The Toddler Take Over 2026

To celebrate our 11th 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 like last year, 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.

A space of shadows and light 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, sound and light session to engage and explore with in your own unique way.

The Toddler Take Over 2026 has been created by Lead Artist Órla Kelly with Artists Deirdre O'Reilly & Jane Groves.

Stay tuned for more artist announcements soon!