Hampton Beach Children's Festival Kicks Off Monday

The five-day Hampton Beach Children's Festival, a decades-old summer staple, kicks off Monday morning.

Jam-packed with music, balloons, dance, mini-golf, puppetry and more, this year's Children's Festival will also include some new features, like an appearance at noon on Monday by Radio Disney, which will be playing music and giving out prizes.

"It makes lifetime memories," said Katie Curran, assistant to the chamber president. "I find a lot of grandparents and parents who came when they were little are now bringing their kids and grandkids."

One of the biggest changes this year is that the new Hampton Beach stage is now available for the many performances. Last year, a temporary stage had to be used instead.

The festival kicks off Monday at 10 a.m. with a magic show by B.J. Hickman, and runs through Friday's Children's Costume Parade at 11 a.m. The costume parade starts at Hampton Beach State Park and marches almost the length of Hampton Beach.

"That's always fun," Curran said. "And this year should be the biggest one yet."

All Children's Festival activities are free and open to the public. For more information, call the Hampton Area Chamber of Commerce office at (603) 926-8717 or visit the chamber website at www.hamptonbeach.org for a complete schedule. A PDF of the full schedule is also located to the right of this story.