Kids and Families
2026
Check back in August for workshop updates!
Photos by Todd E. Gaul
Kids 15 & Under Receive Free Admission
Hootenanny Hayrides, Saturday 11am-12pm & 1:30-4pm
Jump on the tractor wagon and come along with Shamu & Friends on a magical, musical hayride across the fields and through the woods. Sing along and keep the bumpity-bumpity rhythm with provided shakers, tambourines and other percussion instruments (or bring your own)! Rides will run every 30 minutes during scheduled hours. Meet on in front of the Kids Tent.
Kids Activities Tent, Saturday 10am – 6pm
Crafts and activities to entertain the young ones — open crafts with interesting mediums, canjo-making workshop and more. The tent will be open 10am – 6pm on Saturday and is located in the field below the dance tent, near the main stage.
Make & Play Your Own Can-jo, Saturday 1pm
Join beloved teacher and Hoppin’ Johnnie, Miss Katy (and friends) in making your own playable, single-stringed instrument. The Can-jo is traditionally made from an old can and oil-rubbed wood…the traditional spam cans are less hardy, so we’ve done our best to find interesting and perfectly-sized ones. At the end of the workshop, you will have a playable instrument — we’ll try our best to play a tune together, then you can take your masterpiece out into the world and jam. Workshop limited to first 20 participants. Located in the Kids Tent.
Kids’ Clogging Workshop with Tampa Enoch-Reese, Saturday 10:30am
Suggested for ages 5 and up, this workshop provides a basic introduction to clogging, just for kids! Participants will learn fundamental clogging steps through fun, confidence-building exercises. They’ll also have opportunities to express themselves creatively with this energetic dance tradition. Comfortable, closed-toe shoes are recommended. Tampa Enoch is an educator, dancer and musician from Mebane, North Carolina. At an early age, she learned to flatfoot and buck dance from her grandmother, and she carries the tradition forward by teaching percussive dance to children both in her family and in the wider community. Tampa has been a member of Chapel Hill’s Cane Creek Cloggers since 2014 and has worked in public libraries as a youth services librarian for 19 years. In her free time she enjoys playing banjo and sharing about the rich and complex history of the instrument. Located in the Dance Tent.
Songs & Stories with Tim Wells, Saturday 10:15am
Saturday morning at 10:30am in the Kids Tent! Children ages 3 – 5 will love learning new songs, fingerplays, and stories they can re-visit at home. Parents are welcome to join the circle and participate along with their children!
Tim Wells has been an early childhood educator for more than 20 years and has provided children’s music programming with Hoppin’ John and the Grassroots Festival for almost twenty years. Located in the Kids Tent.
Kids Instrument & Dance Contests, Saturday 11am - 1pm
Located at Carson’s Grove Stage.
Family Learning Square Dance, Saturday 5pm
Join our family band rendition of the Hoppin’ Johnnies and a fun all-ages caller for a memorable experience that everyone will enjoy — kids, parents, aunts, uncles and friends! No prior experience needed — this dance is suitable for all ages and skill levels —followed by the ever-popular cake walk. Located in the Dance Tent.
Cake Walk! Saturday 6pm
Need we say more? All cakes will be individually wrapped or covered for public health! Located in the Dance Tent.