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In April the Family Arts Campaign was launched at a conference held in Birmingham. The 18th June saw the public launch of the Family Arts Festival, the biggest family arts festival ever seen in the UK, which runs from 18 October - 3 November 2013 and 17 October - 2 November 2014.

The festival, the first UK-wide festival of exciting theatre, dance, music and visual arts events designed to increase family participation in the arts, will involve over 500 partners delivering quality programming across the country.  Building on the momentum of the London 2012 Festival and the Cultural Olympiad, the festival will include special intergenerational events programmed to target families of all kinds and backgrounds and a Family Arts Festival Awards programme to recognise partners' events and achievements.

The Family Arts Festival has also joined forces with the Campaign for Drawing's Big Draw. Launched in 2000, The Big Draw is dedicated to showing that drawing is accessible, fun and invaluable in education and everyday life. Every year it engages audiences, established and new, through the hugely accessible act of drawing with1400 events having taken across the UK and 20 other countries during 2012.

The organisers are now looking for organisations to join the Festival and present family arts programming and events during the half term holidays, from 18 October - 3 November. Join the Festival programme and help deliver the biggest family arts festival the UK has ever seen! To register for the Family Arts Festival please visit www.familyartsfestival.com or for any other enquires please contact the Campaign Manager at alastair@solttma.co.uk

Alan Davey, Chief Executive, Arts Council England said, 'The arts offer a space for people of all ages to spend time together, to have fun, to learn new things about each other as well as the world around them, and to build a stronger sense of community. This is why our investment in the Family Arts Campaign is so important in not only encouraging families to access the vast array of exciting arts events that take place up and down the country, but also to help arts organisations improve and build upon their offer to families.'

The Festival is an initiative of The Association of British Orchestras, The Theatrical Management Association, The Society of London Theatre, the Independent Theatre Council, the Visual Arts & Galleries and Association and Dance UK, and is funded by Arts Council England through The Audience Focus commissioned grants scheme.