of its time. Dug by hand, it is still in use today, bringing Londoners fresh drinking water from springs in Hertfordshire. As well as enjoying the festival, visitors can walk along New River thanks to the New River Path which provides a unique green oasis in the area. It's teeming with wildlife and beautiful vistas for the public to enjoy. Children love the modern kids’ playground and there is so much in the area to explore.

Storytime at the Redmond Community Centre

Storytime with Anna Christina at the Redmond Community Centre 2023

My Storytimes were held inside the Redmond Community Centre's dance studio. It's a huge space with amazing reverb, which is always helpful when one has to sing! The children loved the read-aloud of my picture book, Billy Joins the Circus, singing and dancing along to the music audiobook and my drawing activity.

They did a great job drawing the characters and it was so much fun seeing how they interpreted Jenika's illustrations. I collected a lot of drawings and will be posting them on our social media platforms. Make sure you keep an eye on them if you're looking for your child's drawing.

I was thrilled to see that families who took part in my Storytime last year, had returned to take part again this year. My 4 pm group was particularly large and I managed to get some of the parents up, singing and dancing along with their children. It was great fun!

Storytime with Anna Christina at the Redmond Community Centre 2023 image

Children creating artwork at Storytime with Anna Christina at the Redmond Community Centre 2023 image

Storytime with Anna Christina at the Redmond Community Centre for the Hidden River Festival 2023 image image

Book Signing and Drawing Challenge

Author, Anna Christina, signing picture books at the Hidden River Festival 2023 image

As I mentioned above, it was very busy at the Music Audio Stories stall and I had so much fun signing picture books, chatting with parents and running our Drawing Challenge. Children were able to take part in our Drawing Challenge all day long and we collected some wonderful drawings of Billy Joins the Circus. Some children even made drawings, especially for me which was heartwarming.

Music Audio Stories artwork by children at the Hidden River Festival 2023 image

The atmosphere at the Hidden River Festival was brilliant! Everyone looked like they were having a great time and I thoroughly enjoyed the day. I highly recommend attending this event next year if you missed it. BIG thank you to Nadia, and all of the volunteers for running such a lovely event. We hope to see you all again next year!

Anna Christina

Yes you can! Follow your dreams...

Billy Joins the Circus is an inspiring, uplifting story about a monkey who wants to join the circus. Through Billy, little ones are inspired to believe in themselves and follow their dreams! The beautifully vibrant high-quality picture book is bursting with colour and joy. Also available: