Shows, music, films and walks for the next month
11 to 16 July Room on the Broom
Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s classic picture book Room on the Broom gets a rework for the stage this month at Cambridge Arts Theatre. Running 11 to 16 July, the production comes our way courtesy of Tall Stories theatre company, and tells the story of the Witch and her cat on a mission to defeat a dragon.
While travelling on their broomstick, they pick up a motley crew of hitchhikers that includes a beautiful green bird and a crazy frog – but they soon realise that the broomstick’s not meant for so many passengers. With the broomstick snapping just as a very hungry dragon appears, will the Witch and her new friends be able to get away in time?
Expect songs, laughs and lots of fun from this Olivier Award-nominated show that’s toured Britain and the world. Tickets are £15.50 and times vary.
14 July Milton Maize Maze
A firm family day out favourite, Milton Maize Maze reopens on 14 July with a brand new design for 2017 and a giant seven-acre castle, which you’ll have hours of fun exploring from down in the dungeon to the highest turret. Also new for this year is Water Wars, an action-packed game where you get to drench your opponents! The wooden maze will be returning, and you can also bounce on a trampoline, do some go-karting, zip down a zip wire or hop on a tractor for a trip around the farm. For something a little more relaxing, you can wander round the Wild Flower Meadow, feed the fish at the reservoir or have a pitstop for tea and cake at the café.
Tickets are £9.50 for adults and £8.95 for children (3-15 years old).
16 July Jazz & Brass in the Parks
Jazz and Brass in the Parks, a series of free, outdoor music concerts in Cambridge’s green spaces, continues this month. Grab a picnic and a blanket and mosey down to Cherry Hinton Hall on 16 July, when the Cottenham Brass Band will be delighting ears and getting toes tapping from 3pm to 5pm. Free to attend.
cambridgelivetrust.co.uk/city-events
22 July to 3 September Summer at the Museums
From 22 July to 3 September, the University of Cambridge Museums will be laying on a huge programme of family activities, events and trails to keep everybody entertained over the summer holidays. Taking place at venues across Cambridge and the county, the event will bring everything from storytelling and play-based activities for younger kids, to interactive and educational hands-on activities for all ages. More info next month.
27 July Blunderbus Outdoor Theatre
Enjoy a tale about a little pup with big dreams at Milton Country Park this month when Blunderbus swing by with their feel-good show Dogs Don’t Do Ballet. Biff isn’t your average canine – not for him peeing on lampposts or scratching fleas, he’s more of a moonlight, music and walking on his tiptoes fella. In fact, he doesn’t think he’s a dog at all – he thinks he’s a ballerina!
Based on the bestselling book by Anna Kemp and Sara Ogilvie, this fabulously fun production features music, puppets and of course, a ballet-dancing dog. The show takes place on 27 July from 3pm to 5pm and tickets are priced at £10 for adults and £7 for children (£32 for families).
29 July Gelato for kids
If your kids adore ice cream, they’ll be whipped into a frenzy by the prospect of this month’s kids’ session at Cambridge Cookery School, which is all about making your own gelato. Taking place on 29 July, this hands-on class will cover all you need to know about creating delicious, Italian-style ice cream using fresh ingredients and very little sugar. Leading the class, which runs 10am to 1pm, is Tine Roche, who learnt the art of gelato from artisan gelatarias in Italy, and there will be tasters galore throughout.
29/30 July Sundown Cinema at Wimpole
Gather up the family and enjoy an outdoor film screening in the magnificent setting of the Wimpole Estate, as the grand gardens welcome a duo of great family films this July. First up, on 29 July, enjoy Pixar megahit The Secret Life of Pets, which shows exactly what our beloved furry (and scaled, and feathered) friends get up to when we’re not at home. Grown-ups and little ones alike will find it hilarious.
Then, on 30 July, step back in time and down the rabbit hole for a screening of the original Disney Alice in Wonderland. Released in 1951, this surreal classic follows young Alice into a magical world filled with eccentric characters and stars Kathryn Beaumont as the titular Alice, Sterling Holloway as the grinning Cheshire Cat and Ed Wynn as the Mad Hatter.
