Lucky Dragon, Crying Toddler

We decided to start off FAIRPALOOZA (how many bad made up words do you think I can come up with?) with a festival with a cultural bent:  The Lucky Dragon Family Festival at the National Museum of Australia.

On the way, Toby initiated a conversation about all the activities we had done in the past month or so that ended with him having a tantrum.  Oh-oh, we thought.  This does not bode well. And sure enough, as soon as we got out of the car, the meltdown started.  Fast forward a running away, a telling off, some tears and finally a kiss to make up and things started to look better.

The Festival wasn't a Fair really, more a gathering at the museum with crafts for the kids, and performances.  It was billed as family friendly, and held on a public holiday, and it seemed every parent with a toddler in Canberra had decided a little appreciation of other cultures was needed on Australia Day.  We managed to squeeze into the craft tables and Toby made his own lucky dragon.

Then he posed with it.  The meltdown was still fairly recent, so smiles were not forthcoming.

However, the icecream changed that.

The ice cream was excellent actually - big cones of really nice ice cream for $3.50.  The raspberry sorbet did stain quite impressively though, and Toby managed not just to dye his face, but his belly also.  The scarlet splotches all over his torso caused momentary concern later in the day, before I worked out he hadn't actually come down with a sudden and virulent rash.

The festival itself was fairly small in what it offered, and I do wonder if the organisers expected quite the crowd they got.  The performances were good (the Choy Lee Fut Lion Dance troupe in particular) but it was so crowded it was impossible for us to see properly.  (Those of us not on Daddy's shoulders, that is.)

Still, in value for money terms (read: free admission, cheap ice cream and quite tasty sausage sandwiches for $5) it was a cheap, fun way to spend a few hours.  And sitting on the grass outside the museum with friends eating our lunch and watching the dragon boat races was a lovely, low key way to celebrate Australia Day.