The Ark

I finally was able to take my daughter to a show in the Ark, as part of the Dublin dance festival. It was amazing and she had a blast. I love the facilities, especially the actual theater, it’s cute and cosy and perfectly adapted to little people. They have a room for impatient kids to wait in, with books and a giant beanbag and the staff is helpful and attentive.
The only negative is the price of the tickets (for kids), and the fact that the spots fill up so fast you’ll have a very hard time getting in to the interesting shows. A while back my partner was passing by with our daughter and as there was a last minute cancellation he was able to take her to a ‘music class’, he said it was terrible, especially for the price he paid.
However, it is an amazing facility for children and I wish it was done on a bigger scale.
Advice: look out for the best shows and purchase tickets asap, if not, do get on the waiting list as there seems to be a lot of cancellations and they will give you a call in that instance.

This is such a great facility for kids. They have events ranging from stand up comedy for children, to a nonsense poetry day, theatre, film, and everything in between that will keep your rug rats creative and occupied. They also have an online facility — ‘Watch & Make’ — where you can watch tutorials online and make in the comfort of your own home!

It would be easy to be a bit cruel about the ark, it feels a bit basic and the staff are mostly the arty type who are overly zealous proponents of «worthy» pursuits and they dress funny.
The above is probably all true too… but that is not the point of the ark. For a start, I’m not the target audience; it doesn’t cover the ethos of the place as a whole nor indeed does it even scratch the surface of the imagination, hard work, dedication and creativity of the staff. They seem to be able to tap into those parts of a child’s brain that brings out the creative and possibly undoes some of the damage caused by too much spongebob.
Brilliant place, I love it.

You don’t have to be a kid to go here and you don’t need kids either — then again I am a big Kid!
Anyway, plays and events may differ and can’t really be a judge of what a venue is like. But I can say, from having gone to two shows here, that the staff are as friendly & as helpful as can be.
I also know, from being told about their events, that they have a great selection of events for kids, families and Big Kids.
Just pop in and ask about their upcoming events and meet the friendly staff!

The Ark Children’s Cultural Centre opened in Temple Bar just when I was on the cusp of being too old, but I still managed to catch a few shows and exhibitions here which I can still remember.
The centre hosts exhibitions, plays, concerts and other cultural events and activities, promoting work «by children, for children and about children’. The building itself is beautifully playful, designed specifically with children in mind.
As a teenager I participated in a series of ‘meet the orchestra’ concerts here, aimed at introducing young primary school children to the workings and instruments of the orchestra, which was really great fun for all involved.
The centre is a really excellent addition to the city, firmly including Children in Dublin’s cultural scene. Reconsider the cinema the next time you are bringing you kids on an outing — there’s far more fun to be had and things to be learned in the Ark.

This is a cultural centre for children. It is located in Temple bar, I always love the kids drawings that they have on the free postcards that they distribute.
I wish this place was around when I was a kid! Not fair! They run a lot of child centred events, so if you have children in your life and you would like to occupy them, check out their website or get in touch with them for possible ideas. I took some rugrats to a play that they had on a while back, it was pure bliss to see them enthralled and not pestering me for sweets and saying that they were bored every second sentence.

This is a wonderful place to inspire young children mostly interested in the arts.
It boosts an indoor and also an outdoor theatre, gallery and workshop. The programmes are apparantly organised by children-​and obviously for children. But trust me, you might doubt that once you’ve seen their work.
A very educational centre definately worth visiting for the kids.