Family & Youth

Join Us for Draíocht’s 10th Toddler Take Over Adventure in May! / Created by Lead Artist Órla Kelly

The Toddler Take Over 2025

Thu 15 May 2025 , 10am-2.30pm

Tickets €5 per person
All Spaces

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A Little Event for the Youngest Citizens of Dublin 15

Where musicians play, singers sing, dancers dance and storytellers weave tales ... Join us for our 10th Toddler Take Over Adventure in May!

This is Draíocht’s 10th Toddler Take Over event which celebrates the limitless imagination of the very young child and the magic that happens when it is combined with the world of artists and the arts. With a combination of self-led and artist-led events and happenings, children are invited to bring their insatiable curiosity and their adults to explore our spaces, discover a range of artforms, to create, play, draw, and nurture their creative potential, while having fun too.

So let your toddler take the lead, as we open up our building just for them and invite them to explore!

How is this year different? Please read in full.

To celebrate our 10th year of Toddler Take Over, we are going all out to make this event as toddler friendly and child led as possible!

Your toddler doesn't care about a timetable - so why should you! If they want to paint, just paint. If they need to nap, then take the nap. There is no need to worry about workshop times - just roam around after your child, digging, dancing, making, playing. Sometimes music, dance, or a wonderful character might start playing, speaking, or moving in an interesting way, and you might want to take part ... but you might just want to dig in the muck either.

Now you can roam freely across ALL the spaces. Our artists will come into the space and animate some spaces with music, dance, and theatre. Your toddler can stay or go, ignore, watch, dance, move - whatever way they want to engage. This is to allow your Toddler to have even more choice over how they spend the day.

We do need some order - so this year we have 5 timeslots: we ask that you do not arrive earlier than your timeslot as these slots are there to manage numbers in our spaces and to keep everyone comfortable and safe. The slots are designed with the idea that you might stay for approx. 2 hours and may come across one or two of our pop-up “sessions” over your stay.

You must purchase a €5 Roaming Ticket for EVERYONE over 17 months attending in your party, including both children and adults. Without a ticket you will be unable to explore the array of spaces on offer. Spaces are designed for wobblers to toddlers. Babies are welcome but must be allocated a FREE ticket. Wristbands will be provided to each ticketholder on the day, giving them access to each of the spaces.

Your Roaming Ticket covers EVERY space in Draíocht. It provides admission across a combination of open spaces for self-directed play and inventiveness with pop-up performances that occur across three spaces at different times in the day. With your Roaming Ticket you can come and go as you please - you do not need to stay for the duration of the event, and you can arrive any time after your assigned time slot.

There will be a timetable of pop-up sessions available on the day. We would encourage you to take a relaxed approach to the day; don't worry about missing the sessions as the day is designed to encourage self-directed play and creativeness for your toddler.

Programme - 5 Spaces to Explore

The Night Forest | Ground Floor Gallery | Ground Floor

Stars and shadows, a midnight picnic, a giant’s bed, animals in the forest and then ... Who is this? A pop-up theatre & story-making session awakens ...

Become part of the story in this character-led session. You are part of the adventure. Your magic and your actions can steer us through. Ready your imagination to go on an adventure with the night forest characters brought to life by our actors.

Creative Camping | Main Auditorium | Ground Floor

Tents of red and yellow and blue fill our toddler campsite. Build a fire, step on stones and then what's that sound? A pop-up ceilí erupts by the campfire.

Get ready for a live music pop-up extravaganza like no other, when our SongTales sa Spéir experience surprises us right in the middle of our campsite! Full of imagination, magic and beautiful songs that transports you to a brand new exciting world.

Inside the Cardboard Box | Workshop Room | Ground Floor

Paint, draw and explore inside our cardboard wonderland. Use a paint brush, your fingers or your toes to paint and draw and make your mark (or a mess), on the floor, on the walls, everywhere!

In the Clouds | Upstairs Gallery | First Floor

Off with your shoes and bounce around the clouds. Play, explore, imagine, construct.

Space Between the Stars | The Studio | First Floor

Beyond the sky and into space, to dance and play … and then ... movements will animate the space with pop-up dancers that delight and surprise.

With a series of themes and a range of movements, accompanied by rhythms and some interesting props to enhance exploration of movement, colour and rhythm, this is an interactive and responsive dance and sound session to engage and explore with in your own unique way.

TTO Sensory Friendly Event
Wed 14 May / 10.30am-12.30pm
Suitable for Special Units/Schools
This year, we’ll also have a Sensory Friendly Toddler Morning, for special units and pre-schools catering for children with sensory needs in our local area. Please contact sarah@draiocht.ie directly to enquire, places are very limited.

Booking Opens Tuesday 15 April 2025 at 10am

Booking is online, by phone via Box Office on 01-885 2622 or in person at Box Office, 10am-6pm
There are 5 time slots: 10am / 10.15am / 11.10am / 12.10pm / 12.20pm. Guideline visit time 2hrs.
Wristbands will be provided on event day.
Places are limited and must be booked in advance.
Early booking advised as tickets usually sell out quickly.
Tickets are €5 per person attending, adults & toddlers.
Babies aged 17 months and under go free, but must be ticketed.
All Children must be accompanied by an Adult and all Adults must be accompanied by a child!
Dress for Mess (and fun!)

Meet our Artists

SongTales sa Spéir - With Thomas Johnston & Friends | As part of Creative Camping
Space Between the Stars - With Jess Rowell, Mia DiChiaro and Anderson DeSouza
The Night Forest - With Eimear Morrissey

#TheToddlerTakeOver 8th Edition 2023 ... 400+ toddlers, artists and parents adventuring together through art, with dance, music, storytelling, travelling through space, to the moon, in a castle, with a dragon and so much more ... Draíocht's Toddler Take Over celebrates the limitless imagination of the very young child.