There’s nothing like taking on a child’s perspective to foster a sense of wonder, and Festival 2018 has plenty to leave mouths both little and large agape.

Warm up the smallest Festival-goers in the family at Nursery, a play-based performance space at Kurrawa Park, Broadbeach. Performers, bubs and carers combine to foster a sense of connection and make sure anything can happen.  

Ever wondered how Jonah felt being swallowed by a whale? Find out just across the park at Whale’s Tale. Complete with shrimp helmets and a serious dose of courage, brave littlies can jump into the jaws of Manilayo the humpback whale or just watch and enjoy a show that is not short of surprises.

Pre-teens will relate to Patrice Balbina’s Chance Encounter with the End of the World - a refugee story of international displacement and human resilience as told from the perspective of a 12-year-old girl. It’s an evocative and thought-provoking work that will get the family talking.

On the Broadbeach Roundabout Stage, stretch your mind as the world’s best Mallakhamb performers stretch their bodies showcasing this ancient sporting art form in Mallakhambindia. Perched on a large vertical wooden pole, Mallakhamb is part gymnastics, part aerial yoga and all totally amazing. It’s a rare chance to catch this ancient practice that is rarely seen outside India.

Back at Kurrawa Park at Broadbeach, The Lost Lending Library is a museum of curiosities that is powered by storytelling. The library is in constant need of young curious minds to write new stories that literally jump off the page and create their own hidden world. Adults must be accompanied by a child and bookings are taken on site. 

If everybody looked the same, we’d get tired of looking at each other - or so the song goes. Put this theory to the test by stepping into Welcome to Sameville (above) at Kurrawa Park, Broadbeach. This immersive theatrical experience is a weird Utopian world of conformity that will surround you and introduce you to a oddball cast of characters. The aim is to figure out if this alternate reality is more Dr Seuss or George Orwell.

At 7pm the Queensland Music Stage at Broadbeach will burst to life with an eclectic mix of local talent, starting with Moreton and Aquila Young, with Torres Strait hip-hop artist Mau Power leading the line-up. Mau Power, also known as Patrick Mau, fuses modern hip-hop beats with traditional island dance in an effort to bridge cultural divides and communicate his traditional stories through song.

Meanwhile, glamour comes to the Surfers Paradise Main Stage in the form of Sparkle in the Sand. International drag performer Courtney Act (above) hosts a massive celebration of LGBTQI pride, with speakers, music, athletes and performers from across the Commonwealth.

Who says you can’t see rainbows at night.