Something special is coming to York – the first ever CBeebies interactive pop-up experience.
Produced by Step Inside Productions under licence by BBC Studios, CBeebies Rainbow Adventure will be in the city for more than three weeks between 11 September and 4 October.
The York BID have been working with the production team to bring the adventure to York as part of its tour.
CBeebies Rainbow Adventure is a unique, brightly coloured inflatable structure housed in a converted shipping container.
It will be located in Castle Car Park, in a similar position to where the Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre was last year.
Aimed at children up to the age of six, it will comprise a 50-minute journey through a CBeebies garden and five themed, interactive rooms based on favourites from the TV channel to find the rainbow’s missing colours.
The rooms feature flowers that make sounds, rocks which change colour, light-up walls, over-sized fruits, air-filled hedges and clouds “giving visitors a unique sensory experience”.
Tickets go on sale today (Wednesday, 12 February) at the attraction website.
Attract many visitors
The attraction is particularly good news for York in a year when it has lost both Shakespeare’s Rose Theatre and The Great Yorkshire Fringe.
Executive director at the York BID Andrew Lowson said:
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The Rainbow Adventure will bring a welcome family-friendly attraction to York at the end of the summer, and we expect it to bring many extra visitors to York who will stay, shop and socialise in addition to visiting the CBeebies experience.
This will be a great boost to local businesses.
Events and festivals are a key area of focus for the BID (Business Improvement District) which works closely with organisers to support events that will bring more people to the city and benefit businesses based here.
Venue chosen with care
Step Inside Productions contacted the BID late last year to help them secure a site suitable for the Rainbow Adventure, which is touring the UK from April.
A pop-up platform hosting five interactive rooms has specific technical requirements that had to be met in any potential venue.
York BID operations manager Carl Alsop identified potential sites and approached stakeholders before settling on the Castle car park next to Clifford’s Tower.
It met all the practical requirements necessary, including transport links and adjacent facilities – Carl said:
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With the enduring popularity of CBeebies with young families, we knew it was important to make sure this event happened.
Thankfully the City of York Council team felt the same way and were proactive in supporting us to secure the Castle car park as a venue.
The experience and prices
Step inside some of your children’s favourite TV shows by embarking on a journey to find the missing colours of the rainbow.
Sing, dance and discover as you try to find the missing colours of the rainbow in the branded rooms:
- Hey Duggee – Clubhouse Garden
- Something Special – Band Room
- Sarah & Duck – Rain Garden and Moon Garden
- Go Jetters – Silent Disco
- Andy’s Dinosaur Adventures – Drawing Cave
Children aged 0-6 will be taken on a host led journey, joined by their family members and carers.
The journey will begin every 10 minutes and will last approximately 50 minutes. You will enjoy this experience in groups of up to 37 people.
Tickets
Adult: £12.50
Child over 18 months: £12.50
Child under 18 months: Free
Groups of 4-9: £11 each
Source: cbeebiesrainbowadventure.com