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Family fun: International Children's Festival

Boasting more than 100 performances and representing more than 20 countries from around the globe, the 22nd annual International Children's Festival is set to take Oakland by storm this week.

Debuting in its new Oakland home, the festival's grounds are located on the lawns of the University of Pittsburgh campus and in and around Schenley Plaza and the Carnegie Library. Performances will take place at the Charity Randall Theater, Bellefield Theater, Studio Theater, and Synod Hall.

From Sweden, Serbia and South Korea, to Australia, Africa and India, the festival brings artists, exhibitors and performers to Pittsburgh for a family-centered cornucopia of multi-cultural fun. Kids and adults alike will be dazzled by Portugal’s Companhia de Teatro Quinta Parede, Mexico’s Marionetas De La Esquina and the U.K.’s Mimbre Acrobats. And that's just the tip of the cultural iceberg.

The festival grounds, free to the public, will complement featured performances with hands-on cultural and educational activities, roving artists, booths, and exhibitors. Anchoring the festival's outdoor action is the Target KidStage, which features a lively melange of professional artists and regional peformers. This year’s repertoire also features seven different theater companies, its first-ever theater company from Mexico and five US premieres.

Festival hours are weekdays from 9:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. and weekends from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. For a complete festival schedule, go here.