Iggle Piggle, Upsy Daisy, Tombliboos, Ninky Nonk and Pinky Ponk. Not sure what the creators were smoking when they came up with this show, but the kids all seem to enjoy it. They say ‘never to meet your heroes’ in case they don’t live up to expectations, but I don’t think that applies when it comes to kids. They can see all their favourite characters at In The Night Garden Live.
Date Visited: Ninky Nonk Show, Sunday, 27th May 2018
Location: The O2, London – various locations through the UK
Getting There: Closest underground – North Greenwich (2 mins walk to the Night Garden Live bubbledome). You can also arrive via the Emirates Air Line.
Cost: £22.50 per ticket for standard seats. Extras, such as Goody Bags (£29) and photos with Iggle Piggle or Upsy Daisy (£15) add up.
Review: After an exciting visit to the Night Garden Live show in 2017 at Blackheath, we decided to take her again as it was conveniently located close by at The O2 in North Greenwich. Since the previous year’s visit, Cara has been in an on-off relationship with Night Garden, occasionally watching it on CBeebies. However, these days she prefers more ‘grown up’ shows like Paw Patrol and PJ Masks.
We booked the ‘Ninky Nonk show’ (there’s 2 to choose from), which involved Iggle Piggle losing his blanket. Upon arriving at the dome, Cara was excited, not only because of seeing Night Garden Live, but also because her friend from nursery was also attending. After checking the tickets, we collect our pre-paid Goody Bag. The contents; a Pinky Ponk soft-toy, puzzle, magazine, DVD, water bottle and light up spinning wheel keeps Cara entertained until her friend arrives.
With our ‘cheaper’ seats located towards the back of the arena, we still had a good view as the seating and stage layout is very family friendly. There’s plenty of staff at the venue to assist, and a helpful countdown of when the show is about to begin.
Once it does start, there’s plenty of dancing and singing to get involved with. The Programme contains the words if you feel like a spot of karaoke. It’s quite interactive and spacious enough to allow your kids to dance along, although Cara preferred to just sit and watch while eating a snack. At one point, about 40 minutes in, she became a little restless and started to dig around the Goody Bag. I noticed a few other families that were a bit restless, so it depends on how tired or interested in The Night Garden the children are.
The show itself is well-produced and ran smoothly. It was a very hot day on Sunday, so the dome was slightly warmer than normal. I cannot imagine how hot it must’ve been inside the suits underneath the spotlights.
When the show finishes, then you can proceed to the meet and greet photo area if you’ve pre-booked. As Cara had photos with Iggle Piggle last year, we decided to give it a miss this year. Instead, we headed outside to play in the fountains. After asking her if she enjoyed Night Garden Live, she confirmed yes. We ended up going home that evening and watched the Night Garden DVD before bath time.
However, given that Cara is more interested in other shows now, it is unlikely we will be returning next year. There didn’t appear to be too many children over 5 years in attendance. We have Paw Patrol Live booked later this year in September, so we will see how she reacts to that and compare it with Night Garden Live.
In any case, although it’s on the pricier side, it was a good day out with Cara. She got to sing-a-long, play with her friend, and splash around post-show. Throw in a few souvenirs and it’s a fun day for Cara!
More details: https://www.nightgardenlive.com/
Ratings:
Burn Time: 2.5 out of 5 – Actual show runs for an hour, with a meet and greet photo session afterwards.
Value: 2 out of 5 – quite an expensive day out, especially if you have a larger family. When you add in the extra costs of souvenirs or food, then it’s not something you would want to do on a regular basis.
Overall: 3 out of 5 – it’s a fun day out and Cara seemed to enjoy it, although it’s unlikely we’ll be back next year.
