Kila Family Show at Mermaid Arts Centre

Irish folk-fusion band Kila bring an afternoon show built for children to Mermaid Arts Centre in Bray on Saturday, 29 August 2026, starting at 2:30pm. The hour-long performance is a separate, family-focused version of the band’s evening concert on the same day, designed to pull young audiences into the music from the opening minutes rather than have them sit and watch quietly. It draws on the band’s long relationship with animation studio Cartoon Saloon, whose Oscar-nominated Song of the Sea features a Kila score performed live during the show.

What to expect

The band builds the show around participation. The frontman invites the audience to help create an ocean soundscape for the opening piece, and the interaction continues through clapping, dancing and sound effects across the hour. A recurring highlight is the band’s own instrument acrobatics, where members attempt to play each other’s instruments while their hands stay intertwined, a party trick that reliably gets a reaction from younger audience members. The set also includes three compositions from Song of the Sea, performed live to match the film’s animation, a segment that connects directly to the band’s own soundtrack work rather than a generic music segment tacked onto a children’s show.

Getting there

Mermaid Arts Centre is on Main Street in Bray town centre, a short walk from Bray DART and rail station. Wheelchair and accessible seating is available by calling the box office in advance on 01 272 4030.

While you’re in Bray

The show sits right in Bray town centre, close to the seafront, harbour and the shops along Main Street. There is more to see in Bray and across Co. Wicklow.

Good to know

• Date: Saturday, 29 August 2026
• Time: 2:30pm, running approximately one hour
• Venue: Mermaid Arts Centre, Main Street, Bray
• Price: €12 child, €28 adult, €64 family ticket (2 adults, 2 children)
• Accessible seating available by calling the box office ahead of the show