A kid friendly interactive art installation is on as part of the 2025 Sydney Festival. Held in the beautiful Walsh Bay Arts Precinct, Colour Maze is geared towards children in the 2-to-12-year age range. “Colour Maze is an imaginative play experience created and brought to life by Amigo & Amigo. It inspires children to get hands-on with visual art and journey through the ‘Tongpop’ aesthetic of Sydney Festival Visual Artist in Residence Telly Tuita.”
Families walk through ten different rooms and experience the vibrant colour and artistic expression of Tongpop, with a few ‘hands-on’, interactive rooms to keep the kids entertained. One of the first rooms has oversized building blocks that can be used creatively, and another allows the children to climb across a hand-woven playground. The key with each room is that children and families can play with and touch the art display, making it somewhat their own.
The experience altogether will take approximately 45 minutes – not long enough for the young 6-year-old and 9-year-old minis that joined this reviewer on the day. A favourite experience for the youngest was placing stickers on a harbour bridge canvas (in the final room), and for the oldest, swinging on a bright yellow hand-woven swing. There is also a pillow room, for those that need to relax between experiences, and an opportunity to weave your very own coloured ribbon on a woven art installation.
Colour Maze is a great way for families to experience the Sydney Festival, and younger families would get a lot more out of it, as it is self-paced, taking your little one’s lead. Before/after the experience, there is a bar conveniently located at the entry/exit. Pram parking, and a stage with what might offer free entertainment at select dates and times.
Colour Maze is situated on what Sydney Festival is deemed as the ‘Thirsty Mile’, which is a series of events and spaces in the Walsh Bay Arts Precinct. There is also a summer bar and beautiful harbour views. As you walk down to the Colour Maze, no doubt you will see patrons relaxing on beach chairs situated throughout the precinct.
Overall, the Colour Maze is an engaging art experience for our much younger Sydney Festival patrons, and a good way to lean into the incredible arts community that Sydney has to offer.
THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Colour Maze runs from 4 – 25 January 2025 at Pier 2/3, 15 Hickson Road Walsh Bay Arts Precinct.
Bookings can be made anywhere between 9am to 4pm, Tuesday to Sunday (staggered entry is every 15 minutes).
Bookings can be made here.
There are also relaxed* sessions that can be booked here.
*“Designed for patrons with disability and their families or anyone who may benefit from a more relaxed environment (this may include people with a learning or physical disability, autistic spectrum condition or sensory sensitivities). Relaxed performances usually have slight modifications to sound and lighting, support aids and an open-door policy with a dedicated quiet area.”
